Saturday November 7, 2009
Due to the last minute submission of comments by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) in opposition to proposed TV energy consumption regulations, the CEC (California Energy Commission) has postponed its decision until at least November 18th. For more details, check out the report from
CE Pro.
For more background, plus my perspective on this issue, check out my earlier post: California Energy Commission Holds Hearing On TV Regulation
Friday November 6, 2009
When it comes to Home Theater Receivers, Denon offers some great options, and the Denon AVR-2310CI is a great value. The AVR-2310CI is a 7.1 channel home theater receiver that features audio decoding/processing for all Dolby/DTS surround sound formats including the
Dolby Pro Logic IIz option. Other features include 5
HDMI inputs, multi-zone expandability, and provisions for custom installation control. Also featured is analog to HDMI video conversion and 1080 upscaling via built-in
Anchor Bay VRS procsessing. To make speaker setup easier, the 2310 also includes
Audyssey MultEQ. Rounding out with a full 105WPC across seven channels, the AVR-2310 deserves to be at the heart of any home theater system. Definitely worth consideration.

Thursday November 5, 2009
In a peek at a possible disc-less future for movie releases, Paramount has issued the popular summer blockbuster,
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, on a USB Flash Drive for a suggested price of $29.99. However, for that price, is it up to Blu-ray standards? For all the details, and what it may trend for the future, check out the reports from
High Def Digest and
Video Business.
Thursday November 5, 2009
While billions of dollars are being invested by broadcasters, manufacturers, and consumers on currently available HDTV technology, and with 3D TV just beginning to get off the ground, the next step in television technology, Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV), is moving beyond the early development stage. UHDTV promises to deliver up to 16 times the detail of today's 1080p HDTV technology.
However, before you get too excited and get buyer's remorse on your recent HDTV purchase, UHDTV still has a lot of hurdles to overcome, especially the added infrastructure cost for broadcasters, production and remastering retooling for content providers, revision of any applicable ATSC and FCC broadcast regulations, not to mention the added cost for the consumer.
Also, the true benefit of UHDTV resolution would probably be most applicable to very large screen applications, such as video projection. Of course, let's not forget the possible energy use regulations (such as those being attempted in California) that may restrict the future availability of very large screen televisions. For more details on the prospects of UHDTV, check out the report posted at Business Wire.
Wednesday November 4, 2009
S-Video refers to analog video connection in which the B/W and Color portions of the signal are transfered separately. The signal is then recombined by the Television or video recording device at the receiving end. The result is less color bleeding and more defined edges than with a standard analog composite video connection.
S-Video is sometimes confused with S-VHS, for more information on this, check out my article: The Difference Between S-VHS and S-video.
For additional terms and definitions, check out my Home Theater Glossary
Wednesday November 4, 2009
With movie download/streaming via
network media player enabled products becoming increasing popular, Best Buy has jumped on board the bandwagon by inking a deal with
Sonic Solutions/Roxio to provide
CinemaNow access to its network/internet capable Blu-ray Disc players, PCs, and set-top boxes and other upcoming products. For all the details, check out the report posted by
ChannelWeb
Related Story: Viewsonic Debuts Media Player (High Def Digest)
Consumer Alert! Kmart Black Friday Deals Leaked (TV Predictions) Note: Stay tuned for my complete Black Friday Report as the popular shopping day gets closer.
Tuesday November 3, 2009
When you buy a blank recordable DVD, on the label it not only refers to the disc size and record mode time, but also refers to Writing Speed. The disc label may indicate a 2x, 4x, 8x, or higher Writing Speed capability. What does this mean to the average consumer? For the answers, check out my Quick Tip:
DVD Recording Times and Disc Writing Speed - Important Facts
Monday November 2, 2009
It is that time of year where the stores begin to fill with eager Christmas and Holiday Shoppers looking for great deals on consumer electronics products, such as televisions, DVD players, Audio systems, and more... For those that haven't been able to keep up with latest, check out my
Top Home Theater Gifts for Holiday Shoppers. These products are examples of good value in both price and performance that will enable you to put together a great home theater system for yourself, your family, or a special friend.
Sunday November 1, 2009
Although DVD is the most successful home entertainment product in history, ever since it was introduced in 1997, it lacks true high definition playback and recording capability. Two competing camps came up with a solution: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. However, only the Blu-ray format now remains. To find out the answers to questions about Blu-ray check out my latest "Question of the Week Series" on Blu-ray Basics. This week's question:
Are There Blu-ray Disc Recorders? Also, be sure to check out my complete
Blu-ray FAQs.
Saturday October 31, 2009
...That is unless the World ends in
2012. All kidding aside, the continued popularity of the 3D movies is exciting manufacturers to make 3D-capable televisions for the home. In fact, many
DLP Rear Projection televisions are already 3D-ready, and
Panasonic and
Sony plan to roll-out 3D flat panel Plasma (Panasonic) and LCD (Sony) for consumers this coming year. According to current projections, over 28 million 3D-capable televisions will in homes by 2013. However, how many consumers will actually take advantage of that 3D capability is still an unknown. For the latest update on this continuing story, check out the report from
Yahoo News/AP.
Previous 3D Reports and Related Stories:
San Diego Comic-Con Reveals A Glimpse At The Future Of Home Theater
Panasonic Takes Home Theater 3D on the Road
Panasonic Makes Bold Move With New 3D Plasma TV
Samsung Unveils 3D LCD TV (Electronista).
OnScreen Media Summit Tackles 3D (Broadcasting and Cable)