Weekly Site Roundup (06/07/04)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Home Theater Gifts For Dad
Any time of year is a great time to buy a gift for Dad, especially when it comes to adding to his home theater system. Check out some of my suggestions for Father's Day 2004.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Pioneer Launches Wireless Home Theater (Design Technica)
SoundVu: LCD Monitor Doubles as Speaker (Gizmodo)
In Japan, A Look Beyond HDTV (Internation Herald Tribune)
Samsung Introduces...Flat Tube HDTVs With Built-In HD Tuners (Widescreen Review)
Sharp Cuts LCD TV Prices, Adds New Line (TWICE)
Runco High-Altitude Plasma (Gizmodo)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Onkyo HT-S777 Home Theater-In-A-Box
With 100x6WPC and 150-watt powered subwoofer, the Onkyo HT-S777C 6.1 channel HTIB has enough power for most needs. The Receiver/amp section also includes Dolby Digital EX/DTS-ES/Pro Logic IIx decoding. Its 5-disc changer plays DVD-Video/DVD-R/-RW discs, CDs/CD-Rs/CD-RWs, and MP3, WMA, and JPEG photo CDs. Output connections include composite, S-video, and component outputs with progressive-scan capability. This makes a great home theater gift for Dad that the whole family can enjoy.
Manufacturer's Site
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Butler Audio
Check out the latest in vacuum tube hybrid amplifiers for home theater and home audio application as engineered and produced by B.K. Butler.
Featured in the Vacuum Tube Audio Category Page.
British Television History
LaserDisc and DVD are not the first Disc based video systems, neither is the concept of High Resolution TV. Check out the contributions of the U.K. to the development of Television Technology
Featured in the Television Basics Category Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
DVD Region Coding/Lock
From SAMMAR2651:
As an ex-pat businessman, traveling between the USA, Taiwan, PRC, and points beyond, I can testify that the DVD Regional Code Lock has been a "bone in my throat". All of my DVD equipment equipment is Region 1 for the USA, since the widest selection of movies and other video materials is still from the USA, and readily available off of the Internet. However, Taiwan and the PRC are Region 3 (haven't seen 6); and we even see material in the stores in this area for Regions 2 and 4. What this means that if I am traveling through Hong Kong or Shanghai, and I see something interesting, I can't buy it because of the wrong format (region)...
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
About Stereos - Connecting A Stereo In A Tight Space
Anthony Armstrong, About Guide for Stereos, answers a reader's question on how to connect a stereo system in a tight space.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From P:
I would like to record a football game on my hard drive and then burn it to DVD. However, a typical football game lasts 3 to 3.5 hours and exceeds the 4.7 GB storage capacity of a DVD. Do I have to use two discs or is there another solution to this problem?
From Your Guide:
All DVD recorders have several record modes. Most DVD recorders have 1, 2, 4, and 6 hour modes, and some also have 3 and 8 hour modes. The record mode is set through one of the setup menus. Basically, the 1 and 2 hour modes will result in a DVD-video quality recording (also depends on the quality of the source material), while the 4 and 6 hour modes will be about that of VHS quality. The record modes are not the same as "speeds" on a VCR, but the results are similar - what happens in a DVD recorder is that the compression ratio of the video to be recorded is increased in order to fit more video time on a disc. In essence, you are cramming more stuff into the same amount of space. So, in order to do this, the quality of the video that is recorded is of lower quality. Also, the increased compression may affect how well the recorded DVD plays in other DVD players.
FINAL WORDS
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Audio Video Interiors (The Connected Guide To The Digital Home).
Home Theater Magazine.
Stereophile Ultimate AV.
Stereophile Magazine.
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