Weekly Site Roundup (08/09/04)

ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Home Theater - Top Picks For Back-To-School Entertainment
Going back to school doesn't mean you have to leave great entertainment behind. Check out some great product picks for students that are great for a small apartment, dorm, or group house. Products featured include: TV Combos, DVD Player/VCR Combos, Budget Audio Systems, and more. Whether you are a parent looking for a great back-to-school gift or a student cashing in on that summer job windfall, check out my suggestions for back-to-school home entertainment products.

HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
One-Speaker Surround Sound (Stereophile Ultimate AV)
The WB To Present Nearly Two-Thirds Of Its Fall Schedule In High-Definition... (Widescreen Review)
Boston Acoustics Introduces Revolutionary P400 Home Theater Speaker (Audioholics)
NAD Introduces A New Integrated DVD Surround Sound Receiver (Widescreen Review)
Playstation 3 To Feature Blu-RAy Disc (Game Industry Biz)
Making The switch To Digital Radio (IndyStar)
Maker Of Software That Copies DVDs...Folds (SF Gate/The San Francisco Chronicle)

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Samsung TXP2675WH 26-Inch Integrated HDTV
HDTV is becoming more accessible to more consumers all the time. Now viewers that prefer a smaller television that is HDTV compatible now have a great choice with Samsung's new 26-inch, flat tube, 16x9 HD-tuner equipped television, the TXP2675WH. Other features include progressive scan with 3:2 pulldown for a filmlike image on DVDs, upscaling of analog signals, and flexible input options with composite, S-video, component, and DVI connections. Priced at less than $800, this television is definitely worth considering if you desire a smaller screen set with true HDTV capabilities.

FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Sony's DVD Camcorder Page
DVD isn't just for home theater, now you can capture those camcorder memories direct to DVD with Sony's lineup of affordable DVD camcorders.
Featured in the DVD Hardware and Software Category Page.

Crowson Technology
Subwoofers are great producing audible low frequencies, but tactile transducers can do what subwoofers can't, reproduce the inaudible low frequency information that can chill you to the bone. Check out the innovative line of tactile transducers from Crowson Technology.
Featured in the Loudspeaker Manufacturers A - E Category Page.

FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
How To Test Subwoofer?
From MC:
I have an Infinity PS-12 subwoofer and a Harman Kardon AVR 7200. My sub does not appear to be working/getting any signal even though I have hooked it up and configured everything. Is there any DVD/CD that can be used to do subwoofer tests? The speaker testing via the receiver tests all other speakers except the sub unfortunately.
Join in on the discussion.

ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
About Primetime TV - How TIVO Changed My Life
Elizabeth Larkin, About Primetime TV Guide recently purchased a TIVO Unit. How does she like it? Find out in her informative review. A must read for anyone considering whether or not to get one.

FROM THE MAILBOX
From GT:
I was just casually reading your guide to dvd recorders and found it to be very good. I'm not sure how old the guide actually is, but I would like to point out of couple of minor faults (from my experience):

On Point 4, regarding format compatabilities; you pointed out that Sony does have a recorder that can you record -RW and +RW, while LiteON can record to -R and +R as well. I have had a Toshiba recorder for about 8 months and this records DVD-RAM, -RW and -R. This is a PAL-native machine, which also plays back (but not records) Secam and NTSC, so I don't know if it would even be available in the US (assuming that's where you are). I live in Australia, which, just Iike the UK and Europe, is the PAL standard. JVC has just introduced a machine over here with the same specs as the Toshiba.

You also mentioned in Point 4 that DVD-RAM is less compatible than the other formats, this is true, but with a 3-format recorder like I have there is no problem. RAMs are played back via the recorder, while -Rs and -RWs (once finalised) play easily on the other DVD player I have.

Also (in my opinion, and I assume this applies to all other non-RAM machines), RAM murders the other formats in what you can actually do in terms of recording, editing, space saving, dubbing. All that I do with -RWs and -Rs is record movies and other programs without commercials, unless I want keep fast-forwarding through the ads just like VHS (because of the lack of editing capabilities). Whereas with RAM you can do anything you like with a recording. RAM might be slightly more expensive (at the moment), but this is what DVD recorders should really be about. Thanks for your time.

From Your Guide:
Your points are all valid -- however, even though there are some DVD recorders now that record in DVD-R/-RW/-RAM, the major point I wanted to emphasize was that there is no standalone DVD recorder that records in ALL formats (DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW/-RAM) -- although there are a few DVD-PC writers that record DVDs and write data in all formats.

In addition, although DVD-RAM does have extensive editing flexibility -- the fact that it is not compatible with playback on most DVD players (except for a few made mostly by Panasonic and a couple of other makers) is a decisive disadvantage for consumers. It would be better to get a DVD recorder/hard drive combo and do your editing on the DVD recorder's hard drive and then copy the edited video to a DVD-R or other format that can be playable in a standard DVD player. In addition, Pioneer has developed a way for the DVD-RW format to acheive the same "chase playback" or "time slip" feature that is available on DVD-RAM discs.

Also, Dual layered discs will become available for DVD-RW and +RW formats, which will match the storage capacity of the dual sided DVD-RAM discs that are now currently available.

My opinion is that with millions of DVD players already in the hands of consumers that are not DVD-RAM compatible, DVD-RAM will never achieve dominance in the market over DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW. In fact, currently, DVD recorders recording in the +R/+RW formats slightly outnumber DVD-R/-RW format DVD recorders, but there is still no clear cut winner between the two.

As one who has covered DVD recorders since the beginning, the keywords in achieving product acceptance have been Ease of Use and Compatibility, with more emphasis on the latter.

Once again, thanks for the great input, and feel free to touch base any time! :)

It is always great to hear from readers from around the World.

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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A Special Reminder: Although I update this site regularly, sometimes I miss broken links, this is especially a concern as old product listings expire and new ones have different link addresses. If you encounter any broken links in my articles or listings, just bring it to my attention so I can correct the address or delete it from the site if it has expired and can no longer be accessed.

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with your questions and/or comments.