Weekly Site Roundup (10/18/04)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Home Theater Basics FAQ -- Getting Started With Your Own Home Theater
Home theater is a home entertainment option that provides the consumer with an exciting viewing and listening experience. However, many consumers are confused as to what home theater is and how to get started. The following home theater basics FAQ serves as a beginning point on how to understand and set up your own home theater by answering some basic questions and providing additional resources to get you started with this exciting entertainment option.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Consumer Electronics Shopping Outlook Bright For The Holidays (Consumer Electronics Association)
Self-Destructing DVDs To Help Market New Film (CNET)
...Television Programs Broadcast in Dolby Pro Logic II (Dolby Labs)
TiVo and Humax Introduce New DVD Recorder... (Audio/Video Revolution)
Westinghouse Cuts Price Of LCD TVs (CNET)
Sony Introduces Unique DVD Recorder/PC-DVD Burner Combo (Steves-Digicams)
Neilsen To Add DVR Viewing Habits Into Ratings System (Forbes)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
JVC HR-XVS44U DVD Player/VCR Combo
JVC combines the best it has to offer in a DVD Player/VHS VCR combination that combines both a great performing DVD player in the same chassis with a 4 head HiFi VHS VCR with the both VHS and S-VHS recording and playback capability. So, not only can you experience the increased video quality of DVD, but recordings made in the S-VHS format also provide increased video quality over standard VHS tapes. However, you still have playback compatibility with all the VHS tapes in your current library.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Monster Power
Monster Power Brand surge protectors and power management products by Monster Cable Corporation.
Featured in the Power Management L - Z Category Page.
Kimber Kable
Check out the complete line of audio and video interconnects from Kimber Kable. Their site also includes an excellent section on basic electronics.
Featured in the Cables and Connections Category Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
NTSC/PAL NO FRIENDS OF MINE...
From BORDUCK:
As a newcomer to the wonderful world of digital video recording/playing, I am as you might imagine completely bewildered by the plethora of standards for recording/playback.
One that has me particularly confused - and frustrated - is the NTSC/PAL/SECAM mess. I'm not clear on just what exactly is affected by this standard, and if there is anyway to play PAL standard DVDs on NTSC equipment. In some instances, I've read that newer NTSC standard players WILL play the PAL standard discs, and other sources say no way.
I'm not clear on what the controlling factor in playback of PAL dvds on NTSC equipment is, either; is it the television itself that won't display the format, or the dvd player that won't read it, or both?
Any clarification on this vexing subject greatly appreciated.
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
About Stereos - Turntable Tutorials
Get the most from your classic vinyl record by knowing how to best set up your audio turntable. Check out everything you need to know from Anthony Armstrong, About.com Guide for Stereo Audio
FROM THE MAILBOX
From MT:
...I need to know how to hook up split screen on a Panasonic 34" widescreen (CT-34WX54). I would like to watch one show and have another split. We are on comcast digital cable with motorola box also hooked up to receiver and dvd recorder and vcr. Everything else works. The split screen works when used for other inputs but not for other channels. I would appreciate your help. Could you please give me some answers.
From Your Guide:
The problem is that you have a cable box in the mix -- basically, a cable box (and most satellite boxes) can only download one channel at a time. If your TV, VCR, and DVD recorder are all hooked up to the cable box, then they will all only receive the channel that is tuned in on the cable box at any given time. Even if your TV has dual tuner PIP, the fact that your cable box can only download one channel at a time, overides your TVs ability to display more than one channel at time, as the same channel is being fed to both tuners in the TV.
You have two solutions:
One, you can split your incoming cable into two separate cable boxes -- have one hooked up to the TV directly and the other to your DVD recorder and/or VCR - this would allow you, using the DVD recorder or VCR as a tuner, to display another channel from the second cable box via the TVs AV inputs.
The other solution would be to split your incoming cable and have the non-cable box side go directly to the TV -- and have the other side go to the cable box and then to the DVD recorder or VCR and then to the TV via AV connections. The only drawback here would be that you would always have to have the DVD recorder or VCR on in order to watch your "cable box only" channels.
Lastly, I would contact your local cable service for any other options they may have for you.
FINAL WORDS
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If you need more great info on home theater and audio, with an emphasis on the higher end, be sure to check out About.com's related partner sites:
Audio Video Interiors (The Connected Guide To The Digital Home).
Home Theater Magazine.
Stereophile Ultimate AV.
Stereophile Magazine.
Lastly, I would like your feedback on this Weekly Site Update Page. If you have any comments, either positve or negative, just let me know.
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.
For a look at earlier Home Theater Nooz and Vewz Weekly Updates, CLICK HERE
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