Weekly Site Roundup (09/02/02)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Power Mad!
We often base our judgments about amplifier quality on power output, but there is more to an amplifier besides power. Find out the real story.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
High-Def Format Proposed By Toshiba, NEC (Video Business)
CBS To Broadcast Majority Of Primetime Schedule in HDTV (Audio Revolution)
BMG Rumored To Fully Support DVD-Audio (Audio Revolution)
CEA May Challenge Tuner Ruling (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
Zenith Kicks Off $30M HDTV Ad Campaign (TWICE)
Sony Ejects Betamax At Long Last (CNET/Reuters)
New WB Shows in High-Def (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Klipsch Powered Sub-Woofers
Put a little "punch" in your home theater system with a subwoofer. Klipsch offers a great collection ranging from 10-inch to 15-inch sizes. Whether you choose from their K-series or their R-series, these guys will do the job.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
1-800-Remotes
Have you lost your TV remote or VCR owner's manual? If so, you can order the exact replacement from 1-800-Remotes
Featured in the Gadgets/ Gizmos and Shopping Subject Pages.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Good Wireless AV Sender Solution?
From Rick:
My wife and I have digital satellite service and we want to watch TV upstairs without having to run new cables all over the place. I've heard about wireless audio/video senders that allow you to set up extension TVs around the house without running any video cables.
Anybody have experience with these things? X10 has one, of course:
http://www.x10.com/products/x10_vk30a.htm
Then I found this guy too:
http://www.4-spy-cameras-and-spy-equipment.com/24trankit.html
And this one, which I can probably buy locally:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=293147
I'm willing to spend more for a product that actually works better. Anybody have any experience with these doohickies?
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
About Science/Fiction and Fantasy
Keep up with all the latest news about your favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy TV shows and Films. Guide Julia Houston has some previews and spoilers of upcoming Fall Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV shows.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From Tony:
I have a Proxima DP 9260 LCD projector. I get a very good picture coming from my Pan RP91 DVD with progressive scan (480p). I now want to add direct TV system and need help as to what to look for in a sattelite receiver. I would be happy with something with a 480p or 720p output if it exists. My fear is with an interlaced signal the picture will have significant screendoor effect or jaggies (even 1080i). I have an 8' wide screen, sit 16 feet away, etc. My projector doesn't appear to accept a 1080p signal like the one you would get with faroudja product. With a 480i signal the picture is poor. What should I look for 480/720p or 1080i? Which picture is better? Does it matter? Do all receivers suppport all these formats? Can I buy something that would convert all interlaced signal to 720p. Please help. Thank you.
From Your Guide:
There are HD-Satellite receivers with HD-tuners that will pass all available HD formats -- however, only a few feeds will be in HD and most will be 1080i.
For a great resource on Satellite TV that will get you started, check out:
http://www.sattvbuyer.com/
http://www.sattvbuyer.com/hdtv.htm
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-mFecXVMO4rY/infocenter/home/tv_hdtv.html?HDPictures.com
There are 18 different DTV broadcast standards with the major ones being 480p, 720p, and 1080i -- which standard is used is determined by the broadcaster, not the satellite provider -- for example, FOX uses 480p, ABC uses 720p, CBS and NBC use 1080i, and HDnet, PBS, HBO, Showtime, and Discovery use 1080i -- an HD satellite receiver has the capability to pass these signals to you in the same manner -- provided they subscribe to those feeds.
However, currently, the only way to get the HD feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS is through over-the-air broadcast. The satellite providers do not, at the present time, choose to feed both the standard analog and HD versions of Network feeds (such as ABC, CBS, and NBC) at the same time. As satellite capacity increases -- both signals will be added.
Right now, the only consistent HD feeds available on satellite are HDnet, PBS, Discovery channel, Showtime and HBO (limited feeds) or special pay-per-view feeds.
All other satellite signals are passed as 480i signals.
In addition, your projector (or you can add an outboard processor) would be the unit that would have to have the capability to upconvert and HD or analog signal.
For example, many HD-ready TVs have line doublers or progressive doublers that will automatically up-convert from 480i to 480p. Some processors will also upconvert from 480i to 960p. However, as a by-product of upconversion comes the addition of digital artifacts. The better the processor, the fewer the artifacts -- that is why the Faroudjas are so good in this area.
FINAL WORDS
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.
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.
For a look at earlier Home Theater Nooz and Vewz Weekly Updates, CLICK HERE
Feel free to email me at hometheater.guide@about.com
with your questions and/or comments.
