Weekly Site Roundup (12/23/02)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Home Theater - Favorite Products Of 2002
It's that time of year where every electronics journalist picks the best products of the year. Check out my personal favorite, yet affordable, home theater products for 2002.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Tweeter's Holiday Sales Slump (TWICE)
NFL-DirecTV Deal Includes HDTV Games (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
Moribund Digital TV Showing New Life (EE Times)
Thomson, CBS Team Up For NFL Playoffs In HDTV (TWICE)
CEA, NCTA Ink Digital TV Agreement (TWICE)
CBS: "No Copy Protection, No HDTV" (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
Discount Chains Make Inroads with DTV (Home Theater Magazine)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Yamaha HTR-5590 6.1 Channel AV Receiver
The successor to the currently popular HTR-5490, the HTR-5590 is a fully capable 6.1 channel surround sound receiver. Features include six discrete ampifiers delivering 100WPC Yamaha's Quad-Field CINEMA DSP, 25 surround programs, Yamaha's exclusive headphone surround (Silent Cinema), DTS ES 6.1, DTS Neo:6, Dolby Digital EX 6.1, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding. Combine all this with all the analog and digital inputs and outputs you need, including component inputs. If you are looking for a solid receiver that delivers the goods at a moderate price, check out the HTR-5590.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Studio Experience
Order your own custom home theater system with the finest AV components. Includes advice on how to choose your system.
Featured in the Home Theater Subject Page.
Stargate Cinema
From popcorn machines to cinema seating, Stargate Cinema has all the accessories to outfit your home theater.
Featured in the Home Theater Subject Page.
Sanibel Sound
Distributors of high-end audio products from independent manufacturers from Europe. Brands include Piega (Switzerland), Aloia (Italy), and AVM Electronics (Germany).
Featured in the Audio Components Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Projection TV Life
From GULFMAN1:
Hello all...looking to purchase a large screen projection TV and wondering if they are good as a everyday TV, with 8-10 hours viewing per day. Heard somewhere that plasma TV's have a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years...not that I could afford one but was hoping a projection TV has a longer life expectancy???? Anyone have any suggestions????
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
FROM THE MAILBOX
From Fly:
I have noticed some dvds being advertised on the web as region 0 (payable in al areas). Can you tell me whether this type of dvd will play in the US and Canada and if it is really a vcd and not a dvd at all. Do you recommend using region 0 in the US and Canada?
From Your Guide:
Region 0 DVDs are DVDs that are playable on any DVD player (provided it is in the same system - NTSC or PAL - as the system used in the country of playback) -- for example, in the U.S. and Canada Region 0 DVDs that are in the NTSC format will play in any DVD player.
A VCD should be adverstised as such -- some sellers on ebay label their VCDs as DVD/VCDs -- these are VCDs that may be recorded in either the MPEG1 or the MPEG2 format as a DVD, but is using VCD recording techiques. These may or may not play on all DVD players.
FINAL WORDS
The Holiday Shopping Season is wrapping up (except for those in the Greek, Russian, or Eastern Orthodox faiths that celebrate Christmas on January 6, 2003. If you haven't completed your shopping yet, be sure to check out my annual Holiday Shopping Survival Guide. In addition check my weekly shopping articles or top product picks. If you have any questions or suggestions, just send me a line.
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.
