Weekly Site Roundup (01/20/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Buying A Television: What You Need To Know
Before you rush out and by that big screen TV to watch the Superbowl on, make sure you take some useful tips into consideration that are sometimes overlooked in the purchasing process.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Sonicblue May Bail (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
CES 2003: CD Compatible DVD-Audio On Its Way (High Fidelity Review)
Home Video (DVD & VHS) Out Sells Feature Films, Video Games and Movies in 2002 (Audio Revolution)
Largest International CES Ever Ignites Industry Optimism (Widescreen Review)
ESPN Coming To HDTV (Audio Revolution)
Forum To Select Next-generation DVD Codec By March (EE Times)
Best Buy Plans 3 New Area Stores (Washington Post)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Toshiba RD-X2 DVD Recorder
Toshiba has been a standard bearer in DVD technology since the beginning. Carrying on in that tradition, Toshiba introduces a DVD recorder that not only records in the DVD-R/RAM formats, but also includes an 80GB Hard Drive. In essence, you can transfer camcorder footage, TV programs, or other video content onto the hard drive, cut out the parts you don't want and copy all the good stuff onto a recordable DVD disc. If you haven't considered a DVD recorder, check this one out before making a final choice.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Home Theater Decor
Whether you are a consumer or an interior designer, Home Theater Decor has all the products and resources to outfit the most basic to the most elaborate home theater rooms.
Featured in the Home Theater Subject Page.
Home Theater Spot
From product reviews to useful discussion forums, home theater spot is great resource for audio and video information.
Featured in the Magazines/E-zines Subject Page.
Sound-E-Motion
From Belarus comes some unique handcrafted spherically designed loudspeakers. Very esoteric, but they sound great!
Featured in the Loudspeaker Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Plasma TV Forum
From FVFFVF:
I am in the process of buying a 42 inch HDTV Plasma and a bose lifestyle 35 home theatre sytem. As far as I am concern, I am looking at the Panasonic TH-42PHD5UY. I wonder what else should I need to buy in order for it to operate properly. I want to install Direct TV and Cable TV (with wich I would watch local channels) and dont know if I need to buy an extra HDTV tuner. I´m not sure if I am buying the right one.
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
Portable Electronics At CES: Photo Gallery
Check out the latest in portable electronics presented at this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show), as reported by Ric Manning, About Guide for Portable Electronics.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From Larry:
I recently decided to start producing DVD's instead of VHS Tapes for Wedding's and other productions. So I went and purchased a Sony DVD Burner for my computer and cranked out my first DVD. To my dismay I found that some DVD Players such as Panasonic would not play DVD+R/RW Media. To add to my dilemma I also found that my Sony DVD Burner would not accept DVD-R media. So here I sit with several hundred dollars invested in hardware and software and I can't produce a product for my customers that will play on any DVD Player.
How is it that I can go rent a DVD Movie and it will play on any and all DVD Players? What format are the movie makers using?
From Your Guide:
Commercially made DVD movies are recording the DVD-Video format and are specifically designed to play on all DVD players. However, recordable DVD is somewhat different. The discs are not the same as the type of DVD discs used in movie distribution -- since the DVD movies are designed to be played only they are different. The DVD duplication process used is not the same as recording a DVD yourself.
Also, there are several DVD formats that use different disc reflective properties. Just as some CD-Rs and RWs are not playable on all CD players; the same goes for DVDs.
In the broad scheme of things, the DVD+R/+RW format has reflective properties that are most like a regular DVD. DVD-R/-RW discs are the next most compatible and DVD-RAM is the one format that is not supported by anyone except Panasonic (also Samsung and Toshiba).
There is no fool-proof solution to this as there several ibcompatible recordable DVD formats -- however, Sony just came out with a DVD burner that will record in DVD+R/+RW/-R/ and -RW.
All DVD manufacturers have access to the proper firmware (through license) in order to make their players compatible with various formats -- however, players that are two years or older may not meet all the specifications needed to be compatible with all DVD recording formats.
Basically, most DVD players made in the past two years can play all four of these formats, although the RW formats may skip sometimes. What you should do for you clients is to make a general sample DVD (generic wedding stuff or whatever) in all the formats you are using and have them take it home and see if it plays on their DVD playe or players; then, you will know which format will work for them.
For a list of DVD players that are compatible with the various DVD recording formats check out the followning (just following instructions on the table):
http://vcdhelp.com/dvdplayers.php
One final note: no matter which recordable DVD format you use there is no gaurantee that it will play on every DVD player.
FINAL WORDS
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.
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
