Weekly Site Roundup (09/08/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Mid-Range AV Receivers: Top Picks
The AV Receiver is the heart of a home theater system. It not only provides power to the speakers, but serves as an integrated control center for all of your components, often times providing both audio and video switching. Today's AV receivers pack in a lot of features and functionality for the home theater enthusiast, and, at a very reasonable price. High-end features seen on receivers costing several thousand dollars a year or two ago are now showing up in more moderate price ranges. Sorry, you still have pop your own popcorn!Check out a current sampling of my favorite feature-packed, high performance, AV receivers in the $500 to $1,000 price range.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
CD Price Drop (Stereophile)
CEDIA 2003: DVD-Audio and SACD from Sharp, JVC, Escient, Faroudja and Panasonic (High Fidelity Review)
Twilight Of The Networks? (Stereophile Guide To Home Theater)
V Inc. Releases New LCD TV Market and 42" Vizio P2 Plasma TV (Audio Revolution)
CEDIA: Custom Suppliers Promote Different Agendas (TWICE)
Best Buy Revenue Jumps 17%
Denon Introduces New Universal DVD/SACD/DVD_Audio Player (Denon)
Dolby Pro Logic IIx Launched (TWICE)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Cyberhome CH-DVR 1500 DVD Recorder
In just two years, Cyberhome has become one of the leading makers of budget-priced DVD players. Now Cyberhome has entered the DVD recorder market with an under $400 full-featured DVD recorder. Features include: DVD R/ RW format recording/playback, DVD-R/-RW playback, VCD/SVCD, CD, and CD-R/RW/MP3/JPG compatibility. Also included is progressive scan video output when used with a digital or HDTV. If you haven't made the jump to recordable DVD, the CH-DVR 1500 may be an option to consider.
Manufacturer's Link
ResiMedia™
ResiMedia offers a full complement of design, consulting, and installation services in the areas of computer networking, home theater, and home automation. Check out their website for the exciting details.
Featured in the Home Automation Subject Page.
Custom Home Theater DVDs
Impress your friends and family with your own home theater intro DVD. Include your own logo, fun visual graphics, and movie trivia info. Check this site on how to order this fun home theater accessory.
Featured in the Home Theater Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Transfering VHS Home Videos To DVD
From HISLOVE330:
I would like to find a way to transfer all my home videos on VHS (actullay VHS-C with a VHS adapter) to DVD. Any links or info you can give is appreciated.
Join in on the discussion.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From KG:
As one of those "over 50" generation recorder types (I used to record albums to 8-tracks when I was in Vietnam) that had ended up with a very large collection of laser disks and a couple of top-of-the line Pioneer players, I'm in that "laser disk dilemma". I read your article of last year about transfering laser information to the "new" crop of DVD recorders but have been unable to find any updates to that article. So,here we are nearing the end of 03 and it looks like we have more & updated recorders out there.
Question: seems as most all the quality DVD recorders come with a fiber optic "OUT" connection as do my Pioneer laser players. Seems as if most of these quality DVD recorders that come with that fiber optic out also come with firewire "OUT" connections .... Is there or does anyone plan to manufacture a quality DVD recorder with a fiber optic "IN" connection ? Or, is there such a "device / adapter" which will allow fiber optic "IN" and firewire "OUT"?
From Your Guide:
The Firewire connections on DVD recorders are inputs only NOT outputs -- they are there to record audio and video from digital camcorders primarily.
DVD recorders, as of this point, have only analog audio inputs -- the main reason for this is copyright protection of the original 5.1 audio soundtracks (so you can't make exact copies of DVD soundtracks -- would also apply to laserdiscs with the same type of Dolby Digital or DTS tracks).
When a DVD recorder records audio -- it does so by converting the analog audio input into two-channel dolby digital, which is encoded onto the recordable DVD disc. However, since Laserdiscs and VHS tapes often have dolby 4.0 surround sound embedded in their two channel analog output --- that signal is also encoded onto the recorded DVD. ...when the disc is played back from either the DVD recorder or a DVD player, it is output both in analog, through the normal audio outputs AND the fiber optic output as two-channel dolby digital. An AV receiver with ProLogic or ProLogic II can extract a four channel or 5.1 matrix mix of this output -- but the recorded DVD disc does not contain the original 5.1 Dolby Digital mix of the original source material.
Let me know if this info helps or if you need more clarification.
In addition, here is an update on my DVD Recorder product picks: http://hometheater.about.com/cs/toppicks/tp/aatpdvdrecorder.htm
Also, here is my complete DVD Recorder FAQ article:
http://hometheater.about.com/library/weekly/aadvdrecfaqa.htm
http://hometheater.about.com/library/weekly/aadvdrecfaqb.htm
http://hometheater.about.com/library/weekly/aadvdrecfaqc.htm
FINAL WORDS
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Audio Video Interiors.
Home Theater Magazine.
Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
Stereophile Magazine.
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