Weekly Site Roundup (11/03/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Plasma Televisions - Top Picks
Looking for something "hot" this holiday season? Although still very expensive at any size, flat panel TVs (either LCD or Plasma) are selling like hotcakes in the consumer market. The driving forces behind the growing sales numbers are not all clear at this point, as many mainstream consumers, unexpectedly, have dug deep into their pockets to purchase these units, but let us say that the idea hanging the TV on the wall and regaining all that wasted floor space definitely offers more pleasing asthetics over staring at a "box". Even if you can't afford one of these "babies", definitely check them out as you cruise the store for that latest DVD title.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Thomson To Partner TV/DVD Biz With Chinese Maker (TWICE)
NEC Introduces New Family Of Multimedia Plasma Displays (Widescreen Review)
Sony Stands By MicroMV, CamInfo Makes Partial Retraction (Camcorder Info)
Westinghouse Brand To Emerge On LCD TVs (TWICE)
Gateway Launches Rear Projection TV (TWICE)
Dell Moves Into Family Room With LCD TV (ZD Net)
Two-Day DVDs a Slow Sale (Wired)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Denon AVR-2803 AV Receiver
Denon has introduced a new line of 6.1/7.1 channel AV receivers that provide great value. The AVR-2803 features DD-EX6.1, DTS, DTS-ES (matrix and discrete), Dolby Pro-Logic II and DTS-Neo:6 processors as well as HDTV-compatible video switching and multi-zone expandability. Rounding out with a full 90WPC across seven channels, this AV receiver deserves to be at the heart of any home theater system.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
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 Home Theater Cables/Interconnects Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Questions On DVD Recorders
From MBIKE2:
I recently switched from cable tv to DirectTV. I tape different shows on a daily basis on different channels. My VCR was able to tape multiple channels before but now, since I'm using DirectTV, I have to leave the channel on the station I want to tape. I am seriously looking at purchasing a dvd recorder. Will I be able to record multiple channels without leaving it on the same station? Will I be able to watch one channel while another channel is recording?
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
Review: Grundig Yacht Boy YB 550PE
If you are looking for a compact radio that makes the perfect traveling companion, check out the above review of a new unit from Grundig, as reported by Rick Manning, About Guide for Portable Entertainment/Electronics.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From Craig:
I am pretty frustrated by the region coding of DVD discs and players ( I am a region 1 ). Movies I would like to add to my collection are sometimes not available in NTSC, but I can find them on PAL region 2. My question is : I have access to a UV ( ultra violet light ) eraser and a programmer for chips and EPROM's ( erasable /programmable ). Would it be possible to find the firmware to reprogram in order to make my DVD players region free? If so, would I still need a TV that would process PAL, if the disc I play is of PAL format does it come out the player as PAL? Would I be breaking any laws if I did ?
From Your Guide:
Besides eliminating the region codes -- your DVD player would also have to have a built-in NTSC/PAL converter for European Region 2 discs (Region 2 discs from Japan are in NTSC).
Instead of going through all that trouble - just get a multi-region DVD player - that is what I did. Some are as little as $150 dollars if you shop around -- check the resources listed on my DVD Region Code article:
http://hometheater.about.com/library/weekly/aa071601a.htm
Also, if you live in a major city along either coast or in Florida, check out independent video retailers that specialize in Asian or European DVD and AV products.
FINAL WORDS
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Audio Video Interiors.
Home Theater Magazine.
Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
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.
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