Weekly Site Roundup (11/24/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Philips DVDR75 DVD Recorder - Product Review - User Submission
DVD recorders are fast becoming one of the hottest products in consumer electronics this year, especially as prices keep coming down. Recently, a reader purchased a Philips DVDR75 DVD Recorder and wanted to share his experience with the other users of the About.com Home Theater site.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
Retailers Vie For Electronics Holiday Rush (Reuters)
Circuit City TV Stands Recalled (Washington Times/UPI)
Breaking News: DVD/VHS Combo Recorder Appears On Store Shelves (Your Guide)
JVC Adds DTS To D-VHS Format (Audio Revolution)
Humax To Enter U.S. Market (TWICE)
China Looks To Promote Its Own Alternative To Popular DVD Format (China Post)
Next-Gen DVD Riven By Two Competing Standards (EE times)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Marantz SR7400 Home Theater Receiver
Marantz introduces the first in new line of AV receivers incorporating Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing. This new processor, can expand your traditional 5.1 Dolby Digital signal into a full 7.1 channel sound field. The SR7400 also features, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, Circle Surround 6.1, and Tru-surround Headphone. Of course, in order to give you the best listening experience possible, the SR7400 delivers 105 WPC across 7 channels. In addition, this unit also also gives you component video upconversion from standard composite and S-video. All this for a price of $999. Definitely seek this unit out if you are planning upgrade your AV receiver.
Manufactuer's Site
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Zektor
Are you running out of inputs on home theater reveiver? If so, check out some innovative switch boxes from Zektor that feature DVD-Audio/SACD switching, Digital audio switching, and HD-component video switching.
Featured in the Home Theater Cables/Interconnects Subject Page.
Sanus Systems
Show off your home theater components with the great looking racks and cabinets from Sanus Systems.
Featured in the Furniture/Media Storage Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
HDTV/SDTV Poor Picture Quality
From STEMERGAR3:
Recently purchased a high def monitor and a DirecTV HD receiver. My initial purchase was a Toshiba 65 inch HD widescreen and teamed it up with a Samsung HD DirecTV receiver. The result was miserable. I tried 2 of each and the result was still the same. Pretty good HD picture, less than average SD picture. Sports in SD are miserable to try and watch.
I now have switched To the Sony 57 inch HD widescreen. The picture got better but not what I had hoped for. I switched the receiver to Sony's latest HD and I am still dissapointed. The HD stations are great but the non-HD stations are very poor quality.
I have had DirecTV techs out 4 times and they agree that the picture quality on the non HD stations are poor. They have been great trying to work through this with me.
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/whomakeswhat.html.
Another example is that Toshiba makes projection tubes for other makers of projection TVs, and, if you remember when Mitsubishi came out with the first 40" tube TV as few years back -- the tubes wre reportedly made by Sharp.
In the world of DVD players, it is even more confusing as most DVD players are made in China with several manufacturers sharing the facilities of the same OEMs -- in addition the OEMs also market DVD players under their own brand names as well.
Also, Sony is currently entering into agreement with Samsung for production of LCD screens.
As for the Sony - Thomson relationship, I have no info on that one - but it may be that Sony and Thomson share the same OEM for production of their smaller screen tube TVs.
Basically, it takes some digging to find out the exact trail for every product (including televisions) as manufacturers don't widely publicize their manufacturing processes -- but keep in mind, no matter who Sony outsources to for components, those components are made to Sony specifications, even if the same factory is making similar components for other TV brands. Keep in mind that Sony holds the patents for their TV picture tubes (trinitron and trinitron wega), as far as I know only Mistubishi has a license from Sony to use Sony's trinitron tubes in computer monitors (Mitsu does not make or sell tube TVs -- only projection, plasma, etc..).
I realize that the above explanation may seem simplistic and evasive, but that is the way it is in manufacturing these days.
SPECIAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
Holiday Shopping Resource Index
Halloween is over, the Thanksgiving turkey is slow cooking in the oven. Dad's in the basement getting that old furnance started back up, and its time to get those winter clothes out of the closest. The winter holiday shopping crunch is now upon us. Buying decisions need to be made. Where do you start? Before heading out the door with newspapter AD in hand, check out my Holiday Shopping Resource Index. The index includes several important resources for a successful holiday shopping experience, includng: Shopping Survival Guide, What's Hot and Not, Before You
Buy information for a variety of products, and Home Theater Top Product Picks. This resource in the perfect jumping off point for every Home Theater or Gadget Holiday Shopper.
FINAL WORDS
Submit your own product review to home theater! Just use the new handy form and your review and name will be posted on my site!
Special Announcement: My homepage has a new look with daily news postings in addition to my weekly article postings. Be sure to check out the new look at: About Home Theater
If you need more great info on home theater and audio, with an emphasis on the higher end, be sure to check out About.com's related partner sites:
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.
For a look at earlier Home Theater Nooz and Vewz Weekly Updates, CLICK HERE
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email me at hometheater.guide@about.com
with your questions and/or comments.
