Weekly Site Roundup (12/22/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
After-Christmas Sales - What You Need To Know
After-Christmas and Year-End sales are a great time get some good deals, but you can also end up with a purchase disaster. This is where the consumer needs to shop smart. Don't just grab the newspaper AD and run down to your local Consumer electronics retailer without arming yourself with useful knowledge and tools to get the most out out or your After-Christmas dollar.
LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY SHOPPING REMINDER - DON'T FORGET THE NECESSORIES!
When giving a home theater component, such as a DVD player, or other high-tech gadget gift, make sure you include the accessories that make it work.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
News Corp. Gets DirecTV (TWICE)
Rivals Overwhelm Sony And Matsushita In Digital AV Sector (Camcorder Info)
NEC Develops High Definition DVD Compatible Drive (Camcorder Info)
Federal Court of Appeals Protects Rights of File Swappers... (Audio Revolution)
2003 Surround Music Award Winners (High Fidelity Review)
GoVideo GoVideo Introduces New Dual-Deck DVD Recorder/VCR Combo...(Widescreen Review)
Sirius Signs NFL Deal (TWICE)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Cobalt Cable Interconnects
Increase the performance of your home theater systems with some of the best cables and interconnects available.
Manufacturer's Site
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Dish Domain/VMC Satellite
Sellers of Dish Network satellite systems. check out their online specials.
Featured in the Satellite Systems Subject Page.
AV PC Home
Check out a unique home theater product that combines the power of the PC with the flexibility of a complete home theater system.
Featured in the Additional Home Theater Resources Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Denon Vs Yamaha - Home
Theater Receiver
From BIOGOPHER:
I am looking to buy a sub $500 home theater A/V receiver, and have narrowed down to Denon AVR884 (aka AVR1804) and Yamaha RX-V640. Looking for 6.1 with option for 2-zone outputs to possibly wire second room speakers on 6th channel. Have Klipsch speakers for 5.1 home theater.
These two receivers seem quite comparable in terms of features and price. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
Any other entries in the price range that I should consider?
Join in on the discussion.
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
Portable Entertainment - Portable Electronics Gifts For Kids
Looking for a last minute gift for a child? Then check out some great portable electronics gifts that will give children hours of fun' as chosen by Ric Manning, About Guide To Portable Entertainment/Electronics
FROM THE MAILBOX
From Paul:
I acquired a JVC HM-DH30000 a couple of months ago, and I am dismayed to find that it's almost impossible to record anything in High Definition. Cox cable's high definition decoder does not have a firewire output, and I have not been able to find anything that does, really. Any imput you can give me on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
From Your Guide:
Since only JVC, Mitsubishi, and Marantz make D-VHS VCRs that can record in High-Def and HD-DVD recorders are still a year or so away for even beginning to come to market, compatible set-top boxes are still hard to come by -- but as more units are sold, you will see more compatibility.
However, you also have to take into consideration that broadcasters, movie studios, and other program providers are not too keen to have consumers able to record HDTV programs in HDTV -- and, in fact, there are proposals to have a special "flag" on HDTV broadcasts that would only allow standard definition recording of HDTV content OR place a special anti-copy signal on the recording so that the consumer will not be able to copy any recordings they make of HDTV broadcasts (neither proposal is finalized - but the anti-copy signal is being implemented now on some programs).
Right now, the only HDTV decoder with firewire outputs I am aware of is the Samsung SIR-T165, which is an over-the-air HDTV receiver. It is anticipated that DirecTV and Dish Network will be coming out with firewire-equipped HD satellite boxes in the coming year. However, I don't know of a current HD-cable box that is firewire equipped. If you have local stations broadcasting in HD -- you might give the Samsung a try (of course you will need either an indoor or outdoor antenna as well).
In addition, the JVC also plays the new D-Theater High Definition D-VHS pre-recorded tapes -- which look fabulous; much better than DVD as they are all recorded in full 1080i -- there are about 100 films available and several are released every month.
http://www.dvhsmovie.com/home.asp
http://www.dvhsmovie.com/movies/trailerpark.asp.
FINAL WORDS
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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.
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