Weekly Site Roundup (12/29/03)
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT
Home Theater - My Favorite Products Of 2003
It's that time of year where every electronics journalist picks the best products of the year. Check out my personal favorite, yet affordable, home theater products for 2003.
HOME ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY NEWS HEADLINES
The Duel Of The Dual-Layer DVD Formats (CNET)
Fox Home Entertainment Steams Up The D-VHS Format (Widescreen Review)
Time Warner Cable Adds HDNet And HDNet Movies To High-Def Lineup (Widescreen Review)
There Are So Many DVDs And So Little Time (SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle)
DVDs Make Anti-US Pitch (Boston Globe)
Will DVD Acquittal Mean Tougher Copyright Laws (CNET)
Holiday Sales Boost DTV Numbers For October And November (Widescreen Review)
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
Zenith XBV-343 DVD/VCR Combo
Overall, the Zenith XBV343 is a great example of a good performing DVD/VCR combo unit with a very reasonable price. For less than $150, you get a DVD player with progressive scan, compatibility with most recordable DVD formats (DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW), as well a 4-Head VHS HiFi VCR with Quasi-SVHS playback. This is definitely a unit to consider if you are purchasing a basic DVD player, but also need to replace your aging VCR.
FEATURED LINKS THIS WEEK
Kestrel
Check out the unusual, but innovative, loudspeaker designs from Kestrel.
Featured in the Loudspeakers Subject Page.
Rives Audio
Does your home theater look great, but sound terrible? Some innovative products from Rives Audio may be the solution. You have to check out this site.
Featured in the Audio Components Subject Page.
FROM THE HOME THEATER FORUM
Home Theater-In-Box Question
From JUBAL98:
I have a DVD player bult into a home theater in a box. Is there a way to get the surround sound to work when im just watching TV and not a DVD?
JOIN IN ON THE DISCUSSION!
ELSEWHERE ON ABOUT.COM
About Cameras - Top Three Student Cameras
Are you going to be a photography student this upcoming semester? If so, you need a camera with some very specific characterists to meet the requirements of a photography class. Check out the best camers for use by students as chosen by Erick Hanneman, About Cameras Guide.
FROM THE MAILBOX
From M:
..I have question for you - while in Sears the other day I noticed they are advertising a VCR/CD recorder combo unit from Sansui for about $400. It intrigues me because I do not yet own a DVD player/recorder and one of the first things I will do is copy my VCR memories to DVD. (The unit is
the Sansui VRDR4005 I believe). What is your take on such a unit - I am concerned it may be a "jack of all trades but master of none" type of thing...
From Your Guide:
I am aware of the Sansui unit as it is the first DVD/VCR recorder combo to hit the U.S. market. Since it hasn't been on the shelf long, there has not been an extensive published review, but the unit does work, I have gotten a couple of emails from persons who have had success using it -- however, it does lack some features, such as iLink or Firewire inputs for recording digital direct from a miniDV camcorder, however, you can always use the
analog video inputs on the sansui.
As with any DVD recorder, you can copy home made VHS videos to DVD, however, you cannot copy any commercial recordings that have anti-copy encoding onto either VHS or DVD - this would be the same with any DVD recorder.
The Sansui also records in the DVD-R/-RW formats, which are very compatible with most standard DVD players.
At $399, the price is very attractive, and Sears does have a good return policy if you are not happy -- check with salesperson for details. However, GoVideo will be releasing their unit in January and Panasonic is expected to release a unit sometime in early 2004. If you are not in a hurry, I might wait for these other two units so there is something to compare as far as features and performance. However, it may be worth a shot.
For my earlier reports on this:
http://hometheater.about.com/b/a/051247.htm
http://hometheater.about.com/b/a/045129.htm
FINAL WORDS
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Stereophile Guide To Home Theater.
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