From the Home Theater Archives - My Favorites For The Year 2000
The following is list of my favorite home theater-related product picks for 2000. This listing is kept for archival and continued reference purposes.
It's hard to believe I've been sitting at the computer for a couple of years now, writing articles, chasing links, and answering all your emails, but I must say that this experience has been rewarding and you have all kept me on my toes!
With that in mind, I want to give you my perspective on some of my favorite (and not-so favorite) Home Theater and Electronic Products of the past year. Bear in mind that my favorites may not be your favorites or not be the favorites of other Home Electronic Journalists, but it wouldn't be fun if we all had the same list! Your own opinions are certainly welcome!
Just keep in mind that literally thousands of new products are introduced every year, therefore it is impossible to personally evaluate every product or pin-down a best choice for every category. However, along with my own "hands-on" experience with many products and accessing reliable resources on others, I feel I have come up with some exciting picks for the year.
Instead of submitting my list to you in the form of "Top Ten", or picking products that my be indeed the best, but most of us couldn't afford, my picks primarily focus on practicality and the best value for the money.
Well, here we go!
Pioneer DV-333
DVD is THE big story in consumer electronics this past year. The format has grown phenomenally, with 6 million players reaching U.S. households this year alone. There are the under $200 bargain basement players being sold everywhere from Wal-Mart to Von's Grocery stores (no kidding: Von's was selling the Toshiba SD-1600 - which is a good basic player - for $179). In fact, some no-brand DVD players have appeared in holiday shopping ADs for as low as $99!.
By the same token there many excellent High-end DVD players, such as the SONY DVP-S9000ES costing upwards of $1,000 or more that will satisfy the most demmanding Home Theater enthusiast.
With such a proliferation of players and prices, what is a consumer to do? Well, my favorite pick in the entry-level DVD player category this year is the Pioneer DV-333. Built on the foundation of my last year's pick the DV-525, which sold for about $250. The DV-333 is a solid, consistent performer. You put the disc in and it works.
This unit has both Dolby Digital and DTS optical outputs as well as Component, S-Video, and RCA composite outputs. This unit can be used in a variety of home theater setups. Also, with twin-lasers, the DV-333 and easily play DVDs, CDs as well as Video-CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, burned from CD-Rom drives.
If you are confused the brands, models, and prices available amongst DVD players and don't know what to do, then the DV-333 may just be the right player to consider.
For more info on the DV-333, check out the Pioneer DV-333 page as well as user reviews at AudioReview.com.
Sony KV-36XBR400
OK, I give up -- this has got be one of the most reviewed TVs this past year, and I certainly have to join the pack on this one. This just may be the best all-around Direct View TV ever made. As the top entry in SONY's XBR WEGA lineup, this TV has it all. Flat Tube, Progressive Scan Inputs, full 1080i display capability with the addition of an outboard tuner, Sony's DCR (Digital Reality Creation) circuitry which does an amazing job of interpolating normal TV signals into a "pseudo" HDTV-like image. In fact, the only drawbacks on this TV is that even though it is "HD-ready" the screen itself is in the 4X3 screen-aspect ratio rather than the standard 16X9 ratio that is the HDTV standard. Also, the quality of the signal source makes a difference, DVD's and Satellite look great, if you a have poor cable, antenna connection, or view only VHS tapes, some signal defects may be magnified.
If you go looking for this set in a retail store, you won't have any trouble finding it, if they carry it. The picture just sucks you in with its realism and size. However, if you buy one, have it delivered, this thing ways about 300lbs and is probably the heaviest direct-view TV you will ever encounter. The price, a suprising low $2,500 on the street (and worth every penny).
SONY KW-34HD1
Its been a rough road for HDTV this past year, with ABC dropping its HD Monday Nite Football telecasts and Mitsubishi bowing out of its committment with CBS for sponsorship of its HD versions of several prime-time weekly series, the pressure is on for both the broadcasters and manufacturers to put up or shut up in the implementation of Digital TV broadcast and product coversion.
There have been several promising HD and HD-ready TVs brought to market this year, most notably the recent units from RCA, which included a fully-intregrated HDTV (including Tuner), but, alas, the RCA units were recalled do to a color purification problem. Also, SONY delayed its second-generation lineup of fully-integrated HDTVs into the market.
As a result of these issues and after checking out several alternatives, I still feel that my best HDTV choice from last year, the SONY KW-34HD1 is still my favorite HDTV.
The KW-34HD1 is a 34" Direct View Set. Athough not as large as some of the projection HDTV units, the picture this one delivers is truly outstanding, and is also fully equipped with an HDTV Tuner and all the inputs and outputs you need. On top of that, the picture tube is perfectly flat (34" diagonal) which adds the same advantages as the 24" WEGA mentioned in the previous category. It also fits in a much smaller space than a Projection Set, if you don't have enough room for a large TV.
Price for the KW-34HD1 is about $6000.
Panasonic CT-27SX10
While on of my "scouting" trips through local electronics retailers looking for new products, I was literally floored by my next choice. While walking along a row of flat-tube 27" analog TVs that included a couple of Sony Wegas and an attractive flat-tube Samsung, I was drawn to a set that, at first, I thought was new SONY WEGA model, but something was different. The cabinet was the same grayish color as the Wegas next to it, but was of lower profile. The picture was higher contrast picture than that of the SONY's: the "blacks" wre black and the "whites" were white. Taking a closer look I saw that it was a new 27" Panasonic TAU unit. I feel in love with it! If I had more room at home, I would put down my money right there!
For a price of $649, this TV delivers as much as you can squeeze out of a 27" Analog TV. The CT-27SX10 has three sets of audio/video inputs as well as audio outputs, but also has features such as two S-video inputs, one set of component inputs (not progressive though), a 3-line digital comb filter, and even a stereo headphone jack (how many TVs even have headphone jacks these days?). This just may one of the best Analog 27" TVs made; its the best I've seen from Panasonic, and worthy of your consideration.
Samsung TSK-2792F
When trying to choose TVs for above categories, I ran across one TV that stood out as being a little unusual. That unit was the Samsung TSK-2792F. Like the Sony Wegas, it has a perfectly flat Tube Like the Panasonic, it has a good high-contrast picture. But, it is also DTV-ready. However, unilike most digital TV's, which are 32" and larger, this unit has a 27" screen size.
The other unique feature of this unit is that is has the capability to upconvert any analog video source (or downconvert DTV sources with an outboard tuner) to 480p, the only 27" TV that I know that does this. The result, is a phenomenal film-like picture for a 27" set. However, the price is not cheap. At $999, this is an expensive unit for its size. However, if you want the Digital TV experience without having to figure out how to squeeze your new set into your existing, limited, space, this TV may be just for you.
In addition, this set has a boat-load of other features, such as, 2-Tuner PIP and Dolby Pro-Logic decoding.
Next week's installment will include more of my year-end favorites, including Favorite AV Receiver, CD Changer, Combination Product, VCR, and more...
Do you have your own personal favorites for the year? Do you disagree with my choices, or have additional ones? Then just post your comments or discuss this topic on my Year 2000 Favorites Forum!
Check out my favorite product picks from last year (1999).
Feel free to email me at hometheater.guide@about.com
with your questions and/or comments.
