Home Theater Tips- How-to: Install a Front Projector & Screen
- How-to: Install a Front Projector & Screen (Part 2)
- Samsung LCD’s with HTPC’s
- Control Your PS3 with a Standard Infra-Red Remote
- Home Theater in the Garage?
- Blu-ray Player Recommendations (Part 2)
- Dedicated Theater Must-Haves: Game Ports
- Motorized Curtain Kits
- Separates versus Receivers
- Television or Monitor?
The Suspension of Disbelief
August 25, 2008
This is a subject I’ve touched on before, but given the current state of the economy (rather our collective perception of the economy) and more specifically high fuel prices eating into disposable income, its one that’s worth exploring further.
The “suspension of disbelief”, at least with regard to consumer electronics, is really just another way of describing the feeling of getting lost in a movie or CD. Getting so totally lost that you’re able to completely forget where you are and become totally immersed in the moment.
It doesn’t take a rack full of expensive equipment to pull off this feat but it certainly doesn’t hurt. For those of us without unlimited means the trick to strike the right balance between performance and cost, with the desired end-result being a system that has the ability to, you guessed it, suspend disbelief.
That last bit might have sounded a bit long winded but I wanted to be very specific about what I’m trying to describe here. In other words, when the lights are down, the sounds up and you’re focused on the screen, the style of the stand the televisions sitting on is about as important to the next two hours as last week’s losing lottery numbers.
What is important however is eliminating as many different things as possible (within reason) that get between you and immersion. This could be sibilance from a bad speaker/receiver combination, a particularly bad contrast ratio on a large screen television or front projector. It could even be something as simple as a room variable that just needs a bit of attention, think loud air vent, uncomfortable couch or sunlight hitting the screen.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under Commentary | 4 Comments
I Heart my HTPC
July 29, 2008
My opinion of HTPC’s has pretty much come full circle in the last 10 years or so. It’s not that my standards have dropped, as much as it’s the quality of the hardware and software that has improved dramatically. My HTPC recommendations used to go along the lines of “buy something that’ll get the job accomplished but don’t go overboard”. Now I’m of the opinion that if you think this is for you, by all means, go for it. Shoot for full 1080p playback and even the lossless audio support that’s started popping up on certain motherboards.
The latest additions to my Frankenstein’esque HTPC were a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 950 (QAM capable) tuner stick, a LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD combo drive and a XFX 750a SLI nForce motherboard / AMD 5600+ combo. Or in other words, I just completely revamped my system. It was long overdue and looking back I wish I’d aimed for this level of performance from the get-go but my wallet would’ve had no part of it. As it turns out I paid less to get 1080p and HD disc capable than I originally paid for the whole rig (gotta love those Fry’s CPU/mobo combos).
My original reluctance to recommend HTPC’s also stemmed from the fact that they suffered from the jack of all trades master of none syndrome. Sure they could play a DVD but not as well as a standalone and once they could, Blu-ray and HD DVD made that whole point moot. Well times change and not only can HTPC’s play DVD’s as well as all the best standalones, now they can play Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. As if that wasn’t enough it won’t be much longer before Vista media center can tune and record QAM HD signals without third party hacks.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under HTPC | 2 Comments
Netflix Rentals on the Xbox 360
July 15, 2008
Yep, it finally happened. Well not yet, but soon. As a part of this fall’s Xbox Live update, Xbox 360 users will be able to access Netflix’s vast and ever growing library of films at (according to John Schapper, corporate VP of Xbox Live) no additional cost.
“Netflix has revolutionized the movie industry, and now that service is available free to all Xbox Live members and Netflix subscribers,” said John Schapper, corporate VP of Xbox Live. “Xbox 360 is the only game system to offer this content at no additional cost to Xbox Live gamers.”
Like we said back in January of 07, this service was a natural considering Microsoft and Netflix’s close ties. Now the question is, will this really add much to either companies bottom line? No additional cost on Microsoft’s end means they’re hoping the allure of being able to watch the films on-demand will draw in new 360 owners.
And unless Netflix is planning a special pricing tier for the service, their only real gain would be gamers who thus far haven’t subscribed to the service. I sense an unforeseen gotcha lurking just below the surface here, its probably just the pessimist in me though.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under Media Servers | 4 Comments
It Was Only a Matter of Time
July 5, 2008
While I wasn’t expecting it this soon, I can’t say as I’m totally taken by surprise to find a Columbia House offer for 3 Blu-ray discs for $4.99 in my mail this week. The offer seems attractive enough, you pick of three discs with movies like 300, I Am Legend, Spider Man 3, Harry Potter etc. for the seemingly paltry sum of $4.99, but it’s the whole “membership” and “processing” fee thing that leaves me a bit leery.
I’ve heard friends claim to have had no problems with the Columbia House DVD memberships plans in the past, but something tells me given the current selection of discs I’d be better off buying retail (albeit heavily discounted retail).
Reading through the details of the offer I was hard pressed to find any mention of exactly what these “membership” and “processing” fees were going to cost but I did see that you’re basically agreeing to purchase three more Blu-ray discs at “as low as $28.95 each”. Yeah, I think I’ll stick to my current method of purchasing discs.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under Blu-ray | 3 Comments
HDMI Switcher with Front Display
June 26, 2008
The other day while cruising through Best Buy for a video card, I noticed a HDMI switcher from “Psyclone” with a front display. I kept on going then I thought to myself, hey a HDMI switcher with a front display, neat. Now I know in a perfect A/V world you wouldn’t even need a HDMI switcher or even if you did you wouldn’t necessarily need one with a front display. But let’s be honest, few of us live in a perfect A/V environment.
Yeah I know the benefits of having a HDMI switcher with a front display to indicate the current source might not be apparent at first, but believe it or not I could use such a device right now. Anytime I’m testing, switching between multiple devices, or using a HDMI device outside my main system, the ability to reference what input I’m on at any given time could be handy. No, it’s not the best thing since sliced bread. Hey after all we know, that would be sliced cake.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under HDTV Equipment | 5 Comments
Attend a Home Theater Meet
June 16, 2008
That’s right, I’m recommending that you call up complete strangers, ask to come to their home/meeting place and discuss your hobby’s with them. No I do not recommend you tell anyone your dating that you do this sort of thing, wait until you’re married… seriously though home theater meets, meetings, gatherings or whatever you choose to call them are a great way to meet likeminded home theater fans and to get a look at home theater equipment, operating in real-world settings before you plunk down hard earned dollars to purchase it.
But even more important than the benefit of seeing live demonstrations, A/B comparisons and taking part in question and answer sessions at a home theater meet; is the ability to share experiences, compare notes and learn a lot from others, firsthand, face to face. That kind of insight is worth its weight in gold if you’re close to making a purchase and just need that last little nudge to put you over the edge one way or another.
Several months ago we had just such a meet at the store, it was a no hassle, no sales pressure event and I learned as much as anyone in attendance. That’s the great part about these things, no matter how set in your ways you are or how much research you think you’ve done, you’ll often find a fresh new approach to tackle an old problem. With that you’ll also get new ideas and the experience of others that can take your home theater experience to levels you never thought possible.
There are many ways to find home theater meets in your area, the easiest is to visit home theater and audio video forums such as AVSforum.com and HomeTheaterForum.com and do a search for “home theater meet”. Likewise that same search (”home theater meet“) in Google will point you in the right direction as well. Have a blast and don’t forget to ask the host if they’d like you to bring any refreshments, it’s bound to be a long afternoon.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under Home Theater | 1 Comment
Dolby’s Home Theater Buying Guide
June 13, 2008
I’ve always been a bit leery of “buying guides” as they generally only exist to push specific products or a specific selection of products. But I suppose you could do a lot worse than taking some advice from Dolby Labs, after all they probably already have IP in your home, all they could to do is expand on that.
Dolby’s HD Essentials buying guide offers a nice mix of tips, facts and terminology to help the uninitiated (read not you) make a more informed buying decision. Scanning through the document I noticed things like screen size recommendations, how to avoid cable clutter, tips for getting the best sound reproduction possible (no shocker there) and a “HD shopping checklist”.
I suspect this wouldn’t be of much help to long time readers but for those of you just getting into home theater and or as something to share with relatives just starting down the big screen, big sound path this might be worth printing out and passing along. Download the PDF: right click save as.
Posted by Philip Stamps | Filed Under Home Theater | Leave a Comment
Mini Review: Samsung LNT4065F 40″ 1080p LCD
June 7, 2008
This might come as a shock but it’s been almost three years since I’ve owned a “TV” , don’t get me wrong we watch movies and television all the time we just do so with a front projector. It’s not that I ever really made a conscious decision to not have a television, it’s just that once we got our projector it took a backseat and I eventually tossed my old direct-view JVC out; in hopes someone else wanted it (luckily they did).
So long, boring story short we finally got motivated to get a TV that we didn’t have to worry about replacing the lamp in every few months, (yeah we’re sort of what you’d call power users I guess) that television as it turned out was a Samsung LNT4065F. I guess a quick feature run-down is needed, so in no particular order the 40” 1080p display has a contrast ratio of 15,000:1 (and it looks every bit of it), features off-air ATSC and Clear-QAM tuners, 10bit color processing and three HDMI inputs.
No the set doesn’t have a LED lamp or 120 Hz refresh rate (yes even I have to pinch pennies on A/V gear) but it looks damn good. I say this to illustrate and remind everyone that yes, certain advancements come along from time to time that do warrant an upgrade, but that doesn’t mean you have to jump on every one of them. This isn’t home theater heresy, I just like to see people (especially myself) make buying decisions that give the maximum bang for the buck. Let me give you a few examples.
We’ve “needed” a television for years now, just about anything I could have bought, scratch that, anything I could have bought would have been an improvement. Ok bad example but if I were to turn around and trade in this 1080p LCD for another with a LED lamp, 120hz refresh rate etc. etc., would I really get the same bang for my buck? Well, considering that I’d have to spend another $600-$800 doing so, I think not. Where I’m really going with this is, don’t get caught up in the “specs”, if the specs don’t truly offer you something valuable or rather something tangible.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under High Definition Televisions, Reviews | 3 Comments
Tube TV’s: Never Can Say Goodbye
May 27, 2008
Yes I was thinking of that song when I punched in the post title, anyway yeah… While doing a bit of catch-up this week I ran across a headline from Dealerscope that read “Weak Economy Leads to Tube TV Comeback”. I thought for a second, hey didn’t we get rid of tube televisions? Ok, no just kidding. The article I was thinking of was in reference to Best Buy selling their last “analog” television; obviously tube televisions can handle digital tuning.
But all of the tube-TV comeback talk got me to thinking, does a technology really ever “go away” at least in the way we generally think of going away? I suppose they do, it’s been years since I’ve seen a amber monochrome monitor (ah the good ol’ days) but getting back to my point. Honestly it’s a shame that Samsung’s idea of slimmer tubes didn’t catch on, at least for a short while. I would have like to have seen if anything else could be squeezed out of the technology.
CRT displays are still capable of displaying some of the best (or the best depending on who you ask) images I’ve ever seen and to be honest I feel like a bit a dinosaur just imagining a world without them. But I know much of that is just nostalgia and in this day of $4 (plus) a gallon gasoline we can’t be shipping around 100 pound displays like there’s no tomorrow. But still…there’s just something about a good CRT that feels real, solid and right, or at the very least, heavy.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under Display Technology | 4 Comments
Confessions of a My Movies Junkie
May 18, 2008
Most of the indispensable add-on components of my HTPC didn’t start out that way, or rather it’s the quieter, almost utilitarian additions to my HTPC that I couldn’t live without now. The oh golly gee look how cool this thing is gizmos that initially excite, often fall out of favor as time goes on. While I still haven’t mastered the art of media center reception and recording in HD (to my liking) I have grown quite attached to My Movies for my video collection management.
My Movies is an add-on to Media Center 2005 or Vista Media Center that allows you to catalog, manage, view details and playback just about any movie or video in your collection. The file details (cast, year, director, etc.) can be seen whether the file is on or off-line and the interface is as polished as some of the standalone DVD/movie management solutions that cost upward of 20k. Oh btw I should mention that I probably have less than $1200 total in my HTPC, and I could probably build it even cheaper if I had it to do all over again.
As you can see below the aforementioned user interface is about as slick as you can get short of going up to something like a Kaleidescape, but in all honesty as someone who loves tinkering around with things as much as I do, I actually prefer My Movies to some of the stand-alone solutions. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m blind to the fact that the majority of the world doesn’t share my enthusiasm for tweaking movie details in the database at 2am but hey that’s what makes the world go round, different strokes for different folks.
Posted by B.Greenway | Filed Under HTPC | 3 Comments
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