What About HD DVD?

By Zeeman Haus

Obviously you've upgraded to a true HD TV and the difference in picture quality is breath taking. The real problem is now in the quality of your DVD playback. It has somehow become less crisp than it used to be. Part of this is perception and part of it has to do with your player. Looking at an HD DVD might save you a little money and enhance your movie watching experience.

There is a lot of talk on the market and on the showroom floor about HD DVD and what it does for you. The basics of these conversations go down like this: HD quality picture through the use of a better, more accurate DVD player than can utilize your old DVDs. The advantage is that you 1) don't have to buy a Blue-Ray player and 2) you don't have to buy all new movies to replace the ones you have. Both are sound arguments and a little flawed.

While it is true that no player will make your DVD look as good as HD picture, you can play your old DVDs on your HD player without adapters or having to change players or input settings on your TV. This is a plus because I am on a one man mission to help cut down on the number of remote controls next to my Lay-Z-Boy. So in plain English; Standard DVDs work in HD DVD players.

HD DVD players use what is called a blue laser. I assume it's called that because the laser is blue. I don't know this for sure because the sticker says I shouldn't be looking at it. Let's just go on the assumption that the manufacturers were telling the truth and the laser is indeed blue. A blue laser has a short wavelength than a red one, this means more content can be held on the disc and the load times will be fast. Hey! Both are great things.

Having one of these players is a space saver as well. The fact is no one wants, a DVD player, a VHS player, Blu-ray and HD cable box all piled under their brand new, sleek HD TV. The wiring behind your TV would look like there should be a small animal trapped in there somewhere. Having an HD DVD player helps eliminate some of the clutter behind and in front of your shiny new TV stand.

The packaging is another attractive aspect of making the change from standard DVD to HD DVD. They all come in the same packaging so the boxes are all the same size. When you consider what life was like when you made the change from VHS to DVD, the value in this is clear.

The players are readily available and relatively inexpensive compared to Blu-ray, so price is another factor. If given the option a lot of consumers would go for the cheaper solution to a problem and HD players for DVD are a viable one.

The choice to buy a hd player is pretty much up to the individual. Blu-ray doesn't really load any faster and they do tend to add in some extra content with the focus on interactivity. But with DVD you know what you are getting, the pricing difference makes for an attractive deal and being able to not have to completely switch formats all at once is a good incentive. - 31846

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Which Multimedia Projectors Stats Are Important?

By Phil Zertisky

Multimedia projectors can be great products for a wide variety of different situations. Before you make your purchase though, you should definitely think about where and how you are going to use your product in order to purchase the best model for you. You should also consider what you may want to do with your projector beyond its basic uses, because many people discover that their projector is useful for a variety of tasks once they own one.

You should also consider what you might want to do with your projector in the future, because sometimes people discover that their projector can be used for an extra activity after they purchase their machine. When you know exactly what you want to do with your projector, and even what you may want to do with your projector in the future, you can choose the one that has the perfect stats for your requirements.

If you are a business professional, you probably require a projector that is perfect for a portable and diverse environment. If this is your situation, you should be looking for products that are very high quality, extra portable, and fairly cheap as well to fully enhance your presentations. Anyone who is considering a projector for their home theater setup will benefit from higher quality stats. Great product stats ensure that their projector can handle the images displayed by all types of movies.

Ultra light projectors are often the perfect product for most professionals. These projectors minimize the complications and difficulties often associated with the transportation of technologically advanced products. If you have a large projector, but you need to transfer it to new locations constantly, you are going to find that the safety of your machine is at risk due to the amount of transportation it has to encounter.

The brightness of the projector is very important for any type of setup. If you are creating presentations at different locations, you will find that brightness is an essential feature of your projector. When you have a projector that is not bright enough to handle the amount of light present in your rooms, you risk the chance that your presentations will appeared entirely washed out. If you presentation is washed out, the picture will look as if it is fading. This makes the images and text on your slides very difficult to see.

For every type of situation your projector is placed in, you are going to depend on the brightness level of the product. If you purchase a projector that does not have sufficient brightness levels for the rooms you are projecting in, you are going to find that the images will appear washed out or faded. When this happens, the images are sometimes difficult to see, and the colors are often indiscernible. Many people face this problem when they are constantly moving from one environment to another with their projector.

It can be difficult to estimate the amount of light you will be facing in the rooms you are projecting if you are a travelling business professional. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you purchase a projector that has sufficient lighting for most situations. 1,000 lumens in a projector may be perfect for a small home theater, because the lighting is guaranteed to be dark, but if you are purchasing a projector for presentations, you may want to consider investing into a more expensive machine.

Also, the quality of your picture will be highly dependent on the resolution level of the machine you are using. If you are expecting the quality of the images you display through your projector to be important, you should make sure that the projector you purchase is as bright as possible and comes with as high of a resolution that you can afford. - 31846

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The Draw Of Portable Televisions: Why And Where To Purchase One

By Phil Zertisky

Purchasing televisions for on the go travel seems like it's useless to most. They don't see why you would want to buy portable televisions if you are trying to get away from TV viewing. There are others that will come with perfectly logical explanations.

Many people like the ability to watch their programs anywhere they go. Some places they go do not have television. This is where a portable TV could come in handy.

Other people buy them for traveling in the car. There are not many regular sized cars that come with television. A portable TV remedies this problem. Children can be entertained this way. They can watch their favorite cartoons with the right programming service.

Those who do not see the practical use of a portable TV more than likely do not watch a lot of TV. This just makes them different. It doesn't make them bad.

There are a few types of portable TVs available. The type you end up buying greatly depends on the features you want. Do some research when you start considering making this purchase.

TVs that can be personalized have recently become popular. These version of the pocket TV usually come with a subscription program. It works very easily.

A program subscriber pays for a certain number of channels or packages every month. The price depends on the package. The channel allowance, the more you will pay. It is very much like the Satellite radio you may already pay for.

Different televisions offer different services. There are even some specials for people who are new to the service. You want to look for the best service for your money.

If you can't afford a full service, getting a regular TV isn't such bad thing. They have them in pocket size This means you will get most local channels, and nothing more. It is often more important to individuals that they are able to watch anything.

The cost of these portable devices varies. Usually, you pay for the brand name and labor. Look for a great deal that includes special discounts when you are signing up with a new device.

Again, you are better if you shop around before making a purchase. Ask around for the best deals, and service warranties. These things all should weight heavily in your decision to purchase anything.

Look into stores like Radio Shack and Best Buy. They have wide selections of devices for comparison. Chat with sales clerks. See what is selling the best. Then head home for further research.

It would probably be a good idea to check reviews for the products that interest you most. This will help you to see why a particular product is as popular as it is. It will also help you decide what brands to stay away from.

Buying portable televisions isn't the only way to watch your shows on the go. Most mobile devices and media players now have integrated Internet. Use it to find sites that are airing free full length episodes of the shows you want to watch. - 31846

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Installing Surround Sound In Your Home And Understanding How It Functions

By Linda Kershaw

Surround sound for your home is easy to install. You can either install it yourself or employ a professional. The wires can either be run behind the wall, along the bottom of the wall or under the carpet.

If you decide to install it yourself you should expect to spend a morning setting it up correctly and neatly. Before you buy a kit there are some questions you should ask yourself first.

The first thing to think about when buying a surround sound kit is to consider what it will be used for mainly. I say this because many surround sound kits come with DVD/Blu-Ray players built into the amplifier unit. If you do not own one of these but would like to or you feel you do not have the space below your TV to house two separate units then a built in one is for you.

If you already possess a DVD/Blu ray player then maybe a stand alone kit is a better choice for you provided you have the extra room for the box. The next is the amount of connections you need. If you have gone for the kit without a DVD player but want to play movies and listen to HDTV and play games through it the chances are you will need more than one input connection.

You will need to check what connections are the back of your devices to be able to decide what types of connections you require. Once we have this we can move onto the sound quality, this is the single most important feature of the kit that determines it's cost.

This is conveyed in the form of an output wattage from the speakers, the greater the number of watts outputted the louder your kit will be. The best way to choose is through testing the kits in store, most retailers will provide an option to test the kits before you buy them.

Now you should be left with a handful of units to choose from, from these few the choice is up to you and is generally which one you find most asthetically pleasing. - 31846

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Home Media: Onkyo TX-NR5007 AV Receiver Review

By Dan Ferguson

Onkyo has released the newest receiver in the line of "Double-O" series of Home theater entertainment systems. In our Onkyo TX-NR5007 AV Receiver Review, we take a look at the updated model in the series. It has everything you need, from premium home theater audio quality, to a home network media library for a reasonable price.

The TX-NR5007 features the essential audio options, such as 9.2 output. The support for 9.2. Is a step up from the traditional 5.1 and 7.1 speaker options, but 9.2 is not required and works just as great without them. The receiver also supports Dolby True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and DTS High Resolution Audio for HD audio.

The Onkyo receivers has many more audio options to choose from for getting the right sound: Dolby Volume, THX Loudness Plus, MultiEQXT and Dynamic Volume. It also features TI "Aerus" DSP chipsets for High Definition audio decoding, including DSP modes for avid gamers.

Being an Audio and Video system, the video support handles many legacy video formats of way of traditional composite ports, and for High Definition television sets, it can plug up to six HDMI devices. 1080p upscaling is especially supported with the HQV Reon VX chipset. Depending on the time of day and room lighting, the receiver adjusts itself thanks to the ISF Calibration Control.

As with most modern home entertainment receivers, the NR5007 can connect to the internet with the unit's DLNA 1.5 home networking technology. Once online, you can listen to popular streaming audio services like Last.fm, vTuner, Rhapsody, and Pandora. If an internet connection is not available, the unit includes an AM/FM tuner for listening to local radio stations.

If you have a media computer running Windows 7 with your complete music library, you can stream and play back MP3, FLAC, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and AAC formats on the Onkyo TX-NR5007. The receiver is also Sirius Radio ready for satellite radio subscribers. If your computer is unavailable, you can connect your iPod or iPhone with its built-in port. You can also listen or view media files from the device that is controlled with the receiver remote. To enhance your experience with the TX-NR5007, it also connects to the internet to download and install the latest firmware for new features and bug fixes.

From our Onkyo TX-NR5007 AV Receiver Review, we have found it very easy to use. Especially for first time home entertainment users. It has everything for the price for the ultimate AV receiver. - 31846

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What To Look For In Stereo Receivers

By Mike Wills

Stereo receivers come in a wide array of brands and styles. With all of the brands available it may be difficult to choose which one to buy. In a lot of instances the cheaper brands tend to be just about as good as the pricier ones. Electronics, especially those designed for sound, may be the exception to this.

Most people expect great sound when they buy this type of product. The more expensive brands may help to cut static and give you a higher quality of sound. The cheaper brands tend to fall short at times though this is not always true.

These can usually be hook up to your stereo or entertainment system. This can include your television and devices such as DVD players. You might use these for surround sound purposes. These can make a great addition to your home entertainment system and may be great for all ages as well.

Other great items to look for when setting up a system like this is the size and type of television you want. You should keep in mind that the new flat screen models may not have the sound quality due to less room. This may make the stereo receiver indispensable for you to get the great sound you want to go with the picture on your digital TV.

DVD players are another device that has improved picture quality. Unfortunately they dont offer any improvements to the quality of sound. For this you need a secondary device to complete the effects and make the most of your movie expedience.

This can also be a great product for gamers and just plain old music lovers. People dont like to miss a single sound or word said. Being able to hear what you are seeing helps your brain process information and for gamers this may help with hand and eye coordination.

Some brands may only connect properly to brands made by the same company. You will need to make certain you know what will or will not connect to your entertainment system. You may even decide to connect your television directly to your stereo system and then simply add surround sound.

Check out stereo receivers today and find a better way to watch and hear all of your favorite programs. Whether you are a gamer or just want to hear you favorite tunes, this can be a great product to own. You can buy these in a store near you or order online today. - 31846

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A Review Of The Panasonic DMP BD60 Blue Ray.

By Adam Santii

The Panasonic DMP BD60 is really a high quality blue ray DVD player and just like lots of the products coming from Panasonic, it really is made for giving high quality, in addition to great usability. They really want their models being easy to use.

For example, this specific model includes what is called a Viera links, which allows end users using an HDMI to run it with one remote control.

This model also has a good SD card and USB slot, and therefore consumers are very easily able to watch and share both the digital stills, or Hi-def videos.

Additionally , it includes what the firm names precision 4:4:4 signal technology. This together with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus will be able to process every single Blue Ray pixels (both horizontal and vertical) to give the most definition achievable.

Additional great techie things includes a entire 16-level motion detection system. This ultimately translates that owners are able to make images recorded in 480p or perhaps 720p in to 1080p.

Complimenting the HD audio codecs, this model has the benefit of 96kHz surround re-master, that really promotes the overall level of quality of CD's in addition to tunes through additional sources for example MP3's. It'll actually even go as far as to enhance multi-channel audio data, with particular blue ray discs or other DVD's.

Individuals with an environmental concerns will be pleased to learn that Panasonic has integrated a functionality that if people turn back again to viewing the Television after having been using the DVD, the Panasonic DMP BD60 will basically shut itself off.

It is available to buy now, and is presently ranging considerably in price. For those keen on looking deeper online is often when the best deals are to be found. It is normally good to shop around as much as possible, which can be super easy using the internet. Just check in a few of the search engines like google and yahoo. - 31846

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Home Theatre Lighting Can Make or Break Your Design

By Steve Johnson

The best possible location for the average home theatre would be a basement room that allows very little or no natural sunlight to sneak into the room. There are so many things you can do in a basement that simply intensify the theatre experience of your average home theatre. From actual stadium or theatre seating to rope lights that line the side of the walls (where it meets the floor) for low ambient lighting that will not distract from the screen or cause any unnecessary glare. Out of the many things you can choose to enhance your experience, your choice of home theatre lighting might actually be one of the most important as well as the most often overlooked.

If you are fortunate enough to have a basement, this is an ideal location for a home theatre but don't despair if you don't have a basement. Even in the sunshine there are steps you can take in order to prevent too much light from affecting your home theatre experience. Some good ideas with which to start would be to purchase black out curtains that prevent sunlight from creeping into your room. This definitely looks much better than the old fashioned quick fix of placing aluminum foil over your windows and is a great way to improve and control your home theatre lighting.

Even within your room if you've taken the time to make sure natural light isn't creeping in you may find that poorly placed lighting adversely affects your viewing pleasure. When installing your home theatre lighting system you need to pay careful attention to both natural and artificial light at different times of day in order to see how they affect your ability to see the screen as well as in order to see if there is any glare on your television screen from light peeking through your curtains or from lamps and overhead lighting within the room.

As mentioned earlier, rope lighting makes perfect home theatre lighting and so does recessed lighting. When this type of lighting is installed, people can see well enough to be able to move around the room without causing interruptions to what's taking place on the screen. Another benefit to using low lighting in a theatre room is that the screen will become the focal point when the overhead lights are dimmed.

If you want to create a theatre themed room, you may be able to find some interesting film era wall sconces to add interest to the room. These particular wall sconces offer low levels of light that will be unlikely to interfere with what's taking place on the screen. There are many of these sconces available in a variety of different themes. Since home theatre lighting plays such an important role in the enjoyment of the home theatre experience, companies are stepping up and filling this need in the lighting industry.

Some will argue that the television you choose is wildly more important than the home theatre lighting in the room by far. I tend to disagree. If you do not take care to insure that the lighting in the room is appropriate it is unlikely that you will be able to fully enjoy the television you selected - no matter what type. For this reason I always think you should keep your current television for a while, test it out with the lighting and invest in proper lighting before making an investment in a bigger or better television to add to your home theatre system.

Just like everything else in life, home theatre lighting is relative to personal preference. Take the time you need to consider how a room's lighting will affect the ability to view television or movies in the room you've designated as your home theatre. Once you have created the perfect home theatre lighting you will be amazed by home much enjoyment the home theatre gives you. - 31846

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A Quick Look At The Many Uses For Multimedia Projectors

By Phil Zertisky

The manufacture of multimedia projectors has continued to climb as more businesses have become more mobile. Many small businesses find that the ability to provide clients and investors with professional looking presentations that are easily seen in a crowded room is an invaluable addition to the growth strategy of the business. The type of projector that a person chooses to invest in will depend greatly on the main purpose that it will be used for. The styles, designs, and sizes of the projectors have been designed to meet the individual and specific needs of the user.

Many small business owners find the ultra light projectors that are manufactured are versatile and meet their needs consistently. These projectors often weigh less that five pounds and are kept in a case that is the same size as a laptop computer case. In some cases people find that having a laptop that is dedicated to their projector makes it very easy to organize and maintain their presentations. These projectors often have default automatic settings that make adjustments for the light in a room and the distance to the screen upon which the presentation is being made.

Many of the projectors are designed specifically to accommodate multiple mediums. A person will find ports in their projector for a computer, VCR, HDTV, DVD or video games. The convenience of these ports makes it very easy to provide a group meeting with all of the information required in a format that will maintain their interest in the subject. The projectors also have a wireless mouse that allows the presenter to stand in any location in a room and transition slides for their presentation.

Conference room projectors are larger and used in larger areas. These projectors usually are attached to a cart that has wheels and can be moved from room to room easily. The projectors have more built in options than the ultra light projector and rather than relying on automatic default adjustments to brightness and contrast, an individual can make manual adjustments to accommodate the light in the room where the projector is being used.

Most of the larger projectors require that software be installed on the laptop or computer that is going to be used with it. The software allows an individual to set the timing of the presentation and have it automatically display when it is turned on. The conference room projectors also have larger cooling fans for the motor and can be run longer than the ultra light projector.

When a projector is needed for a stationery location and will be used for a wide range of multimedia efforts, the fixed installation projector is often a wise choice. These projectors usually weigh several hundred pounds and are installed in the back of large auditoriums or rooms. The projectors have image quality that allows it to be seen clearly from any area in a room and provides several built-in options that are not available with smaller projectors. The split screen feature that can be used during meetings and web-casts provide a business with an additional level of communication with business associates and employees.

When selecting the fixed installation projector a business will find that they have computer components built into the projector that allow presentations to be downloaded to the projector. The result is that the presentation is clear, crisp, and can be shown on a split screen that encourages interaction with attendees. The projectors also have a recording device included that allow the presentations to be recorded and shown again when desired.

Choosing from the many multimedia projectors available will give an individual the opportunity to personalize their presentations and keep the equipment they need in one centralized location. The appropriate size projector will provide the kind of resolution, contrast, and brightness that will be needed in the rooms where they are used. A person who travels a lot will normally find the more mobile, ultra light projectors, with their automatic adjustments will provide the quality that they want for their presentations. - 31846

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Cheap Home Theater: Upgrading at Minimal Cost

By Pagan Moore

When we think of a home theater system, we would always equate them with thousands of bucks. Much more, the prices of the different technologies like television sets and more are becoming pricey and definitely evolve rapidly. With its pace, obviously not all people can keep up with it. Most especially families and individuals who can't shell out that much.

If you want to have that certain home theater make over but don't have much to spare, do not worry. There are practical ways in having that desired home theater system without spending a fortune. Much more you can even have that much coveted system make over and upgrading at a very minimal cost. Here are the things you can probably do and can make drastic changes to your entertainment area.

* Recycle. This is the cheapest thing you can do for your home theater system. For example, you can turn your old speakers into your CD or DVD storage. You can simply pop it out open on one side and build some divisions giving it space. You actually do not need any carpentry skills for the things are basic and simple to make. Much more you can recycle old televisions and perform multiple-view setup catering to more than one television on the sides. Your system will not only look cool, but you can certainly save lots of money to begin with.

* Build your own. Using your creativity and building your own system infrastructure is also a good way to save money. A good example is building your own mounts. For one you can build one for your speakers as to where you would strategically place them. A piece of wood or a good platform will do and securely fasten them into the wall. You can even opt to paint the mount to coincide with the speakers color. You can actually save more than $20 for the speaker brackets. How much more of the different mounts your home theater system will have.

* Clean and tidy. If you already have an existing home theater system, keeping it in good working condition would definitely extend the equipments life. Dust and such can degrade the performance of your system. Without proper maintenance and cleaning, these dusts will pile up blocking important circuits. Without you knowing it, your whole equipment will no longer function. Repairs are in fact expensive depending on the system. Thus, to save time for repair and long time usage better do some cleaning and fine tuning now.

The fundamental things mentioned above are definitely cheap solutions to upgrade and improve your home. You actually do not need much or even buy expensive ones. What you need is only your own creative juices and productivity in doing so. Much more to save more for your home theater system, maintaining it at their best states are suggested. - 31846

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