Shane Buettner

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Shane Buettner Blog
Is Blu Cheap Enough for You?
Shane Buettner  |  Nov 11, 2008  |  Published: Nov 12, 2008  |  54 comments
Month in and month out I receive letters from readers about pricing on Blu-ray, and noting that the public won’t buy in until Blu-ray is cheaper. What the public at large will or won’t buy into isn’t quite the same thing as what Home Theater readers will buy and for how much. For you, as a Home Theater reader, how cheap is cheap enough? Cheaper than an iPhone or an iPod? Walking through Costco the other day I saw every day pricing on players that was well below $299, and I’m sure we’ll see cheaper prices around the holidays. But realistically, is Blu-ray cheap enough to make it down your chimney this year? Was there ever a case to make that Blu-ray was genuinely “expensive” to begin with?
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Shane Buettner Blog
Back By Popular Demand... The Ratings Return
Shane Buettner  |  Oct 16, 2008  |  83 comments
After many months and much gnashing of teeth online and print, Home Theater's ratings are in fact returning starting to product reviews with the January issue being assembled now. The ratings are not only coming back, we think the more streamlined version we've come up with is actually better than what we had before.
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Surround Processor Reviews
Anthem Statement D2 Pre/Pro
Shane Buettner  |  Sep 22, 2008  |  1 comments
Worthy of a sequel.

When we first reviewed Anthem’s Statement D2 in the December 2006 issue, HDMI switching was just emerging. But it wasn’t as crucial as it is today, now that next-gen audio and video applications are firmly established. There’s a story to be told in how the Statement D2 increased its utility in the connectivity tumult of these last two years. And there’s another story in its ability to stand tall even now, as onboard decoding of the advanced audio formats is now emerging in AVRs and pre/pros. The Statement D2 has adapted to the evolving standards and features that HDMI carries. Now at $7,499, the Statement D2 offers an advanced auto-setup and room-calibration system that furthers its value. It’s worth a fresh look.

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Shane Buettner Blog
The Great HT Ratings Debate
Shane Buettner  |  Jul 18, 2008  |  41 comments
I admit I’m surprised by the controversy caused by removing the product review ratings. Most who’ve written want the ratings back and accuse HT of running scared from advertisers/manufacturers. I want to set the record straight, elaborate on the reasons we eliminated the ratings, and engage in some meaningful debate about them. I also want to note that while the ratings in their original format will never return, I’m not totally opposed to a revamped system if you readers still think it’s necessary. There are some features coming up that I think will make you miss the ratings less, and I’ll explain those below.
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Shane Buettner Blog
Panasonic's New Blu-ray Player Worth the Wait... And the Trip.
Shane Buettner  |  May 12, 2008  |  32 comments
Last Friday Senior Editor Tom Norton and I were treated to an up close look at Panasonic's new DMP-BD50 Blu-ray Disc player at Panasonic's Hollywood Lab facility. And I'm thrilled to report, at long last, that there's a standalone player that can be recommended without any significant functional caveats.
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Shane Buettner Blog
Educating HDTV Shoppers
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 11, 2008  |  28 comments
I was strolling through Costco the other day, looking to buy 55 gallons of something I don't need but can't resist at the price, when I saw this flier attached to all the store's HDTVs (forgive on the photo quality- I was shopping and had to use my iPhone's camera).
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Sony PlayStation 3 Game Console/ Blu-ray Disc Player
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 07, 2008  |  0 comments
Sony’s gaming console still the Blu-ray player to beat.

[Update: The best just keeps getting better. Sony has announced at long last that a firmware update available April 15th will allow the mighty PS3 to decode lossless DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution, a lossy, higher bitrate version of its codec. This was the last technological hurdle for Sony's mighty gaming console. For those with HDMI switching and an AVR or pre-pro that can process multichannel PCM the PS3 is unequivocally the Blu-ray player to beat. It's not only the fastest and most reliable BD player, it's the cheapest and most advanced. Look to this space for an update to this review once I've had a chance to experience DTS-HD MA and BD-Live. -SCB]

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Projector Reviews
JVC DLA-HD100 D-ILA Projector
Shane Buettner  |  Mar 02, 2008  |  Published: Apr 02, 2008  |  0 comments
The power of contrast.

In the quest for deeper blacks and ever better contrast-ratio specs, dynamic irises that close down and open up the projector's light output automatically depending on the program material are all the rage. But there's no free lunch here. While the best auto-iris designs deepen blacks and increase contrast and are invisible in operation, there are inevitable issues with the varying black levels and brightness compression involved in this sleight of hand.

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Shane Buettner Blog
Blu-ray's Real Battle Begins
Shane Buettner  |  Feb 24, 2008  |  26 comments
Stepping away for a few days and returning to find the format war over is sort of like being in a restaurant, hitting the rest room, and returning to find your meal waiting for you. Time to dig in!
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Shane Buettner Blog
Universal, HD DVD Not Throwing In Towel Yet
Shane Buettner  |  Jan 21, 2008  |  Published: Jan 22, 2008  |  9 comments
Late last week I had a chance to speak directly with Ken Graffeo, who has a high ranking position with Universal Home Entertainment and is co-president the HD DVD Promotional group. Ken and the group wished to clear the air on the running rumor mills and talk about Universal and HD DVD's plans in the post-Warner decision world.
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