If you've been putting off getting a TiVo, now might be the time. Looks like TiVo and Netflix are cozying up, in a really attractive way. Who needs a limited pay-per-view schedule when you can have the Netflix library at your fingertips?TiVo...
Have you noticed a distinct push lately towards Blu-ray this holiday season? The latest Disney release (Horton Hears a Who) had a commercial solely for the Blu-ray release. No mention of the DVD until the tag. Disney has a whole Blu-ray...
This world has enough problems without a DVD/VCR combo that upscales to 1080P. Have you actually watched a VHS tape lately on your new HDTV? As if those family videos of uncle Bob in a Speedo weren't horrifying enough, now we're...
Just days ago I bitched about the high price of Blu-ray discs. (For the record, I broke down and bought Wall-E Blu-ray for $25 on line.)
Well, it seems like the powers that be heard me. First was Leslie's earlier post about super Blu...
German products are usually associated with precision performance and high quality. When you think of brands such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz cars or Rolleiflex cameras, meticulous attention to detail and quality construction are probably the first impressions that come to mind. A budget price not so much.
Price: $15,000 (short throw), $18,000 (long throw) At A Glance: Exceptional shadow detail • Razor-sharp picture • Excellent optics • A few tweaks would be welcome
DLP’s Crowning Achievement
The Marantz VP-11S1 was one of the first 1080p projectors I had the opportunity to review. It served as my reference projector for quite a while and is still one of the best 1080p projectors I’ve seen. Since the VP-11S1’s release, Marantz has brought two more 1080p offerings to the table, the VP-15S1, which offers stunning performance at a more affordable price point, and now, the flagship VP-11S2.
Price: $500 At A Glance: Each speaker handles front and surround channels • Integrated DVD (not Blu-ray) player • Strong aesthetics and build quality
4.1 Channels from 2.1 Speakers
Manufacturers of home theater gear work within a rigid framework. That makes it easy for consumers to recognize product categories—speaker systems, receivers, separates—and investigate the trade-offs between performance and price. But these product categories can also be staid and boring because they rarely investigate alternative system architectures. To shake things up a little, you have to look into compact systems, including entry-level ones like the JVC TH-F3 DVD Digital Theater System (to use the official nomenclature).
Among universal disc players, the Denon DVD-A1UCDI is the most universal of all. It handles Blu-ray, DVD, SACD, and DVD-Audio. But the pricetag is high, at $3800.
