David Ranada

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Other Tech
Home Theater: Digits Triumphant
David Ranada  |  Aug 05, 2001  |  0 comments

The annual convention of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) doesn't often generate a notable quote. Then again, last April's conclave in Las Vegas was the occasion for a notable event - the surprise appearance of the legendarily reclusive filmmaker George Lucas at a Sony press conference.

Continue Reading >
Custom Installation How-To
Humax DRT800 DVD/TiVo Recorder
David Ranada  |  May 10, 2005  |  0 comments
The latest DVD recorders have so many advanced features that they can be daunting to use. Just pick up the instruction manual, and you'll likely find yourself slogging through pages of editing commands as well as countless rules for recording on different disc formats.
Continue Reading >
Other Tech
In Search of the Lossless Chord
David Ranada  |  Jun 02, 2006  |  0 comments

Confused about which audio codec to use to encode music for your portable player? Drowning in the alphanumeric soup of AAC (iTunes/iPod), MP3, and WMA (Windows Media Audio)? Want to guarantee that you'll get the best possible sound out of your hard-disk collection of ripped CDs?

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Inside Tech: Blu-ray & HD DVD
David Ranada  |  May 10, 2005  |  0 comments
No home-entertainment technology in years has been as eagerly anticipated as the upcoming Blu-ray and HD DVD high-definition disc systems. In fact, the last time we techie types were this excited about something new was when the CD was introduced.
Continue Reading >
Other Tech
JVC GR-HD1 HDV Camcorder
David Ranada  |  Jul 29, 2003  |  0 comments

So there I was, in the middle of a crowded and hectic Times Square, right when all the Broadway shows let out, shooting all the bright lights and action with this ultra-brand-new $3,500 camcorder.

Continue Reading >
Custom Installation How-To
Lite-On LVW-5045 DVD Recorder
David Ranada  |  Aug 02, 2005  |  0 comments
Fast Facts
DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 17 x 2.625 x 12.5 inches PRICE $399 MANUFACTURER Lite-On USA, <
Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Maxing Out Resolution
David Ranada  |  Feb 03, 2006  |  0 comments

Getting the best picture resolution remains one of the chief goals of HDTV shoppers. But as I explained in last month's "Tech Talk," human visual acuity limits how much detail you can see in any image, live or onscreen.

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Microsoft Goes High-End
David Ranada  |  Oct 21, 2002  |  0 comments
As I write these words, right around the corner from Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and his pals James Cameron, Peter Gabriel, Beatles' producer Sir George Martin, and LL Cool J-Microsoft calls him "a major music artist and film actor"-introduced with typical extravagance the clumsily named Windows Media 9 Series, the technologies formerly c
Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Modern Greek Artifacts
David Ranada  |  Nov 10, 2004  |  0 comments

In the whole, NBC's high-definition coverage of the Athens Olympics made for pretty dismal TV. The same segments repeated ad nauseam only served to show how few sports bear up to repeated viewing. Who needs to see a failed baton pass, a gymnast falling on his or her butt, or a disappointing basketball game again and again . . . and again.

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
MPEG-2 vs. MPEG-4?
David Ranada  |  May 06, 2006  |  0 comments
No matter who ends up "winning," the Blu-Ray and HD DVD format war has probably entered its most dangerous period. For right when new formats are launched, you'll find advocates of one system or another putting forth unsubstantiated claims and various forms of quasi- and pseudo-science to back their side.
Continue Reading >

Pages

X