Shane Buettner

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Marantz VP-11S1 Moves to HDMI 1.3
Shane Buettner  |  May 11, 2007  |  0 comments

Yes, as a matter of fact all the news coming in for the next few days will be ground into show Blog fodder, including this. Marantz isn't among the exhibitors here at HE 2007 and I don't know if anyone will be using the <A HREF="http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/506marantzvp11s1/">VP-11S1</A> for demonstration. Nevertheless, the projector is getting a running change in production to HDMI 1.3, but the retail price will remain fixed at $20K. Deep Color and 12-bit color depth are being touted, but don't get too excited about that yet. Consumer HD sources aren't using either currently. Marantz will be offering upgrades to existing VP-11S1 owners (like me), but pricing for that isn't established yet. While I won't be jumping in for the Deep Color, my experience switching among the different species of HDMI suggests that as everything else moves to 1.3-spec that switching issues might be minimized being 1.3 all the way around. Stay tuned on that one- if Marantz talks me into upgrading my 11S1 I'll let you know what that gets me!

Vertical Limit Returns!
Shane Buettner  |  May 11, 2007  |  0 comments

Ever have a neighbor dog's that just keeps coming back over to your house, and acts like he lives there? And if you put him outside, he just stays on the porch until you give up and let him back in? Well, demo disc of yesteryear, <I>Vertical Limit</I> is back at our collective AV house. This time as a Blu-ray Disc spun by Outlaw Audio at HE 2007, which TJN wrote about below. Badder, and louder than ever, and still plain bad as a movie.

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Stand A Little Closer
Shane Buettner  |  May 11, 2007  |  0 comments

See? I told you that the Sony Qualia rear pro in Outlaw's second room looked good. If this guy liked this picture any more, Outlaw wouldn have had to wipe the nose prints off the screen!

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HDTV Buying TipsHDTV Tech
Plasma vs. LCD
Shane Buettner  |  May 01, 2007  |  0 comments
They're both sexy slim, and can hang on the wall. But in spite of the similar physical profiles these two technologies are very different, and each has its strengths and weaknesses and they're not necessarily the ones the sales guy at the Big Box Store will tell you about.
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HDTV Buying Tips
Picking the Right Screen Size
Shane Buettner  |  May 01, 2007  |  0 comments
General and Practical Rules Of Screen Size
The original rules of thumb on screen size were concocted during the era of CRTs and scan lines and have been massaged somewhat since, and will be massaged further in this era of 1080p.
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HDTV Buying Tips
Flat Panel Shopping Tips
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 30, 2007  |  0 comments
Be Careful Buying A Flat Panel On The Internet
Flat panels, and especially plasmas, are big, relatively heavy and very fragile. Internet sites often offer the best price, but be sure you know who you're dealing with and what their return policies are should your TV be defective, or if you just plain don't like it. A flat panel is a big, expensive item to ship. A local retailer might charge more, but offer invaluable service should you not be happy with your purchase or have a defective unit.
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HDTV SetupHDTV Tech
A Great Picture in Five Minutes Flat
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 30, 2007  |  0 comments
You've just come home with that new TV. Want to know how to get the best picture you can, in about five minutes? Even if you've never done more with your TV than turn it on before grabbing the popcorn, we can help you get the best picture from your TV using nothing more than a DVD you already own.
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When HD Disappoints
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 29, 2007  |  6 comments

Not all HD is created equal. We all know this, and it's the same whether we watch on cable, satellite, or even Blu-ray or HD DVD. It just sucks when it's a worthy movie that didn't even receive a decent DVD release, as is the case with David Fincher's <I>The Game</I>, which was just released on HD DVD by Universal.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Partying Like It's 1996: Broken Arrow, Chain Reaction And Speed On Blu-ray
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 21, 2007  |  1 comments

They say there's nothing new under the sun, and nothing drives home that old adage like the birth of a new format or two. The first movies that come out on a new format invariably aren't the <I>Citizen Kanes</I>, or even the <I>Titanics</I> of film history. No, it's the star-studded action warhorses that are considered at least somewhat tried and true that are trotted out by the studios.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Children of Men (HD DVD)
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 20, 2007  |  4 comments

<I>Note: I experienced playback issues with the first screener of this disc sent to me by universal. Trying to play the first copy of this disc in the Toshiba HD-XA2 (with the very latest firmware) I got an error message to the affect that the disc was not the correct format and it wouldn't play. However, that copy did play in the HD-A20 I just received for review. The second copy sent from Universal played in both players. There have been similar reports online.</I>

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