David Ranada

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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.

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Other Tech
CES04 Live: Higher-Tech DVD
David Ranada  |  Jan 10, 2004  |  0 comments

The first piece of A/V equipment you encounter after passing through security and entering the main hall of the CES is decidedly not high-tech.

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Other Tech
The CD: 16 Bits and 20 Years
David Ranada  |  Dec 08, 2003  |  0 comments
The introduction of the compact disc was the greatest single leap forward in the history of recorded audio after Edison's invention of the phonograph in 1877 and the introduction of electrical recording in the late 1920s. By 1983 the long-playing (LP) record had entered what the late Peter Mitchell, my prime audio mentor, aptly referred to as its Baroque period.
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Custom Installation How-To
Samsung DVD-HD931 Upconverting DVD Player
David Ranada  |  Oct 26, 2003  |  0 comments
Photos by Tony Cordoza You can get a hint of what's up with Samsung's top-of-the-line DVD player from its model number. The "HD" in DVD-HD931 signifies that it has a special output for "upconverted" DVD video signals that closely match the capabilities of high-definition TVs.
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Other Tech
Shopping Made Simple: DVD Recorders
David Ranada  |  Oct 19, 2003  |  0 comments
Photo by John Wilkes Visiting a local Circuit City recently, I saw several customers in front of the display of DVD recorders, mulling over the three or four models shown. Unfortunately, that's all they were doing - mulling. Although each of them probably yearned to replace an aging VCR with a shiny new DVD recorder, nobody had the gumption to lay down the bucks.
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Custom Installation How-To
Super Recorders
David Ranada  |  Sep 22, 2003  |  0 comments
Photos by Tony Cordoza You know a recording medium is going in or out of fashion when you can't find any blanks on the store shelves. Such a revelation hit me in the aisle for blank DVDs and CDs at a Best Buy here in New York City. There were shelf labels for all five recordable DVD formats - DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM - but precious few of the discs.
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Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 Speaker
David Ranada  |  Aug 19, 2003  |  0 comments

My first encounter with the BeoLab 5 was on an international audio-press tour of the Bang & Olufsen factory in Streuer, Denmark. It's out in quiet, flat, farm country something like the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. But our introduction was anything but staid.

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Denon AVR-2803 Digital Surround Receiver
David Ranada  |  Jul 14, 2003  |  0 comments

Photos by Tony Cordoza As much as we'd all like to own a flagship model receiver, they aren't for everybody. Though well equipped and high powered, they tend to be massive and extremely expensive. If you set your sights just a little bit lower - especially when it comes to power - you can get an awful lot of receiver for substantially less money.

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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.

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Cost Control
David Ranada  |  Jul 10, 2005  |  0 comments

Designers of surround sound receivers have a tough job. In a multikilobuck flagship model they can use the best parts, the most advanced signal processing, and the most elaborate construction to deliver the features and performance specs users want.

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