David Ranada

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Custom Installation How-To
Humax DRT800 DVD/TiVo Recorder
David Ranada  |  May 10, 2005
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
Inside Tech: Blu-ray & HD DVD
David Ranada  |  May 10, 2005
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 >
Custom Installation How-To
GoVideo VR2940 DVD/VHS Recorder
David Ranada  |  Apr 05, 2005

Most of the DVD recorders we test nowadays are pretty routine devices. They're great for displacing your aging VCR for time-shifting TV programs or making archival DVDs of precious and fragile camcorder footage.

Continue Reading >
Custom Installation How-To
DVD Diversity
David Ranada  |  Feb 02, 2005

While I was working on this review, my friend Rob - a filmmaker who has a day job as a video editor at MTV - asked if I could recommend a DVD recorder to help him get rid of his bulky collection of VHS tapes. In true New York style, I started my reply with, "Have I got a deal for you . . .

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Peace Entreaties
David Ranada  |  Jan 05, 2005

A format war over a high-definition disc format now unfortunately appears inevitable. The all-but-formal declaration came at the Blu-ray press event on the first day of this year's Consumer Electronics Show (also see Rich Warren's article, "Next-Generation DVD").

Continue Reading >
Custom Installation How-To
Denon DVD-3910 Universal DVD/SACD player
David Ranada  |  Dec 31, 2004

One way to improve the performance you get out of your home theater is with a component that can be adjusted in so many ways, you can enhance the whole system just by setting it up right. That's what Denon's hyperadjustable DVD-3910 does for multichannel music and movie soundtracks.

Continue Reading >
Custom Installation How-To
Panasonic DMR-E95H DVD/Hard-Disk Recorder
David Ranada  |  Nov 10, 2004

While you might want to start with a budget model if you're looking for your first DVD recorder, there are good reasons to explore the higher end of the price range. Up there, you'll find models that make it easier to do time-shift recording and that provide storage and editing options not found on starter units.

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
In Search of the Lossless Chord
David Ranada  |  Jun 02, 2006

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
The Ghost of a Machine
David Ranada  |  Oct 03, 2006

Continue Reading >
Other Tech
Thanks for the Memories
David Ranada  |  Jul 05, 2006

"So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye." So goes the song. But only some of those sentiments apply to four digital-audio formats that have gone, or are about to depart, from the consumer-electronics scene. DAT, DCC, MD, and SACD never did fare "well" in the marketplace.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X