Displays – Page 3 – Devices View

Onkyo Answers My Question

August 27, 2009 - by Avi Greengart - 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago I asked how early adopter (and device analysts) with multiplying digital components could possibly connect them all. Onkyo issued a press release this week for three new connected home theater receivers (by "connected" I mean that they can access Pandora and Rhapsody services via the Ethernet port on the back. That puts them in the list of devices we'd like to cover at Current Analyis). The top model, the $2,699 Onkyo TX-NR5007 features 8 (yes, 8) HDMI 1.3a inputs (including one on the front panel) and a pair of parallel HDMI 1.3a outputs. The next model …

Displays

Mailbag: Is Calibration Worth the Expense?

August 13, 2009 - by Avi Greengart - 1 Comment

A reader asks: I’m thinking of having my Hi Def Sony XBR2 calibrated by Best Buy. Is this worth the $300.00 or not? Appreciate any advice. Calibration was an absolute necessity back in the tube days, but with the advent of digital panels (plasma or LCD), getting – and keeping – settings accurate (or reasonably close) is much easier to do yourself. However, an installer can often get into service menus and offer finer level of control. Is that worth $300? If you’re a perfectionist watching movies, definitely. If you are a casual viewer watching reality TV shows, definitely not. …

More Inputs, Please!

August 12, 2009 - by Avi Greengart - 2 Comments.

I was talking with Microsoft about the XBOX 360 earlier this week, and one of the things they said will drive consumers to their console vs. the competition is the integration of multiple features into Live, such as Netflix streaming, gaming, and other content. At Current Analysis our Digital Home service covers game consoles from the perspective of connected services; we treat a PS3, XBOX, or Wii like the fancy set top boxes (that not coincidentally also play games) that they have become. However, I thought we were a bit ahead of the curve – most consumers haven't fully embraced …

E3 Wrap-Up

June 5, 2009 - by Avi Greengart - Leave a Comment

I'm in charge of Consumer Devices at Current Analysis, which is actually composed of two separate groups: Mobile Devices and Digital Home. I've been in charge of the devices portion of our Digital Home service since the beginning of this year, and while I intend to continue posting here about home theater, I thought I'd plug noteworthy Digital Home reports on this blog as well. This year's E3 (the electronic gaming show) crossed over both of my coverage areas. I stayed home this year – I'm on the road a lot as it is – but Bruce McGregor, our Senior …

Audio / Displays / Industry

Post CES Thoughts and Unintended Poetry

January 12, 2009 - by Avi Greengart - Leave a Comment

As usual, I attended CES 2009 and spent a lot more time talking with mobile devices vendors (my day job) than home theater. This was a good strategy for anyone this year because the Palm pre stole the show, but there were still plenty of thin LCD TVs, 3D TV, mobile TV, and a few speakers and receivers sprinkled throughout the sprawling show floor. I didn't make it to the Hilton, where most of the high end audio was housed, at all. Still, it's hard to avoid home theater when you have to attend press conferences from Sony, Samsung, LG, …

Home Theater Basics: 720p vs. 1080p, Analog/Digital Switchover

October 19, 2008 - by Avi Greengart - 1 Comment

Here's one from the mailbag: Avi, We want to buy a 37" LCD TV. Is there a significant difference between 720P and 1080P? Yes, there is a significant difference between 720p and 1080p – though it depends on what you’re watching on it, and even then you may not be able to see the difference. The bottom line is that you can almost always get away with buying a 720p set and saving the money, but nobody seems to believe this answer, so here’s a slightly more involved one: First, two quick definitions: 1. the “p” in 1080P …

Displays / HDTV / Industry

New Wireless HDTV Standard(s)

July 24, 2008 - by Avi Greengart - Leave a Comment

A bunch of big companies are getting together to standardize wireless home HDTV transmission. Again. The AP reports the details here. Most of the commentary I’ve seen has been fairly positive, though everyone points out that several of the big players backing WHDI are separately supporting WirelessHD as well. Could we have a standards war here? Jeremy Toeman is taking a contrarian stance, saying it doesn’t matter. He makes some good points: WHDI products aren’t expected to hit the market for at least a year or two Testing this stuff will take forever Even if it just adds $100 to …

Displays / Industry

In NYC next week? Come “Downtown”

June 4, 2008 - by Avi Greengart - Leave a Comment

If you’re in the Wall Street area next Thursday, I’ll be moderating a panel at Digital Downtown on Flat Panel TV Trends: Plasma and LCD TVs are the center of any digital home. The category’s success is driven by the produts’ fashion appeal and picture quality as well as the DTV transition. Listen to our panel of industry experts discuss the current trends affecting the flat panel TV market and where it’s heading. The session is free to financial analysts, press, and "invited guests." You can register here.

Accessories / Audio / Displays / HDTV

Product Review: Accell 4×2 HDMI Switcher

March 11, 2008 - by Avi Greengart - 3 Comments.

HDMI was supposed to bring the home theater world from the confusing age of multiple cables for audio and video (and sometimes multiple audio cables and multiple video cables) down to just a single cable from each component to your display. If your display doesn’t have enough HDMI inputs for all your sources, you need an HDMI switcher or a receiver which has an HDMI switcher built in. Then you need an HDMI cable from the each source to the switcher or receiver, but just one from there to the display. Fortunately, even some budget receivers now have HDMI switching …

Displays

Come on in, the 1080p water’s fine!

February 27, 2008 - by Avi Greengart - 2 Comments.

Evan Powell over at ProjectorCentral has a short article on the massive drop in 1080p projector prices and he notes that this, plus the end of the format war, makes now an ideal time to buy. He’s not kidding. In some cases prices on models introduced just four months ago have fallen by hundreds of dollars as newer models have hit the market. The price on the Panasonic PT-AE2000U I bought at the end of the year seems to be holding steady; I’m not sure whether that means there is higher demand for this model — certainly a possibility — …