Archive for the 'Home Theater' Category

Definitive Technology ProCinema 400 Home Theater Speaker System

Here is another winner from the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show: the Definitive Technology ProCinema 400 5.1-channel home theater speaker system. As you can see in the picture the speakers in this system are very small. Usually tiny speakers mean a big sound quality compromise, but that isn’t the case with the ProCinema 400. In the […]

Sound Advice #14, 2011: Video connections, supreme home theater with 3D and gaming

Q. I recently purchased the Samsung PN42C450 after reading your blog. With my PlayStation 2 hooked up, I get sound with a black-and-white picture. I am using the regular red/white/yellow cable that came with the PS2. What do I need to get a color picture? JIM HONDLIK A. Your TV does not have a composite […]

Affordable Pioneer speakers- good news for those wanting quality on a budget!

Pioneer SP-FS51-LR Floorstanding Speakers Longtime readers probably remember The Speaker Company and the great speakers they sold at very low prices. Sadly, they are not around any more and though there are lots of high-value lines out there (such as Arx) not everyone can spend $249 per pair for bookshelf speakers or $500 or more […]

Color calibration for Panasonic plasma HDTVs, good sounding, affordable home theater using tiny speakers

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 13, 2010 Q. We recently purchased a 58-inch Panasonic VT25 series 3D plasma TV. The installer strongly recommended we get it color balanced by a professional service person for $200. Do you think it is worth it? -Anand Kumar, Pleasonton, CA A. I think calibration can be worthwhile for […]

Pioneer Elite SC-25 A/V Receiver : Product of the Day 8, 2010

Pioneer Elite SC-25 A/V Receiver Download High-Rez Image I usually recommend a separate amplifier and preamp/processor when people write to me requesting a recommendation for an expensive receiver.  The Pioneer Elite SC-25 is a receiver that gives separates a run for their money, and even offers some clear advantages, especially when compared to budget separates.  […]

Recommended Home Theater Receivers Page Now Online

  Recommended Home Theater Receivers Page Now Online I’ll be adding a few more items to this page, but for now I have some good receivers on the Recommended Receivers Page for you to check out.  Enjoy!

Product of the Day, Day 30: Samsung PN42B450 42-inch Plasma TV

Samsung PN42B450 42-inch Plasma HDTV Looking for a really wonderful 42 inch flat-panel HDTV, with beautiful, completely natural, and satisfying image quality?  What if you could have all that at an incredibly low price, which makes it one of the best bargains in home entertainment?  For under $720 delivered you can put a beautiful plasma […]

Product of the Day, Day 27: Toshiba XDE-500 DVD Player

Toshiba XDE-500 Upconverting DVD Player The Toshiba XDE-500 upconverting DVD player was introduced on the heels of  the defeat of Toshiba’s HD DVD format to Blu-ray Disc.   Toshiba went on record saying thy will never make a Blu-ray player (though we will see how long that holds out) and would instead concentrate on improving […]

Product of the Day, Day 26: Sherwood Newcastle R-972 Home Theater Receiver

  Sherwood Newcastle R-972 972 Home Theater Receiver Most consumers think of Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, Sony and a few other household names when they are looking for a receiver.  There are some very compelling choices available from other brands, and one of the most beautiful, most appealing receives I have ever seen is the soon-to-be-released  Sherwood Newcastle […]

Product of the Day, Day 13: Pioneer VSX-819H Home Theater Receiver

Pioneer VSX-819H Home Theater Receiver  One of the most popular pages on the site is HDMI Receivers: The Two Best Buys on the Planet! With Pioneer’s new VSX-819H home theater receiver, I have considered expanding the article and calling it the three best buys on the planet.  The VSX-819H has much of what makes the […]

Product of the Day, Day 8: Onkyo TX-SR607 Receiver

Onkyo TX-SR607 with front HDMI port A few months ago I wrote a page called “HDMI Receivers: The Two Best Buys on the Planet!” One of these two best buys was the Onkyo TX-SR606, chosen for its strong and clean-sounding amplifier section, and its plethora of features such as high-def audio decoding , satellite-ready tuners, […]

Anthem Front Projection System

Anthem LTX500 LCoS Video Projector Paradigm’s high-end electronics line, Anthem, is delving into video display with a pair of re-branded JVC LCoS projectors.  The JVC LCoS front projectors are about the best I have seen and Anthem hopes to bring their customary high level of service with the products. I saw the LTX500 demonstrated with the Black Diamond […]

Don’s Dealfinder: Toshiba 40RF350U Super Narrow Bezel LCD TV 40″ 1080p $1099.99 (Save $800)

  Toshiba 40RF350U Super Narrow Bezel 1080p LCD HDTV Tiger Direct has the top-performing Toshiba 40RF350U 40-inch LCD HDTV on sale for only $1099, an $800 savings.  Not only are these fantastic TVs with a beautiful picture, the narrow bezel allows it to fit in spaces that will typically only hold a 37″ TV.  The […]

Sound Advice Column: Acculine speakers a fantastic find, home theater without a center channel

Acculine A1 bookshelf speaker- exotic speaker technology for $249 Sound Advice By Don Lindich Q: I recently purchased a 50″ Plasma and need to make a decision. I want to have the surround sound experience with it and plan to either purchase one of the boxed home theatre systems or attempt to put together a […]

Ohm Walsh speakers: unique technology, stunning performance

I’ve long loved the Walsh speakers from Ohm Acoustics and to this day, I haven’t found anything that can reproduce music and movies the way they do. Over time I’ve come to own several pairs of their speakers, ranging from their new MicroWalsh line to a pair of Ohm Fs and a pair of Ohm […]

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray (revisited), 1080i vs. 1080p on a 46″ screen

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 22, 2007 Q: I have a 46 inch Mitsubishi 1080 HDTV an need a new DVD player. Should I get HD DVD or Blu-ray? If Blu-ray, which one should I get, and why? If HD DVD, the Toshiba HD-A2 or HD-A20 and why? -Al Szczepanski , Minneapolis, MN A: […]

Changing sound level with HDTV vs. satellite, 35mm slides to CD/DVD

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 15, 2007 Q: We recently purchased our first HDTV. I haven’t converted my satellite to HD yet, but watch the local channels in HD via your recommended Phillips Silver Sensor antenna. I route all sound through the TV back to my old receiver and listen in simple ol’ Pro-Logic […]

Inside Polk Audio- a Visit to Polk Audio’s Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland

Experiencing Polk in the 1980s I first became familiar with Polk Audio during my college days in the mid-late 1980s. Audio was a newly adopted hobby and as I read many magazines to learn all as much as I could, I saw many Polk advertisements featuring Matthew Polk in his white lab coat, standing with […]

Picture CDs from the drugstore, using old speakers in a new home theater

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 9, 2007 Q:I normally take pictures with my digital camera, transfer them to my hard drive and make jpgs on CD-R and show them on our DVD player like a slideshow. At reunions I make a bunch of duplicate CD-Rs and give them to friends, etc,   and it […]

Cine-EQ and other useful settings

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 8, 2007 Q: My receiver has a button on it called “Cinema EQ”.   I do not have the manual to look it up.   What does it do and should I be using it? -Joe August, West Newton, PA A: Many DVD movie soundtracks can sound a little […]