Week of November 9, 2003 Q: The concept of amplifier and receiver power baffles me. How do you decide between 35 and 65 watts per channel? -Tom Maloney, Minneapolis, MN A: The amount of power you need is based on a combination of three factors: the sensitivity of your speakers, the size of your room, […]
Week of October 12, 2003 Q: I just bought a 4 megapixel digital camera. Pictures take up 2 MB each and it came with a 32 MB memory card, so I can only take 16 pictures at a time. Next month I am going to Australia for three weeks and want to […]
Week of October 5, 2003 Q: I am looking for a mini or micro stereo system that could fit into a small cabinet, including the speakers. Are there any high quality or high-end systems that are small/tiny? I read a review of the Denon DRR-M31 in Hi-Fi News magazine that spoke highly of this […]
Week of September 14, 2003 Q: I am shopping for bookshelf-sized speakers in the $300 per pair range. Any recommendations? -Steve Gratz, Washington, DC A: There are several recommendations I give to anyone shopping for speakers. These recommendations are not just for specific speaker brands or models, but also how and […]
Q: I am hearing that a DirecTV HDTV signal is far superior to a HDTV signal from my cable company. Is this true? My cable company is now offering HDTV through its digital service but I understand that this is sometimes a very soft signal. Garbage in and garbage out really has never […]
Week of August 24, 2003 Q: I am building a home theater system and have a Denon surround sound receiver that will be its center. In my closet I have a pair of excellent Synthesis floorstanding speakers. I bought them about 15 years ago for around $900/pair. Would it be better to […]
Week 30, 2003 Q: I bought a Canon ES75 Hi8 camcorder. The guy who sold it to me said it could be hooked up to the PC so I can download, edit, and make my own videos. I haven’t seen this anywhere else. Can it be hooked up to the PC? […]
Week 29, 2003 Q: Can you hook up cable television through a front projector? If so, is there anything special needed for the hookup? -Sam Mursau, Appleton, Wisconsin A: You can use cable television with a front projector, but you cannot connect a front projector directly to the cable […]
Week 12, 2003 Q) I have an Onkyo surround sound system. I would like to have all my speakers playing when I am not playing DVDs. How do I accomplish this? -Dorothy A) For playing music from CDs, cassette tapes, and radio stations,, check the surround modes on your receiver. If you […]
Week 10, 2003 Q) I purchased a very small Sony MiniDV digital camcorder (around $1,000) to make videos of my one year-old son. I have not had it long but my results are a very mixed bag. My videos outside look absolutely beautiful, like watching a regular channel on TV; my videos […]
Week 3, 2003 Q: I have a digital camera and would like to make slide shows on videotape. Is it possible to do this? -Jan Kovac, Sewickley A: You can transfer still pictures from your camera to videotape, though they will not look as good as when displayed directly from your camera. Take […]
Published December 7, 2002 Q: My husband and I want a 48 inch television. We have been told so many different things by salesmen we are totally confused. We were told that if we buy the 48″ regular screen HDTV there will be black bands at the top and bottom when everyone goes all […]
Published Nov. 16, 2002 Q) My stereo system is already connected to my DVD player. I’d like to have stereo sound from my TV even when I’m not playing DVD’s. I have a digital cable box, a VCR, a TV with loads of inputs, but my stereo only has the two jacks and […]
Published November 9, 2002 Q: I am thinking about purchasing a home theater system and have checked Home Theater magazine for their recommendations. It seems that there is a dispute over whether the new plasma tube big screens are preferable over the front-projection systems like Runco. It seems that both systems are in the same […]
August 17, 2002 Q: I do not yet own a DVD player. I have 2 televisions, 2 VCRs and one stereo. One of the VCRs is a 1994 model and I have had it repaired twice already. I am kind of waiting for it to putter out. The stereo was purchased in 1990 and […]
August 3, 2002 Q: I have an audio system and I want to play my TV sound through it. My receiver has an input, but my TV doesn’t have an audio output. Is there any way I can play the sound through the stereo? Joe August, West Newton A: You […]
Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week of May 9, 2004 Q: I recently purchased components for a Home Theater System. My receiver is a Harman/Kardon AVR330. The problem is that I have only basic cable TV service (not digital, no converter box) and I have seen that some TV programs are broadcast in surround sound. […]
