Archive for the 'DVD Players' Category

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 […]

Don’s Dealfinder: Oppo DV-970HD Universal DVD player, $119 Refurbished

Oppo DV-970HD Upconverting DVD player with SACD/DVD-Audio   Oppo’s upconverting DVD players are some of the finest available at any price, with top-notch picture and sound. They even include an HDMI cable! I could ramble on but so much has been said about Oppo’s players and the company’s outstanding customer service, no more needs to […]

Blu-ray vs. Upconverted DVDs, TV Antennas and 2009 Digital TV Transition, converter boxes

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 36, 2007 Q: Is there much of a difference in picture quality between, say, the Oppo 1080p upconverting DVD player and one of the two actual HD (Blu-ray and HD DVD) players? I know one plays/up converts “regular” DVD’s and the other plays actual “HD” DVD’s. I have a […]

DVD/VCR combo a decent stopgap as you await HDTV

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 34, 2007 Q: I made the mistake of buying an LCD TV that requires a cable or satellite box. The TV is not returnable. The store’s tech guy said I can use a VCR to watch the TV. I don’t even own a VCR anymore. What’s your advice? GEORGE […]

iPod ‘noise’ interferes with radio listening

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 33, 2007 Q: I like to listen to AM radio for news and sports, but my docked iPod produces so much noise and static that it’s unlistenable. Is this unusual? I can’t even listen to AM in the garage! When I unplug the iPod from the dock, all is […]

Old films can look great in HD format

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 32, 2007 Q: I’m trying to figure out if it’s still too early to buy an HD DVD player. There are a number of DVDs available in HD format, but I suspect that the vast majority of them were filmed with non-HD cameras and converted to HD. Do you […]

Proper speaker placement when wall-mounting, using more than one HDMI source

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 24, 2007 Q: When we bought our home, it came with wires sticking out of the wall at about seven feet high for small speakers that were part of a home entertainment system. We would like to add speakers in that location. Do you have any suggestions as to […]

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: […]

Oppo Digital DV-970HD DVD player

  Oppo Digital DV-970HD DVD player Oppo DV-970HD DVD  Player   Sound Buys product review By Don Lindich   Though most consumers are unfamiliar with the name Oppo Digital, chances are you have owned or seen some of Oppo’s cousins in stores around the world. Oppo Digital is a new venture of BBK Electronics, one […]

DVD media compatibility, single-piece surround units, record players and receiver volume settings

Sound Advice Week 41, 2006 Q: I have a Sony digital camera and I use a 512 MB memory stick, which will record 30 minutes of video in movie mode. I download the memory stick into an iMac computer and then burn the video on a DVD-R disc My problem is that the DVD will […]

Sending a TV program to another room, Easy Media Creator, poor-looking DVDs

Week of August 27, 2006 Q: I want to have a TV in my garage, but don’t want to wire it for satelite. (That is what I use in the rest of the house.) Is there a product that can project the signal from the house to the garage? -Don Anderson, Minneapolis, MN A: The […]

TV resolutions- 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

Week of March 19, 2006 Q: I have a Toshiba HDTV with a 1080p display. Does it convert the 480p signal from my progressive-scan DVD player to 1080p? Do I gain anything from an upconverting DVD player (such as the Oppo 971) if my Toshiba is already outputting a 1080p display? In any event, I’m […]

Matching speakers to a room, Oppo’s fantastic 971 DVD player for HDTVs

Week of February 19, 2006 Q: I want to have a “music room” in my house, the choice being between a small, unused bedroom (10 x 11) and a fairly large lower level (30 x 30).   A good pair of tower speakers would overwhelm the space in the small bedroom, but I’m wondering whether […]

Soundmatters MAINstage

Week of November 13, 2005 Q: When watching television, the voices are quite often drowned out by the music and/or sound effects. As you know, TV speakers are usually quite inadequate so to get better sound we hooked it up to a receiver and 3 medium quality speakers, left, right, and center. That arrangement works […]

DVD recorders and HDTV

Week of October 9, 2005 Q: I have always wanted a DVD recorder, but until now the prices were a bit too high. Now I can buy a DVD recorder for $100 and it is tempting. However, with advances in Digital TV and HDTV, I am again thinking I should wait a bit longer. A […]

CD/DVD player sound quality

Week of September 11, 2005 Q: I am looking into buying a CD changer and have a few questions. It is my understanding that if you connect a CD player via the analog outputs, you will be using the digital to analog converters (DAC) in the CD player. Conversely, if you connect it with the […]

Correcting hard-to-hear voices on DVDs, correcting lip-sync problems

Week of January 9, 2005 Q: My question regards DVD player sound. I have a DVD player connected directly to my TV, no surround sound system. The voices are much softer than the music and special effects so it is hard to hear what the people are saying. Is there anything I can do to […]

2004 Electronics Holiday Recommendations- Electronics Guru Tested and Approved!

It’s a great time to buy electronics and home entertainment gifts- quality has never been better and prices keep coming down. Newer doesn’t always mean better, however. Rather than hype the latest products, this feature aims to simply recommend what’s best. Some products mentioned here are new, some are old standbys that still provide the […]

Adding a DVD recorder, recordable DVD formats, ohm ratings on speakers and receivers explained

Week of December 26, 2004 Q: Any advice on adding a DVD recorder to my entertainment system? -Bill Anderson, Maple Grove, MN A: First, you have a choice of formats: DVD-R or DVD+R. One of the first things asked when I receive correspondence from readers is “What format should I buy? There are many available […]

Replacing a VCR with a DVD/HDD recorder

Week of October 17, 2004 Q: I want to buy a digital video recorder to replace my VCR. I want the functions of my old VCR without the hassles of tapes. I am only interested in the channels I can pick up with my antenna and do not want to subscribe to any service. Does […]