Archive for the 'HD DVD' Category

Reader comment regarding the 42HL167, and my response

Gotta hand it to my readers, they don’t miss much!   Soon after posting the 42HL167 deal, I received this email: Don, I am a little confused.  A while back you stated that 1080p was pretty much meaningless and now here you are recommending the Toshiba 1080p 42″ for $999.  Did something change other than […]

Using older lenses on a digital SLR, don’t get ripped off when buying HDMI cables

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 42, 2007 Q: I have a Minolta Maxxum 7000i 35mm camera with a Tokina AF 35-200mm lens. Since buying a digital camera several years ago, I have not used this film camera. I was thinking of selling it on eBay and getting a digital SLR, but a  friend said […]

Don’s Dealfinder- Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player for $149 (factory refurbished)

Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD Player You’ve probably heard about the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray “format war” as each vies to become the new high definition video disc format. (VHS vs. Betamax in the 21st Century.) You may have decided to wait it out for now. Well, at only $149, I suggest you jump in… both […]

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 […]

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 […]

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: […]

SXRD vs. DLP, stereo receiver recommendations

Week of October 15, 2006 Q: I am confused by the difference between the SXRD and DLP technologies that compete in the rear projection TV market. What is the difference and is one better than the other? What is the big deal about “1080P” that I hear about with these new TVs? -G. Frank, Ridgeland, […]

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 […]

CD-RW, more on HD DVD vs. Blu-ray

Week of July 23, 2006 Q: I’ve been copying some of my old audio cassette tapes to audio CDs. I’ve had perfect success using CD-R’s, but poor success using CD-RW discs. On playback the CD-RWs will usually give errors (dropouts) and sometimes the CD will actually lock-up a player. In doing some research I found […]

Blu-ray and HD DVD- some easy to comprehend information for Duncan Chard

Week of July 16, 2006 Q: I read your Blu-ray/HD-DVD article and was staggered at some of your comments. You do not seem to understand digital media at all. Digital media is the same regardless of device. Files and films on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs are identical- what differs are technical details such as the […]

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray: Blu-ray stinks!

Week of July 2, 2006 Q:   What are your thoughts regarding the new HD-DVD and Blu-ray high definition video discs? -Thaddeus Mark, Castle Shannon, PA A:   HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) are the two new formats competing to be the high-definition video disc of the future.   Each promises to provide much better […]

Will HDMI give me a better picture, avoiding HDMI cable ripoffs

Week of April 30, 2006 Q: Will I see a noticeable difference in high definition picture quality if I upgrade from the component video connection to the HDMI connection? I have high definition cable and the newest version of their box has an HDMI output (the older ones only had DVI). I have a Sony […]

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 […]