Week of March 6, 2005 Q: Are today’s ratings for audio receivers the same today as they were back in the late seventies? I owned a Pioneer SX 980 receiver that in the day was rated at 80 watts per channel at 8 ohms. That thing weighed about sixty pounds and was a big piece […]
Week of February 27, 2005 Q: I’ve been looking for is a point and shoot digital camera that zooms down to about 24-28 mm (35 mm film camera equivalent) wide angle. Any ideas? Don Woodland Chatham, MA A: For readers who are unfamiliar with the term, digital camera zoom lenses usually have a specification called […]
Week of February 20, 2005 Q: I have a new iPod but hate the little pod earphones. I’ve tried other Walkman over-the-ear style earphones but the sound quality suffers. There is a $150 Bose earphone that is very good but it’s big and not a good choice for exercise and other similar activities. What would […]
Week of January 23, 2005 Q: I have been using a Canon Digital Rebel with an Epson Stylus Photo inkjet printer. The printer uses six inks, which I have been told is the minimum needed for accurate color reproduction. Still, my photo prints are extremely color shifted and do not look like my computer monitor. […]
Week of January 1, 2006 Q: I am looking for a new camera. Recently I have seen an ad in magazines for a Bell + Howell camera for $249, using interpolation to achieve 10.0 mega pixels. Not available in stores. Gives no model number. Any suggestions? I am assuming some company has purchased from Bell […]
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 […]
Digital cameras are projected to be among the hottest holiday gifts this year. If you are looking for a digital camera for that special someone, these shopping tips will help you find one that is just right. The Three Key Features The three features most relevant to consumers are megapixels, optical zoom, and the LCD […]
Week of January 2, 2005 Q: I notice that some electronics places are selling “high speed” memory cards. They are about twice the price of regular speed memory of the same size. How do they function, and is the additional cost worth it? -Daniel Shirley, Butler, PA A: As the name suggests, high-speed memory operates […]
Week of December 5, 2004 Q: I am thinking about buying a new television with HDTV capability and I can’t afford plasma or LCD flat-panel models. I’m looking for your opinion on the various pros and cons of projection models with LCD, DLP or LCoS technology. I really don’t know anything about the differences among […]
Week of November 28, 2004 Q: I read your recent digital camera column and am interested in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 you mentioned. Previously I was considering the Canon Digital Rebel. With all the capabilities of the Panasonic, why would anyone spend $400 more on the Digital Rebel? – Dave Hitchner, Bridgeton, NJ A: The […]
Week of November 21, 2004 Q: I’ve been looking at a high-quality surround receiver rated at 100 watts per channel at 8 ohms between 20-20khz, with distortion below .1%. The speakers I’d like to get are Infinity Beta 50 speakers. The speakers are 8 ohms and can handle 250 watts. Will the receiver have enough […]
Week of November 14, 2004 Q: I’m writing to get digital camera recommendations. Neither my wife nor I are techies, but we’d like to get something we won’t be disappointed with. The primary consideration is picture quality and we would like to stay under $500. -Tom Genevro, Pittsburgh, PA A: I receive this question often […]
Week of October 10, 2004 Q: What do you think of the Bose table radio? I am thinking of buying one for a room where we frequently entertain guests. I will connect the Bose radio to my TV and a DVD player to play music. -Mike Hullett, Hampstead, MD A: I receive a variation of […]
Week of October 3, 2004 Q: I want to organize my digital pictures and I don’t know which program is the “best” for storage and organizing the “albums/files” with Microsoft Windows. What program do you recommend? -Jo Griffith, Savage, MN A: If you are looking to store and organize your pictures, you don’t need a […]
Week of September 26, 2004 Q: In shopping for a receiver, I have noticed there are some refurbished products out there at very attractive prices. Is there any reason to avoid these refurbished products? -Adrian Mariano, Bedford, MA A: If a reputable dealer is offering the refurbished products, there is no reason to avoid them. […]
Week of September 19, 2004 Q: Is there a “best” brand of audio receiver, like a Ferrari, Rolls Royce or Mercedes may be considered the best cars? How do the brands stack up? -Jason Stein, Dravosburg, PA A: There is an “exotic” class of high-end audio components, with prices to match. When discussing the best, […]
Week of September 5, 2004 Q: Could you tell me if the new color laser printers work well for printing photographs from digital cameras? I use my HP Laser 6P printer to print many mail-merged documents and special documents for school. The printer is six years old and it is a real workhorse, having served […]
Week of August 15, 2004 Q: I am thinking about buying a new DVD player because my current one does not play DVDs that I burn on my computer. I would also use the player for music CDs. Are there significant differences in sound reproduction between single disc units and multi-disc changers when playing audio […]
Week of August 8, 2004 Q: I am considering purchasing a wide screen HDTV-ready television. I have standard cable with some premium channels. My questions is this, if I don’t subscribe to the cable company’s digital service will the shows that say they are broadcast in HDTV come through in digital format? I can’t afford […]
Week of August 1, 2004 Q: I read your article about the small dye-sublimation photo printers from Canon and Olympus and was wondering if you could recommend something a little larger? I like the dye-sub prints and I have used a large dye-sub printer at work, but it was around $1,000 (American dollar equivalent) and […]
