Week of June 11, 2006 Q; A friend and I are planning to start a small business that will specialize in recording the memories of the people of our community on video. Our plan is to guide the interviewee through the events of their lives by means of a customized list of questions. After, the […]
Week of June 4, 2006 Q: Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for a tuner and antenna for a HD-ready TV? -Larry Lilly A: The antenna is more important than the tuner when it comes to good reception, so I will start there. For an indoor set-top antenna, my favorite is still the amazing […]
Week of May 28, 2006 Q: I am looking for an editing program to use with my computer to edit digital camcorder movies. My main criteria is I want it to be easy to use. What do you recommend? -Jerry Rutledge, Mt. Lebanon, PA A: I’m in the process of completing an informal test of […]
Week of May 21, 2006 Q: I think at times that I need to take a digital camera course. I have been digital for 6 years and recently purchased the Olympus E-500 SLR. I have trouble with all my digital cameras (I also have an Olympus C-770 and SP-350) and most pics with any white […]
Week of May 14, 2006 Q: I want to buy or make a “gunsight” viewer to fit on my camera. When taking action photos I find it cumbersome and almost impossible at times to sight through the viewfinder or the LCD screen. I propose to build, if need be, a square wire box […]
Week of May 7, 2006 Q: I want to buy a new stereo system, for music reproduction only not TV or movies. My music is still primarily on my record albums which are in great condition. I like my old rock music and enjoy classical music, especially sad violins played really loud. […]
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 […]
Week of April 23, 2006 Q: When my sister and I would visit my parents’ house we used to love renting VHS movies and watching them together as a family. Then the video stores converted to DVDs. It would seem to be a simple solution – buy a DVD player. However, my mother […]
Week of April 16, 2006 Q: My daughter Sarah needs speakers to complete a stereo/surround system for her apartment living room. I gave her my surround sound receiver as well as a Bose center speaker. She will consider floor-standing or bookshelf models in the $400-1,000 for a pair price range. The room these […]
Week of April 9, 2006 Q: I have an opportunity to buy a Floor-Model Panasonic TH50PX50U Plasma HDTV. This is the same one recently rated highest by Consumer Reports. It has been a floor model for only about 4 months. The list was $3999, and it is marked down to $2999–BUT the manager of that […]
Week of April 2, 2006 Q: I am writing to comment on your recent column about repairing equipment, and bad experiences. The reception on my 20 year-old Sony receiver got very poor. (The amplifier was OK.) I knew it wouldn’t be cost effective to repair it, so I went to Circuit City and bought a […]
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 […]
Week of February 26, 2006 Q: Are a center channel and a subwoofer necessary for Dolby surround sound? -Art Dervaes, State College, PA A: Necessary? No. Prefereable? Usually, but not always. You can get satisfying surround sound without a center channel and/or a subwoofer, meaning only four speakers, front left-right and surround left-right, are used […]
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 […]
Week of February 5, 2006 Q: I have been copying home videos to DVD with a DVD recorder. Recently there have been reports of the purple dyes in recordable CDs deteriorating. The blank DVDs also appear to have a purple substrate. I plan on not recording over the original tapes, but could you give me […]
Q: We have tried unsuccessfully to have our Technics turntable repaired at the local authorized repair shop. Could you advise us where-oh-where we could buy a new turntable, and which brand you would recommend? We still have many LP records which we would love to be able to listen to, although when CDs […]
Week or January 22, 2006 Q: Bill Gates, (and others) have proclaimed that DVDs and CDs are obsolete and will be replaced by hard drive storage and Internet distribution as soon as 2014. Many in the movie, music and computer industries seem to favor a pay-per-use entertainment model in which consumer ownership is replaced […]
Week or January 15, 2006 Q: I have an Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom. This is a great camera for long distance shots with a 10X zoom and 4 megapixels. What setting should I use to get this camera to take good pictures inside (in a school gymnasium at a wrestling […]
Week of January 7, 2006 Q: Our 18 yr old console TV’s reception is becoming worse and soon we’ll have to replace it. I would like to go with a flat screen, HDTV model- however, I haven’t seen any that come in a console. Our house is small and does not have a family or […]
Week of December 4, 2005 Q: Recently I purchased a iPod Mini. I love it, but I cannot play it in or through my car audio system; a 2000 Toyota Camry. We have looked at various device, most seem to operate on a FM band, akin to the old FM converters of the late 1970’s. […]
