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 [...]
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 [...]
Week of September 4, 2005 Q: I have a surround sound receiver with speakers and a 27-inch TV with audio out jacks. How do I get my TV to play through my sound system? Brian Mattice Minneapolis, MN A: It is easy- simply connect the audio outputs to an audio input on the receiver (any [...]
Week of August 14, 2005 Q: I am interested in improving the audio component of my television (now and in the future). But currently I cannot afford the costs of a surround-sound home entertainment center, which requires numerous speakers. Moreover, the tiny speakers in the current systems, with or without a subwoofer, produce inferior sound [...]
Week of May 22, 2005 Q: I am thinking of changing from cable TV to satellite and would like to know what you think about Dish Network verses Comcast. I’ve seen a lot of advertisement spam and snail mail about Dish that promise the world, and I need the real word form some one I [...]
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 [...]
Week of January 9, 2005 Q: I currently use Comcast digital cable and want a DVR hard disc recorder. I’m only interested in the hard disc recording function, so I do not want a DVR-DVD burner combo unit. What are the differences between TiVo and other DVR models? If I buy a DVR, is it [...]
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 [...]
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 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 [...]
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 August 22, 2004 Q: Many of us who own rear projection TV sets have a serious problem! Because most channels insist on displaying their logos 24/7 in the lower right section of the screen, the logos are now burned into the picture guns or tubes permanently. Since I watch a lot of [...]
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 June 6, 2004 Q: Which is a better camcorder format-Mini DV tape or the new recordable DVD? I realize the MiniDV camcorders are lighter in weight, making it easier to travel with. But is the media in a MiniDV easy to use as far as transferring video to a DVD? [...]
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. I am [...]
Week of December 7, 2003 Q: I am shopping for a rear projection High Definition-ready television set. The stores are really pushing LCDs and DLPs. They are thinner and lighter weight, and of course higher priced. If the quality of picture, in your opinion, is not worth the extra money I would like to [...]
Week of October 19, 2003 Q: I have been looking at HDTV sets at my local big box electronics store. I was just about sold on a particular model when the salesman recommended a four year service plan for $300.00. He claimed that the HDTV sets are very high maintenance and require a technician to [...]
Week of September 28, 2003 Q: I’m pretty new to this HDTV world and need serious help. I just got a Mitsubishi rear projection HDTV and want to get the best picture possible. What is the best way to tweak the picture on a television set? Is the Avia setup DVD any [...]
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 [...]
Peace!
Axiom Loudpeakers
