Archive for the 'Cable and Satellite TV' Category

Sound Advice Column Week 8, 2011 : 5.1 surround sound from cable/satellite boxes, iPad 2, At-LP120-USB Turntable update

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 8, 2011 Q. I just switched from cable to satellite and no longer get Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound from high-def channels, as I did with Comcast. I have the satellite box connected the same as before, with HDMI to the TV and an optical digital cable to my […]

Sound Advice Column: Signal Disruption and HDMI Handshake

Question: I am experiencing a frustrating situation with my audio/video system, described by my cable provider as a “handshake” issue. I have an Onkyo TX-SR606 A/V receiver, a Sony Blu-ray player and a Sony Bravia HDTV. While watching HDTV from my cable box I occasionally lose the audio/video signal for four to five seconds. There […]

CES Day 2: Dish VIP 922 DVR, DTVPal DVR

Echostar/Dish Network VIP 922 A few days ago I discussed the Echostar/Dish Network VIP 922’s.  Here are some pictures showing some of its capabilities.

CES Day One: Dish Network ViP 922 HD DVR receiver, low-priced packages for digital transition

Dish Network started my day off with a press conference.  They announced their new Sling-loaded 922 HD DVR receiver, and it is one truly impressive piece of equipment… the first thing I saw at the show that was truly revolutionary. 

Sound Advice Column: Learning universal remotes, changing volume between HDTV and cable/satellite

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Distributed By McClatchy-Tribune Information Services Q: I write to ask for your advice on a universal remote. Although I consider myself technically curious and patiently persistent, I am now confounded by the variety of controls for the TV (Olevia), DVD/VCR combo (Sony) and set-top box (Motorola/Verizon FIOS) and annoyed by […]

JD Power Award and AT&T U-Verse

Correction on JD Power Award: In a recent column I touted Verizon FIOS as the current JD Power Award winner and encouraged readers to check JD Power to see how service providers rate in their area.  I should have specified that Verizon FIOS was the award winner for my own region, the East.  As 10/01/08, […]

Sound differences between HD and regular channels, using an indoor antenna to get HDTV

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 41, 2007 Q:   I  recently purchased a new Phillips 47″ LCD TV from Costco and  had their installation service install it.    I have an HD DVR converter box from Comcast and everything is connected with new HDMI cables.   I love it except there is  a very […]

Changing sound level with HDTV vs. satellite, 35mm slides to CD/DVD

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 15, 2007 Q: We recently purchased our first HDTV. I haven’t converted my satellite to HD yet, but watch the local channels in HD via your recommended Phillips Silver Sensor antenna. I route all sound through the TV back to my old receiver and listen in simple ol’ Pro-Logic […]

Transferring cassettes to computer, recording high-numbered channels on satellite or digital cable

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 12, 2007 Q: I have several cassette tapes that I would like to transfer to my computer, which uses Windows xXP Media Edition. I am using a laptop and the only audio imput that I have is the mic jack. How can I connect my cassette deck to my […]

DLP vs. LCD and plasma, analog TV cut-off, 1080p broadcasts

 Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 5, 2007 Q: My first question is, how do DLP TV’s rate against LCD and plasma? My second question regards the lock cable has on digital TV. When the change is implemented and analog is gone, will you be able to receive digital channels directly on your digital TV […]

LCD vs. plasma TVs, HDTV standards and 1080p silliness

Sound Advice By Don Lindich Week 2, 2007 Q: What is the difference between LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs? Also, has an HDTV standard for the US been officially adopted? I am thinking about purchasing a new TV set and am not sure whether it’s wise to do now or wait. -Frank Humphries, Minneapolis, MN […]

Sending audio from TV to a sound system, buying Kodak’s great P880

Week of September 10, 2006 Q: I have a TV with a digital out port that is an RCA connection. Is there any way to run it through my old Kenwood stereo receiver that has L and R in RCA jacks? I tried going with a single RCA cable from the TV to one of […]

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 […]

Rooftop antennas

Week or March 5, 2006 Q:   I am writing regarding rooftop antennas. I dropped cable once the price reached an obscene $53/mo and satellite is not an option because neighbor has 1 tree blocking line of sight. (ironically, the ONLY sky obstruction anywhere). I live on top of a hill, and www.antennaweb.org says that […]

Burned CD and DVD long-term viability, TV antenna reception

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 […]

Music on cable TV, charging batteries overseas, quality speaker brands

Week of June 19, 2005 Q: I’m looking for a system that will allow me only to listen to the Music Channels on my cable TV. I like to read in my living room while listening to music. We have TVs in other rooms, but not in the living room where we try to minimize […]

Dish Network vs. Comcast

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 […]

DVRs are the way to go! Removing letterboxing from DVD movies

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 […]

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 […]

Burn-in on CRT and plasma TVs- proper picture settings can help you avoid it

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 […]