Home Audio Video Advisor

We are all for surge protectors and highly recommend them. Although in most cases you are simply purchasing a power strip. Typical surge protectors use MOVs to suppress surges and as a result offer little or no actual protection to start with and over time surges above a nominal level degrade the MOVs to the point that they offer no protection at all. Since only a few of the more expensive surge protectors alert to the fact that their protection has expired we do not suggest relying on a MOV based surge protector to protect your equipment. Rather we recommend using a Series Mode based surge protector such as the Brick Wall PW8R15AUD.

If you read their literature you’ll be scared to plug your equipment in an AC outlet as if it isn’t blown up by not having a power stabilizer certainly the dirty power will seek and destroy your equipment’s performance. In our experience the more features they offer the more outrageous the claims. If you have any doubts we recommend doing a few A/B tests before sending it back.

Yes we have tested power stabilizers in our theater. Even did a few A/B tests and in every case we felt a little foolish as the only difference we saw were the device’s fancy lights flashing on and off. Certainly your equipment would like 120 volts all of the time but in our opinion in almost every case your equipment’s power supply will more than handle the normal fluctuations. If not you should call your power company not purchase a power stabilizer.

- Bold Items are Staff Favorites -

AVS Forum - One of the largest and most complete covering the entire home audio and video market.
High-Def Digest Forums – The name pretty much says it all.
Home Theater Forum – More casual than a lot of the other forums.
Home Theater Spot – Vendor based with a ton of Mitsubishi rear projection owners.
Rotten Tomatoes – Millions and millions of posts and counting.
Sonos – Everything Sonos.
TheaterTek – The best HTPC software DVD player.

- Bold Items are Staff Favorites -

Acoustical Solutions, Inc. – Sound absorbing panels.
Amazon’s Blu-ray Store – Blu-ray coverage including current and future releases.
Blu-ray Disc Movies – Official Blu-ray site.
Calibrations, Inc. – When you want your display to look its best.
CEDIA – Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association.
Cine4Home - In-depth projector reviews.
Crutchfield – Great reference site not to mention a terrific online retailer.
Elf Foundation - Help create “Rooms of Magic” theaters for sick children around the country.
Frames by Mail – Custom wood and metal frames for your movie posters and more.
HCFR Colormeter - Calibrate your display like a profesisonal.
Imaging Science Foundation – Professional calibration for your display.
Internet Movie Poster Awards – Their name says it all.
Last.fm – Listen to something new.
MonoPrice.com – Audio and video accessories.
Pandora - Let Pandora find music you’ll love based on your favorite artists.
Playstation® 3 – The latest rumors and or facts on the PS3 (Blu-ray player).
Projector Reviews – Tons of projector comparison reviews.
RAM Electronics – Audio and video accessories.
Rhapsody – Stream millions of tracks on your PC or portable MP3 player.
Roger Ebert - Whether you agree or disagree with his take it’s a great place to learn about movies.
Rotten Tomatoes – How fresh is your favorite movie?
Sonos Support – Find answers to your Sonos questions.
The Internet Movie Database - Everything you ever wanted to know about movies and more.
TheaterTek – The best HTPC software DVD player.
Widescreen Review – The best projector reviews.

Home video display devices have come a long way in recent years with digital replacing analog displays. Although it will be several years before the market bottoms out as digital displays will continue to improve at a tremendous rate even with their ongoing price reductions. This impact will be felt stronger as the size of the display is increased. After two or more generations of larger 1080p displays arrive we feel the market will become more price competitive than feature driven as it is today.

Just as digital has changed the display world high definition is beginning to do the same to the world of content. Unfortunately at a much slower rate since HD is being delivered as a supplement to existing standard definition content. Content is several generations behind displays and the HD source devices, media, and means of delivery are still pretty much in a constant state of flux.

This doesn’t mean now isn’t the best time ever to purchase home audio and video equipment. Because is it! Never before have we been able to enjoy ourselves so thoroughly. From installing a home theater that rivals your local cineplex to recording two of your favorite TV shows that just happen to air at the same time there has never been a better time for enthusiasts.

Here are a few suggestions to hopefully make your purchasing decisions a little more successful.

General Information

• A 60-degree image arch is considered optimal for an immerse experience
• HD viewing distance should start at 1.25 times the image’s width
• SD viewing distance should start at 2.0 times the image’s width
• Before purchasing a DLP TV or projector spend time viewing its image to see if you are sensitive to rainbows

Front Projection

• Use painter’s tape to outline the proposed screen area
• Projectors’ lamps dim fairly quickly and lose up to 50% or more of their brightness over time
• 1080p projectors now offer long-lasting performance at a competitive price

Home audio became digital long ago but it’s still facing a digital revolution. The delivery methods are turning digital from your home, the Internet and satellites. Whether wired or wireless new options are being introduced almost daily including instant access to millions of tracks without ever having to purchase them. For a few dollars a month you can have access to a world of music.

The new generation of HD players have introduced audio codecs via HDMI and it will be at least this winter before AV receivers will be able to catch up. Until then your AV receiver’s analog inputs or HDMI PCM capabilities just might fully support these next generation audio codecs if you happen to use one of the few currently available future proof AV receivers.

The times are changing and today is the best time ever for enthusiasts. Never before have we been able to enjoy our music and movies at such high quality, listen to our music wherever we want and have it instantly delivered to us from around the word.

Here are a few hints to hopefully make your purchasing decisions a little more successful.

• Audition speakers if at all possible in your listening environment 
• Invest in high quality speakers as they will long outlast your other equipment 
• The listening environment will greatly influence your system’s sound
• Sound absorbing panels can dramatically improve your room’s acoustics
• Consider using a NAS for local music storage and Internet music services for whole house distribution
• Digital players which feature Internet music services can open a world of music for a small monthly fee

 

- Home Audio and Video Enthusiasts -

This site is the result of constant requests for audio and video recommendations from family members, friends, and our ever-growing community of online visitors. Instead of spending countless hours passing on our experience, knowledge, perhaps even some expertise we turned to the Internet. Here we can quickly capture our latest take on the home audio and video field and make it instantly available!

Please note this site reflects our beliefs, based on our working knowledge of the products we have either purchased or researched extensively. As such we do not cover every item on the market or even every category. We simply report on what interests us. Typically we do not review products rather we use them on a daily basis. What is the difference? The differences are many…

• Our ratings are based on day-to-day usage versus a casual review.
• We follow a product’s life cycle continuously judging it based on expectations and its ongoing competition.
• Items we have not personally purchased are researched long after their initial release date.
• Vested interest – ours is limited to referral fees, which may or may not be offered, by one or more of our sponsoring vendors.

Overall the difference can best be summed up, as we are enthusiasts not the kind that write about audio and video products rather the ones who live with them. With research comes the ability to find the perfect solution based on any number of desires and requirements. Being enthusiasts fuels our desire for knowledge and this site offers the opportunity to share what we have learned along the way.

However understand this entire site is based on our opinions and as such should only serve as a reference for your own knowledge. There are far too many factors involved to make any individual recommendations. With this in mind please enjoy your visit and if you find any of the featured products worthy of purchasing feel free to use any of our available referral links! It just might help in making the site even more valuable the next time you visit.

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