Home Audio Video Advisor

If you are a bargain hunter Amazon is one of the places you need to visit. Their Home Audio and Theater Outlet department generally features last year’s models at great close-out prices. Most often we will recommend going with the latest and greatest but at times that simply means it’s a different color, offers little or no improvement over last year’s model and on the rare occasion the older model actually performs better.

When hunting be sure to keep an eye out for speakers, amplifiers and AV receivers as they seldom see dramatic changes from one model year to the next. Especially with speakers! With AV receivers be sure it offers enough HDMI inputs and the latest HD decoding and you should be good to go. 

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Boston Acoustics HSOLOMIST Horizon Solo Am/Fm Radio Wtih Auxiliary Input (Mist)

We have always loved the Boston Acoustics sound and believe we can pick out a set of their speakers almost instantly. To our ears they have a fullness or presence other speaker brands lack. This makes them perfect for home theater as it delivers the soundtrack right into the middle of the room. The movie comes alive as you feel the sounds surround you and take you deep into the storyline.

Now the Boston Acoustics sound might be as important in a clock radio but fortunately for Boston Acoustics everything else is just as outstanding. Great looks, a strong tuner and a ton of other features ensure you’ll love Boston Acoustics almost as much as we do for home theater.

Roku Digital Video Player

We have to admit the Roku Digital Video Player isn’t our favorite streaming device. That award goes to VUDU with its far superior audio and video. But Roku offers two features you’ll miss with VUDU.

• Free streaming of over 12,000 Netflix titles with any rental plan of $8.95 or above
• Stream or purchase over 40,000 titles from Amazon Video On Demand

If you are wondering why it’s our are favorite that’s because it has no built-in storage which restricts you to live streaming which reduces the video quality (especially with HD content) and it currently only supports stereo audio. Both of these limit its usefulness to casual viewing which isn’t a bad thing in and of itself just don’t plan on replacing your Blu-ray player with one.

Speaking of Blu-ray players quite a number of them now offer Internet based streaming including support for both Netflix and Amazon. Since the entry level players cost roughly $250 we would recommend going this route unless you are already covered with Blu-ray players or simply want to throw a box into one of the kids rooms.

Currently Netflix is the only game in town if you want to pay a subscription fee and be able to enjoy unlimited content of movies and TV series. Just keep in mind most of the latest releases aren’t included. But if you are a movie lover and already subscribe to Netflix you’ll have more movies available for viewing than you have time.

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Zinwell ZAT-970A Digital to Analog TV Converter Box

More than likely you haven’t been using an analog over-the-air  TV for years. However the same can’t be said for the rest of your family and friends. Remember June 12th is the day analog goes dark. Using the government provided $40 coupon (up to two per household) you can ensure mom won’t miss her favorite show. With converter boxes going for as low as $40 you can be a hero for free. If you get lucky like me you’ll get a piece or two of pie as a reward.

Having a forum addiction I have read uncountable number of posts claiming one piece of equipment is better than another. Only to see the very next post claiming the exact opposite. Then of course it’s post after post wondering about upgrading to the latest model for better performance.

When these discussions evolve around video I often chuckle and tend to be interested only on a entertainment level. Of course different features sets can make one model better suited for your installation and influence the level of performance but let’s take Blu-ray players as an example. I have used at least a dozen different models in my theater from the Sony PS3 to Pioneer’s BDP-09FD. The difference in cost is multiple times the cost of the PS3 but when using HDMI for audio and video any differences would have to be measured in pennies.

With this in mind I consider the fascination with the latest and greatest a hobby in and of itself and most inclined to partake spend more time researching, discussing and tweaking than they ever do enjoying home audio and video. A few years ago I posted a poll asking the following.

Which would provide the biggest improvement over your current image:

• Upgrading to a better projector
• Focusing your current projector
• Calibrating your current projector

I was surprised when the last option drew the largest number of votes as it showed people realize in most cases they are attempting to replace their equipment long before they have come close to taking advantage of what it has to offer. Which to me enforced their hobby was indeed upgrading equipment. Certainly no harm in that but it seems a shame when we don’t get all the performance available to use especially when you consider how much can be gained with very little effort and cost.

When it comes to the video chain the best way to ensure you are getting everything you can is by having a professional calibration performed. Often it will turn out to be the best return you have ever had on for your entertainment dollar. The images will go from looking like TV to real life and open up a whole new world of realism you never knew was available.

Now if I haven’t quite convinced you to book your local ISF calibrator I have a completely free option to get you on the path to becoming a believer. You will begin to see images how they were intended to be seen. You can download and burn a free set of test patterns that will allow you to properly adjust your display. Even if you just correct the brightness and contrast levels you will be able to see more detail in the image and gain many other benefits.

Don’t worry it’s not difficult and if you write down your current settings you can always go back home again! For help in getting started or for future reference when you are ready to dig deeper in the world of calibration bookmark the following link which can also use to download the free test patterns.

Click Here to Download Your Free Test Patterns

Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player

HD was invented for large screens and room engulfing audio. Neither can be obtained by using your computer outside of connecting it to your audio and video system. While many have done exactly that by building complex and expensive HTPCs we recommend a much easier and less expensive path.

The Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player allows you to play all of your media files on your home audio and video gear. This includes almost every type of HD audio and video format via HDMI. Simply transfer, rip or download your files to an external drive. When you are ready to play them connect the external drive to the WD TV HD Media Player and you are good to go.

Although there are other media players there are four reasons why this player is an easy sell.

• Costs $100
• Supports almost all media encodes
• Powerful enough to handle HD encodes gracefully
• No network streaming issues since the external drive connects directly to the player

Now don’t get us wrong it’s not as easy to use as TiVo but if you are already streaming media you’ll appreciate its simple yet sophisticated approach. To learn more visit the WD TV HD Media Player thread at AVSForum where you’ll find endless information and even firmware hacks to add that feature you just can’t live without.

We can only cover a limited number of topics and items so we like to highlight items readers have discovered by themselves and recently purchased. Many are great finds and just might be what you are looking for the moment you see it.

Sanus Systems MF209-B1

Visit a Collection of Reader Buys

We can only cover a limited number of topics and items so we like to highlight items readers have discovered by themselves and recently purchased. Many are great finds and just might be what you are looking for the moment you see it.

Audioengine 5 – PC multimedia speakers for iPod – 45 Watt (total) – 2-way – black

Visit a Collection of Reader Buys

Flip UltraHD Camcorder, 120 Minutes (Black)

With YouTube going HD along with the rest of the world it’s time for a HD camcorder. If you want simple one-touch uploading the Flip UltraHD and its 120 minutes of impressive 720p video will came in handy. This new model features HDMI output to view your video and a removable rechargeable battery which can be replaced with standard batteries. 

Press the red button to start and stop recording. To view what you just captured press play. The included software runs on both PCs and Macs so when you are ready to share your video click the “Share Video” button and it will automatically upload to your favorite site. For Internet based video it doesn’t get any easier.

You can get a little more sophisticated by using the FlipShare software or other programs such as iMovie to edit your video into a work of art. It won’t replace a prosumer camcorder but if you are looking to put great looking video on the Internet it will more than handle the task and making doing it quick and easy.