Archive from 05-13-2000
Wild Bill ( 63.23.3.236 ) at 7:39 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Joe aka Iguana Master: I've found the central vacuuming systems are vastly inferior to the real thing. This is past experience and I don't know about any "new" advances in the last 4 or 5 years. Before that, I can tell you that they sucked (and I don't mean that in a good way).
Wild Bill ( 63.23.3.236 ) at 7:36 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
BYork: I just picked that one up about a week ago. JohnO and I will be viewing it in the upcoming weeks.
Wild Bill ( 63.23.3.236 ) at 7:35 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
VCR's
JBC:: The only thing that turns the VCR on is the Power button or inserting a tape. Play and Stop have no effect except for their assigned functions.
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.88.98 ) at 7:29 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Joe aka Iguana Master: There is some cabling that you should run... I forgot the name of it, but it has two RG-59 coax, two fiber optic cables, and two CAT-5/telephone cables in a bundle. You then have a single-gang wall plate with all the connectors, and in your basement or wherever your utilities are (hot water heater, circuit breaker box, etc) you will have a patch box that you can set up what signals the rooms get by using short patch cables in the patch box. You could probably include a similar patch box that uses speaker cables to each room with a pair of inwalls/inceilings speakers per room. For whole house internet, the best thing to do would be to have an ethernet hub next to your patchbox to network all the computers in the house, and then have a firewall connected to the internet, on the home network.
I'd like a whole house home entertainment network, but the technology isn't yet in consumer hands... However, both Jini (from Sun Microsystems) and HAVi (from a number of CE makers) both look promising... There is also work on a Jini/HAVi interface, so they would be compatible with each other... Imagine pluging in all your gear via Firewire, even through the walls so that you could share all the sources in your HT room with any room in the house (of course you'd have to have a display device and some form of audio decoder in each room for full usage)...
Curtis ( 63.203.70.102 ) at 7:25 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
The Widescreen RPTV Debate Continues.......
Winston aka the Spleen: you bring up a good point that I agree with a lot of it.One ? please - 4:3 & Academy are the same thing, right? The vast majority of future OTA/cable/sat programming probably will be sent to our homes ONLY in 4:3 DTV format. If the lion's share of what you want to watch/ record is only available in 4:3, then I certainly can see why a 16:9 display is of little interest to you now or at any point for that matter. In my case most of what I watch is in some form of widescreen presentation, in no particular order... anamorphic WS DVD, WS LD, non-anamorphic WS DVD, OTA HDTV (16:9 sourced), HBO HD via directv, DTV (4:3), DV videotape shot & edited in 16:9 mode, & good old S-VHS/ standard VHS (yuck) for some of my kids stuff - all 4:3...
Joe aka Iguana Master ( 152.163.213.186 ) at 7:12 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
JT
I am looking at buying wire myself, before you buy lets talk.
AVB ( 64.41.32.164 ) at 7:02 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
TV Flashing
Chris Maguire: It does seem like the problem is your DVD player. To be sure you'd have to borrow one and see if the problem remains. If it goes away it IS your player. If it remains then the TV set is the cause.
AVB ( 64.41.32.164 ) at 7:00 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Speaker wire
JT: Try here, good quaility without costing your first born.
http://www.partsexpress.com/sites/PartsEx/CyberVendor.dll/option?CartSize=0&Type=group&Key=SPEAKER_WIRE&HTMLFILENAME=
JBC: ( 209.167.238.130 ) at 5:56 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran: If you look at the JVC US website you will note that ALL X800 units are US$20 to US$40 less than the equivalent X600 units. That being said, I did print off and compare the specs for both the 3600 and the 3800 and agree with your analysis that the 3600 includes the following additional features:
-- Movie Advance
-- Instant Review
-- Auto Index
-- Digital AV Tracking
-- Rec Link
Considering the amount of taping I do, the Instant Review would be nice to have. or others, do you know what Auto Index, Digital AV Tracking and RecLink do?
I also believe that the above features are excluded from the 3800, thus the price reduction and that, as you noted, the 3600 is the better buy.
I believe that I will go back to Future Shop (i.e. the Canadian equivalent of CC) and push the guy for a great deal on the basis that "hey, you want full retail for a discontinued unit..NOT."
Joe: Just so you know, I have, for all purposes, stopped dealing with Greg. My experience, which might be different from yours, was that he was great the first time round and less than interested the second time around (despite the fact that I spent Cnd$10,000 the firs go round and was looking at spending Cnd$10,000 the second go round).
To add insult to injury, I did not think that the price he was giving me on some B&W speakers was all that great so I had a buddy of mine call. He gave my friend a better price than he gave me. Based on that I immediately stopped dealing with him. I thought that he was concluded, for whatever reason, that should pay more than others!! I felt very poorly treated! I now deal with Bob at AvalonAV and a great local guy in Toronto. End of rant...
I get to stop in London, to see whats new at Gregs
V-Dude ( 172.134.153.7 ) at 5:22 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
BAGMAn
Good to hear that you got home OK. Hope everything was Fine when you got there. Will be in touch.
BYork ( 159.37.7.44 ) at 5:18 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran -
YES...people are finding copies of the LSOH starring Rick Moranis from the 1980's, and it's significant because they're finding the version that has the alternate ending. The replacement version of this DVD(with alternate ending removed) comes out on 5/23.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.141 ) at 5:11 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
LSOH
BYork: Is this Out Of Print version, with the alternate ending, the one starring Rick Moranis, or the one from the 1960's???? I had no idea there was an OOP one, or that there was an alternate ending or that it was OOP, or hard to find or anything. I just like the movie. So, which one is it? From the 80's or the 60's? I have to catch a plane today, but I might leave early and swing by Borders for ya. If it's the 80's one, I'll buy a copy for myself, too.
BAGMAN ( 208.131.247.238 ) at 4:57 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Everyone: Thanks for the B-Day wishes. I truly had forgotten it was today, as we just got in from the drive home from the Keys and my parents house. Had a great time! We are seriously considering a major change in our life and relocating down to the Keys. Other than the normal fear of change,there is nothing to stop us. We loved the laid back attitude of the people that we got to know. Employment is probably not much of an issue,as there are people that do what I do now that make,in their words,"rediculous money", which I do not!
Wild Bill: Old coot this!!! Ha!
mcb: CONGRATS!
V-Dude: I was sure these guys could help you with your computer switch. Thanks again for a great time.
Joe aka Iguana Master ( 152.163.195.207 ) at 4:53 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Ron
It's has been days since I have been here. What did you buy for a video delivary system? Please don't make me read 5 days of post 
Joe aka Iguana Master ( 152.163.195.207 ) at 4:46 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Afternoon all,
I have been real busy. Builder has been back for a second time, this time he meet my wife. A change in the plans as we addded a few things. The bank is starting the loan process. The builder is preparing drawings. I am having bad dreams about being in debt.
Ron how is your project?
JBC, looks like I might be in Toronto in a few weeks. we are going to the Safari place just southwest of Misssuaggee ( give me a break on spelling eh ) My wife wants to have a long weekend before we start excavating.
She gets the Safari and I get to stop in London, to see whats new at Gregs.
I need lots of advice on wiring. I am going to want whole house audio, Internet connection and anything else I should have but did not name. Once I get some prints back, I will post them on a web site.
My wife aasked the bank for more then what we need to build. She said " we are going to want some new equipment" I just gotta love that attitude.
I think we are finally settled on the bathroom. Kitchen is next. I need to start looking at central vacum system. Anyone have input on these?
BYork ( 159.37.7.57 ) at 4:37 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
OOP = Out of Print
This is the one that had the alternate ending that was pulled when David Geffen(sp.?) objected)
If anyone stumbles across multiple copies....I'd be VERY happy to take the extra off your hands!
BYork ( 159.37.7.57 ) at 4:36 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
Kieran: - Uhh...it is!
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 4:34 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
BYork: Speaking of DVDTalk, we should add them as one of the sites on the bio list where you mark what sites you visit most.... After all, Mike Knapp asked us to when he first posted here... and it seems that some of us DO frequent his site...
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 4:31 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
BYork: I loved LSOH, what is OOP LSOH? What does OOP stand for? Are we talking the old production, or the new one with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin?
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 4:29 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
VCR's
JBC:: Did you get any more info out of JVC? I looked at their website and thought that the 3800 didn't have as many features as the 3600. According to their site, these features were on the 3600, but lacking on the 3800:
Movie Advance
Instant Review
Auto Index
Digital AV Tracking
Rec Link
Now, maybe they just didn't list these on the 3800 features list, and they are really included, but otherwise, it seems like the 3600 is a better buy. All other listed features were identical. The LCD display was different in the pictures show, however.
BYork ( 159.37.7.57 ) at 4:27 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
OOP LSOH DVD Siting!
In case any of you may be hoping to stumble across a copy, There is a thread in DVDTalk right now that a bunch of peole have discovered the OOP Little Shop of Horrors(with the alternate ending)at Borders brick&mortar stores today. If you're close to one...you might want to look.
(No luck at the stores near me, unfortunately. Bummer!)
Geo. ( 138.27.4.16 ) at 4:21 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
BTW, for those who may be waiting, Denon no longer has the 5700 on their website. Maybe they're getting ready to introduce the 5800.
Geo. ( 138.27.4.16 ) at 4:16 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
I've been out of the loop for a while and have spent some time catching up. Happy b'day to all those who've had 'em and hope all goes well with the tests, Bill.
JT: MCM electronics has 10ga. speaker wire on sale for $66.25/100ft. I use the 12ga. and it's very flexible and seems to send all the musical notes to the speakers. The item number from the catalog is 24-1145. Tel: 800-543-4330.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 4:11 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
VCR's
Well... it took damn near a week but I finally got a call back from JVC. Here is what I learnt:
1. The X600 line has been replaced by the X800 line.
2. The X800 line is essentially the same as the X600 line but has a lower MSRP. That being said, the guy tryiing to sell me a 3600 needs to further drop his price... else I am off to Sears for a 3800 at US$230.
3. No discrete on/off codes. That may be a problem unless the "Play" or "Stop" button activates turn the unit on making the ability to create "dicrete on/off" macros possible. WildBill can you or other owners of the 3600 check this out for me?
TIA
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 4:07 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: Not only does SimAudio make some great sounding gear but they do so at a very reasonable price. Especially if bought in Canada. So, any of you yanks want to buy some I am happy to get it and send it to you -- no charge!
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 4:06 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
WildBill: Happy that all went well. keeping my fingers crossed on the results. The fiancee, remember she is a cardiologist, said she would be happy to answer any questions that you do not think you are getting complete answers to.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 3:47 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
I'm outta here - have a great weekend everyone!
Chris Maguire ( 210.55.100.253 ) at 3:33 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
TV Flashing
AVB:
Okay I switched the s-video cable to an RCA cable but the flickering is still there. Its also not hooked up to a Reciver. Its plugged straight into the set.
JT ( 209.184.244.254 ) at 3:23 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Speaker wire
Anyone know of a good place, online or elsewhere, to get a 100ft spool of quality 10 guage speaker wire?
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 3:21 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Winston: Early Happy Birthday Dune Dude! I'll toast ya tonite and tomorrow nite. Have some fun with those Russian Cuties.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 3:13 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Gasgeek: Sounds like a cool weekend! I got in way early today and am outta here in 1/2 hour to run some errands, etc. Got two sextets of Svetlana output toobs yesterday (that's 12 toobs - oy vey!) and plan to do some toob swapping/listening tonite. Still to early in the season for margaritas so refreshments are t.b.a. Tomorrow I plan to look at some more big screens and then it's off for a night of b-day celebration with friends (yes, tomorrow is my birthday, a sad occasion that I hope passes quickly).
Other than that it's routine as usual!
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 3:09 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: The guy with the SACD also has about $50 grand worth of Accuphase electronics and an $11,000 Clear Audio turntable. All connected with Kimber Select 1030 cables. Pat McGinty, designer owner of Meadowlark Audio came up and personally installed the Nightengales. His Nightengales are featured in the photo section of Meadowlark's homepage.
He decided he needed to upgrade the $5000 Sony SACD so the DCS pieces were compatable. $16,000 for CD playback. Now that sounds reasonable. He has three or four PS Audio Power conditioners in the system although Brian said he ordered something that was even more esoteric than the PS Audio's that he read about.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 3:04 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: Too Kewl! I guess it's not hot enough out there in Sand Land. You and Winston are trying to warm the place up with all of your tube gear. AC bill will double out there on the lone prarie.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 3:02 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
REMINDER: Guys, don't forget to buy a "Mother's Day" gift for the better half. Helps tremendously when you bring home $7000 pre/pros and $600 cables. Using the old "you're not my mother" ploy will doom you to mid-fi forever. 
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 3:01 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Gasgeek: LOL! Now that my time has been freed up more I can actually respond to e-mails. I have been waiting to get a demo of SACD. My fear is if I hear it I will want one. I have a pair of the AES/Cary SE-811 monoblocks on the way to me next week. I may even demo the new AES/Cary SE-845 monoblocks.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 3:00 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Winston: I just finished my 24/7 oncall at 7 AM this morning. I'm looking particularly forward to an evening with friends drinking "Dirty Martini's", watching the Laker's dismantle the Suns, listening to loud music and laughing a lot. (Aren't the Suns from some desert place too?) Saturday I will go to the HT store and hang out and Sunday is a Motyher's Day Brunch with friends. How bout you?
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 2:56 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran: Dude..... you DON'T watch Futurama? Shame on you! It's the funniest program on TV (with the possible exception of South Park). Check it out Sunday night, around 6:00 or 7:00 pm Pacific Time (consult your local listing!).
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 2:53 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Gasgeek: Howdy! Anything special planned for the weekend?
Wild Bill ( 63.20.254.131 ) at 2:50 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran: I'll have to turn out the lights and see if any parts of me are glowing in the dark. 
Wild Bill ( 63.20.254.131 ) at 2:48 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Bagman: Happy birthday, you old coot (wherever you are)!!
Wild Bill ( 63.20.254.131 ) at 2:48 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran: No mouthpiece. It's called a dual isotope test. First they inject nuclear material into you and do 15-20 of images of the heart. Then they inject another type of nuclear material, do the stress test and then takes 15-20 more minutes of images. The tests took about 3 1/2 hours. Now I have to wait for someone to "read" the images so I can get my test results. The images will tell whether or not I have blockage. After the way I cruised through the testing today I'm fairly confident that I don't have a problem.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 2:42 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Wild Bill: Glad the tests went well. Were you just hooked up to a heart monitor (i.e. electrodes stuck to your chest) of did they montior your O2 usage as well? (i.e. breathing through a mouthpiece).
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 2:38 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Happy birthday Bagman!
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 2:38 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
The Spleen! My architect buddy ordered a DCS upsampler and DAC to compliment his Sony SACD player. A mere $11,000 add on. They both sounded amazing in a demo I heard briefly last night. Cary CD player to DCS gear to Cary tube pre and mono blocs to the new Mirage Bipoles with built in subs. Can't wait to hear them with the Accuphase gear and Nightengales.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 2:38 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Great monitor calibration/tweaking link!
Winston aka the Spleen: Yes, I have that site bookmarked... he has compiled a lot of very useful information there. Much of it is taken from threads and discussions which originally took place on various forums, like Digital Theater, and Hometheaterforum.com.
I don't know if "Futurama" is in 16x9 or not... I don't watch that show, so I wouldn't know. I don't know if Simpsons is or not either... I used to watch Simpsons a lot, but not much recently (timing and all). I can check for you when I get back Monday, if you're interested. What day and time is Futurama on? Meaning, what's it primary time slot?
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 2:36 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Happy Birthday BagDude! May you receive many HT related items for you BD.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 2:35 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: Thanks for the email. Anyway I think that was an email, wasn't it?
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 2:29 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
BYork: Why was your Velo sub gone?
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 2:23 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Wild Bill: Good to hear that your tests went well.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 2:13 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Great monitor calibration/tweaking link!
Everyone: Here's a cool link with tips 'n tweaks for RPTVs:
http://www.keohi.com/erroltv/usefulinfo.html
Wild Bill ( 63.21.88.62 ) at 2:13 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Hey guys. I'm back from my tests and I'm still here! The doctor did not shut the test down on me this time. If fact I made it through 15 mintues on the treadmill. I was told that 18 minutes is about the limit so I guess I did OK in that respect. I won't have the test results for a few days (they have someone who comes in and assesses the tests) but the doctor felt that the problems I have had were not heart related. This is, of course, his HO so I will wait for the results to be sure. It sure felt weird to have to do the test today. I was the only testee under the age of 65.
CAI, Darian and NEO: JohoO is coming over for boxing tomorrow night. IF you like boxing you are all more than welcome to come also. If you're coming you should be here about 8:30. Please leave a post and state your intentions.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 2:12 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Tony C: IMO, the *single most important* piece of equipment in any audio system is the amplifier - choose the one that gives you the most emotional pleasure and build the rest of your system around it.
Enjoy the HT-5!
RickMTB ( 207.18.199.124 ) at 2:12 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Thanks to all from Houston
Ron H: I will have to check it out (and also Moody Gardens). My only IMAX experiences have been at Paraount Great America and at the San Jose tech Museaum (though I drove past the IMAX in Orlando ;-). Of the two I saw the one at the tech Museum was way more impressive with its huge screen that curves around and over you. You really felt like you were *in* the movie.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 2:10 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
mcb: I wish that were true for me because most of the dealers I have dealt with are more interested in convincing me that I should own brand X or brand Y rather then finding out what my needs are. In my experience, expensive does not always equal better or give a better demo. I have also been surprised at how less knowledgable some of the dealers are as compared to me about the gear they sell. Some dealers are more interested in selling you what they want rather then what you need. And this seems to be a problem with some of the dealers that sell the more expensive gear. And these are the dealers that I won't frequent any longer.
mcb ( 209.222.216.5 ) at 2:02 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: I have had a similar range of demo room experiences. The room I heard the Aerial 10T's in was awesome. Goodwins in Boston has amazing rooms as well. The places we bought our HT equipment from were terrible. Though my experiences are small in number, I have found that the level of equipment directly equates to the quality of both the demo room and the sales staff's knowledge about their product line. Price falls exactly in line with this theory in our experiences.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 2:01 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
DOH! That was suppose to include quoted text!
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 2:00 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Simm Audio/Celeste
Tony C:
q; Before I made the investment, I did not believe that an amplifier could make that much difference in the overall audio quality.]
A lot of people make that same assesment until they actually do some listening Glad to hear that the amp has made a sonic improvement for you.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 1:53 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
JBC: Sounds like the Sim Audio makes some great sounding gear.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 1:52 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
mcb:
Typically, the room is no where near as well designed as the high end demo rooms where you first hear the piece.
In my experience, most of the dealer demo room that I have been in were horrible. Some of them are square in shape or are too lively and not very well dampened. I have however been in a few dealer demo rooms that were great. I agree that the room is the most important factor in determing what a system will sound like. That is why a home demo is far more important then a dealer demo.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 1:40 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Kieran: I wasn't aware that Fox was doing 16:9 490p... gotta have that for Futurama!
You've given me lots to think about... time to do some more research.
mcb ( 209.222.216.5 ) at 1:40 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
JBC: I might very well contact you. I should have been more clear. I believe the latest SimAudio Moon Series (P-5 and W-5) are relatively new to the market. I might be wrong. Those are the ones I would choose to audition.
TONY C: I, too, have become a believer in the theory that each piece impacts the sound. I like AKA's description that it is the Synergy that utlimately produces the end result. Added to the equation is the room itself . Typically, the room is no where near as well designed as the high end demo rooms where you first hear the piece. This is one of the reasons I have an interest in the Z-Systems rdp-1 digital preamp. It has numerous features designed to adjust for room anomolies.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 1:21 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: Not quite sure what you mean by did I try running the HT-5 through the paces as you have done with the 3K6iii? If you mean did I do the same critical listening tests and did I try different setup configurations then the answer iss yes. It is also on this basis that I responded to your earlier querry.
As you can tell by Tony C.' testimonial... the Celeste HT-54 is quite an amp. Truth is, if music were of equal or greater importance to me than HT then the Celeste would be my amp of choice over the Cinepro but... as HT is my main interest, the Cinepro is the amp of choice.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 1:18 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
mcb: SimAudio is not new to the market. They have been in busines in Canada for many years -- in other words, they mey be new to the US market. I would be happy to find some used gear for you if and when you are interested.
BYork ( 192.246.108.35 ) at 12:59 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
FINALLY done fighting the LoveBug virus. UGH.
Got my Velodyne amp back 2 days ago. Boy...did I miss it when it was gone.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 12:56 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Simm Audio/Celeste
mcb, cai, JBC:
I replaced a five channel Adcom amp with the HT-5. Before I made the investment, I did not believe that an amplifier could make that much difference in the overall audio quality.
Not being able to compare it to another high quality amp, I can only say that I am very pleased with the purchase. I may even pay JBC for it!!
(jk, JBC)
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 12:50 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
The Widescreen RPTV Debate Continues.......
Winston aka the Spleen: You are correct for the most part. However, as you said with your example of Tonight Show and Pro Football, many "big ticket" shows, the only ones that most of us care about anyway, are indeed being shot in 16x9 format. In addition, DTV as opposed to HDTV does not preclude 16x9... while virtually everything OTA in Los Angeles is being broadcast digitally, almost none of it is HD, yet much of it IS 16x9. For example, Fox has chosen 16x9 - 480p as their standard for digital TV. As such, X-Files, Ally McBeal, Titus, Malcom in the Middle, and I believe several other prime time Fox shows that I don't watch, are broadcast in full anamorphic 16x9 480p digital. There are a couple CBS and ABC shows that are regularly broadcast in 16x9, as well (Judging Amy, and Law & Order, are two CBS shows that come to mind). There's also the PBS contingency, which has many 16x9 broadcast specials per month. This is all just off the top of my head, I'm sure there are a few that I'm missing. Yet, what I've already listed is a pretty big chunck of prime time programming. With this many shows already broadcast in 16x9, this early on in the DTV era, I see it only getting better from here on out. Granted, I doubt a lot of the day time programming will switch over any time soon, and I doubt many local news shows will be 16x9 too soon. Although, I suspect many already are, as you can often see that their studio monitors are indeed 16x9 for many news shows. But all of this is secondary to me, because the main reason I wanted a ws tv was for movies. Granted I don't have a large collection of classics filmed in Academy ratio, but having black bars to the sides of a 4:3 movie once in a while is no worse than having black bars above and below a 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 movie.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 12:49 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
BYork: I was wondering what that star was all about. Thanks for clarifying that. How's things going for you?
BYork ( 192.246.108.35 ) at 12:46 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Happy birthday, BAGMAN!
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 12:46 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
mcb: Research is definately the best way to start building a great system. There is a lot of great sounding gear out there and I don't feel that you need to spend a fortune to achieve a great sounding system. Synergy is what will determine the difference between a bad sounding system and a good sounding one. Used is definately a great way to buy if you can find something that you are familar with the sound. I have considered buying used but in most cases the used tube gear that I would be interested in I have never listened to so I don't know what type of sound I would be getting before I buy. This is why I am seriously looking at doing a kit because most of them are cheaper then the commerical built units. Besides if I find a kit that I really like I will probably end up using that same amp to power all my HT chnnels. I think taking the slow route is great because it gives you a lot more time to do research which includes listening demos.
BYork ( 171.72.5.251 ) at 12:40 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Michael AKA -
The reminder has been there for quite some time. I moved it into place a couple of months ago....remember seeing a little yellow "star" at the top of the left frame?
....looks like Scott"popcorn" decided to change it.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.137 ) at 12:35 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
grey bars for the dtc100
Curtis, I've not yet used the feature, but it's in the service menu, burried under one of the main options. If you can't find it, I'll look for it Monday when I return from my weekend trip to NorCal.
BYork ( 171.72.5.251 ) at 12:34 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Site Outage Warning
All -
Just a reminder!
Our ISP, Superb.net, is relocating the server we're hosted on at midnight EDT on 5/15. There will be a 2-4 hour outage.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 12:34 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
The Widescreen RPTV Debate Continues.......
Curtis, Kieran: I was thinking about your advice to go with a 16:9 widescreen and while I agree in theory, I'm not so sure that widescreen broadcasts will be as common as you think. Here's why: everyone talks about HDTV, but in reality we're moving towards digital broadcasting (DTV)... HDTV is only a small part of DTV. Almost all of the cable stations will broadcast their 4:3 programs in digital format, but since they were shot in academy ratio that's the way they will be shown, as will the satellite services. Except for a few flagship programs like The Tonight Show and pro football, I see 5-10 more years of conventional, 4:3 broadcasts, albeit in digital format.
Let me know if you agree or disagree!!!
mcb ( 209.222.216.5 ) at 12:29 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: Your comments included one of the defining reasons we chose to assemble separate systems. Music, for us, requires far more accurate and involving sound. If money were no object, you can definitely have both in the same system. However, we found this to be extremely expensive. No doubt, we cut short the overall HT sound in order to maintain the ability to search and eventually buy a high end stereo. I am looking at all options. My skills would not permit me to build a tube amp. Part of our selection process will be driven by the availability of *used* equipment. I have seen many tempting offers for pieces made by ML, Krell, and Classe. We'll start there first and see where it leads. I have no experience with tube equipment so that'll require some added reading and demo'ing to develop a reasonable foundation of understanding.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 12:25 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Hi everyone - got in at 4:30 a.m. today so it's lunchtime for me already!!!
Happy Birthday BAGMAN!
mcb ( 209.222.216.5 ) at 12:21 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
RE: SimAudio ... I have read and researched the new Moon Series equipment with great interest. Unfortunately, given their recent arrival to the market, I do not forsee a large *used* inventory anytime soon. That said, I have exchanged E-Mails with several P-5 preamp owners and several W-5 amp owners. Owner satisfaction is unanimous!
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 12:20 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
JBC: Just out of curiosity did you ever try using the HT-5 amp in your current setup? In other words, did you try running the HT-5 through the paces as you have done with the 3K6iii?
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 12:17 PM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Happy Birthday BAGMAN!!!
Glad to see that the birthday reminder has been installed.
JBC: I understand exactly what you are talking about.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 10:43 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
cai: The Celeste amps are designed and manufactured by SimAudio. Their website is www.simaudio.com. For a detailed review of the HT-5 go here http://www.soundstage.com/video/revequip/simaudio_ht5.htm
cai ( 205.254.147.21 ) at 10:39 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
JBC: Who makes the Celeste amplifier? I cannot find any search references to this piece of equipment. Thanks.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 9:03 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
BAGMAN: Happy Birthday Dude!
Cytotech ( 24.4.252.168 ) at 8:42 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Happy Birthday!!!
BAGMAN, have a great day!
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 8:13 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
AKA: The differences in sound between the Cinepro and the Celeste is quite noticeable. Perhaps Tony C., the lucky dog who now owns the Celeste, can add a few words the following:
MUSIC: The Celeste is a more controlled, refined and warmer sounder amplifier. The Cinepro/M&K combination is very very neutral which to ears can **at timess** sound a "cold".
HT: The Cinepro is more dynamic. The most noticeable differences are the headroom and the "speed". For example, the speed at which a bullet or plane moves across the room is scary!
BUILD QUALITY: The Celeste is the easy winner. It is built like a tank with superb fit and finish. Remember, all SimAudio (i.e. Celeste and Moon) amps are hand assembled/built.
In short, I feel that with the M&K speakers the Celeste is better for music while the Cinepro is better for HT. That being said, I think that both amps are superb and one would be morfe than satisfied with either.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 8:06 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
Rob H: Sorry to hear about the bad weather. Maybe you could getthe cables today without your son to maximize his "instal" time.
AVB ( 208.132.249.130 ) at 7:23 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
TV Flashing
Chris Maguire: If your DVD player is hooked up through your receiver try disconnecting that and running the cables straight to your TV. If it isn't, then change the type of cable you are running from S-video to RCA or vice versa. We are trying to figure out which item is causing the problem. Let us know what happens so we can give you more ideas.
Chris Maguire ( 210.55.100.253 ) at 5:06 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
HI, I seem to have a problem with my TV in that during darkish scenes in
DVD's I notice the brightness slightly flickering (its a random occurence)
and It can still be scene happening when the film is paused. Just for the record my DVD player is not connected to a VCR so it's not Macrovision.
could the tube be damaged could it be my home's power supply?
Chris Maguire ( 210.55.100.253 ) at 5:03 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
HI, I seem to have a problem with my TV in that during darkish scenes in
DVD's I notice the brightness slightly flickering (its a random occurence)
and It can still be scene happening when the film is paused. Just for the record my DVD player is not connected to a VCR so it's not Macrovision.
could the tube be damaged could it be my home's power supply?
Ron H ( 207.223.85.186 ) at 12:22 AM EST Friday, May 12, 2000
weather
Ron H ( 207.223.53.195 ) at 10:53 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
No flights out of Philly to Houston tonight some sort of wheather problem. That means the time my son and I planned for the electrical will be greatly shortened. He hopes to get out tommorow morning.
The best laid plans of men...........
Wild Bill ( 63.23.3.205 ) at 10:12 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
KPD and others: Thanks for the kind thoughts.
KPD: Where in RI do you live? I have a brother who moved to Providence last fall and I may visit him later this summer. Then you can show me that Faroudja/NEC 9PG combo you keep raving about.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 209.180.140.183 ) at 9:45 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
I got to tell you guys that some companies have a great sense of humor. Charles Schwab had made a mistake with one of my accounts. When they rectified the problem they ended up compenstating me for my trouble. They recorded in the history statement CUSTOMER SERVICE type: DEEMED WORTHLESS as the compensation entry. It gave me a good laugh.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 209.180.140.183 ) at 9:31 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
mcb: Sounds like a great plan. I will definately be doing a new custom house, maybe this year. At that time I will probably do a FP CRT setup. I can't wait to get a dedicated HT/music room. One of things I am evaluating is what type of tube amp I will use to power all my HT channels. I definately need to do some more listening to single-ended and SET tube amps to determine which will give me the sound I like best for both music and HT. Also, right now I don't have the space to properly setup more than 2 tube amps so definately in the next house I will have all HT channels powered by tube amps. I love the prospect of building my own tube amp which will also save me some money over a commercial built version plus I will be able to understand what I can do to upgrade the parts in the kit if I choose do so. This is going to be a blast.
Curtis ( 63.203.71.209 ) at 9:28 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Kieran: ok, you now have my attention. How does one change the bars to black on the dtc100?
mcb ( 208.170.81.148 ) at 8:25 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Thanks everyone! AKA, in time, I will definitely exchange some thoughts concerning tube possibilities. The next purchase will be a FP. However, that's not likely to happen before the fall. I will definitely buy *used* equipment for the living room stereo. I desire a high end system for music but surely cannot get one new. I will buy new speakers, however. This is a ways away. For now, it's just fun, actually amazing!, to listen to our movies in Dolby Digital vs our DPL experiences. My wife and I have literally spent entire evenings just playing scenes from various movies that we had written down from reviews and from the feedback all of you had offered to the forum for the incredible sound. So far, for sheer impact, CUTTHROAT ISLAND has been our favorite with GODZILLA in a close second. The Alabama speech by Hackman in Crimson Tide is quite impressive for the subtle impact of a well orchestrated pan. I doubt the WOW! will wear off anytime soon. DD and I gather DTS are leaps and bounds beyond DPL. Had I been able to spend more, I would have loved to get the full impact of 7.1 . Not that I am looking to change out any time soon, but that will be my next goal.
AVB ( 64.41.32.5 ) at 7:51 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Anamorphic LD
Kieran: I still have it as nobody won the trivia contest for it. Actually nobody played for it. It is The Fugitive if anybody wants it, $5 delivered.
Ron H ( 207.223.85.229 ) at 7:43 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Thanks to all from Houston
RickMTB: South of the city in Galveston at Moody Gardens there is a 3D IMAX. It is just simply amazing.
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.88.102 ) at 7:10 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Reset button
Kieran: it was a requested feature... it's been a while, but it was either NeoSonic or Gar I think that requested it... it sounded like a great idea.
What it does is reset the form to the previous values (i.e., it will keep your name in the name field, and if you're replying to a post, it will also keep the topic and the SML bold of the name of the person you're replying to. I don't know how many people use it, but when you want to erase a post, it is a lot easier than selecting the text and cutting....
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.88.102 ) at 7:07 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Spanking the Objectivist Monkey
Winston aka the Spleen: Let's see... Lucas has pissed me off with this no Star Wars on DVD bit... However, the THX premises are still something I think is quite locially thought out... Paradigms are doing great... I need better video though. I'd live a widescreen RPTV with a DLP engine, or a DLP FP if the bulb life was longer (and I had money!) as for wire and interconnects, copper is still copper... However, when I decide to change out my interconnects, I'll probably use some RG-59 type with foam dielectric and stranded center core with some quality connectors... For all connections (audio, video, digital)... For speaker cables, I'm leaning to sticking with 14 gauge or better stranded... maybe something twisted together like the Audiostream stuff I'm using for my fronts... So, I guess you should stop waiting (when I move to EX, I'll probably wind up having four Paradigm ADP's for surrounds... one on each side and two on the back wall) As for how I'm doing... I'm trying to recover from Social Anxiety Disorder, OCD, and Panic disorder... I think I've had them to a small extent my whole life (never knew what it was), and they just got a lot worse starting about two years ago... I've been keeping busy by turning the forum here in to what you see now ever since Ryan left us with a wimpy shell of a forum... I've also reworked how the member bios operate.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 7:03 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Reset button
Kieran: I use the Post/Refresh button all the time.
I don't know what Reset Form does.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 6:53 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Winston aka the Spleen: Well, there you go... everybody has their own oppinion, and we differ! ... the Sony Wega was the same one I saw, and it had been calibrated with video essentials. When comparing it to LBX mode on the same screen, the improvement was spectacular. When comparing it to a good NTSC widescreen set (i.e. no additional line doubling or anything... e.g. my set) it was good, but not AS good, and to me the improvement from squeeze to full was not subtle.
I did know that there were a few anamorphic LD's out there. I believe one of our members was giving one away at one point. AVB, maybe?
I hope you don't feel like I'm badgering you or anything... I know you're fully capable of making up your own mind about 16x9. I'm just sharing my viewpoints on it. BTW, the TW56X81 is a VERY popular model... that and the TW40x81 were almost impossible to find in stock ANYWHERE for several months earlier this year. And it would give you a much larger 4:3 box, too!
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 6:50 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Spanking the Objectivist Monkey
Scott "Popcorn": Speak of the devil... my old arch-nemesis is here. How are you these days? Are you still loyal to all things Lucas? Still groovin' to your Paradigms with them krazy dipole surrounds? And what about wires and interconnects.... have you changed your views, or should I stop waiting for hell to freeze over......?
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 6:41 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Kieran: Quite right - most of my LDs are letterboxed, although I've been buying a lot of old 50's and 60's movies that are in academy ratio. So about 15% of my collection is full frame. (I know everyone is probably sick of hearing about toobs, but man do they ever breath new life into old mono soundtracks)!
Right again about the anamorphic squeeze option, my choice of words was poor. The main advantage of anamorphic squeeze on a 4:3 set is to get the increased vertical resolution on screen. How good it actually works varys from manufacturer. (I have seen the Sony Wega version of this and it is spectacular).
I haven't liked Mits RPTVs much in the past but will take a look at the model you mentioned.
BTW, did you know that there are anamorphic LDs? Three titles exist that I know of, Unforgiven and Free Willy which were special giveaways that Toshiba pressed for their first TW56" RPTV. The third title is a Japan-only pressing of the THX WOW disc.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 6:32 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Winston aka the Spleen: The dtc-100 also has an option to use black instead of grey bars, if you decide to get a dtc100, that is.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 6:30 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Reset button
Scott "popcorn": Yeah, yeah... I know it was my mistake. Seriously, though... I'd like to know how many people use it, if any. If nobody really uses it much, why have it? Like I said, it's like that damn reset button on my TV remote! grrr...
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 6:30 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Curtis: The i-scan puts up black bars? Cool!!! : )
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 6:29 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Winston aka the Spleen: What I'd really like to see is a widescreen RPTV that is 46 inches -- a bit bigger than Kieran's for tight detail but just a little more impact. And no gray bars!
Well then... it seems that what you're looking for is a Mitsubishi 46" widescreen! It's 46", and they use black bars instead of grey (at least I'm pretty sure they do). RGB owns the 56" Mitsubishi... he can comment on the brand and model line at least. The 46" and his set are from the same line, I believe.
Question: why does your loyalty to laserdisc require you to have a 4:3 tv? I thought most laserdiscs were letterboxed? Also, the anamorphic squeeze mode, while it affords a better picture than 4:3 letterbox downconversion, does not "get the most out of DVD's". The picture of a "squeezed" image on a 4:3 set is often not nearly as good as a "full" anamorphic picture on a 16x9 set. It's often much softer. The reason, or so I've read, is that the squeeze trick causes the scan lines to overlap. While this can be an enhancement in that it sort of eliminates any visible gaps between scan lines, it also causes the picture to loose detail and "crisppness." I've seen both, and I definitely prefer the widescreen option.
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.88.102 ) at 6:22 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Reset button
Kieran: Maybe you shouldn't click so haphazardly. 
Kieran ( 12.13.238.137 ) at 6:16 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Reset button
How many people regularly use the reset button? I have NEVER used it. Not intentionally anyway. I just accidentally pressed the reset form button, instead of the post button, and lost a fairly length post. 
Do we really need the Reset Form button? It's sort of like the reset button on my Toshiba TV! 
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 6:03 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Winston aka the Spleen: To be perfectly honest with you, April was the month from hell for me yet things have stabilized since then. Trust me, you don't want the details but one day I'll sit down and write a book about it. I agree that gray bars are annoying. The iScan replaces them with good ole black bars. I have mine running to the component ins & the DCT-100 HD receiver going to the DTV ins. A 46"er would be sweet. Have you looked at the new 56" tosh RP's?
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 6:01 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
how = how do
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 6:01 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
how = how do
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 5:57 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
JBC: So how you like the sound of the 3K6iii vs the HT-5 you previously owned?
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 5:40 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Curtis: Hey how's it going? I agree with you about the DVDO and was anticipating using one with the Toshiba. The new x81 series has 2 component inputs, and you can adjust the color, tint, etc independently for each one even when connected to an external doubler. The set has progressive input as well for native 480p sources.
What I'd really like to see is a widescreen RPTV that is 46 inches -- a bit bigger than Kieran's for tight detail but just a little more impact. And no gray bars!
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 5:32 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Kieran: The reason that I'm not hung up on a widescreen RPTV is because I am still very loyal to laserdisc. I've added more than 100 discs to my collection in the past six months and will continue to buy every decent title I can get my hands on until the supply runs dry. Anamorphic DVDs are great but of lesser importance to me. And even anamorphic DVDs are not a perfect fit for the one-size-fits-all 16:9 widescreen ratio.
I'm not too crazy about the gray bars that all of the widescreen sets seem to use instead the black bars on 4:3 sets. The gray is very distracting to me. I turn around equipment fairly often and don't anticipate keeping the Toshiba for more than 3-1/2 years maximum (the guns will probably start going south by then).
The only thing that the Toshiba really lacks is an anamorphic squeeze mode to get the most out of DVDs. But I would pass on that if I had to take black bars over gray.
You made some good points and I appreciate your input.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 5:26 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
KISS
I'm stuck with 4 extra Kiss tickets at $96.00 each. Now, I'm going to have to leave early to try to get them sold. Wish me luck.
Looking forward to seeing Nugent one more/last time.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 5:26 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Winston aka the Spleen: I haveta agree with Kieran about going 16:9 from now on. In addition to the HD broadcast stuff I also have tons of video I have shot in WS for the past 18 or so months - there's no looking back. The internal Toshiba doubles still suck, IMHO. Get your hands on an iScan + or another quality outboard doubler & you'll be much happier. I am a firm believer in getting a display without any HD tuners. Think of it as my computer monitor, I am using the same 21" display yet am on the 5th PC I use it with. Still looks great to me. When I need more horsepower/ whatever I only upgrade whatever it's attached to.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 5:24 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
mcb Great set up! Have fun.
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 5:08 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Wild Bill: No need for testing, I know you have a good heart
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 4:56 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
throwing bone now...
Winston aka the Spleen: I don't have this set, I have the TW40H80. No line doubler. However in general I really like Toshiba RPTV's. I don't think anybody on this forum (none of the regulars, anyway) has a set from the X81 line. Curtis has the TW65H80, but I think the line doubler is different in the new X81 series.
My only recommendation would be to seriously consider a widescreen set, unless you plan on upgrading again in a couple years. More and more primetime material is being filmed in 16x9, and on the digital airwaves, broadcast that way, too. Fox is a good example, almost all their major primetime shows are 16x9 on the DTV side. If you were looking at a non-HD set, then I'd say go 4:3, but if you're spending the extra money for HD-ready, why limit yourself from the get-go? As far as I know, ALL (or damn near all) hd material off satellite or OTA is in 16x9.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 4:47 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
AKA: On the audio side only a PowerPRO 30. The video side is on hold for the time being due to room constraints and advancing technology. I will likely move within the next 12 to 18 months and will address the video at that time. I am including my source components (i.e. DVD, Cable box etc,) as part oof the video.
The audio is sounding great with the Cinepro 3k6iii, Lexicon MC-1 and M&K 150's/350 sub.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 4:22 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
JBC: How's the HT system doing? Besides the trigger what else is left for you to complete?
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 4:19 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
WildBill: Hope your tests go well. I will be thinking of your tomorrow.
mcb: Congrats on the new system -- sounds like a winner. As I noted to Ron H the other day, I am green with envy on the FP!!
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 4:17 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
HT Dudes/Dudettes: What, no one here has an opinion about the Toshiba TN50X81? C'mon, *someone* must have some comments about this bad boy... I'm looking for feedback about the quality of the internal line doubler and the progressive input. I've examined the Toshiba myself of course but only in a dealer setting under less-than-optimal conditions. I am really close to buying this RPTV and would like to hear any comments, good or bad, that anyone has about it.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 4:10 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
mcb: Congrats on the system! A FP is going to be great. Again congrats and welcome back. I am now looking into building a tube amp kit. I have the built version coming to determine if I like the sound of the amp. If you are interested I can forward to you what I found with the tube amp kit.
RickMTB ( 207.18.199.151 ) at 4:09 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Thanks to all from Houston
I have moved out here but I am staying in temporary housing (studio apt).
The family follows at the end of June. I am just starting to look at houses out here (The Woodlands) and the house in Fremont will start being shown in about a week.Hopefully everything will happen about the same time so that there is only one big move. Also hopefully the new place will have a room large enough for the Vandersteens to come out of retirement.
In the mean time I will search out movie theaters (a big IMAX in the downtown area I hear) and wait for RonH's theater to be completed...
Ron H ( 207.223.85.181 ) at 4:04 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
mcb:Very nice set up.
mcb ( 209.222.216.4 ) at 4:03 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Wild Bill: Thanks. We decided to tackle a much needed and long awaited kitchen renovation. It is close to completion. We hired out the jobs that exceeded our skills but chose to do a lot of the finish work. That and the HT shopping have pretty much wiped out our time on line.
Wild Bill ( 63.38.153.145 ) at 3:58 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
mcb: Congrats, you made some great decisions. I'm sure it sounds great. I was wondering about you. I haven't seen any posts from you lately. Apparently you were out shopping!!
Wild Bill ( 63.38.153.145 ) at 3:56 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Well, I *did* play golf today. My driving was excellent, putting was good and everything in between was not up to par (no pun intended). I did birdie #18 so I left the course with a good feeling.
CAI: Playing with the settings on the projector is what I consider a non-stressful activity. It's the work related stuff that is stressful.
mcb ( 209.222.216.4 ) at 3:56 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Hmmm. I guess brackets do not show. We bought five of the ProTower 400's.
Ron H ( 207.223.85.181 ) at 3:55 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Greetings from Houston
RickMTB:If my HT is completed before your formal move and I think it will be, you will be one of the first I invite. Your HT fix is not far away.
mcb ( 209.222.216.4 ) at 3:54 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Well, I finally pulled the trigger and I assembled the remaining parts of our HT's audio. After we determined that two systems was the best solution for our home, I needed to be realistic on the overall cost. We chose to put together a very reasonable, mid-fi, HT system. Even so, the cost of this equipment is high by any measure. The stereo will come sometime later. A HT video solution has not yet been determined. It'll be a front projection set-up. Most likely, we will get a LCD or one chip DLP unit, but no immediate plans are set.
Here's what we ended up with:
Def Tech ProTower 400's
Def Tech PF1800 subwoofer
SONY 9000ES processor
SUNFIRE Cinema Grand
Panasonic A120 DVD
Mitsubishi AC3 LD player
Mitsubishi VCR
Panamax 1000
Monster M1000i all around
Monster M1000D
Monster M1000 video all around
Home Depot 12-guage wire all around
RCA banana plugs all around
We're very happy with the results. I am even more pleased to be done with it. Many Thanks to all of you! The endless help we all receive through this forum is immeasurable.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.141 ) at 3:52 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Thanks to all
V-Dude: Depending on the size of your old hard drive, that could mean a lot of disc swapping to get it all over. Most Zip disks are on the order of 100 MB. If your hard drive is 10 years old, then no problem! ;^)
V-Dude ( 152.166.131.133 ) at 3:42 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Thanks to all
who answered my question about transfring info from my current CPU to a new one when I get it. A local friend mentioned getting it done by using a Zip Drive. What do you think. TIA
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 3:35 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Good afternoon all! How is everyone this fine day?
Wild Bill: Good luck with your tests tomorrow!
Ron H: Sounds like your room is really humming along. Congrats on its near completion.
RickMTB: I completely understand your cold tukey Hey, maybe this would be a great time for you to pickup a new hobby.
JohnO ( 140.183.114.30 ) at 2:28 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Greetings from Houston
RickMTB: There is always a movie theater for a short term fix. I find that my remotes don't work, though.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.141 ) at 2:27 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Greetings from Houston
RickMTB: Congrats, I think.... have you not yet made the full move, or just not yet unpacked the HT stuff?
RickMTB ( 207.18.199.140 ) at 2:16 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Greetings from Houston
Sorry for the off-topic, but... I am now in Houston. And HT-challenged.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 2:10 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
free photo sites
Kieran: check the sites & you'll see that they do mail you real prints. I think Ofoto does 100 free, even the initial shipping is on them. You would be amazed at the state of the art of digital printing from either film or dig. picts. A pro photo shop down the street from me had about 20 pros come in to pick the inkjet prints from the custom lab "real" prints (all 11x14"). Most of them selected the former.
JohnO ( 140.183.114.30 ) at 2:06 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Scott "popcorn": Thanks.
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.50.59 ) at 2:06 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
ComputerInfo
V-Dude: Another way to transfer the info is to network the two computers using a 100BT network... you can get Realtek 8139 based PCI network cards (10/100) for around $10 each (maybe less... check www.pricewatch.com) then you'd need a Null Ethernet cable, about $7... Then just use Windows Network Neighborhood to move files as if the hard drives were in the same computer... not to mention you can then use the network for other spiffy things.
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.50.59 ) at 1:59 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
JohnO: Just go to the change password page (the link is in user preferences) and check the "forgot my password" box (with your login in the login field)... your password will be e-mailed to you.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 1:25 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
free photo sites
Curtis: But what if you want actual photo prints, instead of just printing on a color inkjet or something? Do they send real prints, too?
BTW, re. your OTA + wind adventure, it sounds like you had your antenna pointing in the wrong direction before, if you had such strong signals with it 180 degrees turned around!
Ron H ( 207.223.70.148 ) at 12:30 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
other free photo sites...
Curtis: Your the man!! Thanks
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 12:29 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Ron H: tied them? Heck - I abuse all of them! I must send in 5 rolls a week between all of these photo sites. What's in it for them? Easy - market share. Shutterfly is Jim Clark's latest venture (former CEO/ founder of SGI, Netscape & others). Remember that they aren't supposed to make money anythime soon, just be the leader in their respective category. They all do outstanding work very quickly, in my experience.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 12:26 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
other free photo sites...
..while I'm at it, here are other free film & digital processing/ printing/ sharing sites. No reason to pay for anything but film these days. www.shutterfly.com www.ofoto.com www.clubphoto.com
Ron H ( 207.223.70.148 ) at 12:25 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Curtis: Have you tried this? I am not sure whats in it for them.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.240 ) at 12:13 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Ron H: better yet, I would do this for photos. Take them in 35mm then go here for free developing, online access & sharing ... http://www.snapfish.com/
JohnO ( 140.183.114.30 ) at 12:04 PM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Anyone know how I can get my password for HTOC again? Can't find it, want to upgrade my bio.
Ron H ( 207.223.53.251 ) at 11:07 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
KPD: Thanks guy.
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 10:52 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Ron H: Good luck with your new toys. Hopefully you'll get it up and running in time for the Indy. Let us know when you got some pics.
Ron H ( 207.221.161.179 ) at 10:43 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Tony C:Good idea. Thanks
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 9:40 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Ron H: Ron, if you don't have a digital camera, just take the pictures on 35mm (whatever) and when you bring them in to have them developed, have the developer put them on floppy or disc as well has doing prints. I do it all the time.
cai ( 205.254.147.21 ) at 8:58 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Wild Bill: Good luck tomorrow. Think green, play golf, DO NOT TRY TO ADJUST YOUR PROJECTOR, and you will see that everything with turn out OK.
cai ( 205.254.147.21 ) at 8:56 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
ComputerInfo
V-Dude: If you are using windows 98 or 95 on both your computers you can also use a product called Fast Move. That is what I have used in the past and it has worked perfectly. It comes with software and a cable. It also may be cheaper than Laplink.
Another way, however more drastic, is to move your old computer's hard drive to your new computer, then copy its contents to the new computer's hard drive. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO INSTALL A DRIVE IN A COMPUTER ABSOLUTELY DO NOT TRY THIS.
Cytotech ( 24.4.252.169 ) at 8:42 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Wild Bill: Enjoy your golf. I am sure things will go smoothly tomorrow, and all will turn out well.
Cytotech ( 24.4.252.169 ) at 8:41 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Tony C: That's actually what I was getting at!
Wild Bill ( 63.21.91.115 ) at 8:40 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
releaving=relieving
Wild Bill ( 63.21.91.115 ) at 8:39 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Good morning everyone. My heart test is tomorrow and I'm releaving the stress by taking today off also. I'll be playing golf which is neck and neck with HT for my second favorite pasttime.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 8:23 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Good morning gents....
Ron H ( 207.223.53.159 ) at 8:14 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Tony C: Not a bad idea. I will take some over the next week and get them scaned.
Wild Bill ( 63.21.91.115 ) at 8:05 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
ComputerInfo
V-Dude: I use LapLink 2000. I have a Compaq notebook which crashes frequently. I keep a backup of my critical presentation files on my desktop and use LapLink to connect the two. It works very well for me.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 8:01 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
Projo
Ron H: Why not get us some pics of your work in progress?
V-Dude ( 172.140.180.58 ) at 7:50 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
ComputerInfo
I need some information on how to transfer data from my slow Gateway 166 to a new, much faster, computer. I haven't bought one as yet but have to do something soon. In other words, what I want to do, is transfer all the information to a new one and eliminate it from my old one. Can anyone advise the most practical way to do this? TIA.
Good morning all.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 1:21 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
... time for guywires to the OTA & a firm chimney mount for the dish. The downside of the larger oval dish is that it acts like a sail.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 1:20 AM EST Thursday, May 11, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Kieran: Man was it ever super windy in the SF area today! I got home to see what the HD OTA broadcasts were showing. To my surprise the previously unreceivable channels were coming in strong, but nothing but "searching for signal through directv. I went outside to look at the antennas to see the OTA had rotated 180 degrees & the dual LNB DSS (mounted on a very sturdy tripod) had totally fallen down!
Ron H ( 207.221.161.31 ) at 11:49 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Projo
Cytotech:When I get it finished I will post some pictures. I am thinking it will be in 4 to 6 weeks before all the ods and ends are finished.
When done I will have to buy some equiment and speakers to replace the stuff in the family room that is going into the HT room. Mainly speakers and a inexpensive receiver.
When done I will have the family room HT (which Nicky my wife has started to call her room) with a 60" RP, and a inexpensive receiver powering some inexpensive speakers. Then I will have "my room" with a 100" screen with higer end pre/pros amps and speakers.
Pronto was going into the HT room with me. She said "you can't take my remote! I am considering using all same brand eqipment to make the control simpler to avoid if possible the purchase of a second pronto.
Cytotech ( 24.4.252.168 ) at 11:28 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Projo
Ron H: Cool man! How 'bout some pics???
Ron H ( 207.223.53.30 ) at 11:13 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Projo
trav1: Thanks for the heads up. My deal is still better by a few hundred and I will be dealing with someone I know and trust. I will be getting the Dream Vision which the dealer sent back to the factory for the latest software upgrade and the newer style bulb the new model has. I also will be getting a QuadScan scaler that the dealer has promised to handle the next few software or chip upgrades at no charge.
Wild Bill ( 63.20.254.182 ) at 9:42 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
cai: OTA antenna? Near Dulles Airport? The reception here is less than stellar. I have my locals on DirecTV and am very happy. I tape VERY few programs. The dual lnb is for Anamaria to have access to her channels. I don't dare mess with that and besides, I'd have to run another 100' of RG-6 to get the run to the VCR. I think I'll stick with things as they are. Thanks for the ideas.
trav1 ( 4.34.146.78 ) at 9:40 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Projo
Ron H: I see you are looking at or have already bought the Dream vision. If you haven't purchased already, here is a little tidbit from gcaudio.com. I am not sure if it is a great deal or not as I'm not sure what list is. But it has that special four letter word in it, FREE.
*SPECIAL* - Buy a DREAM VISION DL-500 and receive a FREE IEV Turboscan 1500 Line Doubler ($2500.00 value)!! $6500.00
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 9:05 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
digital audio technology & the 18 1/2 minute gap
this'll seperate the kids from the grownups ... 25 years ago audio experts gave up on trying to unerase the famous 18 1/2 minute gap in the White House watergate tape conversation between Nixon & Bob Haldeman 3 days after the Watergate break-in. NBC nightly news just ran a story that the latest/ greatest digital audio technology may well be able to bring back the original conversation from the analog tape. It's only up to the National Archives to vote if it's worth the expense to do it + quite a few politics! I'm not sure I really want to hear that conversation, Haldeman was one mean SOB. Then again, it was all done at taxpayer expense & the aging audio experts determined that the tape had been purposely erased after the fact no less than 5 seperate times, replaced with a noisey buzz. What do you all think about this use of modern technology?
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 8:57 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
THere is joy in PA
Rich F: congratulations Rich - I totally missed your post. Much better feeling being gainfully employed than not, huh?
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 8:37 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Rich F: Outstanding!! Congrats man.
Michael AKA "the Home Theater/Home Building Animal" ( 129.239.3.55 ) at 8:28 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Howdy all!
Gasgeek: I sent you some e-mail did you happen to get it? Again, sorry for the delay in replying to you.
cai ( 24.28.215.180 ) at 8:27 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Wild Bill: Get an OTA antenna and connect it so that at least you have two inputs and more flexibility. Better yet, if you have a dual LNB and are paying for two satellite tuners, connect both to the vcr and then you can watch one and record the other. Just make sure you remember which one you are recording so that you channel surf with the other one and not ruin your recording. "I DISAVOW ANY SCREW-UPS THAT MAY RESULT DUE TO MY ADVICE. YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN BUBBA." hahahaha
cai ( 24.28.215.180 ) at 7:58 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Kieran: I think you got it. Just follow the logic you have used. It is almost the same connection that I have with my two TV set-up systems. Also be aware that you should select the rear input to be s-vhs for your satellite and that that channel selected will be "0". It shows as L-1 on the vcr. You also have an F-1 channel, which I think is for the front connections which is accessed by cycling channel down on the remote.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 7:54 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Kieran: the only problem I see with your hookup proposal is that the DCT100 only has a single S-video out. You'll have to use 1 of the 2 composite (RCA) video outs. On a personal note - RF connections SUCK! Combining video & audio in a single coax cable never has produced impressive result to my eye. Start splitting a single RF anything & you're really messing things up. Why do you think cable teevee looks so miserable? Tons of splits & worse - AT&T routinely amplifies the split signals in order to reach more houses. GIGO, especially on a larger hi resolution display.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.70 ) at 7:43 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Kieran: hey man, eventually all current models will be discontinued. Don't let that slow you down. Have you called Fry's Electronics (the store you love to hate) yet? They are one of the biggest preditors on the planet at this kind of thing. Isn't that where you bought your TW40 is the 1st place?
Wild Bill ( 63.36.255.252 ) at 7:37 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
cai: NOW you come up with the RF info!! Since DirecTV is my only source I do not have the ability to watch one channel and record another anyway. JVC could have done a much better job of describing the various hookup options in the manual. At least my JVC didn't have the flashing 12:00 on it. haha
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 7:20 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
cai: I think you may have misunderstood me on the price thing... Crutchfield had it for $199. It was another, small e-tailer here in so.cal. that couldn't go below $270. His name is Gary, and his company is Sound Professionals. See my post below.
Regarding connections... everything you just posted is exactly what I suspected. Here's the way I would hook things up:
RF from antenna split, one half to VCR, one half to DBS/HD tuner.
RF out from VCR: goes to TV antenna input.
RCA audio out from TV back to receiver
2 s-video outs from DBS box: one to receiver, one to VCR.
2 RCA audio outs on DBS box: one to VCR.
S-video out from VCR to receiver
1 optical digital audio out on DBS box: goes to receiver.
S-video from receiver to TV
This way, I think, I'll be able to watch DBS, and record the same show,
or watch DBS and record a different show, but antenna only,
or watch antenna, and record a different, DBS show.
And if I disconnect the RF input from the VCR, all I loose is my ability to tune analog stations with the VCR or TV, but the VCR will still operate properly, right?
Have I missed anything?
cai ( 24.28.215.180 ) at 7:04 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Wild Bill, Kieran, et.al.: The only reason for having an RF cable connected between the s-vhs and the vcr is so that you can watch one program and record another. If you disconnect the RF cable and use a s-vhs connection only you must watch the channel that is tuned in your vcr. One more thing, without the RF connection once you turn the vcr off your image goes off on the tv.
Some tvs have two RF inputs and you can use them independently to connect cable and satellite, or vcr and satellite. If you connect cable and satellite to the tv, you must then connect an RCA between the vcr and the tv.
If you do not use the RF between vcr and tv you must have RCA sound connections since neither the s-vhs nor the RCA video connection will carry sound. With the RF you do not need the sound cable connections since this cable does carry sound.
Regarding price, I absolutely do not buy the Crutchfield argument about grey market goods. J&R Music World in NYC has the 3600 for $200.00. I doubt that those units are grey goods. Best Buy has them for $239 and again I do not think that those are grey goods. If you have Service Merchandise near you check their price. They are usually competitive and will match prices with other stores.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.137 ) at 6:43 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
All who care: Here's the second reply I just got from Gary at www.soundpros.com (who does have some great prices on other stuff, just not on this VCR)...
Hi Again,
I have done a little research since I emailed last.It seems that the 3600 is a model that is being discontinued.With this in mind,JVC has dumped truckloads off at unusually low prices to a few buyers.We do not have access to this blow out discount so we cannot help you with this purchase. I do apreciate the inquiry and the info. Thanks for giving us a shot.
Thanks,
Gary @ www.soundpros.com
So, it seems that this model is being discontinued, if Gary is correct. Interesting....
cai ( 24.28.215.180 ) at 6:37 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Flood
Tony C: I had exactly the same thought.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.137 ) at 6:25 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
I just called my local Good Guys, and they have the JVC 3600 for $249.97! This is not as good as Crutchfield's price, but it's lower than the $270 quoted by the guy at www.soundpros.com! I emailed him, telling him (in not so many words) that if he can't even beat Good Guys' price, then he's in trouble.
Chris L. ( 198.144.141.59 ) at 6:03 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JBC:: You have eeeemail!
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 5:53 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
Kieran: I find that I get some pixelation (sp) or digital artifacts, small squares from Direct TV. Especially in close ups.
I don't use any OTA analog or HD.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.203 ) at 5:50 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
Kieran: direcTV video quality is all over the map, IMHO. It's all about bandwidth & compression, of course. As they add more channels (the local networks for example)they must sacrifice the available B/W on some other channels. The PPV movies, premium channels & most sports usually (but not always) get the biggest pipes & it shows. Other times they are plain stupid allowing shopping channels better pictures than major sporting events. The more they grow, the worse it's gonna get. The good news for us DTC100 owners is that we have direct access to a 3rd sat. of theirs (where HBO HD lives)with all kinds of available B/W. Let's hope it too doesn't turn south. As a DirecTV user from day one I think you'll find most images quite good - on par with the best OTA reception yet not up to anamorphic DVD for obvious reasons.
trav1 ( 4.34.146.78 ) at 5:42 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
All in one....
FYI:
Hitachi's cutting-edge DVD products don't stop with the DVD-RAM Camcorder. The new DVD player/CD-RW Dual Deck, plays DVD software and can record audio CD onto digital audio CD-R and CD-RW disc media. Drive number one plays DVD and CD, while drive number two records music from a CD in drive number one onto a digital audio CD-R or CD-RW. The recording process is very simple with one button dubbing and double speed recording. Also, the Dual Deck makes editing a snap with the ability to customize sound tracks and arrange them according to user preference. Hitachi's full color on screen display allows users to do all this from their TV screen -- something regular CD recorders cannot offer.
The Hitachi DVD Player / CD-RW Dual Deck combines all the features and functionality of a high quality Hitachi DVD / VCD / CD / CD-R / CD-RW player, with the versatility and unique ability to record music CDs.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.203 ) at 5:40 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
s video out from DTC100 to vcr
Kieran: true enough on watching/recording NTSC stuff yet I hate having to remember to turn off the HD out button in order to enable the non-HD video outs. Considering that 1 year ago a box that didn't do 50% of what the RCA does went for $3,500 (Unity Motion) you're right that I don't have much to b*tch about - but that's whay us old guys do - look for things to complain about ;-). I did connect a progressive scan dvd player to the TW65 for a few days. To be perfectly honest with you it didn't look substantially better than my old DVP-S7000 running thru the iScan doubler. Well ok, maybe a LITTLE cleaner. Still, I would much rather buy a HD VCR than another DVD player - no way both are in the budget. Any idea of if/when RCA will have a HD VCR & how many $$? I vote it retails for about $300!
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.86.3 ) at 5:37 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
KPD: I'm not sure what of taht 325 applies to the cable system, but I do know that that's OTA numbers...
Wild Bill ( 63.36.239.91 ) at 5:32 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Kieran: I bought mine at Sears a few months after it was released. I paid about $250 plus sales tax. His price seems a bit high to me. I guarantee you that I did not get a refurbished or grey market unit.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 5:05 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC HR-S3600U price
Okay, somebody said that Crutchfield has the 3600 for $199. I checked, and www.onecall.com also has it for $199 + $25.00 shipping. A new site that I recently found, www.soundpros.com, just sent me a quote. This is an e-tailer in San Diego, Ca. A good friend of mine just bought a set of Energy Surround e:XL speakers from him for a great price. He's got great prices on almost everything. But the price for the 3600 on his site is $285!! Here's is response to my inquiry as to the high price of this vcr:
Hi Kieran,
Thanks for the inquiry.I can do the 3600 for $270.00 plus shipping plus tax
in CA only.The price you have from the other companies I would suspect are
grey market or refurbished.We work hard to keep the margins tight and those
prices are way below our cost.
Thanks for the inquiry again,
Gary
Wow. This guy is usually very honest, and "tells it how it is". I wonder why his cost is so high? Could he be right about Crutchfield and onecall selling grey market or refurbs?
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 4:59 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
KPD: Agreed on OTA antenna vs. cable. Even without my dtc-100, the picture on my TV with just analog OTA looks so much better than my friend's cable, it's not even funny! What's worse is, one of my friends has digital cable from Cox. The picture on his set looks like fuzzy crap compared to my OTA analog picture. Granted, he has a bazillion channels to choose from, and I have like... 20 or something. I'm considering DirecTV though... $19.95/month minimum... I don't know....
ALL:How does DirecTV picture quality compare to a very good OTA analog picture?
Kieran ( 12.13.238.140 ) at 4:54 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
s video out from DTC100 to vcr
Curtis: Curtis: ouch... that sucks. Yes, the NTSC outputs don't opperate concurrently with the HD output. It's one or the other, unfortunately. A small price to pay for a $650 STB, IMHO. If you have your connections right though, you should be able to watch what you record, you'll just have to watch it through your s-video inputs on your TW65.
BTW, are you using a progressive scan dvd player yet?
Curtis ( 63.203.69.203 ) at 4:38 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
s video out from DTC100 to vcr
Kieran: grrr! I found out the hard way that enabling HD output on the DTC-100 disables all other video outputs. What's the hard way, you ask? I taped several things for friends S-VHS playback only to find that all I had recorded was the audio traCKS. I verified this w/ RCA. "If you want to record S-video to tape you'll have to remember to switch off the HD Monitor button on the front panel of the DTC100" I was told. Not a terribly intuitive interface guys. I suspect that enabling HD output requires some serious horsepower that the design engineers compromised on. Something for you future DCT100 owners to be aware of.
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 4:24 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
Scott "popcorn": Now is that 325 you quoted before or after the noise is added by the cable system? Actually the Chroma bandwith over the air is much better than the ugly cable counterpart. A good antenna will look like LD in comparison to cable.
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 4:21 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
Wild Bill: I think the "L1" is the line input selection. Now it's looking at the "line in" instead of the tuner. So now it works like all the rest of em'
Wild Bill ( 63.38.153.61 ) at 4:11 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
Scott "popcorn", Tony, Kieran, JBC, AVB and ANYONE else that's interested: I just got off the phone with JVC. It turns out that you CAN have only the S-Video cable connected. I had to make a change in the setup menu of the VCR and change the channel on the JVC to L-1 (channel 00). I've disconnected the RF input and it functions perfectly. Hey, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!! Now I'll have to see if my satellite feed looks better. It appears that I may have been limited to those 325 or so lines that Scott indicated RF carries. Now I *should* be seeing the full (haha) capabilities of my satellite feed. Thanks to Tony, KPD and others for questioning what I read in the manual. I've eliminated a cable from my systm. That is always a good thing.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 4:11 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Anyone here own the Toshiba TN50X81 RPTV or a similar model? A local HT store has this model on sale and I'm thinking about buying. It's HDTV-ready, has progressive input and a built-in line doubler, first surface mirror, etc. It's not a widescreen set, but I am still watch a lots of LDs so this is not a make-or-break factor for me.
Any comments about this set would be appreciated.
Winston aka the Spleen ( 206.165.142.131 ) at 4:03 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Hello everyone.
Gasgeek: Thanks for the reply, you've got mail!
Scott "popcorn" ( 38.193.86.3 ) at 3:34 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
JBC: That is because RF (NTSC off air and cable) carry 350 lines of resolution (or is it 325?) while VHS only records 240 lines of resolution. S-video is in the ballpark of 425 lines of resolution... So, if you use a VHS machine for recording, you're not getting the full broadcast quality, while if you use an S-VHS machine, you'll get the full 325/350 lines of broadcast quality.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 3:21 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
I can't believe that once the Line Input is selected (and the video and audio connections were made) that you would need the RF input at all.
AVB ( 64.41.32.55 ) at 3:16 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
JBC: Maybe it needs the RF connection for audio. S-video doesn't carry any audio signals. Just a thought.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 3:04 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
NPR
Kieran: I love every one of those NPR shows you mentioned. Also "Morning Edition".
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 3:02 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Rich F: Congrats...
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 2:58 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCR
WildBill: Dumb question... what advantage is realized when using a S-VHS VCR to record from and RF source (i.e. cable) and play back through S-Video connection to the RPTV as compared to using a non S-VHS setup?
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 2:51 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Gasgeek: What that is about it MAP. Minimum Advertised Price.
You remember me talking to AVB about the price wars years where Best Buy and Circuit City priced CDs below cost?
Well that put many retailers out of business. So, the record companies adopted something that other hardware companies have done. That is that they refused to pay for advertising if the advertised price was below a certain price. Well that worked for a few years and prices leveled off and every retailer was safe. Well, the FTC just said that the record companies can't do that anymore. So now, it's quite possible that you will see CDs sold below a retailers cost once more. Many more cool hip stores may go out of business.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 2:29 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Flood
AVB: When I saw the topic FLOOD, I immediately thought that it was related to the huge storms we had through here yesterday.
I was kind of relieved to hear it was just the water bed, even if it was still a pain for you.
Tony C ( 208.209.205.66 ) at 2:22 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Napster
Gar: Secured streaming of music is available all over the net.
Especially on artist sites. I totally agree with you about there being only 2 good cuts and the rest filler. It's pretty rare you get an album like the last Matchbox 20 or Santana and others like it.
Wild Bill ( 63.21.40.137 ) at 1:55 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
THere is joy in PA
Rich F: Congrats, Rich! Welcome to the technology world!! BTW, why wouldn't you want to move out of PA? LOL!!
Wild Bill ( 63.21.40.137 ) at 1:54 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC VCR's
Kieran: I think you are correct. According to the manual an antenna or RF connection must be hooked up if you are using an S-Video connection or a composite connection.
cai ( 205.254.147.21 ) at 1:37 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC VCR's
Kieran: I own that particular JVC model which I use as a stand alone unit. I have a non-S-VHS connected to a S-VHS which in turn is connected to a TV. I will give you my connection arrangements when I get home.
AVB ( 64.41.32.137 ) at 1:26 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Gasgeek: Had the old ESP workin' overtime to match that info. Oligopoly for sure.
AVB ( 64.41.32.137 ) at 1:23 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
THere is joy in PA
Rich F: Good deal! I'll have to stop in and buy you a beer next time I pass Harrisburg. I get up around there at least twice a month.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.141 ) at 1:11 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
THere is joy in PA
Rich F: CONGRATS, MAN!!!! I had forgotten that you were on the job hunt. Great news.
Kieran ( 12.13.238.141 ) at 1:09 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Gasgeek: KLON is #1 on my car radio presets! I also often listen to ... damn can't remember the call letters, but I think it's 89.3... it's all talk NPR (they call it "intelligent talk" ... no Dr. Laura or Howard Stern type stuff.) Shows like "All Things Considered" "The World" and "Fresh Air" are often very interesting.
Robert ( 32.101.119.11 ) at 1:06 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Curtis, Having lived in Cal since birth, It's pretty cool to have a basement, especially an UNFINISHED one. On another note If I would have taken a job in Stockton ( you know that armpit called a town) I would have assumed ownership of my grandfathers house, it was an older victorian with a third floor with a HUGE darkroom (Ansel Adams has NOTHING on Gramps) and room for an HT for sure. Man that house was HUGE, four floors, (wimpy basement, main, upper and attic) Good luck with the darkroom, I sold off my enlargers and other stuff a couple of years ago, with no room for a darkroom at the time, hindsight being 20/20, stupid move.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 12:58 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Kieran: Yes, KLON, love that jazz for drive time.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 12:58 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Kieran: Yes, KLON, love that jazz for drive time.
Rich F ( 64.41.17.189 ) at 12:53 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
THere is joy in PA
I got a job. Best of all I don't have to move and I transitioned from healthcare to technology. Now where did I put that Prodigy brochure??
Kieran ( 12.13.238.137 ) at 12:46 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JVC VCR's
cai: Do you have one of these JVC VCRs? Or are you just speculating? Reason I ask is: Why an RCA source? Why not an S-Video source like from my dtc-100 dtv tuner? I think the answer is that both an RCA video source and an s-video source are simply a single video feed, rather than something that the vcr's tuner can use. I suspect that for some reason, JVC vcr tuners need to be able to detect an antenna signal of some sort (be it OTA or cable). That means RF only. This is the only reason I can think of for this requirement. Otherwise hooking up an RCA source as you suggested should do the same thing. The only thing that really uses the RF input is the vcr's tuner, right?
Kieran ( 12.13.238.139 ) at 12:40 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
CD prices
Gasgeek: Do you listen to NPR? I heard the same thing on the way to work this morning on NPR. I also thought it interesting that this happened right when our own forum was discussing it!
cai ( 205.254.147.21 ) at 12:39 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Wild Bill & KPD: You can achieve the same result if instead of having an RF connection between the VCR and the TV you have an RCA video-out-VCR/video-in-TV connection between the two. The VCR definitely needs a feed going into it. That should be either the cable or over the air antenna signal or an RCA video-in signal from another source, lets say another VCR.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 12:18 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Winston: Hey dude. I'll email you later.
Gasgeek ( 204.48.23.145 ) at 12:17 PM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
CD Prices: I heard an interesting news announcement on the way into work this morning. Kind of ties in with the thread earlier this week. I'm not sure of all of the details, but I'm sure it's on the news sites somewhere. According to the radio, the FTC has ruled that the major music labels have been involved in price fixing in order to keep CD prices high. They haven't allowed retailers to lower the price even though they wanted to.
Ron H ( 63.26.205.15 ) at 11:20 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
basement?
Curtis: When we dig a basement in Houston it becomes a swimming pool.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.5 ) at 11:09 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
basement?
Robert: One quick/ dumb ? pls ... what is a "basement"? In CA they are nearly non-existant because it's more expensive to build one. The latest home improvement fad it to loft existing homes way up & put in full-sized basements. God only knows how much something like this would cost. My current place has a river under the property, so it has a small basement. My son & I are converting it to a small black & white darkroom this weekend. It's a great hobby to share together. The kid has a great eye too.
Ron H ( 63.26.205.15 ) at 11:08 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Wild Bill: 100" screen.
Ron H ( 63.26.205.15 ) at 11:06 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Wild Bill: A Dream Vision DLP with a scaler.
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 11:01 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Ron H: Great news that things are shaping up. I am green with envy!!
Robert ( 32.101.119.108 ) at 10:46 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Tony C; Pretty cool that your neighborhood Blockbuster is going to all dvd, I just hope this isn't a precursor to Priced for rent DVD, that would suck. I'm curious to see how many and what tiles are getting placed ino the store. I wonder how many catalog titles will be available and which ones. Good luck, I'm in DVD rental hell out here.
Robert ( 32.101.119.108 ) at 10:43 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Ron: I could think of worse things than having to watch the Indy 500 your 60"!! Hopefully the project goes well, I'm still trying to find time to start my basement theater !!
Wild Bill ( 63.21.91.123 ) at 10:36 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Ron H: Inquiring minds want to know! What's the choice for the big screen?
Wild Bill ( 63.21.91.123 ) at 10:35 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
KPD: Read it twice and connected it twice. If you disconnect the RF input with a JVC VCR you lose the signal. It is being routed to the TV via S-Video. That much I know for sure. But idf I disconnect the RF I lose the signal to the TV. I just tried it again AND reread the manual. The manual clearly states that the RF must be connected in addition to the S-Video or Video connection.
Ron H ( 63.26.171.40 ) at 10:27 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JBC::The HT room is starting to take shape. I cleaned up the work area and I am starting to get a feel for the size of the room. The color choices seem to change daily. The electrical and all the cable runs will be completed this weekend. I am also hoping that the sheet rock can go up on Sunday.
That will leave sheetrock sanding etc., trim work, carpeting and painting. Of course the fun part will be hooking everything up afterwoods.
I would like to have it somewhat operational by Memorial Day weekend. We have a big party at the house and watch the Iny 500. It would be cool if I could do it on the big screen. I guess the second choice of watching it on the 60" Pioneer Elite is not a real problem.
I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about this project. I will be glad when it is over so I can sleep again.
Curtis ( 63.203.69.5 ) at 9:56 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Flood
AVB: sorry to hear about your h2o troubles. When I was a teen my sisters kitten got locked in my room w/ a waterbed all day. You know the way they have razor-sharp claws? I came home to find hundreds of tiny streams flowing all over the place! My dad made ME pay to replace the carpeting!
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 9:56 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
AVB: Got a great way to start the day. Hope that, at the very least, you get some time in on your 3k6seiii!
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 9:55 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
VCRs
WildBill,KPD: Thnaks for the infor on the JVC. I am going to pick one up in the next day or so (subject to time constraints).
JBC: ( 216.94.28.170 ) at 9:54 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Good morning all...
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 9:52 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
ISF Calibration
Darian: Those figures sound like they came from Chuck, right? Is this for your RPTV? I don't usually charge a service call unless the distance exceeds 35 miles, then it's mileage. I will say that Chuck is a technician first, he knows electronics and how a video device works. He is capable of servicing and therefore knows significantly more than the average ISF tech you may be considering. He's been doing this as long as I have and long before the ISF came about. I would see what technical knowledge the other tech has as well.
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 9:43 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
JohnO: Hey John, give Tom a call, I would say $25-$50 is about right. Remember, the connectors are most of the cost and as the cable gets longer the cost gets diluted. You've got 10 connectors, at $3 each plus cost of termination time, you're probably not too far off, especially if they are high quality connectors.
Darian ( 207.172.11.148 ) at 9:25 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
ISF Calibration
Seem reasonable?
I charge $75.00 for a service call, $60.00 per hour for anything not
covered by ISF (meaning focus, convergence and geometry), and $250 for the ISF calibration. I would suggest budgeting about an hour for the non-ISF
alignments.
I was planning to pay ~$400.
The Other ISF tech has yet to get back to me. Rosenberg. Don't know if either or has the color analyzer and Rosenberg was recommended to me by ISF when I requested a tech.
JohnO ( 140.183.114.30 ) at 9:15 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
KPD: I just got an Extron switcher, what is a good place to buy an RGBHV cable (BNC) for a very short run, like 3 feet? Markertek had nothing reasonable listed (I didn't consider $50 reasonable for 3 feet).
KPD ( 207.180.0.8 ) at 9:04 AM EST Wednesday, May 10, 2000
Wild Bill: Good morning, you better read that twice, I think Kieran has a point about the RF requirement which is what I thought too when I saw your post. Once you've selected "line in" to r