AV Adviser

4K so much better than 3D

My dislike of 3D is evident if you read my blog with any regularity.  I feel as if the technology was pushed to market too soon and forced down the consumers throats.  And it looks like the consumers have simply spit  the format out, rejecting it for good reason.  Active or passive glasses, wearing glasses at all and little in the way of content, what's to like about 3D?

I'll give you a new technology that absolutely trumps 3D.  It's called 4K resolution.  In simplest terms it's more high def than high def.  It offers a picture that is staggeringly stunning. 

CNET offers us a primer on 4K, What is 4K? Next-generation resolution explained.  It's the next video technology I'm really excited about.  Granted, it'll take a number of hurdles before it makes sense in our homes but let's see the powers that be get behind this instead of wasting their time with 3D. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

CNET's End Of The Year List Show

It used to be you'd subscribe to Consumer Reports or go to the library to look at an issue when you were in the market for a big ticket item.  You'd want to see how they rated models in a certain category, be it a car or a stereo receiver.  Nowadays CNET has taken the place of Consumer Reports, at least when it comes to consumer electronics. 

That's why this end of the year special show from CNET's Buzz Out Loud is worthwhile viewing.  It's a great way to see what was a hit and what was a miss in 2011. 

Follow Up On TV Calibration

Last week I wrote a story on calibrating your new TV set.  Coincidentally Andrew Robinson of Home Theater Review had written a story on the same topic recently. 

He followed his story up with a  piece I thought I'd share because it addresses some issues I didn't mention.  The story notes that instead of new TVs having their brightness set too high out of the box, they are often times too low.  It's something called eco-mode.  The bottom line is that neither is a good setting and some accurate tweaking to your picture should be done.

Here's the story from Home Theater Review, How To Avoid Being Torched By Eco-Mode On Your New HDTV.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Why Do People Like A TV Picture That's Unnatural

When you get a new TV chances are the picture is not set properly.  often times the manufacturer cranks up the brightness and pushes the red a bit higher than it should be.  This is so that the TV draws attention on a sales floor crowded with other TVs.  Look at me, look at me, it cries.

Sometimes the owner of the new TV will simply leave it like it is, perhaps out of ignorance.  Maybe to their mind it looks fine.  At the very least you should turn the brightness down so as to give the TV a longer life expectancy.  It's hard work for a pixel to shine like that and it can lead to a premature death. 

That still doesn't address the fact that many folks like their TV picture to look unnatural.  They go into the video settings on the TV menu and make adjustments simply based on what looks good to them.  When they're done, often times, the color is still too saturated.  Reds seem to glow on the screen.  That's not the real world. 

So why do people like to watch TV through rose colored glasses?  I really have no explanation other than TV is a sort of escapism from the real world so why not make the picture look unreal. 

There are four ways to adjust your TV picture, the first of which is to make settings based on what you see as I just mentioned.  You can buy a DVD or Blu-ray disc such as Video Essentials or Disney's World Of Wonder disc.  On them you'll find patterns and demo scenes from which you make adjustments.  

If you've spent over $10,000 on a home theater you might want to hire a professional who will calibrate your TV using expensive equipment that attaches to your TV, taking color temperatures and then going into buried factory menus to make very accurate adjustments.  Do not attempt this type of thing yourself.  You can permanently damage your TV. 

Or you can do what I did and use the website Tweak TV.  Simply find your make and model and it'll give you settings based on field studies from professionals who've calibrated your specific TV. 

Often, when the calibration is complete, the owner will look at the picture and claim that it looks dull.  True, it looks dull compared to the unnatural picture they're accustomed to but look at it critically.  It looks natural, like real life. 

When I installed my new AV receiver last week I was taken aback by the realistic quality of my TV picture.  I'd made my TV adjustments long ago but with the added internal processing of the receiver the picture became even more life-like.

It takes some getting used to but after awhile you'll realize just how beautiful and realistic a TV image can be.  My son is already tired of me continually commenting, "look at that amazing picture!".

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Epson's Perfect Projector For Portability

Epson has introduced the Megaplex - MG850HD Projector, a relatively inexpensive piece of magic made for these times.  What makes it great is the iDock, enabling you to plug in your iPhone or iPad and either watch movies stored on those devices or stream Netflix. 

Like any projector, you can blow the screen up to massive sizes, say, 10 feet.  Having a portable screen that size is another thing.  I suspect the Epson MG-850 will be projected onto many a white wall in dorms, basements and sides of houses.  It's not the videophile way to go but with this projector it's about the portability as I say.  And at 720P and not 1080P, when you watch it on a massive size the image won't be perfect but that's not what you should expect for $799. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Sony Introduces Personal 3D, HD Viewing

Remember in the late '80s when talk of virtual reality was all the rage.  We were told we'd be wearing headset viewers that would present us a virtual world in which we could do most anything.  Turn to the right and the virtual view would change, turn to the left and see another view of the artificial environment.  It sounded mind blowing.  It never materialized though, at least not in any mass consumer or realistic way. 

Sony is introducing something similar though much more passive.  In fact it simply involves watching video.  It's similar in that you'll be viewing through the same sort of headsets the VR people were touting.  Call it your personal 3D HDTV.  Sony calls it the Personal 3D Viewer.  Here's the story from The new York Times, It’s 3-D, High Definition and in Your Face.

I've been a doubting Thomas about the 3D TV and its use in the home.  Everyone having to wear glasses and having to sit close to the center viewing axis isn't practical or inviting.  This technology, on the other hand, has my interest piqued.  Yes, now you'll have to wear something even bulkier on your head but, hey, you can even lie down and watch. 

I've always loved View Master and even began re-collecting viewers and reels on eBay awhile back.  Looking at those Batman TV series still shots in 3D was magical for me.  Julie Nemar in 3D, purrrrrr.  Now I'm envisioning watching the whole episode in 3D and HD to boot. 

There's a problem though.  Since 3D has not caught on the way the industry was wishing and hoping there's a lack of content.  Is it worth buying this $799 3D personal visor with only limited viewing options.  It's certainly a catch-22 for Sony. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Consumer Electronics Are Part Of Our Throwaway Society

I didn't make the rule and as an environmentalist I'm not thrilled that consumer electronics have become throwaway items.  It's not a hard and fast rule so let's look at what qualifies to be pitched and what's worth repairing. 

Investing in high end audio equipment from companies like McIntosh, Krell or Linn, where your spending thousands of dollars per component, means you're going to have a malfunctioning piece of equipment repaired.  As I've said, some of this equipment has little depreciation so it makes perfect sense to have it fixed. 

Unfortunately that's not the case for expensive TVs.  If your TV is upwards of ten years old and goes on the fritz the likelihood that it makes sense to repair it is slim.  Manufacturers don't make replacement parts after so many years and most repair companies won't work on TVs that are eight years old or more. Besides, the labor cost can add up to a bill in the hundreds of dollars.  That'll be even higher if it involves two men coming to your home to cart away the TV.  And then, once it's repaired you'll have a limited 30 day warranty.  The good news is that electronic prices tend to drop while the quality rises.  You'll be much better off buying a new TV with a long warranty and a better picture. 

The same goes for middle of the road audio and video gear.  You may have paid $800 for an AV receiver but typically you'll be looking at a repair bill around $300.  Again, with that 30 day warranty.  It makes more sense to spring for a new receiver that may have worthwhile features your old one lacked. 

Someone asked me yesterday about a six year old Marantz remote.  It's the kind of remote that controls the entire system.  He said he needed to get it repaired.  I explained to him that it won't be worth it.  The remote probably cost around $300.  The repair bill will be at least half as much.  A new remote will work better due to technological advances.  Unfortunately he'll also need someone to program the new remote and there's the learning curve in having to use a new device. 

Inevitably you hear the stories about the TV someone has had for 25 years and it still works great.  Good for them.  I hope they enjoy watching HD programming in 4:3 aspect ratio, in standard definition through a set top digital tuner box. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Oppo's BDP-93 Disc Player Does It All

Last week someone asked me what Blu-ray player he should buy.  He had some strict criteria which made the choice obvious. 

He wanted a 3D Blu-ray player for one.  Though he doesn't plan on watching too much 3D there were a few titles that were on his list.  Anyway, since his new TV had 3D built-in it made sense to spring for a 3D Blu-ray player.

Of course he wanted the product to play DVD and CD.  All Blu-ray players offer that capability.  Being a big music fan he also wanted the player to be able to handle the niche formats of SACD and DVD-A. 

Though DVD-A is nearly dead and SACD is only appreciated amongst a hardcore fanbase here in the U.S. he wanted a player that had them built-in as well.  He has a decent library of these high res music discs.

Luckily there's one brand that realizes the needs of such discerning music and video geeks.  That would be Oppo's BDP-93.  Oppo is a relative unknown name to most consumers as they aren't carried in big box stores or most any store for that matter.  No problem.  You can buy their equipment directly from their website. 

At $499 it's not cheap but it is their entry level unit.  The BDP-95 runs $999.  That'll make the 93 seem more tolerable. 

Debating HDMI vs. Component Video? That Battle Is Over

The convergence of the computer and home entertainment has done some wonderful things.  I've been watching the two merge for over a decade now.  In that time I've learned much about computers and the internet.  Not enough to consider myself an expert to write about it, though apparently there's plenty of computer people who now feel they can write about audio and video. Do yourself a favor and don't put too much credence in what these computer people have to say about consumer electronics. 

I've read reviews regarding speakers and TVs that are so off the mark as to make me cringe.  This new breed of uninformed expert will rave about mediocre video and scoff at spending more than $500 on a pair of speakers. 

The latest is a story from PC World, HDMI vs. Component Video.  Huh?  This battle is over and HDMI is the winner.  And I'm saying this as a fan of component video. 

I railed against the problems of HDMI three years ago.  The poor connection and glitches in "handshake" between pieces of equipment were just two of the complaints.  

What really has me scratching my head is why this writer even considers component video when there's a clear push toward the analog sunset of which I just wrote about again earlier this month, The Analog Sunset Still On Course, Where's The Outrage.  To suggest that consumers continue to use component video cables or choose them over HDMI is just bad advice and will cost that consumer more money in the long run.   

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John hannibal

Star Wars: The Complete Saga On Blu-ray, May The Hype Be With You

There's plenty of geeks who've got September 16 circled on their calendars I can assure you.  That's the day that Star Wars: The Complete Saga, on Blu-ray, arrives from a galaxy far, far away. It's a nine disc set and pre-order sale priced on Amazon for $90.  Not a bad deal. 

I'm very curious to see what sort of flaws the high definition video and superior audio track will reveal.  Rob Lowe, in his new auto-biography, tells of his chance encounter with the making of the first Star War film.  It was a dingy warehouse in Los Angeles where tables were set up with elaborate models built upon them.  Cameras were suspended above to shoot the models.  Remember this was the mid 1970s when there was no computer-generated imagery (CGI).  Surely Blu-ray will make the sets look somewhat laughable.

Not so fast.  The films are being polished up at Lucasfilm headquarters.  Here's some insight into what was involved in readying them for Blu-ray and how they look from Big Picture Big Sound, Hands-On at Lucasfilm with the Star Wars Complete Saga Blu-ray.

This box set is going to be a hot seller for the holidays.  May I suggest going a step further and making sure your home theater system is ready to show the Star Wars adventures in all their glory. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal