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Multiple Screens, Video Noise, Plasma Choice
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 14, 2010  | 
Fanatic Fans
We are currently in the process of setting up a home-theater room with one projector and three 32-inch TVs, and we want to be able to watch four different sports channels at the same time. Do we need four separate cable boxes to do this, or can something else, such as some kind of matrix, solve the problem?
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Panasonic Kuro, Wireless HDMI, Dynamic Contrast
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 07, 2010  | 
Technology Migration
I was in Best Buy this morning, and one of the salespeople mentioned that Panasonic has purchased the Kuro technology from Pioneer. Is there any truth to this, and if so, is Panasonic going to use the technology in the 2010 plasmas?
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Motion Blur, Onkyo Results, Top LED-LCDs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 31, 2010  | 
Blurred Vision
Do you think motion blur on LCD TVs is still a big issue? I just watched Star Trek last night on my new LG 55LH40 and didn't notice any type of blur.
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Color Calibration, Dynamic Contrast, Best Performance
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 24, 2010  | 
Dire Need
I have an old Akai 55-inch HDTV rear-projection TV. Is there a calibration program I can download to a DVD and use to calibrate the color? It is in dire need. Other than that, it works well, and I really don't want to get a new TV as long as this one works.
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Signal Switching, Tactile Transducers, Blu-ray Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 17, 2010  | 
So Many Questions!
I am buying a new TV soon, and I'm looking at the Samsung B8000, but on Leo Laporte's radio show, you keep talking about the B8500. Is the 8500 really $500-$1000 better than the 8000? Am I going to notice the difference?
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Satellites, Subwoofers, Projector Placement
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 10, 2010  | 
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Boxes!
A satellite signal comes into your house and goes to the satellite receiver via coax, right? Why can't you connect the coax directly to an HDTV and get a high-def signal? Also, why do Dish and DirecTV advertise "full HD" when the signal is 1080i?
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Soundbar, TV Setup, Multichannel Music
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 03, 2010  | 
Ill-Advised Combo
I have a very large room with high ceilings and a loft, and I have a 5.1 system with satellite speakers. Will a Polk SurroundBar 360 work together with the speaker system I have, or does it work only by itself?
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3D Projectors, HDMI Problems, Skipping Commercials
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 24, 2010  | 
Projecting 3D
I know that this was the year of 3D displays at CES, but all of those were LCDs and plasmas. Has there been any word from projector manufacturers producing 3D-ready home-theater projectors? I'm sure the effect will be much more spectacular than any flat panel.
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Older AVR, Surround Placement, Audiophile Debate
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 17, 2010  | 
HDMI-less
My father-in-law had a home-theater system installed a couple of years ago and would like to add a Blu-ray player. He asked me to hook it up, but I'm running into a problem with his system. The receiver is a Yamaha RX-V659, which only has component-video switching. I want to avoid running a separate HDMI cable to the TV and having him switch sources on the TV and receiver separately. Will connecting a Blu-ray player via component video cause the player to downconvert copy-protected disks to 480i? Do the majority of Blu-ray titles have HDCP?
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RPTVs, Speakers, Aspect Ratios
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 10, 2010  | 
Defending RPTV
I think you're a little harsh on rear-projection HDTVs. They've changed. For instance, the 67-inch Samsung I bought last year has no lamp and no color wheel. It's lit by three LEDs that fire their color beams directly at the DLP chip. No lamp to replace, no mechanical troublemaker. Also, the picture fully retains its brightness within an arc that is realistic for most home viewing.
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RMS, HDMI, RGB
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 03, 2010  | 
More Power!
Years ago, I was told that there were several ways to rate the power output from an amplifier, but only one of those ratings was the "true" measure—RMS or continuous power. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) got into the act back in the 1970s, requiring all amps over 5 or 10 watts to be rated in RMS watts with both channels driven. That requirement was lifted in the '80s, and now when I read power output specs, I don't know if they are RMS (root mean square), IHF (Institute of High Fidelity), or something else. Could you clarify this confusion?
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Sub Size, Upscaling, Blu-ray
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 27, 2010  | 
Size Doesn't Matter—Much
What is the recommended size for a subwoofer in a room measuring 19x17 feet? How big does the sub need to be for home theater?
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AVR Video, OLED, HTIB
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 20, 2010  |  First Published: Jan 21, 2010  | 
Video Degradation
In your response to Richard Zeddun, you wrote:
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Monster HDMI, Subwoofer Connection, Blu-ray Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 02, 2009  | 
Monster on a Leash
I currently have a Samsung LN52A650 LCD TV with a Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player and a Dish Network VIP 722 DVR. Will Monster Cable's Ultra 600 HDMI cables with a speed rating of 4.95Gbps, 8-bit color, and 60Hz refresh rate be adequate with my setup?
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Color Bars, Audio Switches, TV Settings
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 18, 2009  | 
Great Idea
I have a DirecTV DVR, and I discovered that some channels display the SMPTE color bars after signing off, so I have recorded them to use when adjusting the TV's picture controls for broadcast content. The color-bar patterns I have recorded do not have 3.5 and 7.5 IRE PLUGE bars, only the 11.5 IRE bar. How do I adjust the brightness without the 3.5 and 7.5 bars?
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