Ask S&V

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Ask S&V
Plasma Screens Bigger Than 65 Inches?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 25, 2013  | 
Q Why at this time of near-perfect plasma TVs are there no sets available in the 65-to-85-inch range? I would like to consider one of the new Panasonic or Samsung models for my home theater but require a set with a screen size larger than 65 inches.—Steve Stolte / Cedar Rapids, IA
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Plasmas, Bi-Amping, Lossless Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 02, 2011  | 
Should I stay away from plasma TVs? Will bi-amping my speakers sound significantly better? Does lossless audio sound significantly better than lossy?
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Primary Colors, Bi-Amping, DVRs
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 18, 2010  |  First Published: May 19, 2010  | 
Little Blue & Little Yellow
I've heard you talk about Sharp's new RGBY color system, and it started me thinking about something. I have always thought that red, blue, and yellow are the primary colors, and these colors can create any color there is. So why do TVs use RGB?
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Projection Screens, 3D AVRs, HDMI Cables
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2010  | 
Diamonds Are a Light's Best Friend
I am installing a new home theater, starting with a Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector, and I wonder about which screen to use. I would like a 16:9 or 2.35:1 screen. The room has some ambient light, but it can be made totally dark. What do you think of the Screen Innovations Black Diamond II? I have seen some YouTube videos about it, and it really looks great, but I wonder if it's worth the high price?
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Projector Behind the Screen
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 25, 2012  | 
I have designed and framed out a dedicated home theater with a separate room for a projector to project the image onto a translucent screen to be viewed in the theater room. I spoke with both projector and screen manufacturers before construction, and I asked them which would produce a better image—traditional front projection or rear projection such as I have in mind. The answer was unanimous: rear projection would produce a better image. I realize that the market for this type of setup is much smaller than traditional front-projection because of the obvious design considerations. But there are many advantages over front-projection, primarily and most importantly a better picture as well as no projector noise or heat in the viewing area. I would love to see some discussion on this type of projection in the magazine.

Duane Clemens

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Projector Lamp Longevity
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 20, 2012  | 
Do you have any idea why the colors of an InFocus projector have turned green-blue (or rather lost red) after only 250 hours? Is this an indication of lamp aging?

Sotiris Filippakopoulos

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Projector Problems, Pixel Mapping, Power Protection
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 16, 2010  | 
Time to Upgrade
I have an InFocus LP130 projector for my home theater. I love the projector, which works great with a computer (Orb, Netflix, etc.). But when I connect a Time Warner HD cable box to the projector's M1-DA/DVI input with an HDMI cable, I get a notice on the screen saying it's not HDCP compliant. The cable box worked great with my old projector's component input. Can you suggest a way to connect the projector to my cable box, DVD player, and Wii? Do you think it's possible to use a component-to-HDMI converter?
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
PS3, Blu-ray, Mom
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 19, 2009  | 
PS3 PCM
I was getting ready to buy a new A/V receiver to take advantage of the new audio formats Blu-ray has to offer, but I found out my PS3 will not pass Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD bitstreams—instead, it decodes them to PCM internally. Will the PCM signal be as good in quality? Or do I need to buy a new Blu-ray player and receiver? Or should I buy a Blu-ray player with 7.1 analog outputs and hook that up to my existing Denon receiver's multichannel inputs? It does not have HDMI inputs.
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
PSB Image & Marantz AVR
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 16, 2011  | 
Will my new Marantz SR5005 receiver pair well with the PSB Image series speakers? When I bought the receiver, I thought I would be getting lower-end speakers, but I ended up wanting more, and I'm fairly determined to get the PSBs. (My dream speakers are the Revel Ultima2 Salon2s; maybe someday I can find a used set.) I am thinking of T6s for the front and B6s for the surrounds.

Also, I recall you saying that center channels with dual side-by-side woofers aren't ideal due to combing issues as you move off-axis. Should I still get one of the side-by-side PSB Image center channels, or can I use a third B6 bookshelf speaker as the center channel?

Shane Pluta

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Really Big Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 05, 2012  | 
We are in the process of completing the home theater. It is located in the basement, and I have complete control of the lighting. It was designed to use a projector or flat panel, but unfortunately, it seems a flat panel may be the only option.

I have discovered it is relatively easy to find LCD flat panels in sizes up to 80 inches or more, but I would prefer a plasma rather than an LCD. However, no one makes an 80-inch plasma for under $6000. Panasonic makes the TH-85PF12U and TH-85VX200U, but those are roughly $20,000 and $30,000, respectively! Does anyone make an 80- or 85-inch plasma for under $6000, and if not, why? I can't believe there is no market for this in the HT world.

Vincent A.

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Receiver Options for an Atmos 7.1.4 Setup
Al Griffin  |  Mar 28, 2016  | 
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I am in the market to buy an AV receiver with Dolby Atmos for my basement home theater. I have short-listed the Yamaha RX-A3050, Denon AVR-X5200W, and Marantz SR7010, but it appears that with each of these receivers I will need to buy an additional amplifier to run a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 configuration. Is this the case? Are there any receivers that support 7.1.4 right out of the box without requiring an external amp? —Bhaskar Vooradi / via e-mail

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Remote Viewing, Filter Cleaning, Optical Cables
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 16, 2011  | 
How do I watch content on my DVR when I'm away from home? How often should I clean my projector's air filter? Why are optical-cable prices so wide ranging?
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Repairing a Classic Woofer: Can I Replace a Rotted Foam Surround with Rubber?
Al Griffin  |  Aug 24, 2015  | 
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q The foam surround on my Velodyne f-1200 subwoofer has disintegrated. I wanted to have it repaired with a rubber surround, but the guy at the speaker repair shop advised against that. Is there any benefit to using foam instead of a rubber surround when repairing a subwoofer driver? —Pete Gibson / via e-mail

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Replacing CRT RPTV with Flat Panel
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 02, 2011  | 
I currently have a Sony KP-51HW40 51-inch CRT rear-projection HDTV. I find the picture quality stunning, with great contrast and solid blacks. Since it is a CRT-based display, I believe the black levels are better than most plasma sets. Is this correct? I ask because I'm thinking of upgrading to a 60-inch plasma, most likely the Panasonic TC-P60S30. I see from your review of the TC-P50S30 that it has what you call "reasonably good blacks" at 0.009fL. Is this black level much inferior (less black) compared with my Sony CRT? I am afraid of buying the Panasonic and having poorer blacks than what I am used to, because black level is very important to me. I am also curious about how the overall picture quality compares between both sets.

Daniel Hebert

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Restoration, BD vs. Cable, BD Soundtracks
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 12, 2009  | 
Restorative Power
When movies are restored for Blu-ray, why do some not look very good? Does it have to do with the film elements themselves? Why are some films harder to restore for Blu-ray? Are movies from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s harder to restore in high-def than films of today?
Continue Reading »

Pages