Scott Wilkinson

Sweepstakes
Oppo BDP-93 Disc Player Sweepstakes
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 01, 2011
We're giving away an Oppo BDP-93, valued at $499, which is widely considered to be among the finest disc players available today at any price. If you've been drooling over Oppo's new universal disc players—and let's face it, who among our readers hasn't?—here's your chance to snag one for free in our latest sweepstakes!

[This sweepstakes is now closed.]

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Vote
What Is Your Favorite Video-Streaming Source?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 29, 2011
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Projector Reviews
Optoma HD20 DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 29, 2011
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $999 At A Glance: Excellent detail & color via HDMI • Poor blacks & shadow detail • No lens shift • Excellent user interface

In some respects, the Optoma HD20 is an exceptional value, providing a razor-sharp 1080p image for just about as little money as any projector I know of. It's overall detail and color are excellent via HDMI, and it offers extensive controls, surprisingly advanced features, and a well-organized user interface. However, the lack of lens shift makes placement difficult without invoking the keystone control that can degrade the detail a lot. And even if you solve that problem, the shadow detail is poor, which causes dark scenes have large areas of solid darkness rather than subtle low-level details. Finally, at the largest image size I could manage in our studio given the lack of lens shift, the black level was quite high, which means the black of space was dark gray and letterbox bars were obvious. For better performance in this critical area, a larger image is a must.

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Projector Reviews
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 LCD Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 29, 2011
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1299 At A Glance: Good detail & shadow detail • Vivid colors • Not-so-great blacks • Excellent user interface

I've always liked Epson projectors—they generally produce an excellent picture for a reasonable price, which makes them a great value. The PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 is no exception, though it's not quite the home run that Epson's UB (ultra-black) models are. In fact, my primary complaint with the 8350 is its not-so-great blacks, which isn't helped much by the dynamic iris on real-world material. Granted, its blacks are better than those of the Optoma HD20, but they're still too bright to achieve a really great picture, especially in dark scenes. Also, colors are not spot-on accurate with this Epson, though I didn't find that bothersome when watching Blu-rays, DVDs, and TV programming. Another surprise—despite color fringing and softness I saw in certain test patterns, the detail in real-world content was quite good, if just a tad softer than the DLP-based HD20.

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Audio Video News
Panasonic Unveils PT-AE7000U 3D LCD Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 28, 2011
Panasonic today introduced its first 3D projector, the PT-AE7000U, to a select group of journalists from around the world at Panasonic Hollywood Labs, the company's R&D facility in Universal City, CA. Representing the tenth generation of the AE series, the AE7000U continues Panasonic's tradition of collaboration with professional cinematographers to tune the projector so it accurately reproduces the color and other picture parameters they intend for their material.
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Ask S&V
TosLink Switcher
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2011
I bought a new TV based on your suggestions, but I found a problem when hooking it up. I have a Yamaha receiver that has only two TosLink optical digital-audio inputs and one coax. But in order to hook up my computer, I need a third optical input. Can you recommend a TosLink switcher?

Brad McQuade

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 74: Gene Dolgoff
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 26, 2011
One of Home Theater Geeks' most requested return guests, Gene Dolgoff, talks about his invention of digital projection and its benefits over CRT, including much greater brightness and efficiency. He also explains his more recent work on advanced 3D compression algorithms that can transmit full 1080p resolution for each eye using the standard broadcast bandwidth and discusses the problems inherent with current 3D technology, ending with a tantalizing glance at the possibility of using holography for next-gen 3D displays.

Run Time: 1:00:19

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Ask S&V
High Def to Older HDTV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 26, 2011
I bought a new Sony Blu-ray player with an HDMI output that I want to connect to an older Mitsubishi HDTV that only has component and composite inputs. I've seen HDMI-to-component converters on the Internet, but will they improve the picture quality over just staying with the Blu-ray component outputs?

Joseph Bernard

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Ask S&V
LED Backlighting vs. Edgelighting
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 25, 2011
Okay, I am now in the grip of Scott terror! I have a wonderful opportunity to buy several televisions for my home, and I have listened to your moments with Leo Laporte (which are just the best!) and read what you've written. As I see it, your recommendation is first plasma (if conditions permit) and second LED LCD. But I'm not sure if you prefer LEDs around the edges of the screen or full LED backlighting.

Herman Tarnow

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 73: Gregg Loewen & Michael Chen
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 25, 2011
Gregg Loewen and Michael Chen, well-known video calibrators and instructors of the THX video-calibration course, talk about teaching the THX course in China, the importance of setting a TV's basic picture controls, the problem of calibrating for a broadcast source such as satellite or cable, the ups and downs of color-management systems, different types of calibration meters, the importance of educating calibration clients, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:00:06

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