[Community of A/V Enthusiasts]

June 2009 Blog Posts (5)

Harmony 688 universal remote - mini review

So I lost my TV remote recently. It just disappeared. The wife and I can't find it anywhere. We have a small house, so this is all the more frustrating. Where could it be? No matter... ebay and a Harmony remote to the rescue!

The 688 arrived a few days ago, and I'm slowly getting it tweaked just right. So far, so good.

I must say, it is the easiest to set up Universal remote I've ever used. The software interface is a breeze. One can have their remote programed and running… Continue

Added by Kieran Coghlan on June 26, 2009 at 2:31pm — No Comments

Technophile / Technophobe?

Earlier this week, I flew home to LAX international airport after visiting family in northern California.

After landing, our tiny Embraer q400 turboprop taxied right past a brand-new Qantas Airbus A380... you know, the JUMBO of jumbo-jets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbus_A380

It is amazingly large. It seems to dwarf the next-largest commercial aircraft, Boeing's 747.

As we taxied past it, the fellow in the seat next to me said, "you'll never get me on… Continue

Added by Kieran Coghlan on June 25, 2009 at 6:19pm — No Comments

Why no small Cablecard displays?

I work from home which has some nice advantages, such as the ability to keep a rack of AV gear on my desk so listen to music, and I have an old 17" Samsung LCD monitor that also has a TV tuner on my desk. It's quite old, though, so it's 4:3 and lacks any digital inputs and have been looking for an affordable way to replace it with a 1080p display.

However, while Samsung and other companies make a few 23-26" 1080p displays with PC inputs and ATSC tuners, none of them have a Cablecard… Continue

Added by Chris Heinonen on June 25, 2009 at 5:58am — No Comments

Affordable System Reviews

Secrets Sound System Review Outline 06-20-09.doc

I am currently working on the first Secrets system review. The system up for review is an NAD/PSB system which includes the new NAD T587 Blu-Ray player, the NAD T 747 Surround Receiver, 5 PSB Imagine speakers and a PSB Sub Series 6i subwoofer.

I… Continue

Added by Jim Clements on June 20, 2009 at 8:36am — No Comments

This makes me see RED...

So a discussion was started with friends and compatriots about the imminent release of the new Oppo BPD-83 universal player. Discussions about hi-rez, whether audio or video, can really generate some lively debates. While it is true that a recent survey shows a 105% increase in BD disc purchases, I am not sure that BD as a medium is being accepted by the consumers fast enough for it to be crowned the “king” of all disc formats. Sure, the movies look great, and the potential for hi-rez music is… Continue

Added by Jim Milton on June 17, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments