Digital audio sync problem

This is not necessarily a problem with my HTS3544, but this issue somewhat limits the use for digital audio inputs - the video signal is not synced with the digital audio. My Philips home theater has a sync setting, but I am not sure if it is only meant to be active while playing DVDs. I think that the TV should have some syncing mechanism. What's worse, it appears that the amount of correction needed changes from time to time. In my experience, the video and audio became so out of sync that I had to eventually resort to using my TV's speakers.

Philips HTS3544 home theater

And finally the quest is over! I have a home theater. Philips HTS3544! The manual is both for Philips HTS3544 and HTS3555. I have not idea what the difference between the models is. I connected the digital audio out from my TV. Bear in mind, that digital out is only possible for digital channels. This means that I get true Dolby sound for a good number of channels.

The sound is amazing. I never really care as much about sound, but this is the kind of thing that when you get it, it's difficult to go without it. My concern was that it would be too loud, but the sound is spread over all the channels, so when you close the door in the room not much of it escapes, while inside you have a real theatric experience. For $159 at Target, not bad at all! There is no hissing or anything unpleasant about the sound.


You can really watch all the movies you have with a totally different feeling. HTS3544 is also quite slim, it does not look like an antiquated piece of equipment. There is an iPod dock which can also be used for some Philips mp3 player I never heard of (GoGear). You can control the functions of the iPod and if you connect the dock to the television with a video cable you can watch pictures or videos on the screen. I actually was not able to achieve that, because I don't have a single picture on my iPod. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be possible to view iPod's menus on the TV screen.

There is an MP3 port and I was able to get excellent sound from it. The only complaint is that the button on the remote toggles between AUX and Digital In. Takes a few seconds to switch from one to the other.

There is one valuable option. You can indicate whether your TV is NTSC or multi-system. I have a bunch of PAL DVDs. My old DVD recorder (also a Philips) could play them, but the TV was unable to display them properly. A TVs problem, primarily, but very inconvenient.

I ordered a Belkin HDMI cable from Buy.com for $10. When I get it I will be able to test upconversion. I cannot emphasize it enough that you do not have to pay $40-$60 for a cable at your local BestBuy or what have you. This is just a total scam. For a short cable you don't even have to have a real brand. I got a 6 inch Belkin, so this should be just fine.

One thing I have to try is playback of DivX disks.

So far, I was unable to make my Philips universal remote to work with this home theater... I was hoping that Philips products would work together...

DAVHDX265 - no digital audio in either.

I understand how a lower model of the Bravia home theater line does not have digital in. As it turns out, DAVHDX265 does not have it either. It also makes me wonder why Costco carries the lowest model of the line, but that's a different story altogether.

Really, is it that unreasonable to expect a digital audio port in a home theater system? I could have gotten a Philips HTS3151D for $90 as an open box. I really like these Philips home theaters. But this digital in issue keeps coming up. I do not want to get something that will intimately not do the job for me.

Insignia NS-H2002 home theater

This home theater does not have a digital in, so I am not interested in it per se. But it is crazy cheap at $69. It might not be as powerful, but the my interest in it is entirely of a different sort. Suppose, one even knew that this system is prone to breaking and developing all sorts of problems. Still, wouldn't this be the case when getting an extended warranty actually be a good idea? With a product so cheap, well bellow competition, you could have it replaced if it ever broke... Insignia is a BestBuy brand, so it is probably not all that terrible after all.

DAVHDZ235 vs. Philips HTS3555

To my great dissatisfaction, it turned out that Sony Bravia DAVHDZ235 does not have a digital in. I don't know why I assumed that it would. It seems as if Philips is more digitally diligent. Their HTS3555/37 has a DTS and Dolby Digital Decoder. And the speakers are not as huge as on some other models, and the main unit is somewhat slim.
It also has a MP3 line-in and a USB port. It does upconversion to 1080i and even plays DiVx files.
BestBuy has it for $180 or something, but from the reviews (quite good, I must add) it looks like it sold for $156 at some other point.

Here is the manual to this Philips HTS3555 home theater:

DAV-HDZ235 upconversion

As it turns out, DAV-HDZ235 does upscaling to 720p/1080i. Suddenly, this model is becoming a lot more appealing :) This feature is not mentioned on a few sites where they sell this model. And Costo price is still unbeatable - about $50 below competition. Also (well, I am new to this home theater world...) it comes with a microphone. When connected and placed in the exact location where you expect to be listening to this system most of the time, it balances out the audio levels for all the speakers!

Nintendo DS Lite coupons - one sweet deal

You can't have too many Nintendo DS's in the house, really. Someone is using one, the other just got accidentally washed in the laundry... Microcenter is still running what I consider a fantastic deal on DS. Get the console for a regular price ($130) and get 2 coupons for free games worth $30 each. The first coupon is good in December, the other one - in January. I already used the first coupon - Yoshi's Island. This will be someone's Christmas present.

Sony Bravia DAVHDZ235 home theater and Sharp SH12U

Here is one thing to consider when choosing the size of your new TV. A bigger TV, especially if we're talking smaller sets, will be very likely to have more connections. I learned this the hard way. My Sharp SH12U, even though the screen size is quite sufficient for me, does not have an analog audio out jack. It only has digital audio out with Dolby or PCM. Because digital channels that I get over QAM do not have a loud enough audio signal I started looking around for a way to boost the sound. If only I had analog audio out on the TV! Like a headphone jack or something... I would have gotten a Logitech X-530 or Logitech X-540. This last one even has a 'matrix' feature that creates surround sound when there is not 5.1 source. Unfortunately, I now have to look for a more expensive (which is fine) and space-consuming (not fine!) option. Costco has a Sony Bravia DAVHDZ235 home theater for $170, but it is obviously bigger than a Logitech speaker system. All the speaker components are significantly larger and then there is the set-top box. I understand that this give you more power, but I just don't need that much power! Frustrating.

KLH SBHT 6W 6-Piece 550-Watt Micro Home Theater

KLH SBHT 6W 6-Piece 550-Watt Micro Home Theater


1 subwoofer, 2 front-channel speakers, 2 rear-channel speakers, 1 center-channel speaker, and speaker wire. This product should be available under $200!

Really cool design. It would be great to be able to turn the speakers in any direction.
I actually have a KLH TV/DVD combo and it has served me well.

Sansa e280 microSD issue

So, Sansa e280, an 8gb mp3 player with FM and video really really was only $80 at Costco for a few days! There is only one major inconvenience, as in the previous versions. When you start the device with the microSD card inserted, it has to "refresh the database" which takes up to a minute. Apparently, this problem is difficult to solve. Also, a few mp3s failed to transfer to the new Sansa, although they worked fine on the old one and still work fine on the new one from the memory card.

Sansa e280 and High Capacity SD cards

My MDA smartphone refuses to see 4gb memory cards. Apparently, I am lucky to be able to se 2gb cards... Is Sansa e280capable of using 2gb, 4gb and 8 gb micro SD cards in its expansion slots? I hope to find out soon enough!

Sansa e280, Sansa and Rhapsody, Sansa and SD

Apparently, Costco has a pretty sweet deal on Sansa e280... I really like this line even though I had a few problems with e200. Rhapsody, shipped with Sansa devices, is not the most reliable piece of software out there. I eventually switched to MusicMatch, recently rebranded by Yahoo. Even this one refused to deal with legitimately purchased songs. I still prefer having CDs and ripping them. Another annoyance is in the way Sansa works with SD cards. I don't know yet if this got fixed in e280, but the one I have takes forever to start each time under the pretext of refreshing the database - it has to read all the data on the SD card before proceeding. It is somewhat understandable, but annoying nonetheless. With 8 gb or memory using an SD card will not be such a necessity, I hope... Regardless, these Sansa devices leave the competition (read: Nano) in the dust.

Largest LCD TV in existence (from Sharp)?

I found some news articles from 2004 about Sharp developing a 65-inch Aquos - the largest LCD to date. Sure enough, three years later the model is available for purchase - LC-65D64U. Apparently, that's how long it takes. The price tag on this LCD monster is about $8,000. The largest model that Sharp has built seems to be a 108-incher. I have not idea how much it might cost.

	Features

	Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) Resolution
for the sharpest picture possible.

	10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio and 4ms1 Response Time
produces spectacular picture quality.

	Three HDMI™ (version 1.3) and Dual Component Inputs
for the ultimate in terminal flexibility. All HD inputs are compatible with 1080p sources and compatible with X.V. color for extended color gamut.

	Wide Viewing Angles (176º H x 176º V)
Sharp's AQUOS LCD TV viewing angles are so wide, you can view the TV clearly from practically anywhere in the room.

	Enhanced Black Level
provides the deepest, most accurate blacks of any flat panel TV.

	High Brightness (450 cd/m2)
AQUOS LCD Televisions are very bright. You can put them virtually anywhere – even near windows, doors or other light sources – and the picture is still vivid.

	Built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners
provide access to DTV and analog TV channels.

	AQUOS engine with ASV Technology
provides high-performance video processing for the brightest, most vivid colors and images.

Good tip for Aquos buyers

It seems as if some store like to carry the same models as everybody else, but they want their customers to be unable to compare their prices and the prices that the competition has to offer. Perhaps as a side effect or possibly even deliberately, these stores deprive customers of the ability to find reviews of the products they are planning to purchase. For instance:

It is believed that the Costco lcc3242u - 32" Aquos LCD TV, is the same model as Sharp lc32d43u. It is extremely difficult to find reviews of the Costo model, while a search for lc32d43u returns thousands of pages. Of course, this way you can also find a better price. But I would not recommend that, because Costco's warranty cannot be beaten!

MediaSmart LCDs note

After reading some reviews about the MediaSmart models I began to think that this kind of technology only works as well as your WiFi. So, I checked to see if these TVs actually have regular network jacks. They do!

WiFi in a television set? HP SL4778N , HP SL4778N

HP SL4278N 42-inch MediaSmart High-Definition 1080p LCD TV
HP SL4778N 47-inch MediaSmart High-Definition 1080p LCD TV

This LCD TV has 3 HDMI inputs, but only one Antenna/Cable in. This deeply bothers me, because it means that TV manufacturers not exactly interested in providing us with viewing options. I would much prefer using cable for analog, and antenna for digital channels. Or combine them, if possible. This may end up developing into an even more troubling tendency not to include ATSC tuners, only QAM (if that's in fact a legal possibility, given the current regulations).

But here is the cool part!

These HP LCDs have built-in WiFi. This means you can access files on your home network on on the Internet (the remote control makes it quite easy). What kind of files are we talking about?

Graphics:
Jpg, png, tif, gif

Music:
m4b, mp3, wma, wav, ogg

Audio/Video:
avi, divx, xvid, dvr-ms, mp4, mpg, wmv/asf


There is also some limited support for DRM. Basically, this sounds a lot like AppleTV, as long as you already have a computer :)

Quest for a home theater

As I wrote previously about my Sharp SH12U, the volume level is just not sufficient, and I expect that on a hot summer day the air-conditioner will likely make it very difficult for me to hear anything coming out of the television. This is especially true for QAM cable channels. Analog ones are a little louder.

A simple solution to this problem would be a home theater. Simple, but not inexpensive! And I am just not the kind of guy who needs authentic reproduction of audio in scenes "where stuff blows up." I just need something with a little more power than what my Sharp has to offer. I realize that this creates some incompatible expectations on my part. Nevertheless I will list the points that are important for me:

- under $150
- small form factor/footprint
- wireless speakers. Yes, I don't like wires. Can you blame me?
- if there is a DVD player it better be capable of upconverting to 1080i

I am still looking for this perfect combination, but because I will probably not find it, my top contender at this point is:

RCA RTD215

Official specs:

ENERGY STAR® qualified – This model consumes less than one watt in standby mode and meets the standards of the ENERGY STAR Program for energy efficiency
DVD/CD Home Theatre System – A complete package to experience DVD movies in surround sound
200 Watts Total System Power – 32 Watts x 5 with a 40 Watt Subwoofer
USB Input – Connect most mp3 players, thumbdrives and digital cameras through the front USB jack and enjoy your music or photos through the home theatre system
Multi-Format Playback – Plays DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, mp3, WMA®, VCD, SVCD and JPEG
Digital AM/FM Tuner – Tunes AM/FM stations with maximum accuracy and minimum drift
Dolby Digital® – Up to 5.1 channels with full, wide band frequency response. Five main channels are discrete & have 20Hz-20kHz frequency response
Display Type – VFD

What's missing?

I checked the manual to get some additional info.

- No HDMI, only component. Well, that's not so bad, I guess.
- No upconversion. But at least there is a progressive scan mode.
- No wireless. I'm afraid this is the feature I want the most, but it is also more expensive.

What's not necessary, but present?

The USB connection. Well, maybe that's useful, but believe it or not you can actually rip music of CDs to save it on USB devices. In my opinion this is entirely unnecessary. I'd rather see upconversion to 1080i. No such luck.

The good news is, however, that RCA apparently makes decent home theaters. Maybe one day they will have the right one for me?

Panasonic's portable GPS

Panasonic's Strada CN-GP5OU is the newest portable GPS available. 5" Widescreen LCD Monitor, GPS Assist, Bluetooth Hands-Free Calling... You can get a GPS for a lot less these days. The big plus (no pun intended) on this one is a bigger LCD screen. There is also an SD card slot. You can apparently use this device as an extremely overpriced picture frame, since it can be easily taken off the mount.

A GPS is precisely the thing that I always wanted, but it is also something I have no use for whatsoever! Regardless, it is impossible to buy one anywhere as of now. I think I will probably buy a GPS when they are below $50. Just to play with for a couple of days :)

Sharp Aquos vs. SH12U

The irony of watching commercials about television sets ON a television set never escaped me. When I see commercials about Sharp Aquos (D62U series), those TVs sure look awesome. They look awesome ON my Sharp SH12U! The quality of the picture of SH12U is so great that I honestly cannot see too many improvements when I compare the too in person. In theory, I know that Aquos should have an improved black level. In my opinion, however, Sharp already achieved pretty good levels of black on their previous models. It's just something they worked on, apparently. LCDs have a bad reputation for not having very good black levels. Supposedly they are not very good for watching movies in a dark room. This was a bit of a problem with my old ProView LCD, but SH12U simply makes it a no issue. So, I am still pretty happy with it, even though it is possible that Aquos is approaching "the look and feel" of a plasma screen TV.

Sharp SH12U

This is a 26-incher. They seem to be sold at Costco and similar places. When I compared it to a similar Westinghouse the difference in the quality was quite visible to me. I've read that Westinghouse keeps their prices low because the brand is now owned by an LCD manufacturer. Well, I did not like the quality of the LCD. At the store, while the demo HDTV signal was displayed I could see the difference in the areas that were supposed to be a certain pure color. Red, for instance. On the Westinghouse unit I could see some pixelation even when I was not standing close to the screen. I mean, it's ok. You can probably get used to it. But Sharp simply looked better. I have been reading some reviews later and it appears some of the Sharp's units are really among the best. Visually it is certainly true. I would say that there are only two nuisances about it. I don't think the speakers are loud enough. I very much dislike loud sounds, but I think that in the summer, when the air-conditioner is on, this TV will have to be set to the highest volume possible. So, it is a huge plus if you have some kind of separate sound system. Also, it takes a second or two to go from channel to channel. And it takes a few seconds to warm up when you turn on the TV. But if you are not a channel flipper you'll be just find. The good news is, however, that you can see both digital and analog channels on the same remote, so to speak. Ordinarily I would not think twice of it, but after having seen a Mintek LCD/DVD combo I appreciate this feature. On the Mintek you would have to switch constantly between digital and analog channels!

This LCD TV has a QAM, as well as a terrestrial HD tuner. This is nice, because if you have standard cable chances are that you can get all the free HDTV channels available off the air in your area.

• Screen Size: 26"
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Contrast Ratio: 1200:1
• Brightness: 450 cd/m2
• Response Time: 6ms
• Lamp Life: 2 60,000 hrs.
• Viewing Angles: 176°H x 176°V
• Tuning: NTSC/ATSC/QAM
• Stand: included
• Limited Warranty: 1 year parts, 90 days labor
• Dimensions (w x h x d) (in inches): 26-5/16 x 17-3/4 x 4-9/16 (TV only) 26-5/16 x 19-11/16 x 9-9/16 (TV and Stand)
• Weight (lbs): 25.4 (TV only), 28.4 (TV and Stand)

New distance

There is no debate whether cell phones make us more connected in a technological sense of the word. However, interpersonal connections are affected by cell phones in strange and interesting ways. Yes, it is certainly priceless to be able to get a hold of our friends and family any time, anywhere (as long as they keep their phones on and charged, darn it). But let's look at the limitations of 'cellular society', and then perhaps try to detect some signs of danger.

A typical mobile phone user knows well at what times the calls are free, where one should expect roaming charges, and with whom he or she can talk for a long time without paying a cent (i.e. people on the same network). Oddly enough, we may be able to communicate more easily with someone in a different state, as opposed to family members in the same town. We can become locked in within a certain group of people simply because we chose a specific service provider. It is no big deal for most of us, but for those who tend to talk a lot cell phones can help build relationships following a rather unnatural framework. Cellular networks are the new distance.

Text messaging, in my opinion, is a different story altogether. It is a cheaper, more democratic technology. But some troubling trends that can develop here. 'Texting' results in downgrading the level of personal connectedness between people. You cannot 'text' your true state of mind, your disposition towards the addressee. The possibilities for misinterpretation are also enormous. One can spend hours waiting for a reply, while being fully aware that no other mode of communication is possible for any number of reasons. The obvious objection can be that this is no different from email. The difference, however, is in the fact that computers occupy only specific locations in the spatial make-up of our individual lives. We can step away from them. Text messaging devices become attached to us and this causes them to have a greater affect upon us. We are more likely to put on a mask, to create a separate persona while texting than at any other time.

Cell phones are ushering in a new world of interpersonal relations, but this world is not going to be intrinsically more cohesive and transparent. There will also be new opportunities for compartmentalizing of individuals and wide-spread dystopia in the society.

Cell phones in restaurants?

People should be discouraged from using cell-phones in restaurants that find it inappropriate to have their patrons needlessly disturbed. I am far from suggesting a complete ban. Rather it seems as if establishments should make their own choices. I know a couple of restaurants where the atmosphere is such that one could care less (and it is so noisy there that you could not use a phone anyway). In fact, it would not be such a bad idea to have cell-phone licenses issued to restaurants. This would indicate that noise pollution and additional high-tech nuisances often associated with mobile phones are generally not welcome in certain public areas.

There is also another, more important issue. By making a choice about the use of cell-phones in locations typically understood as safe havens of human existence, we are preparing ourselves for other decisions that will be dealing with technologies that have not yet fully evolved. If mobile phones are primarily 'hated' as agents of sonic and social distraction, imagine how much worse things will become when popular personal devices allow one to project a 40-inch holographic videophone screen from a pen-size device.

Our ancestors in their wisdom decided that when gentlemen go inside, their horses must stay outside. By getting it right with cell phones we save ourselves some trouble in the future.

Official TV

As it stands now, if I am not mistaken, Sony is the official TV of NFL, and Sharp is the official TV of MLB. What should one choose? I am partial to both sports. Baseball, however, lasts longer. Sounds like a better investment.

new TV or a vacation?

Here is one way to look at it. A new LCD TV will last for years. A vacation will only last a week or so.

Here is another way to look at it. A good LCD TV will last many years. A good vacation will last forever...

LCD myth confirmed

I just realized the reason why my TV died two months before the two-year Costco warranty was due to expires. It is often thought that home appliances and electronic devices, LCD TVs not excluding, are programmed to die after two years of service. The trick is that I got mine as a floor model, so it probably had worked for a few months prior to its demise. So, I consider the myth about cheap LCD TVs confirmed. It's too bad those floor models are not so easy to snatch!

My cheap LCD story

This is totally inspirational and uplifting. At the time when cheap LCD TVs are getting cheaper and cheaper it appears as if I was able to snatch the ultimate cheap TV. A free one. That's right. Zero dollars. The downside is that I had to return it. Well, here is what happened. Almost two years ago I got a little 19" Proview LCD. It did not even have a HDTV tuner, which was eventually rectified through the purchase of a Samsung DirecTV receiver. I got this unit at Costco for about $300. You'll say that it's not free? OK. Two weeks ago the thing broke down during a baseball game. The big question at the time was how much I'd have to pay the city hall to have it removed. Surprise! As it turned out, Costco extends manufacturer warranty on TVs up to 2 years! I was able to return the unit for full refund. That's what it means to have owned a real cheap LCD TV for almost two years!