I was contacted by a woman who had decided to make an addition to her home in Connecticut and wanted to install a home theater system for her family to enjoy.
She had already made a trip to the local chain electronics retailer and had just about placed her order when she decided to seek my opinion on the products that she had been 'advised' to buy.
I have nothing against these kinds of stores, but I highly recommend that consumers do their research before they go and by as if you know what you're looking for prior to going in, you haven't left your fate to the wind.. or in this case, a retailer who may be keen on a good commission.
I actually have an experience of an employee getting upset with me because I did my research prior to helping a friend buy a DVD player... UP-SET! Of course, we were both like, 'Whatever. Get over it. Wrap it up'.
Anyway, the client emailed me the list of items she was purchasing from the 'Preeminent Purchase' place and I went to work researching her choices.
HDTV
First up on her list is the Pioneer KURO PDP 4280 Plasma Flat Panel Television.
She had already made a trip to the local chain electronics retailer and had just about placed her order when she decided to seek my opinion on the products that she had been 'advised' to buy.
I have nothing against these kinds of stores, but I highly recommend that consumers do their research before they go and by as if you know what you're looking for prior to going in, you haven't left your fate to the wind.. or in this case, a retailer who may be keen on a good commission.
I actually have an experience of an employee getting upset with me because I did my research prior to helping a friend buy a DVD player... UP-SET! Of course, we were both like, 'Whatever. Get over it. Wrap it up'.
Anyway, the client emailed me the list of items she was purchasing from the 'Preeminent Purchase' place and I went to work researching her choices.
HDTV
First up on her list is the Pioneer KURO PDP 4280 Plasma Flat Panel Television.
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Specifications include:
Fully Integrated ATSC and Dual NTSC Tuners /again below.
Built-In CableCard™ Slot
TV Guide On Screen Interactive Guide
Advanced Picture-In-Picture
New 17 Watt Stereo Digital Amplifier w/TruBass 2-way Stereo Speakers & SRS® WOW / FOCUS / TruBass Surround Sound Audio
Fully Integrated ATSC and Dual NTSC Tuners /again below.
Built-In CableCard™ Slot
TV Guide On Screen Interactive Guide
Advanced Picture-In-Picture
New 17 Watt Stereo Digital Amplifier w/TruBass 2-way Stereo Speakers & SRS® WOW / FOCUS / TruBass Surround Sound Audio
Definitions:
'720p is the shorthand name for a category of HDTV video modes. The number 720 stands for 720 lines of vertical display resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced. When broadcast at 60 frames per second, 720p features the highest temporal (motion) resolution possible under the ATSC standard. Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by filtering out fine details, so spatial (sharpness) resolution is much closer to 1080i than the number of scan lines would suggest' - avsforum.com
'ATSC Standards document a digital television format intended to replace (in the United States) the analog NTSC television system (NTSC is used mostly in North America and Japan) by 2009. The high definition television standards defined by the ATSC produce wide screen 16:9 images up to 1920×1080 pixels in size (1080p) and theater quality audio.' - atsc.org
There's was not much info available on the Pioneer PDP 4280 except that this is a new line of Plasma's that's eagerly been awaited. It seems that the Pioneer PRO line has received excellent reviews, but they are pricey. The biggest differences appear to be resolution and at this price point, I believe that 720p is good enough. However the high contrast ratio of the PDP 4280 (20,000 to 1) is a definite plus. So here I think she made a good decision.
Next up..
The retailer recommended the my client purchase the BDP 94 HD Blu-Ray DVD Player.
'720p is the shorthand name for a category of HDTV video modes. The number 720 stands for 720 lines of vertical display resolution, while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced. When broadcast at 60 frames per second, 720p features the highest temporal (motion) resolution possible under the ATSC standard. Progressive scanning reduces the need to prevent flicker by filtering out fine details, so spatial (sharpness) resolution is much closer to 1080i than the number of scan lines would suggest' - avsforum.com
'ATSC Standards document a digital television format intended to replace (in the United States) the analog NTSC television system (NTSC is used mostly in North America and Japan) by 2009. The high definition television standards defined by the ATSC produce wide screen 16:9 images up to 1920×1080 pixels in size (1080p) and theater quality audio.' - atsc.org
There's was not much info available on the Pioneer PDP 4280 except that this is a new line of Plasma's that's eagerly been awaited. It seems that the Pioneer PRO line has received excellent reviews, but they are pricey. The biggest differences appear to be resolution and at this price point, I believe that 720p is good enough. However the high contrast ratio of the PDP 4280 (20,000 to 1) is a definite plus. So here I think she made a good decision.
Next up..
The retailer recommended the my client purchase the BDP 94 HD Blu-Ray DVD Player.
Specifications include:
- Up to 1920 x 1080p Resolution /there's that 1080p again.
- High Definition Audio Multi-channel Dolby Digital, Dolby® Digital Plus and DTS®
- Surround sound processing and multi-Format Compatibility
- Compatibility with BDROM, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and CD media.
From what I've read of the BDP 94 HD Blu-Ray, it appears to be an upgrade from the HD1 from last year which didn't get very good reviews. CNet.com gave the HD1 a 6.5 out of 10 back in February.
"...its Pioneer Elite BDP-94HD Blu-ray player that’ll be shipping this month but is curiously devoid of new features. In fact, it’s not even going for the latest HDMI 1.3 connection, still sporting that old and less-colorful HDMI 1.2 port that we’ve grown to know and love. " - CrunchGear.com
Interestingly enough it seems that there has been a format war raging between Blu-Ray and HD DVD which are both high-density optical disc format for the storage of digital information, including high-definition video. Blu-Ray was developed by an association of companies including Sony, Philips, LG, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung and Pioneer while HD DVD was co-developed by Toshiba and NEC. There's a whole interesting history of this battle that can be found on Wikipedia.
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I initially thought that Blu-Ray would will win this format war as Target had not to long ago announced their support of the format, but then Paramount Studios not to long after announced their support of the rival HD DVD. Unfortunately, as the corporations battle this out, the biggest loser is the consumer.
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10/10/2009 - Update:
The NYTimes.com has an informative article on this format war.
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: War without end (via CNet)
Either way, it appears that there still aren't any really good HD or Blu-Ray players out on the market as yet. /with the exception of the Playstation 3 (CNet awarded the Sony game console an 8.8 out of 10..)
There are Blu-Ray / HD-DVD combination players that are ready to hit the market from LG that has received so so reviews thus far as well as a Samsung player that looks promising.
There are Blu-Ray / HD-DVD combination players that are ready to hit the market from LG that has received so so reviews thus far as well as a Samsung player that looks promising.
However, with what I found out I couldn't honestly recommend the Pioneer Blu-Ray DVD Player with the information that I'd found.
Although, I like the idea of having an HD player, the cost and lack of good reviews keeps me waiting. I told her that she should opt for a player that upconverts instead from a brand such as Oppo.
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CNet.com gave the Oppo DV-981HD an 8.3 out of 10.
Furthermore, I believe that this is a case of waiting for the tech to get better and the prices to get lower as they've already started to do.
Last up..
Sound.
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In this case my client opted to go with the Pioneer VSX-91TXH (pictured at the top with the BDP 94 HD Blu-Ray DVD player). This audio/visual amplifier has 110 Watts x 7 channels surround and 110 Watts x 2 stereo power and supports Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS Express, DTS-ES, Dolby(R) Digital EX, Dolby(R) Digital 5.1, DTS 96/24, DTS(R) 5.1, Dolby Pro-Logic IIx and a iPod Music dock. While pricey, this system is a very good choice. CNet awarded the VSX-91TXH a 7.9 out of 10.
'The Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH AV receiver delivers excellent audio quality and a host of cutting-edge features, but competing models offer even better values at this price point.' - CNet.com
To carry the sound she will be purchasing the Acoustimass® 16 Series II home entertainment speaker system by Bose. Although I have a dislike for anything proprietary.. she will have to use Bose accessories (i.e. speaker wire), this is also an excellent speaker system for high home entertainment enjoyability.
'Choosing a speaker system (rather than mixing and matching components) takes the guesswork out of making sure you have voice-matched speakers. Matched speakers in a home theater system will result in a more seamless, believable, and enveloping sound experience.' - CNet
This client did not mind spending the extra cash to get a moderately premium home theater system. While a package could have been had for less, in this case she is rest assured of the quality these items will provide her. In any tech shopping experience, we have to consider what we are willing to spend. Some audio/visual-philes would have been willing to spend much, much more for a pure home theater experience. But as far as a price point, everything is relative.
Recommended:
Pioneer KURO PDP 4280 -$1,727 to $2,700
Pioneer Elite VSX-91TXH - $729
Acoustimass® 16 Series II home entertainment speaker system by Bose - $1,299
*Oppo DV-981HD - $229 (Optional)
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Not recommended:
Pioneer BDP 94 HD Blu-Ray - $818 to $1,000
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