HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
What should I look for in a new HDTV?
Episode 960
Eric from
Eric's TV recently died and he's in the market for a new one. He's got a house that does have bright ambient light and would cause glare. Leo says that LCD is much better for rooms with that kind of lighting.
First of all, he should know that he cannot judge a TV on any showroom floor. They've set these TVs to a mode that is very bright and will appeal to people, but it's not how he'd want to watch it at home.
Is there a TV that would provide auditory assistance for visually impaired users?
Episode 960
Richard from
Leo says he isn't sure, but is surprised that it isn't required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The chatroom says that there is a descriptive service that's like an audible closed captioning. Richard says he hasn't found a program that supports it, though. Leo says Richard needs a box that supports it and handles it directly.
Time Warner Cable Does Deal With Roku
Episode 960
Beating Apple to the punch, Roku has done a deal with Time Warner cable that will allow users to watch live cable via the Roku 3. Leo says this may be the beginning of the end having to pay for both cable and internet. We're moving to a time where cable and satellite providers will just deliver internet access and we can get the enterainment we want a la carte.
Can I connect speakers directly to my TV?
Episode 959
Ed from
He can, and it would be much better than the speakers in the TV. Leo says generally, it's better to run it through an AV receiver for balance and surround options. But Leo says that stereo is just fine for most.
Should I wait for a 4K TV?
Episode 959
Roger from
First, Roger wants to know if Leo's Sonos Playbar has a subwoofer and is self contained. Leo says it is, but it has no subwoofer. But he really doens't need one. Could it drive a wireless subwoofer? Leo says Sonos sells a separate subwoofer and its likely that it does is wireless, but it's so new, it may be an untested commodity.
Scott Wilkinson
Episode 959
Questions - Jim bought a SONY TV and thinks the sound is really bad from the speakers. He tried to hook it up to his stereo, but now he has to use two remotes to control volume/mute levels. Leo says one way to solve that issue is to use the headphone jack. Scott says that headphone jacks are disappearing. Scott says that most TVs have an analog out, but it doesn't respond to the remote control (which is stupid).
Scott Wilkinson
Episode 957
Scott has a better answer for the question last week about component and HD. Usually if you run HDMI in and component out, you end up with just SD. But there's also the HD Fury Switcher, which takes HDMI In and sends out component HD.
How can I watch DirecTV on the road?
Episode 955
Kevin from
Leo says that there's an app for that. The DirecTV app for iPhone and iPad would allow him to turn his iPhone and iPad into a mobile TV. He could log in and watch, record to his DVR, etc. It's limited right now on what people can watch, but it can be a solution.
Another solution is the SlingBox, which would enable him to watch anything from any internet connection, and they have an app as well ($29). He can watch content from his DVR, too.
Scott Wilkinson
Episode 955
Scott has become the new editor of AVS Forum. AVSForum is expanding beyond forum posts into posted content and Scott will be in charge of all articles pertaining to home theater. He's also going to be doing reviews and summaries of the best reviewed products.
Why does the internet get slow whenever I stream Netflix?
Episode 955
Dan got a new 802.11n router and when they stream Netflix at night, nobody else can use the internet because it gets too slow. Leo says this is because of his bandwidth. Netflix uses a ton of bandwidth, and after 6pm, over 40% of all internet traffic is Netflix. Dan could use a hard wired connection from the router to his PlayStation, but he only has so much bandwidth. He could pay to get more, but Netflix may just increase the picture quality if it gets more bandwidth and he'd be back to square 1.
