HDTVs, projectors, and surround sound systems.
Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson, Home Theater HiFi
Episode 945
Scott answers some questions during this week's segment.
1) Is a large plasma a good idea? Scott says that if you're going over 65", then you're likely going to end up with an LED LCD TV. Scott generally recommends plasma because the picture quality is best, but only in a darkened room. But LCDs have gotten a lot better, even though there are limitations like less superior black levels or off axis distortion. But LCDs are best in bright, ambient rooms because they have more raw light output. What's the viewing angle? Scott says for HD, it's 30 degrees optimal.
Is LED better than LCD TV?
Episode 944
Jerry from
All of these TVs are actually LCDs. LED actually refers to the way some LCD TVs are backlit. Older LCD TVs had fluorescent bulbs backlighting the screen, which gave uneven lighting. A couple of benefits to LED is that the light can be made more pure, they last longer, and it can light the screen more evenly. The newer TVs are LED edge lit now.
Is the Panasonic Blu-ray player any good?
Episode 943
Art from
Leo says that all the Blu-ray players nowadays are pretty much the same. It's important to get one that can connect to Wi-Fi though because they do sometimes need updates. Other than that, it should be fine.
Should I get an LG or Samsung TV?
Episode 943
Pamela from
Pamela currently has a 35 year old 27" CRT TV, and is looking to buy a new HD TV. She's debating between the LG and Samsung. Leo says they both will be excellent. One thing that's important to consider is TV size. She should Google "HDTV Size Calculator" and figure out how big of a TV she should get based on how far away she will be viewing it.
Scott Wilkinson, HomeTheaterHiFi
Episode 943
Scott is back from CES where the big news was in HD TVs. There wasn't much discussion about 3D, but Scott doesn't think that means it's dead. There were some demonstrations of glasses-free 3D that was pretty interesting. The bigger story, however, was 4K TV. It was everywhere. There were 4 companies that had screens as big as 110 inches, but it would cost as much as $300,000.
Scott Wilkinson Goes to CES
Episode 941
Scott Wilkinson is packing his bags and heading to Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). CES is the largest electronics show in the United States with over 150,000 geeks in attendance. Leo's heading there as well, and says there's so much to do and see, he barely has time to sleep or even eat.
Polaroid is going to be huge at CES this year, as the tech company is making a comeback, although not necessarily with instant photography. The news is that they'll be opening print shops for mobile devices. Westinghouse is also coming back with a 110" 4K LCD.
Are there wireless speakers for my home theater?
Episode 940
Jessica from
Jessica wants to get a wireless speaker for her television. Leo says Bose makes some great speakers for this.
What's the best A/V Receiver?
Episode 940
Adam from
Adam is looking to get a new LG 5500, but it only has two HDMI ports? Leo says that budget HDTVs usually only have a couple of HDMI ports. He recommends that if you need more, to get an A/V receiver like the Onkyo 616, which includes 7 HDMI ins, and Denon makes a great one as well.
Are plasma TVs dying out?
Episode 940
Daniel from
Daniel got one of the last Pioneer Kuro Plasma HDTVs. He's thinking about getting another plasma, but is worried that they're going away. Leo says Pioneer got out, and Panasonic is having trouble. Sharp borrowed money to stay afloat. The industry isn't doing too well right now. If he's going to get one, Leo likes the Panasonic VT50. The plasma isn't out yet, but it'll likely become a niche, high end product.
Are there accessibility options on the Roku?
Episode 939
Joe from
Joe wants to know if there's a voiceover utility for Roku Boxes. Leo says that Roku doesn't have that yet. So, Leo recommends sticking with AppleTV until Roku realizes that accessibility is important.
If he likes Roku, check out Roku-Channels.com for a list of channels available on the RokuBox. There are nearly 1,500 so far, including TWiT.
