Hard Drive DVD Recorders
December 22, 2006 by Joe Boyle · Leave a Comment
I have decided today to look at hard drive DVD recorders which are set to become the new standard of DVD recorder in 2007 and onwards or at least until something new in home theater land arrives.
So what is a Hard Drive DVD recorder?
Well that’s a good question so here’s the answer basically a Hard Drive DVD recorder is a combination hard drive and DVD recorder all in the one box. Typically they will offer a stylish finish in either silver or black and it seems the norm so far is a massive 160GB hard drive which in case you wondered is the equivalent of about 250 hours of recording time.
This set up allows you to record huge chunks of stuff and then if you decide to keep something you just wack it in the DVD recorder and make a copy simple really.
Most models allow you top pause live TV so no missing the crucial play in the [tag-tec]Superbowl[/tag-tec] when you need another beer or get caught short. Don’t forget though it doesn’t freeze time so your buddys might call you with the result before you have finished watching your [tag-tec]recording[/tag-tec].
Here are just a few Hard Drive DVD Recorders worth checking out if you have got one of these or another brand of Hard Drive DVD recorder let us know how you are getting on with it?
Tags: DVD recorder, hard drive dvd
Home Theater News 12/21/2006
December 22, 2006 by Joe Boyle · Leave a Comment
Beatles ?Love? Brings Hi-Fi To a New Generation - GizmoCafe
20 Dec 2006 at 1:02pm
[tag-ice]Beatles[/tag-ice] ?Love? Brings Hi-Fi To a New Generation
GizmoCafe, Canada - 13 hours ago
We?re seeing mass migration to [tag-tec]Home Theater[/tag-tec] In a Box …. given the full high resolution 5.1 DVD Audio treatment. …. Early reviews indicate many are sitting back and ….
Some interesting points of view from those guys at GizmoCafe but one to check out for all you beatles fans maybe Macca needs some extra cash to pay off Heather ?
Philips BDP9000 Blu-ray Player - CNET Reviews
19 Dec 2006 at 5:20pm
[tag-tec]Philips[/tag-tec] BDP9000 Blu-ray Player
CNET Reviews - Dec 19, 2006
…. Samsung BD-P1000, it has edged to almost even with HD DVD in picture …. makes it tough to recommend for anyone except the most dedicated home theater enthusiasts. ….
Unless your pocket book is burning a hole through your pants this is probably not going to worth checking out you decide?
Mr. Mondo - Salt Lake City Weekly
20 Dec 2006 at 1:10pm
Mr. Mondo
Salt Lake City Weekly, UT - 13 hours ago
…. t find a distributor and can only sell it one DVD at a …. Website promoting the film quotes lines from reviews that give …. of a two-block radius of his home on some ….
Information provided by Google and Yahoo
Tags: 5.1 DVD, Blu Ray, Paul Mccartney
Lcd v’s Plasma here’s my 10 cents worth …
December 22, 2006 by Joe Boyle · Leave a Comment
I have a view that might suprise some readers of HTF as I think comparing [tag-tec]LCD[tag-tec] with [tag-tec]Plasma[/tag-tec] is like comparing different variations of fruit and trying to make out it’s a fair comparison.
Come on I for years watched my movies on a front projection 55 inch Toshiba but when compared with my 32 inch [tag-tec]CRT[/tag-tec] Toshiba the picture quality was light years away but guess which I enjoy watching the latest action DVD on?
Why we always seem to have to compare things in home theater is sometimes a mystery when we pick things which clearly are different and try to compare them you wouldn’t try and compare a Ferrari with Chrysler Neon would you …?
So coming back to my LCD vs Plasma and which is the right choice for your home theater set up ?
These two technologies are seriously different and not different sides of the same coin as some stores might have you believe.
Here’s the technical stuff Plasma Screen TV’s use charged cells of gas plasma to create a picture they are popular and range in sizes up to a massive 7 ft for standard TV use but I expect as I am writing this some one will be launching a bigger one.
LCD on the other hand were launched as the new flat screen technology and have been around a little longer earlier models had problems with lighting a bit like my old faithfull front screen projection TV but these problems have pretty much been solved.In case you were wondering LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display but things have move on a significant amount from those first LCD calculators we first used nearly 25 years ago.
Viewing Problems with Plasma and LCD
The home theater purist believe plasma is the way to go if your budget allows for several reasons the most significant being the way black is viewed on plasma more effectively. This is primarily because an LCD uses backlight to display it’s images so there by it’s very nature has to be some excess light. New models have found ways around this problem and the top drawer compare well with plasma displays.
When it comes to image quality the LCD have it with a sharper image especially when watching action movies or action sports such as football or motor racing . In earlier models where objects move across a large block of solid color such as the quarterback throwing the football to the wide reciever or tiger hitting a golf ball up the fairway onto the green there were some problems but these are now rectified in new updates.
Budgets
Dollar for Dollar you get more screen display for your buck with Plasma providing you are looking for at least 40 inches or more. For smaller screens LCD is still cheaper and LCD technology is available for all budgets and all sizes at reasonable prices as technology has got cheaper as demand has increased. But if you want BIG go for plasma everytime.
Viewing Angles
Plasma screens have traditionally had better viewing angles than LCD screens although advances by LCD screen manufaturers have pretty much addressed this issue. Indeed many LCD screens are now better than the similar priced plasma models but at the high end plasma still rules the roost.
In my view you should check out all purchases yourself and draw your own conclusions and to help you I will be carrying out regular weekly reviews of different LCD and Plasma screens to help you make an informed choice…
In the meantime why not take some time this holiday season to check out some of the instore sets and decide which you prefer but remember you won’t be able to really appreciate these Tv’s unless you view them in your own home or home theater setup.
See you all soon
Tags: projection, technologies, Toshiba
