What is the difference with all these new DVD formats?

That's the question that a lot of people are asking. Why are the new technologies so expensive?Well a typical DVD disc can only hold 4.7 GB of information, which is why there are so many movies that offer special editions utilizing a second disc - there's not enough information to keep the resolution of the movie, and high fidelity sound at their highest output, so a second disc is required. But you can hook a DVD to practically any television.When it comes to Blu-Ray and HD DVD players they are similar in that they will both output a High Definition image from a disc, but differ in many other ways. Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs first off can hold up to 10 times more information that a typical DVD so now you can have tons of extras on a disc (commentaries, deleted scenes, games, behind the scenes, easter eggs, etc), while having up to 1080p lines of resolution and up to 8 channels of surround sound - a typical DVD can not do this.Between the two formats you will hear many people picking one over the other, I personally prefer Blu-Ray because more movie studios are backing it, and the disc has more capacity (Blu-Ray up to 50GB, HD DVD up to 25/30 GB). There will be more Blu-Ray movies, and more Blu-Ray compatible players, as well as the Playstation 3 that offers Blu-Ray as well.The price is high at the moment because it is new, as was DVD. I paid $600 for my first DVD player, and now I could walk in and get the current generation unit for $120, and other brands for $40 - $70. Blu-Ray and HD DVD will drop, technology always does. First thing you should do is get an HDTV, then decide which of the High Definition Disc formats is right for you.I hope this helped.

How do you connect more than one HDMI Cable to your tv if you only have one input for it?

I've got a PS3, Upconverting DVD Player, and an HD DVR all with HDMI, what can I do to get everything connected for best performance?


With that much high end equipment, there's a few options for you. 1 - you can purchase HDMI switching devices from your local electronics store for $100 +, which will give you 3 or more inputs and one output for the signal to the television. 2 - look into a surround sound receiver with HDMI switching - in your case because you want to use HDMI on all three devices is going to be expensive. Most receivers now have 2 HDMI inputs for under $1000. If you are looking for more, you're going to be in the $2000 + range. This will allow you to connect your devices through the receiver and have one HDMI cable go out to the Television. The other benefit to many of these is that you can run all of your components into the receiver and it will upconvert analog signals through HDMI. Say for instance you bought the Denon AVR 2307 ($800) it has upconversion. You could run your PS3 and DVD player with HDMI and your DVR with Component, then have the receiver upconvert the Component video to HDMI and you will have all of your signal coming through the TV with HDMI, and use the receiver as a switching device. 3- Use HDMI for the PS3, and Component for the DVD player and DVR. The picture quality of the DVR won't be that different from what you have now, but the upconverting DVD player will go back to progressive.The best possible outcome for you is to look into a receiver with HDMI switching - this will give you the most flexibility along with the best performance.I hope this helped.

When I turn the volume knob on my receiver up the volume display goes down? What's wrong?

If you are referring to the numbers on the display going the opposite of what you think that they should, then that is normal. That is what most amplifiers do. They show you your power in DBs as opposed to just random numbers for volume.However, if you're not referring to that, then it sounds like the amplifier itself may have been hit by a small surge/spike that could have messed up the board that controls the volume.

Other than that I can't think of anything that would cause that and I do training nationally for Denon.

What does it mean when "PROTECTION" is flashing on my Toshiba HTIB?

9 times out of 10 when you see this message on a Sony or Toshiba home theater system it has to do with the wiring of the speakers. Somewhere in the system there are wires that are either:Wires are touching somewhere.Wires may be out of phase (meaning one end of the wire is correct, and the opposite end is opposite).Speaker's and Receiver's OHMs ratings don't match. Make sure you're speakers and receivers share the same ohm rating (look for an upside down horsehoe on the back of the speakers and receiver).You could have had your system wired backwards for a long time and may not have ever known it, the system has been receiving feedback from the speakers for a long time and finally has just given itself up.

Normally when this happens its a very costly repair (typically its the main amp that needs to be replaced).Try calling Toshiba directly and ask them about resetting the system, that's about all you can really do if it is still acting up after you check all the connections.

How do I get good quality sound from my Computer to my TV and Sound System?

You've got a few options, but this depends on your computer and its capabilities as well.Depending your computer's sound card you may have an optical output for surround sound. This is on many newer computers with media capabilities. If not this is something that you can purchase for $30 - $300, depending on how much sound control you would like. What a new sound card will offer you will be sound controls, and higher quality outputs than a standard sound card (typically just a speaker output which is a headphone jack connection).If you don't want to mess with installing anything inside your computer there are numerous USB soundcards that you can get. These will connect to your computer VIA a USB connection and will give you many options for connecting to your home theater as well.Go to one of your local computer super stores, or check out amazon.com for sound cards.

Look at both USB and internal cards. The only drawback to internal is that you will have to install it inside the machine - which you may or may not be able to do. One of those stores can install it for a nominal fee as well.If you don't want to mess with anything mentioned above you can just simply connect a high quality RCA to Mini cable from your computer to your stereo. Its a cable with a headphone jack at one end and, left and right audio cables at the other.

I hope this helped.

What's the Best Receiver for Around $1100?

If you want the best bet, and highest reviewed product of the year take a look at the Denon AVR 2807. Its MSRP is $1100, but you can catch it for under $1000 any given day of the week. It was awarded best of show for audio at CES this year, also CNET gave it their audio receiver of the year award.Its a 7.1 receiver, with HDMI connectivity and passthrough (meaning if you connect an HDMI device it is compliant with HDCP and will pass the signal through - not all brands do this), has tons of inputs for any device that you may throw at it, and has a feature called Audyssey EQ which allows you to make every seat in the room a great position for surround.

You will not find a bad review on the product and if you go into any store that sells it they will 9 times out of 10 recommend it over any other product in the price range. I own one, as do many of my friends and its hard to beat.Plus if you listen to a lot of 2 channel music it has a feature called Pure Direct, which cuts off everything inside the receiver except for the amplifiers for the left and right channels and gives you amazing 2 channel sound.If you don't use the full 7.1 and only use the 5.1, you can reassign the power from the additional two channels to go to speakers elsewhere in the house, or to send more power to another set of speakers in the system through bi-amping (if your speakers have two speaker terminals on them and can handle 200 watts, then you can give them 200 watts).Also has an 8 Channel input for when the HD DVD and Blu-Ray sound formats really take off as well.

I hope this helped. Check out http://usa.denon.com and right there on the front page you will see the 2807 and its awards.

What's up with these new High Def Disc Formats - Which is better?

That's the question that a lot of people are asking. Why are the new technologies so expensive?Well a typical DVD disc can only hold 4.7 GB of information, which is why there are so many movies that offer special editions utilizing a second disc - there's not enough information to keep the resolution of the movie, and high fidelity sound at their highest output, so a second disc is required. But you can hook a DVD to practically any television.

When it comes to Blu-Ray and HD DVD players they are similar in that they will both output a High Definition image from a disc, but differ in many other ways. Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs first off can hold up to 10 times more information that a typical DVD so now you can have tons of extras on a disc (commentaries, deleted scenes, games, behind the scenes, easter eggs, etc), while having up to 1080p lines of resolution and up to 8 channels of surround sound - a typical DVD can not do this.

Between the two formats you will hear many people picking one over the other, I personally prefer Blu-Ray because more movie studios are backing it, and the disc has more capacity (Blu-Ray up to 50GB, HD DVD up to 25/30 GB). There will be more Blu-Ray movies, and more Blu-Ray compatible players, as well as the Playstation 3 that offers Blu-Ray as well.The price is high at the moment because it is new, as was DVD. I paid $600 for my first DVD player, and now I could walk in and get the current generation unit for $120, and other brands for $40 - $70. Blu-Ray and HD DVD will drop, technology always does. First thing you should do is get an HDTV, then decide which of the High Definition Disc formats is right for you.

I hope this helped.

Surround Sound Help Please!?

My TV is a Sony KD-34XBR960, I have an XBOX 360 with HD DVD player. I'm looking to get a sound system, but don't want to blow anyone away. I just want great sound for games and movies.

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Depending on what you want to spend you have quite a few options. You've got a good TV and good source with the XBOX and HD DVD add on. Option #1 - Look at a component Home Theater System - Receiver, Surround Speaker Package, and Subwoofer. With this you'll be looking around $1000 and up. Keep an eye on the adds at Best Buy and they constantly advertise the Klipsch Quintet III surround System, with Sub and Receiver for $1000. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal. The Quintet surround package is the number one selling system in the entire country and has been rated very high by pretty much everyone.Option #2 - Home Theater in A Box (HTIB). This will save you a lot of money, and will give you a complete system for a great value. You can get a pretty good system starting at $400, and a very good HTIB for $700. Look into Yamaha, Denon, and Onkyo for HTIBs as they offer quite a few. These will come with a receiver, speakers, subwoofer, and a few even come with a DVD player that you could use in another room or as a CD player. Can get 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound out of these for movies and games.Option #3 - a 2.1 Speaker system. Samsung, LG, Philips, Denon and others offer 2.1 speaker systems. These will be a receiver, 2 speakers and subwoofer that will simulate surround sound using only 2 speakers and a subwoofer. These are great for small rooms, and sound great. I've got a Denon S101 in my bedroom, and use it for my PS2, DVDs, and Satellite. The cost on these however will be similar to an HTIB.I train home theater for a living, and educate consumers as wel as sales people on how to purchase and sell Home Theater.

Looking to spend $3000, on a home theater, help with equipment please??

I'm looking at a Samsung 61", entry/mid level Onkyo receiver, and a basic Polk Audio Speaker package. Room is 200 sq ft, and I will be sitting 7 - 11 ft from my TV. Need help on products, and additional items I will need.

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It looks like you've got a good start, I'm concerned about the size of the TV for that room though - how far will you be sitting from the TV?You're on the right path with DLP and Samsung, but if you're going to be closer than 12 - 14 ft. then the 61" is going to be too large. If you're over 15 ft. then the 61" will be good, but anything under I'd look around a 50", not only will it be better for viewing distance, but it will be better for your eyes, and also will give you a better picture. As far as the receiver and speakers go, both are a good value, but for just a little more you can get quite a bit more out of a high perofmance HTIB. Take a look at the Denon DHT487. Its $699, and comes with a full speaker package equivalent to the Polk, a better receiver, and an upconverting DVD player with HDMI. It is a 7.1 receiver, but the speaker package is 5.1 (no big deal, you can add more on later if you want). Its available at Circuit City and Best Buy.Plan to spend a few hundred dollars on cables, power conditioners, mounts or stands for speakers, universal remote, etc.If you have questions feel free to email me through my profile, or check out my blog below. I do Home Theater training for a living and teach people how to purchase and connect their Home Theater Systems as well.

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If you are 7 - 11 ft. away, then the 61" is entirely too big. I would look at a 50" max. It will be a more comfortable view and also give you a better picture. Imagine how uncomfortable it is to sit too close at a movie theater - then take that and imagine that everyday at home. That's what you'll feel with that 61".A power conditioner is a surge protector with fitration in it that protects against interference from electrical components, power lines, other electronic appliances in the house etc. This will make the products perform better, and last longer.As far as the connections go, that will vary based on your Source (satellite, cable, hd or not), which receiver you go to, whether you're going to run the speaker wire in wall, mount the speakers or put them on stands, plus an antenna for AM/FM and HD reception. Once you make your decisions on the product this would be easier to decide.

Complicated HDMI connection question??

I have the LHT9654S HTS connected to a plasma via an HDMI connection. I have to leave the TV turned on to listen to a CD. LG support indicated that I don't need to have the TV turned on, but if I turn the TV off the song stops. They also indicated that an Ipod will not work with the unit because an Ipod requires software to run. Does anyone know why I have to keep my TV on and is it accurate that an Ipod will not operate on this system?

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HDMI has an additional feature built into it that allows for control, but most people are not familiar with it. HDMI transmits Digital Video, Digital Audio, Control, and Auto Formatting when compliant products are connected. Here's basically what it means. LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Samsung at this point are the main brands that support this. If you put a DVD/CD into a compliant player and have the HDMI connected to the TV then the control feature takes over - Meaning when you hit play on the DVD the TV is activated as well. There may be a menu option in your DVD player to Deactivate this, but I'm not 100% sure on being able to deactivate it.The HDMI cable is currently ahead of its time, but manufacturers haven't come up with a standard yet that all follow. I do training Nationally for Monster Cable and this has been a concern with some people. Some brands are doing one thing, and others do something else. With HDMI connected between your devices, you will more than likely have to have the TV on at all times when using a DVD or CD.Hope this helped.

What is the best Surround Receiver for around $1000?

If you want the best bet, and highest reviewed product of the year take a look at the Denon AVR 2807. Its MSRP is $1100, but you can catch it for under $1000 any given day of the week. It was awarded best of show for audio at CES this year, also CNET gave it their audio receiver of the year award.Its a 7.1 receiver, with HDMI connectivity and passthrough (meaning if you connect an HDMI device it is compliant with HDCP and will pass the signal through - not all brands do this), has tons of inputs for any device that you may throw at it, and has a feature called Audyssey EQ which allows you to make every seat in the room a great position for surround. You will not find a bad review on the product and if you go into any store that sells it they will 9 times out of 10 recommend it over any other product in the price range. I own one, as do many of my friends and its hard to beat.
Plus if you listen to a lot of 2 channel music it has a feature called Pure Direct, which cuts off everything inside the receiver except for the amplifiers for the left and right channels and gives you amazing 2 channel sound.If you don't use the full 7.1 and only use the 5.1, you can reassign the power from the additional two channels to go to speakers elsewhere in the house, or to send more power to another set of speakers in the system through bi-amping (if your speakers have two speaker terminals on them and can handle 200 watts, then you can give them 200 watts).
Also has an 8 Channel input for when the HD DVD and Blu-Ray sound formats really take off as well.I hope this helped.
Check out http://usa.denon.com/ and right there on the front page you will see the 2807 and its awards.

How do I get quality sound from my PC to my Home Theater?

You've got a few options, but this depends on your computer and its capabilities as well.Depending your computer's sound card you may have an optical output for surround sound. This is on many newer computers with media capabilities. If not this is something that you can purchase for $30 - $300, depending on how much sound control you would like. What a new sound card will offer you will be sound controls, and higher quality outputs than a standard sound card (typically just a speaker output which is a headphone jack connection).If you don't want to mess with installing anything inside your computer there are numerous USB soundcards that you can get. These will connect to your computer VIA a USB connection and will give you many options for connecting to your home theater as well.Go to one of your local computer super stores, or check out amazon.com for sound cards. Look at both USB and internal cards. The only drawback to internal is that you will have to install it inside the machine - which you may or may not be able to do. One of those stores can install it for a nominal fee as well.If you don't want to mess with anything mentioned above you can just simply connect a high quality RCA to Mini cable from your computer to your stereo. Its a cable with a headphone jack at one end and, left and right audio cables at the other.

I hope this helped.

Why is my surround sound shutting off when loud explosions or volume increases occur?

It sounds like you've got a wire issue. Meaning that somewhere you've got a wire backwards, or touching together. To fix: Check all connections and make sure that the wires match at both the receiver and the speakers - meaning that the negative is to negative, and the positive is to positive.Check to make sure that all the bare wire is wound tightly before going into the speaker wire terminals and that no bear wire is out touching. Also make sure that you haven't got more than an inch of bare wire stripped, this can also cause a problem.This happens to a lot of people, and most of the time is has to do with a wire being backwards. What happens is when the power increases - like you said for loud volumes, the system "clips" and power goes back to the receiver because wires are "out of phase" (flipped), or touching.

Hope this helps.

P.S. If it's a Sony and "Protect" is flashing it could be a bigger problem that may need repair.

How do I get better sound out of my XBOX 360 through my DVD built in sound system without an Optical Input?

When it comes to Home Theater systems with DVD players built into them, this tends to be the number one complaint. Although you don't have an optical input on the unit, you do have the analog audio inputs (Right , White ) which you can connect the XBOX 360 to. It will not produce the 5.1 surround sound that the system is capable of, but it should have a surround mode for gaming, or general purpose that will make the gaming experience more complete. If you want to enhance the sound even more check out upgrading the Audio/Video cables to Monster Game Cables from Monster Cable, they will maximize your picture and sound to its best capabilities. Also if you want more of the surround experience use the Level settings on the system to raise the level of the Surround Speakers so that there is more active sound from behind you. If it really gets down to you wanting the optical input, you can switch out the receiver, and more than likely keep the existing speakers, or switch out the speakers as well since you have the wires run through the wall. But if you do that you will either end up using the XBOX360 as your DVD player, or purchase a DVD player as well. There are some really good HTIBs out there now for under $500, one in particular from Sony, comes with an up-converting DVD player, and HDMI connectivity on the receiver for future use as well.

I'm looking to get a 5.1 receiver, but my source isn't digital, what can I do for the best sound?

If you're looking at a new receiver, all you need to do is make sure that the unit offers Dolby Pro Logic II (or IIx if its a 7.1 receiver), or DTS Neo surround capabilities. These features are specifically for listening to non digital sources and recreate a 5.1 - 7.1 experience for VHS, Cable, Satellite, whatever you connect to it. If the source is in Dolby Pro-Logic then the sound will be very good in Pro-Logic II mode. If its just a stereo signal it will still sound pretty good and give you more of an experience than a standard Dolby Pro Logic receiver, because more signal is sent to the rear speakers.

I Hope this helps.

What are some good movies to demo my system with?

It just depends on what you want to test, and if you want to just play particular scenes for demo, or if you want an entire move with effects throughout. Here's a few recommendations and what scenes are best for particular demos.1 - U571 - if you play the Depth Charge scene you will be able to test the Dynamic Range of your system. Meaning the ability to handle very quiet sounds (whispers, talking, water) at the same time hearing extremely loud booms (explosions, metal breaking, glass breaking, etc).2 - Dragonheart - for directivity. There's a scene where Draco the dragon, and Dennis Quaid's character are talking, and the Dragon flies in circles around Quaid as he talks, and you can hear the voice coming from different speakers, and the wings in different speakers.3 - 3 Doors Down Live Away from the Sun - Great for live performance, probably one of the only DVDs that were recorded in a live audience that gives you multiple aspects of sound. Can listen in DTS from the stage so you hear what the band hears, or you can listen in Dolby Digital from the crowd or the stage for another live experience. The disc also has digital music files of each song too for your ipod or computer.4 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - The Quiddich Match with the Rogue Bludger. This scene is one of the best ever for full on surround sound. There's a ton of bass from the bludger, a ton of directivity from the kids on the brooms flying around, the Snitch is awesome flying around you can actually here the wings flapping. Amazing demo.5 - King Kong - when we goes crazy in the streets. One of my favorite scenes to demo to show how sound moves around you, and changes with perspectives. If you watch the scene and pay attention to the camera angles for Kong, you will hear his breathing, and grunting move to where they should be, plus when the cars crash and things break they aren't overdone like newer movies they do a great job of keeping the sound accurate to that time period.6 - Fast and the Furious - First race with Paul Walker. Engines, Music, Tons of surround effects, sub kicking like crazy.

There's a lot more, but these are the one's that I use the most for my trainings that I do.

I've got a Pioneer 816 7.1 receiver, but I'm not getting surround sound from my Digital Cable Box.

The one drawback to digital cable boxes is that the digital coax out is normally just set to stereo output. They don't broadcast much in 5.1 except for through a fiber optic output, its actually rare to find a digital cable box with a digital coax out. My old box did and I had the same problem, when I contacted the cable company about it (Comcast) they told me that was all it provided and the Dolby Digital logo was on the box but not supported by them. But if I went to an HD Box it was. I have since switched to DirecTV, but that's another story. Off of a digital cable box, you're best best is fiber optic if available because most of the digital coax outputs are only set for stereo. You can put your 816 in Dolby Pro Logic II or IIx mode and it will simulate surround sound, but not true surround. You may want to contact your cable company about getting a box with a fiber optic output on it, that could alleviate everything.

Hope that helps.

Can't get 5.1 from my XBOX on my HTIB!

This question was posted on an answers site:
I've got an XBOX 360, and can't get 5.1 from my Panasonic HTIB because it doesn't have an optical input, what can I do? Do I need to buy a new system or what? My speaker wire is also in the wall.

My Response:

When it comes to Home Theater systems with DVD players built into them, this tends to be the number one complaint. Although you don't have an optical input on the unit, you do have the analog audio inputs (Right , White ) which you can connect the XBOX 360 to. It will not produce the 5.1 surround sound that the system is capable of, but it should have a surround mode for gaming, or general purpose that will make the gaming experience more complete. If you want to enhance the sound even more check out upgrading the Audio/Video cables to Monster Game Cables from Monster Cable, they will maximize your picture and sound to its best capabilities. Also if you want more of the surround experience use the Level settings on the system to raise the level of the Surround Speakers so that there is more active sound from behind you. If it really gets down to you wanting the optical input, you can switch out the receiver, and more than likely keep the existing speakers, or switch out the speakers as well since you have the wires run through the wall. But if you do that you will either end up using the XBOX360 as your DVD player, or purchase a DVD player as well. There are some really good HTIBs out there now for under $500, one in particular from Sony, comes with an up-converting DVD player, and HDMI connectivity on the receiver for future use as well.

How do I get my Digital Cable sound to my Bose 3-2-1, or HTIB?

This question was posted on an answers site:
How do I get the sound from my Digital Cable box to my Bose 3-2-1 system (also applicable for most any stereo)?

My Response:
There are a couple of different ways to do this, but the easiest is this:
For watching cable - on the back of your digital cable box you will have an audio output (red/white - left/right). Basically all you do there is connect that output to the input on your GS system and when you are watching anything on the cable box, the sound will then come through the GS.Your TV may have an audio output as well, if it does, then all you do is connect an audio cable from the TV audio output to the GS input and from there anything going through the TV would come out through the GS. I'm not a big fan of doing this though because if you watch your TV through Channel 3, it converts sounds to mono, even if you have a stereo TV. The best bet is to just run audio out of your sources like your cable box, VCR, etc. directly into the GS. Hope this helps.

The picture from my DVD Player is PINK! How do I fix this?

This question was posted on an answers site:
The picture from my DVD Player is PINK! How do I fix this?

My Response:
Couple of things to check:
1. If using component video, then somewhere in the mix it is very possible to have switched one of the connections by mistake, this happens a lot. Check to make sure that the plugs are where they are supposed to be, and that may fix it.2. If the cables aren't the problem then it could be the output on the DVD player is not set to match your TV - if you have a progressive scan DVD player, and your TV is not an HDTV, you may need to deactivate the progressive scan.3. Could be a bad cable. This happens as well, more so with S-Video than any other, but S-Video would probably show up in black and white.Check the cables, then check the DVD player video settings to make sure that they match your television.