Archive for Reviews
Knockout TV Set
Posted by: | CommentsPanasonic VIERA X1 Series TC-L26X1 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Review
We replaced an 18 year old 27″ CRT set with this one and it’s a beauty. I am a TV news cameraman with thirty years in the business so I look at a lot of high end monitors at work.
When I went to the store I didn’t expect to get a great set in this size and frankly 720P didn’t excite me much either.
After looking at top tier sets from Sony, LG, Samsung, Toshiba and Mitsubishi I ended up on the Panasonic.
I was shocked at how good all the upper tier sets looked but the Panasonic seemed to have a little better detail down in the blacks and seemed to track highly detailed scenes with less digital noise than the others, but it was close accross the board.
The off air ATSC tuner is excellent and the set has all the inputs you could reasonably need. I do not intend to plug in an iPod so that wasn’t a factor in my choice.
My DVD player is older and does not pass audio through the HDMI output so I connected it to the set via the component outs and I feel no need at all to upgrade to a BlueRay player. At this size this is a wonderful combination.
My general feeling is that if you watch a lot of HDTV that is live or tape such as sports then Panasonic flat screens just seem to pull a little more quality out of the signal. For movies it is more of a level playing field.
This is pretty subjective but it’s how I see it.
It’s amazing how far your money goes in this stuff anymore.
Just a photog (Loess Hills)
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Tivo HD XL
Posted by: | CommentsTiVo TCD658000 HD XL Digital Video Recorder Review
I was just about to purchase a Tivo HD when the product announcement came out about this unit. I was a bit hesitant because of the price, buying a tivo HD with the external drive, it is cheaper. But this has a much larger capacity. I figured I would kick myself over the $200 difference eventually. So I pulled the trigger. I couldn’t be happier. Installation went without a hitch. Charter cable came in 3 days, with a M-card. Put it in and called it in. Bingo. All the channels. No problems.
Now that I have had it for a month or so it is Awesome. I never watched that much HD tv before since my old Tivo was just standard. Pretty much everything I watch is in HD now.
Finally I realize why I paid all that money for my big TV. The Tivo service is as good as ever. This is my 3rd Tivo over that last 8 years, all with lifetime and all still running well in my house. The original series one upgraded is now my kids. It is kind of fun seeing what teenagers will watch and we all enjoy a lot of it together.
The new Tivo now Knows me and is recording all kinds of suggestions. The beauty is that it is recording many many suggestions in HD. So if I can’t find something to watch that I chose I can peruse the HD section. I currently have all of my recorded shows, plus over 200 suggestions of which over 30 are in HD, and the drive isn’t close to full yet.
All in all I give it 3 thumbs up!
David Sell (Minocqua, WI USA)
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Great for Exercise
Posted by: | CommentsSennheiser PMX80 Sport Series II Behind the Head Ear Phones For Sports Review
I ask for and got these ear phones for Christmas. Couldn’t be happier! Finally I have a pair of ear phones that don’t require me to keep pushing them onto my ears or using a sweatband to keep them in contact with my ears. Great sound too…I can hear the flutist breathing! High quality for a great price.
Ron Phelps (Omaha, NE USA)
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Audio Engineering Excellence
Posted by: | CommentsSennheiser CX300-B Earbuds (Black) Review
I recently listened to music with these for 5 hours straight and got to know them well. These babies are awesome. The highs are bright, the mid-range is excellent and the low-end/bass is very good. I’m amazed they can produce sound of this quality in such a small device. Bose and Klipsch have nothing on these things. And it bares repeating, the bass is VERY GOOD – almost THX quality. Taking further into account the price of these things and we’re talking BEST BUY.
Scrutinizing Consumer (Los Angeles, CA)
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Better than I expected !!!!!
Posted by: | Comments JVC TH-G51 DVD Digital Theater System Review
I chose this model for a few of reasons : First its a reputable name, Second price range, Third was options. I needed a system that would fit into my entertainment center and one that used wireless rear speakers. The rear speakers are not completely wireless, they are wired into a router that plugs into the wall but is easy to hid and relatively discrete.
I liked the ability to input sound from the TV via HDMI or RCA jacks. The setup was simple and only took about 45 minutes even with two kids pulling at me. The wireless automatically “mates” so there is no thinking evolved it that. I was blown away by the sound !!! I had no idea what I was missing. I have a 42in Sony Bravia LCD which I consider a good TV but now I know how much sound I was not hearing. After setting the distances for each speaker (done through the menu and easy) I started hearing sounds from all around the room. Even commercials sound good now which I used to mute. Movies on DVD will blow your mind!!! The bass is better than I could ever had hoped for and the crispness of the speakers is amazing. I am soooooo glad I chose this system.
Michael L. Robino (South Carolina)
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