Hey Austin Texas Buddies? Can anyone help me out? - Page 28

Welcome to DRM-land Nils. Short answer is you're SOL if you want a digital copy of what you recorded, unless TW is nice enough to do it for you. There is a work around involving recording off the component outs, but that would be slow and involve purchasing additional hardware for a speedy PC.

And speaking of DRM-land...DIYers are about to get screwed over again http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060131-6081.html

It looks like this is what I will have to do. In the meantime, I'll order a second DVR and keep the first until I am able to transfer the files.


Well, doing some mild research it appears Vizio has received high marks for the quality of their panels and for having Faroudja DCDi processing, but that some of their electronics are sub par.

Despite being stuck in a wheelchair, I scooted back to Costco to run through some test material and to my surprise they just replaced the older Panasonic with the latest 50" model and compared to the Vizio it looks much better! Well, not entirely though. The Panny shows some very bad processing artifacts, mostly a bad case of the jaggies. Unfortunately, they were in the process of setting it up and I didn't have much time so I was unable to adjust the settings to see if I could identify and isolate the artifacts.

I really wanted to surprise Linda with a new TV and she will be in Helsinki this weekend giving me an opportunity to get it all set-up properly before she gets back.

The problem I have is two fold, one I am having trouble deciding between the Panasonic and the Vizio, and that with my busted back I am neither mobile, nor am I able to lift anything heavier than a pound.

If anyone is willing or interested to meet me at Costco on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning to re-evaluate these plasmas, and then help me install it I would be greatly appreciative!

In fact, anyone who helps out is welcome to hangout at the house with me and watch the Super Bowl in full glorious HD!

Nils, I haven't been on HTF for a while and didn't know you were in a chair. Did your back take a turn for the worse after the poker game? Why didn't you call me for help?
I'll volunteer for Saturday. BTW, on my biz trip to Japan I saw the latest at Sharp's HQ and they were the best-looking LCD's at C.E.S.
I can't imagine watching enough TV to need one box, let alone two.

Give me a call over the next couple of days.

Doc, you didn't think "they" would let it be so easy for DIY-ers did you. ;-) Where've you been lately?

Yes, I was quite the invalid all weekend. I saw the doctor again on Monday and after X-rays and consulting an orthopedic surgeon, it appears I have at least a L1-2 herniated disc.

I'm doing physical therapy sessions right now, and hoping to avoid surgery. I'll know how well I'm progressing next week.

Thanks for offering your help, and as long as I can get at least one more able body I will gladly take you up on that offer of assistance!

When I went to pick up a second unit, a sales rep for TW said that they will be soon coming out with Scientific Atlantic's Multi-Room DVR's. These models allow you to record and playback shows to and from any DVR in the house.

For the time being though I went ahead, got the second unit, and will be testing it out to be sure it works. If it does, I'm going to try something Jonathan suggested and that is to open up both cases and swap out their hard drives. If the problem with the faulty unit is not associated with the hard drive, and there aren't any technical problems associated with switching HD's, then this may very well solve my problem.

If this fails, then there is a slight chance I can use an external HD reader and transfer the files from the HD to a PC depending on what format they are in.

If that isn't possible due to incompatibility issues, then my last option is to use a PC with a HD video capture card and record the shows off the DVR.

Let's hope the first option works as that would be the easiest and fastest solution and would not likely risk compromising on the quality of the recordings!

Hi,

I am new here, but I need your help. The house I bought is about to be finished. The builder covered all speaker wires in each room and now I need a good installer to install 8-9 sets of speakers plus 2 extra sets of speakers in media room with volume control. I think if I ask local A/V company and they will charge me alot of money for those installations. Can you recommend any good installers in Austin or surrounding areas? I appreciate any tips.

Thank you,

Derek_L
Austin, TX

Next meet at Derek's house so we can geek out installing his equipment

I have not pick any audio video equipment for my media room yet. I just want to install all those speakers first and move in. Work and kids have taking alot of my time.

Unless next meet is within 2 weeks, I am hoping to get a good installer and finish those speakers first. Once we move in, there will be tons of stuff everywhere. It is tough to install speakers in each room after move in.

I appreciate your offer, Mark.


thanks,


Derek L

Derek,

You could probably get the gang on the forum to install your speakers for free, but if you want to hire someone to do it all, send Frederick Falk an email. Just find his profile here on HTF and send him a note. He's very reasonable and has installed speakers and run wiring for a number of us, myself included. If you want any acoustics work done, feel free to give me a shout.

Thank you Jonathan. I will email Frederick Falk and go from there. I will also keep you in mind. It's nice to know you can find help here on this forum.


Derek

Derek, welcome to our little corner of the forum!

Looks like you are already headed in the right direction. Keep us informed on your progress, and if you have any questions or need any help, this is the place to ask. You'll find there are some very knowledgeable, and helpful HT enthusiasts that participate in our group, as well as many other "outsiders" and lurkers.

Some have even turned their knowledge, experience, and remarkable talents into successful business opportunities.

For instance if you are still in the market for speakers, you would do yourself a disservice if you did not take an opportunity to listen to some speaker designs that Jonathan and his partner Scott Hinson have developed for their company, Mirus Audio. In addition, their acoustical room analysis is perhaps the most thorough, accurate, and economical in the central Texas area.

Look forward to meeting you some time soon, perhaps at the next HT Meet, should one materialize.

So how about that Woot-off! That has to have been the biggest Woot-off ever. Oh, and if you missed it, you might enjoy listening to the [i]"Woot-off Song"[i]... click HERE to listen to it. (starts about a minute into the pod cast)... those guys at Woot are nutts!


Here is the final product list with times, quantities, and prices:


2/16-17 Woot-off Summary

(click on product name to view details, and additional links to Woot Blog, and individual threads for product discussions)


12:00AM _600 $_30 Mystery Brand 6 Piece 100 watt Speaker Set
12:08AM _200 $_35 Monster Big Screen TV Kit
12:49AM __50 $_25 Nikko 1/14 Scale Lancer Evo High Performance R/C Car
12:57AM __20 $_50 Beyond Smart Mill & Brew Coffee Maker
01:06AM __18 $230 HP F1903 19 inch LCD Monitor
01:13AM __70 $240 Vivitar Vivicam 8.1MP Digital Camera
02:12AM __70 $__7 Cook‘s Essentials Chocolate Treat Maker
02:18AM _100 $_40 Saitek 104-Key Eclipse Keyboard - Special Night-Vision Red Edition
02:28AM __24 $190 AMW 10.2" Portable DVD Player
02:35AM __20 $_60 LG Progressive Scan DVD / Divx Player with HD Upconversion
02:42AM _110 $_50 BFG GeForce 6600 128MB PCI-Express SLI Video Card
02:49AM _200 $_60 Beyond Smart Bread Maker

07:55AM _111 $_70 Saitek A-200 Portable 2.1 Speaker System
09:15AM __30 $_80 Koolvac Robotic Vacuum
09:25AM _100 $_30 Advent ADVW791 900Mhz Wireless Headphones
09:34AM __20 $_40 George Foreman Stainless Jumbo Grill with Timer
09:41AM __20 $700 InFocus LP120 Ultra Portable DLP Projector
10:01AM _280 $_10 Sushi at Home Kit for 4
10:12AM _700 $__7 World Series of Poker Wireless Plug and Play 15-in-1 TV Game
10:31AM _200 $130 Lowrance iFinder Map & Music GPS Receiver w/MP3 Player
12:00PM _100 $_13 Creative Labs USB Bluetooth Adaptor
12:07PM __50 $_25 La Fiesta De Las Margaritas Y Fajitas
12:21PM _220 $_10 Saitek No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Poker
12:35PM __19 $_60 Salton Breadman Ultimate Dream Machine Breadmaker
12:42PM _400 $_50 Western Digital Caviar 250GB Hard Drive
12:50PM __50 $_30 Melitta 15 Bar Pump Espresso Machine
12:57PM 1200 $__1 Random Bag-o Crap
01:04PM __95 $_70 Saitek A250 Wireless 2.1 Speakers
01:17PM 1000 $__5 EA Sports Hockey and Football Game

03:39PM __20 $_50 Westinghouse Intelliblend Black Blender with LCD
03:46PM _140 $_50 Fio Digital 128MB MP3 Player Sunglasses
04:06PM _180 $__5 Saitek ST90 Collapsible USB Joystick
04:14PM __50 $240 Vivitar 8.1MP Compact Digital Camera with 2.5-in. LCD
04:25PM _120 $100 Eddie Bauer 7” Portable DVD System
04:38PM __50 $_25 Gyration ULTRA Cordless Optical Mouse
04:45PM _400 $_15 Novophone Retro Handset
05:06PM _120 $_50 Philips Progressive Scan DVD Player/VCR Combo
05:14PM __80 $_50 Technotunes 256MB MP3 Watch
05:17PM __48 $100 Gateway GMAX 5100 5.1 Speakers
05:43PM 1300 $_15 Westinghouse Black 2-Slice Wide Toaster with Toaster Box

11:55PM __75 $_60 Omnifi DMS1 Home Digital Media Streamer
12:00AM _300 $_20 Logitech Cordless Keyboard & Mouse Combo
12:09AM __25 $__8 Remote Control 1/20 Scale Race Car 2-Pack
12:15AM __55 $_60 BFG FX5700LE 128MB Overclocked AGP Video Card
12:24AM __36 $_20 Virgin Electronics Boomtube Portable Speakers
12:29AM __56 $_70 Audiovox 5.6" Portable DVD Player with Car Kit
12:36AM __15 $140 Pioneer 1000 Watt 5.1 Surround Sound System
12:43AM _350 $100 Sony Fixed IP Network Camera w/Audio
12:54AM __80 $_50 Southwestern Bell 2.4GHz Cordless Phone with 3 Handsets
02:58AM _500 $_40 Adaptec USB 2.0 MPEG-2 Video Converter

06:05AM __70 $_15 BFG MX4000 64MB AGP Video Card
06:15AM 2000 $__8 LeakFrog
07:55AM _150 $200 JVC Compact Mini DV Camcorder
08:52AM 3000 $__1 Random Crap: 2006 Calendar Edition v.2
09:49AM __55 $_25 BFG Geforce 6200 Turbo Cache PCI Express 32MB Video Card
09:56AM _105 $_25 Cooks Essentials 3-in-1 Blender, Extractor, Grinder
10:07AM _267 $_15 Saitek Mephisto Micro Chess Computer
10:20AM 1000? $_15 Westinghouse SlicerToaster

02:57PM _180 $_80 Philips DirecTV Receiver with Tivo DVR
03:31PM _400 $_30 RC Cyclone Revolution Stunt Car - 2 Pack
03:34PM _100 $260 Toshiba 15DL15 15-inch LCD Television
05:09PM __90 $_50 ViewSonic NextVision N4 Video Processor
05:22PM _410 $125 Wacom Intuos 2 Graphic Tablet
08:08PM _600 $_30 Mystery Brand 6 Piece 100 watt Speaker Set


So did anyone snatch anything up during all the mayhem?

I am in the process of becoming Mirus initiated. Debrios in Red Ribbon Mahogany all the way around in a 7.1 setup in the smallest HT room in Austin. Seriously, it's small. Once I get the last 2 from Jonathan and a little acoustical work is done anyone is welcome to come and hear them. Heck come before that even. 5 are in place already. Back ones are slated for the next week or so. Jonathan's customizing them (to point down a litle) from the back wall as my sofa is hard up against it instead of several feet away. Not very optimum, but like I said, the room is small (10x12).

At least I brought along a map...

My next projector?



This is the Samsung SP-H710AE and was developed in conjunction w/ Joe Kane Productions (of, among other things, Video Essentials fame). It received a stellar review from ProjectorCentral.com - "The H710 is designed for the home theater purist--the videophile seeking the best image quality that the budget will allow." Street price is $3-3.5k.

What do yall think?

Chad,

I'd have a very difficult time recommending the Samsung, and there are some issues that would cause me to have some real concerns.

Keep in mind that I've never seen it, nor have I heard from anyone I know or trust that has, so that on its own would keep me from recommending it personally.

However, I can see several reasons why I might not recommend it even without seeing it.

First is that Samsung currently does not have a very good performance reliability record for their displays, and this is one of their very first front projectors. That's not exactly a good recipe for consumer confidence. I'd wait at least a generation or two before investing in a Samsung projector.

The next issues I can see is that as far as I can tell there isn't anything revolutionary about the SP-H710AE, and that it appears to be using older technology including a two year old DMD chip and a four year old color wheel design.

While the DVI is HDCP compliant, DVI is quickly being phased out in preference to HDMI which will mean you'll like need to buy a HDMI-DVI adapter. No big deal, but its another sign this projector wasn't designed any time recently.

As for the Projector Central review. While I have the utmost respect for that site and the invaluable service they offer for quickly assessing projectors and their specs, I have never read a review by Bill Livolsi, nor do I even know whom he is so unlike with Evan's reviews, I do not know Bill's qualifications or reputation.

It's a solid review, but from what I can tell you would get the same results from any similarly equipped projector over the last couple years after having it properly calibrated.

If this projector was available for $2,000 or less then maybe it would be worth taking the risk on it being from Samsung, but only maybe.

To be fair though, I am currently not recommending any projector right now, at least for those looking to spend more than $2,000 and that expect to keep it for more than 2-3 years. The display industry is in the midst of some major technological advancements, including a massive shift to 1920x1080 resolution displays.

The new blue laser optical formats (HD DVD & Blu-ray) coming out in the next few weeks. Studios have already announced their plans to release vast numbers of titles in 1920x1080 on one or both of these formats, and some studios supporting Blu-ray have even committed to releasing all new video releases on Blu-ray. Unlike back in 1997 when studios only released a very small select few titles for DVD compared to VHS.

I suspect by this time next year there will be a wide choice of 1920x1080 content available, and lots of 1920x1080 display choices including a few more projectors.

If it were me, I'd spend no more than $2,000 on a new or used projector and enjoy it for a couple years, and then look at replacing it with a 1920x1080 model.

Now if your heart is set on this Samsung, by all means you should get it, and that my assessment of the Samsung is purely from what I know about Samsung and what was written in the review. I have never seen that projector, and maybe there is something uniquely special about it, or that Bill Livolsi was mistaken and that it uses technology and parts that are more current than what the review and projector central specs suggest.

Chad, if you are allowing a budget around $3,500 then you might want to consider BenQ's 8720.

It uses the latest DC3 DMD chipset and 8-segment color wheel, as well as their new Contrast Adjustment Technology, which they claim results in contrast ratios as high as 10,000:1.

The MSRP has been $10,000, but BenQ just dropped the dealer price, so I'd expect to see these available through discounters for perhaps as low as $4,000.

Chad, I agree with Nils regarding +$2,000 projectors. Major advances happening and 1080p is coming on like a fast freight train. Regarding HDMI, it's coming fast too. Toshiba inisisted on it in their first projector based on our Super Close Projeciton technology, and it's a 480p machine! It does also have the S.O. Realta chip ;-)
And yes, I'd look at the BenQ with T.I.'s latest chipset.

Nils, speaking of Woot, Wild Card from Dallas was looking to change careers, so I sent him to Woot, and now he works there! He says it's a fun, laid-back place and they're growing 7%/month. Do I see an IPO in the future?

Thanks for the feedback. You all make good points. I think I'm going to go with a proven value leader - the Panny AE900. Available for $1895 - $400 rebate plus an extra year of warranty. I can use the difference to pick up an XBOX 360 and supplies to make a poker table.

Where do you get the Panny for that price?

Maybe I need to look at upgrading from my 12SF. Anyone know what the difference between the AE900U and AE900U-EC is?

Edit: My bad, shoulda looked around a little more. Difference is the Overseas versus US. I think Nils mentioned this once in the past to me.

Before I throw the following up on Craigslist, just thought I'd see if there was any interest among the HTF'ers. PM/email me if you're interested -- I intend to be very reasonable. If this is against forum rules, please let me know and I'll remove this post.
(1) Panasonic L300U projector. <1200 hours. Excellent shape.
(2) Pronto TS1000 and charger. The LCD screen is not perfect but is very functional.

Ken, I sent you an email with the details on the AE900 offer.

Chad, Ken, and others who might be interested in the AE900, ProView Digital is offering them for $1,420 (after cash rebate) plus a rental card for Blockbuster that they say is worth up to $300. They also sell a 5-year in-home warranty for $120 or a 3-year one for $90.

There may be some better deals out there, but I thought some might be interested to know about this one.

This is off-topic, but for some it might be interesting. Costco is currently offering free hearing tests for their members. You have to call 634-2288 to make an appointment and the tests take about 30 minutes.

Well I pulled the trigger. Did the AE900 projector through Visual Apex with their free 1 year warranty extension for AVS Members (use this link). $1485 after rebate. Few more dollars, the warranty is 2 years. Hoping that in 3 years 1080P is as affordable as this one is now and black levels are even that much better.

Nils was about 3 hours too late with his post.

$1500 for a 720p machine is really tempting. I've been a hold out for a 720p DLP in an effort to get a little closer to CRT blacks, but only the Optoma H72 is anywhere close to that price (aside from the non-option BenQ and Toshiba models that blow bulbs)and the Optoma won't work in my room because of the offset. I had my eye on the new InFocus IN76, but its pre-order pricing is at full MSRP of $2999, not a good sign for the near term. Perhaps I can convince one of you to bring your new pj over for an A/B comparison with my lowly Barco sometime soon?

Not a problem here Jonathan. Definitly can accomodate the A-B test at your place.

What screen are you going to use, Ken? I am thinking about going with a Severtson HC gray from http://www.projectorpackages.com

Haven't decided yet. Figure I'd get the projector here then decide if going to a grey screen or the like is necessary. I have both a SharpVision glass beaded screen and an InFocus to pick from here. Might tweek with them first and then make a decision. If you get yours in then maybe I can see what a difference it makes?