IMO, Crime Story is one of the greatest TV series of all time. Moves from Chicago to '60s Vegas with changing "looks" consistent with the style of its producer Michael Mann. Plus, great OTT performances from Farina, Ted Levine, Andrew "Dice" Clay (!), and many others. A must see!
The perfect theater? My existing Epson and NHT all-around system with this receiver. Plus, a small refrigerator, unlimited snacks, a camp toilet, and a catheter so I'd never have to move. Oh yeah, eyedrops.
Atmos can support up to 64 channels; however, the installations that were made for Brave supported 24 channels (if I remember correctly.) Frankly, I can't imagine a sound mixer wanting to work with 64 channels, but adding some intelligent steering software after the source tracks might take...
Bruce: Last year I up-downgraded from a VERY expensive Denon receiver to the Onkyo 818. I did so primarily because I'm an audio hobbyist and I hadn't "hobbied" for awhile and just wanted to play around with a change in my audio system. I had always been curious about the sound profiles of Onkyo...
What most surprised me about McFarlane was how lightweight he seemed. You might have taken any standup comedian or singer out of a lounge here in Vegas and put them on the stage and they'd do about the same job, IMO. He just didn't have the stature/gravitas to be a proper AMPAS host, which I...
Walter:
If you haven't already done so, look here:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/1080p-projector/index.php
Art writes with authority and expertise. It appears that Epson and Panasonic are carrying the day for this gen of 3D projectors, with BenQ an option if you want to stick with DLP tech.
Subwoofer rumbles scare the crap out of my cat. She just rushes out of the room and takes a position on the staircase while we're watching in the theater.
RE: Which cable to use
The video on LaserDisc is stored as composite video, so unless the circuitry related to the SVideo output has some special enhancements, composite is usually the best quality output for LD. (As Steve wrote, SVideo is usually superior but this isn't generally true for LD.)
The new firmware update fixed some of the major compatibility problems that some people were having in their setups related to HDMI handshaking and lipsync. It also seemed to improve the remote response and the SD upscaling quality. My network streaming also seems improved. Watched "Days of...
I haven't done any hacking on this one yet, Ron, but IMO it kicks the heinie of my beloved PS3 for picture quality. Plus, its Netflix streaming quality is also visibly superior. The pre-release firmware is a little screwy, but I suspect they'll get that resolved in the coming weeks. Sound...
Check out this link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-center/get-started/default.aspx You may already have most of what you need to stream from your PC. You might also try using this free Java-based UPnP server software on your PC...
Update update UPDATE: Received the Oppo BDP-93 yesterday. Because I recently moved into a new home (Oct 28), I still don't have my home theater and FP connected, so just viewing on a 1080p 46-inch LCD. Nonetheless, to my eyes, the picture is clearly better (sharper, more detailed) than the PS3...
One of the first multichannel film audio efforts was Fantasound created for Disney's "Fantasia." The first surround sound solution that I'm aware of was created as part of the Cinerama format for "This is Cinerama" in 1952. It was seven-channel multitrack magnetic that included two surround...
Well, I can't be much help within your price range but FWIW, my system consists of NHT 2.5s and 1.5s and the Denon 4810 I purchased a month ago works BRILLIANTLY. So, I suggest giving a Denon receiver a listen.
I think John has given you some very good specific suggestions. I own the Denon 4810 and recommend it without reservation (though the 4310 is also very well regarded for less money.) The upconversion of the 4810 is phenomenal, the sound is expansive yet detailed, and full of punch.
I would rule...
I'm not sure I'd lay the blame for this on Burton. He probably can't get green-lit for anything EXCEPT remakes with the risk-averse accountants they have running the studios these days.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
While regarded by some as one of the lesser entries in the Star Trek film canon (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/103852/star-trek-iii-the-search-for-spock-how-does-it-rate), it has a classic Shatner line reading:
"Klingon bastards killed my...
I think Mr. Harris' account of the extraordinary efforts required to restore this aging masterpiece deserves more attention, perhaps in the form of a feature-length documentary. Peter Jackson would be the perfect director to helm this as a nice companion piece to his "Forgotten Silver" documentary.
This podcast comparing the original to a relatively recent Hindi ripoff is utterly fascinating:
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_12_24.html#018243
Here's the first thing I'd try.
Connect the audio of the laptop to one of the stereo inputs on the mixer. Depending on what your laptop offers as an audio-out connection, you may need to get a cable that has 1/8th-inch stereo audio plug going to two RCA plugs. (From the picture I saw online, it...
You have to set your optical audio out to Bitstream: http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/bdsettings.html (Scroll down toward the bottom of the page to find BD Audio Output Format (Optical Digital)) When you do this, however, you may find that you won't have audio...
FWIW, I purchased a 4x2 HDMI switcher from Monoprice about a year ago. The first one I got had dead inputs and malfunctioned. They immediately sent another that has worked perfectly. So your situation may have been related to a specific unit, as mine was.