Home Theaters

and all through the land, people were looking, for the best deals around…

Televisions____________________________________

Olevia 47″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $1,200 shipped -

CircuitCity.com offers Syntax-Brillian’s Ölevia 47″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. 247T FHD, for $1,199.99 with free shipping.  It’s the lowest total price found by $250 and, with in-store pickup, one of the least expensive TVs of its size available for Christmas. Sales tax is added where applicable.

It features a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), USB-upgradeable firmware, 1600:1 contrast ratio, ATSC and NTSC tuners, two HDMI with HDCP inputs, and VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

For the smaller rooms, or a bedroom system a Samsung 19″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $370 shipped just might be the ticket.

OneCall.com offers the Samsung 19″ Widescreen HD LCD Television, model no. LN-T1953H, for $369.77. Features include a 1440×900 16:9 native resolution, built-in ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 800:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, 300 cd/m2 brightness, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA inputs.

Back to the big leagues, with a Toshiba REGZA 47″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $1,200 shipped…

The Toshiba REGZA 47″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. 47HL167, fell to $1,199.77 at Amazon.com. With free shipping, that’s the lowest total price we’ve seen. It features a 1920×1080 (1080p) native resolution, 5000:1 contrast ratio, 8ms response time, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

Office Depot has finally come through with something not office-related for Christmas (Who gives reams of paper on Christmas morning?) There’s a Sharp 37″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $900 shipped.

OfficeDepot.com offers the Sharp 37″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. LC-37SH12U, for $899.99 with free shipping or in-store pickup. Features include 1366×768 native resolution, built-in NTSC, ATSC, and QAM tuners, 450 cd/m2 brightness, 1200:1 contrast ratio, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

DVD players ________________________________

Amazon.com cut its price on the Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player to $178.52 with free shipping. Choose three HD DVDs from a good selection and receive them for free at checkout. It comes with 300 and The Bourne Identity in the box. Finally, submit this mail-in rebate and receive another five HD DVD movies from a much more limited selection for free.

The HD-A3 features include standard DVD upconversion to 720p/1080i, Ethernet connectivity, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video outputs.

The format wars continue…

Audio Components _________________________

Onkyo makes a good receiver, and here’s a deal on one of them.

Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver for $370 shipped

OneCall.com offers the Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver in Black for $369.77. With free shipping, this XM- and iPod-ready receiver features 90 watts per channel, Dolby Digital EX, Pro Logic IIx, DTS-ES, and Neo:6 sound decoding, 1080p support, and HDMI, component, S-Video, RCA, and coaxial video inputs.

Klipsch Reference Series RB-35 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers for $150 each

OneCall.com offers the Klipsch Reference Series RB-35 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers for $149.97 each. With free shipping, that’s the lowest total price to be found. Each speaker features an 8″ Cerametallic woofer, 1″ Titanium dome tweeter, 6″ square Tractrix high-frequency horn, and 125 watt RMS power handling.

These are good speakers for use with a subwoofer, and will make great rear / side speakers as well. High power handling, and good efficiency makes it easy to get realistic levels with reasonable power.

Content _____________________________________

For those with a home network and a large server with capacious hard drives, Amazon has free television episodes for download.

Amazon.com offers free downloads of select TV episodes via its Unbox service. Choose from Remington Steele (pictured),

Gossip Girl, The Larry Sanders Show, Hanna Barbera Christmas, A Looney Tunes Christmas, and more.

Just the ticket for last minute and low dollar needs.

 Buy.com has  DVD Movies for $6, 5 for $20 shipped Shipping adds $1.90, or spend over $25 for free shipping. Better yet, open a new Google Checkout account and get $10 off, which means you can bag five DVDs for $20 shipped free.

The list includes

Interview with the Vampire for $6;
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure for $6;
Blade: Platinum Series for $6;
King Kong (1933) for $6;

34 others…

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More later ….

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 Everyone is making the mad dash out for those last minute items, and it seems that so many people are buying fewer, more expensive gifts. I see lots of HD DVD players being purchased, and the free discs that are offered is making the purchase that much nicer.

I’ve been working on computers at a retailer that also sells home theater stuff, and many, many large televisions are being purchased as well. I wonder how many are making sure that the sets have a digital tuner built in and are cable card ready. It is a large purchase, and no one wants to feel that their purchase was not well thought out, or ill advised.

Well, let’s take a look at the sales and stuff available to make you part with your money (not too much of it I hope!).

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Televisions

Amazon is always a good place to look for bargains. This week the good people have at least one gem.

Toshiba REGZA 37″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $865 shipped

Interesting stand for a large screen, but an excellent picture, as Toshiba is known for!

Amazon.com offers the Toshiba REGZA 37″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. 37HL67, for $865.29 with free shipping.  Features include 1366×768 native resolution, integrated ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 8ms response (good for when junior hooks up the PlayStation!) time, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA inputs.

Sony BRAVIA 40″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $1,125 means that lots of happy families will wake up Christmas morning with a great view of things over the air, and an awesome view when the Rose Parade comes a week later.

CircuitCity.com offers the Sony BRAVIA 40″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. KDL-40S3000, for $1,249.99. Choose in-store pickup and apply coupon code “XUAH3CJAT3″ to chop it to $1,124.99.   Features include a 1366×768 native resolution, built-in ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 6,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA inputs. Deal ends December 22.

Dynex 37″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $650, a large television for a small price…I haven’t checked this, so be careful - but it’s a truly great deal if the set is a good one. BestBuy.com offers the Dynex 37″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. DX-LCD37, for $649.99. Shipping adds $60 or choose in-store pickup.  Features include 1366×768 native resolution, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 1500:1 contrast ratio, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

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Stuff to Watch! Can’t have a new television and not have anything to show it off! Even if you are the only one being impressed, it’s good to have something to remind you why your purchase was a good one.

BestBuy.com: Buy one HD DVD or Blu-ray movie, get one free + free shipping
At BestBuy.com, buy one select HD DVD movie and get a second movie for free. With prices starting at $19.99, several are at lowest-we’ve-seen prices. Plus, shipping is free. Choose from titles such as I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Bourne Ultimatum, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Ocean’s Thirteen, and more. Of note, you can also buy any select Blu-ray movie and get a second movie for free as well. Deals end December 22.

Xbox games for $6 at Walmart.com, two for $10, more so look now, while the others haven’t cleaned the bins.

Walmart.com offers almost 50 Xbox games for $5.82 each. Shipping adds $1.97, or choose free Site-to-Store. Titles include older EA Sports games (e.g., Madden 2004, Tiger Woods 2005, MLB Drugfest 2003), first-person shooters, casino games, and more. To find them: Click here to start; click “Xbox” on the left, then “Xbox Games”, click “See All Xbox Games”, and sort by price.

Also at Walmart.com, its Xbox Customer’s Choice promotion bags two Xbox games for $10. Another promotion bags three Xbox games for $25.

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Blu-ray finds a way! The folks at Sony knew that some competition was needed, and that having the PS3 alone holding the fort was not going to do it. So…

Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray / DVD Player for $270 + 5 free Blu-ray Movies after rebate

No, it’s not sub- $100, but it will help the Blu-ray faithful, and convince some HD DVD adopters to take a hard look.

For in-store pickup only, CircuitCity.com offers the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray / DVD Player for $299.99. Coupon code “XUAH3CJAT3″ drops it to $269.99. Additionally, get five Blu-ray Disc movies for free via this mail-in rebate. Features include 1080p output, DVD+/-R playback, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video outputs. Deal ends December 22.

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Now, for archiving those Christmas memories, some DVD media is needed. Here is a good deal from CompUSA - get them while the stores are still open!

TDK 16x DVD+R Media 30-Pack for $6 shipped, more…

CompUSA.com offers the TDK 16x DVD+R Media 30-Pack for $5.99. With free shipping via coupon code “SHIPITFREE”, it’s among the lowest prices we’ve seen for any DVD media. Sales tax is added where applicable. Deal ends December 22. More DVD media deals are available:
-Gear Head 16x DVD-R Media 100-Pack for $16.99 + $0 s&h at newegg.com;
-Verbatim 16x DVD-R Media 100-Pack for $19.85 + $0 s&h after this $9 rebate at Buy.com (ends 12/31);
-Ridata 16x DVD+R Media 100-Pack for $21.99 + $0 s&h at newegg.com; and
-Memorex 16x DVD+R LightScribe Media 50-Pack for $29.99 + $0 s&h via coupon code “SHIPITFREE” at CompUSA.com (ends 12/22).

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There are many deals on NewEgg, too many to list! Other reliable places for things that are nationwide, like Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot, seem to be shying away from the big stuff on sale right now.

WalMart is a good place, and is as close to you as it is to me - and anything that I might comment on would be gone before you might get there! Check frequently for stuff - It’s your job at this time of year!

More later.

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The second iteration of a dual format high definition DVD player from LG Electronics has been released today.

Blu-ray- superior format, favored by some of the movie studios, and HD DVD, a good format, with lower requirements, and its own legion of followers. Now there’s no need to choose!

The first iteration from LG had a few problems, and the company assures the consumer that this one is a keeper! It has been certified by both HD DVD and Blu-ray consortiums, and also will be upgradeable to BD Profile 1.1 when that media arrives.

LG brings the formats together for those who don’t want to be left out of any action!

 LG BH200 - a dual format winner! Quality movies no matter what the studio affiliation!

The unit supports up to 1080p resolution and lists for $999. While the BH200 is rather steeply priced, it boasts full compatibility, and no problems with obsolescence in the near future. The BH200 also includes the latest connection capability, with the included HDMI 1.3 port.

HDMI connection included on the player (like the one on this video card)- making it easily connected to your large computer LCD or television.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but once the price is overcome, the ability to get high definition movies from any studio is possible. It also makes rental of them easy, during the healing process after the purchase.

One format will eventually win, but it may be years before that win takes place, and many times older titles will not surface in the winning format. This way 1080p is available no matter what. Your eyes will thank you for it!

(There is a Samsung model coming later this month, for a list of $799, but it is rumored to be less full featured - still I’d become familiar with this, so a really good comparison is possible in a week or so…)

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Another Sunday, more deals…not quite last minute shopping, unless you’re shopping for Hanukah gifts, Christmas and Kwanzaa aren’t quite here yet…so time is still on your side.

So let’s take a look at what’s on sale at the big guys, and likely to still be there when you get to the store!

Televisions

The largest part of a home theater system, some great deals to be had.

Westinghouse 42″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $850 shipped

OfficeDepot.com offers the Westinghouse 42″ Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. SK-42H330S, for $849.99, with free shipping. It features a native resolution of 1366×768, ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 800:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m² brightness, dual HDMI inputs, and VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. Price ends December 15.

Olevia 242T FHD 42″ 1080p  Widescreen LCD HDTV for $900

Sears.com offers the Syntax Olevia 42″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HD Television, model no. 242TFHD, for $899.99. Shipping adds around $45, or order it online for in-store pickup. Sears.com lists it as the “242FHDTV”, but there’s no such model listed at Olevia.com.  This TV features a 1920×1080 resolution, built-in ATSC and NTSC tuners, 1600:1 contrast ratio, 16:9 aspect ratio, 8ms response time, firmware upgrade via USB connectivity, and HDMI with HDCP, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

Refurbished Samsung 56″ 1080p Widescreen DLP Projection HDTV for $1,000

Today only, Second Act offers the factory-refurbished Samsung 56″ Widescreen DLP HD Projection Television, model no. HL-S5687W, for $999.99. With $150 for local pickup, it’s still a killer deal. (If you want it delivered to your door, it costs another $75.) Features include a 1920×1080 (1080p) resolution, integrated ATSC tuner, 16:9 aspect ratio, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. A 90-day Samsung in-home warranty applies.

RCA 46″ Widescreen 720p LCD HDTV for $998

Walmart.com reduced its price on the RCA L46WD22 46″ Widescreen LCD HD Television to $998. Shipping adds $69.97, or choose Site-to-Store. That’s a $200 drop since Black Friday weekend. Features include 1366×768 (720p) native resolution, 500 cd/m2 brightness, 800:1 contrast ratio, 9ms response, built-in ATSC and QAM tuners, and HDMI, VGA, and other video inputs.

Speakers

Speakers make the audio a pleasure or a pain. Good audio makes the home theater experience complete. Let’s look at some deals.

Crutchfield has a free subwoofer PSW10 normally costing $200, with the purchase of any Polk speakers to complete the system. This is a great way to get better sound, and by tying the purchase to other Polk speakers similar sound quality will be had, giving coherent sound. Crutchfield carries almost the full line of Polk Audio, so your choices are many.

Polk Audio Monitor 50 will give great sound for small to medium rooms, at a great price, and includes free shipping if you order before the 12th.  $339.98 for the pair.

Newegg has the YAMAHA NS777 Single Three-Way/Four-Driver Bass Reflex Speaker for $219.99, which includes FREE shipping. These would be a good start on a small room system, and are efficient without being typically ‘Japanese sounding’. A great deal while they last. 

Miscellaneous

Now for the goodies that make a system complete. All the things that we don’t think of right away - and some we do.

Sony 5-Disc DVD Dream System w/ Wireless Rear Speakers, HDMI for $441 shipped

This system makes a great start for a small bedroom, as it doesn’t take up much space. It would make a great start as a gift for those ‘junior videophiles’ we have in the house also. Amazon.com offers the Sony DAV-FX900W 5.1-Channel 5-Disc DVD Dream Home Theater System for $440.99. With free shipping, that’s almost $200 lower than any competing price we could find. This 1,280-watt system features a 5-disc DVD player with HDMI 720p/1080i upconverting, DIAT Wireless Rear Speakers, XM-ready connectivity.

The Empire Strikes Back…the Blu-ray Empire that is…

Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray / DVD Player + 5 movies for $300 shipped

CircuitCity.com offers the Samsung BD-P1400 Blu-ray Disc / DVD Player for $299.99 with free shipping. Features include 1080p output, DVD+/-R playback, and HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video outputs. Of note, you can get five Blu-ray movies for free via this mail-in rebate until January 31. It’s good to see that the Blu-ray faction is finally giving the HD DVD makers some competition. Remember, when there was nothing inexpensive on the horizon? The PS3 was the only inexpensive player for Blu-ray content.

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More as the deals come!

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Sorry for the lapse in posting. It has been fitful getting the problems with my Verizon broadband worked out, and while I did not have it I found that non-broadband dialup doesn’t work well when trying to send rich text and pictures - especially with less than cooperative phone lines and ISPs. We’re getting back on track now … and lots to new stuff is being finalized.

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While many things are happening in the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray, some companies are working to give the customer other choices to make, and ways to enjoy the many forms of entertainment available to the home theater enthusiast. The problem that many see with the shiny little discs that many are fighting about is avoided entirely by some who say that the next thing to come along will be transmission of content, and media will be disk drive or solid state devices.

TiVo is making efforts to be one of those forward thinking companies. Already supporting Live 365 internet radio, and Rhapsody support added earlier this year, the company is now adding on-demand music videos from content purveyor Music Choice.

TiVo is an item that is universally loved, as it, like Nokia cell phones, got the interface right the first time!

TivoCast, the company’s on-demand delivery system, adds enough choices for content to almost qualify as a limited service network. Things like ‘Quilters TV’, ‘Ultra Kawaii’ - dedicated to cute pets, and ‘Pulp Secret’ - dedicated to comic books, give choices otherwise not available to many.

Series 3 TiVos are becoming a fixture in many home theater environments.

Music Choice will give TiVo users easy access to thousands of music videos, by hundreds of musicians, in almost every genre. Also available is MC Exclusive, which allows a glimpse into the lives of the musicians, in a manner not usually shared with the public. This will be available nowhere else, and promises to be a feature that will push the service into many users lives.

Soon more menu options will be coming to this fantastic little dream box.

TiVo is a world-wide phenomenon, which means that content from other countries is only a short distance off - if the public wants it.

With so many features being added to the system, and the interface a continuing bright light, the only thing keeping TiVo from universal adoption is the unwilling behavior of the satellite and cable companies to allow the full capabilities of the units. The standalone units have so many great features, but integration with cable and satellite boxes is problematic. Also, the unwilling nature disallows some really cool things that could make everyone’s life better. Imagine downloading a concert, ordering a Music Choice interview of the musician, and putting the two together on your computer to burn an ultimate DVD (never mind what format) of performance and background of a performer - yours forever!

Now if the efforts could start to get these little bumps out of the road. In the mean time, one can enjoy the features as they are presented.

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