HDTV and Home Theater Podcast Episodes - | Podcast #394: Zune HD | All of us have a need to take our content on the road for one reason or another. There are plenty of devices that can do that for you. Anything from an iPod or a laptop to a portable media center. You can choose the ultra portability of an iPod but you'll give up video quality. If you want HD quality you can use a laptop or portable media center but those are a bit bigger and more difficult to drag around with you. Today we are taking a look at the ZuneHD. With the Zune you can have ultra portability and HD video quality in one nice looking package. | Get at Short URL | Download Podcast #394: Zune HD | Play in Popup.
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| Podcast #390: CEDIA 2009 | CEDIA stands for "Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association". Each year they have an expo where manufacturers show off there wares. This year the show is in Atlanta. While the HT Guys did not go we have friends who did attend. Listen to the show for some first hand reports from the show. In the mean time we run down some of the announcements that came out of the show. | Get at Short URL | Download Podcast #390: CEDIA 2009 | Play in Popup.
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| Fall 2009 TV Schedule: Podcast #389 | It's that time of year again. The weather begins to cool, leaves start to change colors, Football is back and we get a bunch of new HDTV shows. When we were kids we looked forward to Christmas and the first day of summer. As adults, we look forward to the fall more than anything else. Some of our favorite shows are coming back with new episodes and we get the opportunity to fill the DVR with brand new series to see what sticks. | Get at Short URL | Download Fall 2009 TV Schedule: Podcast #389 | Play in Popup.
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| Movie Download Roundup: Podcast #381 | There are a few movie download services vying for a spot in your entertainment cabinet. They all have their pros and cons, so we thought we'd look at four of the big dogs to see how they stack up. We chose to look at services that offer both the movies and a piece of home theater equipment to watch them with. There a ton of other options if you want to connect a computer to your TV, but since most people aren't doing that, we've decided to omit them from the discussion. | Get at Short URL | Download Movie Download Roundup: Podcast #381 | Play in Popup.
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| HDMI 1.4: Podcast #375 | It seems like all of the HDTV shows we watch have ended for the season, so we're clearing out the divvers and watching alot of Netflix. While the world of HDTV may not be terribly exciting right now, we still have a ton of stuff to talk about. One of our favorites, 1080p, is back. We get into two-way communication and finish with HDMI 1.4. Enhancements in the new HDMI spec include Ethernet networking, audio return channel, 3D capability, improved performance and new connectors. | Get at Short URL | Download HDMI 1.4: Podcast #375 | Play in Popup.
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| Data Robotics Drobo: Podcast #371 | If you listen to our show chances are you have a lot of media stored on your computer. Everything form mp3s to DVDs to family videos and pictures. It probably took you a while to take, scan, rip or download all this stuff and you certainly don't want to lose it since you probably can't recreate it all if you did. What we all need is a good backup strategy. One that works well and does not require much thought beyond the initial setup. That's where the Drobo comes in. The Drobo is a device that will protect your data from loss and is extremely simple to setup and use | Get at Short URL | Download Data Robotics Drobo: Podcast #371 | Play in Popup.
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| Mac Mini Video Server Update: Podcast #364 | We first talked about using a Mac Mini as a video server way back in March of 2007. It has served us well now housing more than 150 movies, almost 1500 songs and podcasts, and dozens of HDTV that was recorded via the HD Homerun. Just over two years later we have upgraded one of our three Mac Minis with the latest offering from Cupertino. The version the HT Guys chose was the $799 model that comes with 2GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The older Minis did a good job with almost all the video we through at it. The one exception is overly compressed 1080i content. So how does the new Mini hold up with 1080i and 1080p? Listen in... | Get at Short URL | Download Mac Mini Video Server Update: Podcast #364 | Play in Popup.
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| Most Important Inventions of the last 30 Years: Podcast #363 | Have you ever wondered how other guys get away with some of the home theater purchases they make? It seems like they always have a creative way to either get the finance committee to authorize the purchase or to slip it past them like a magician. There's a great blog post from Elemental Designs Audio with some of the ways their customers have pulled off some rather large purchases. And when you think of the most influential inventions of the last 30 years, what would you put on that list? That's exactly what a panel of eight judges from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was asked to do. The Internet and mobile phones made the top of their list. There's a few items missing from their list that have changed our lives dramatically. | Get at Short URL | Download Most Important Inventions of the last 30 Years: Podcast #363 | Play in Popup.
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| What if AppleTV Replaced my DVR? Podcast #362 | If you have been listening to our show for a while you know that Braden would really like an a la carte sway to buy TV. It makes sense, why pay for 300 channels when in reality you only watch about 30 or 40. And really you probably only watch about 10 to 15 90% of the time. So the other day Ara missed an episode of Lost and was forced to watch it via the ABC website. After about 5 minutes of so called streaming HD video he got fed up and downloaded an HD version from iTunes. It cost $2.99 but had no commercials. The quality was quite good and it even had 5.1 audio. Something that makes watching Lost quite enjoyable. That got us wondering. Could heavy TV watchers like ourselves get by with buying TV programming A la Carte style via AppleTV. This would also work if you have an HTPC with iTunes on it. | Get at Short URL | Download What if AppleTV Replaced my DVR? Podcast #362 | Play in Popup.
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| 1080p Projector Options: Podcast #349 | We get asked via email to spend more time talking about front projection setups. While the idea is something we're big fans of, and often drool over, neither of us have a front projector, and to be perfectly honest, neither does the vast majority of our audience. But that doesn't diminish the fact that a 110" screen comes a lot closer to being a true "theater in your home" than even a massive 65" TV does. But 65" is great, don't get us wrong. We drool over those, too. | Get at Short URL | Download 1080p Projector Options: Podcast #349 | Play in Popup.
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| HP Mini XP Edition review: Podcast #346 | We mentioned in our CES roundup that Netbooks are fast becoming a popular class of personal computer. Their main use is for web browsing, email, and light general computing. Their main draw is cost and size when compared to a regular laptop. When Ara saw the new HP Mini Netbook in Costco he wondered if this device could be used as a portable media device. This feature will only concentrate on using this device in that capacity. This will not be a full review of the Netbook. | Get at Short URL | Download HP Mini XP Edition review: Podcast #346 | Play in Popup.
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| Home Theater Receiver Buying Guide: HDTV Podcast #335 | We start off the main content in today's show talking about a couple of low cost options we found for recording your Holiday memories in High Definition. Then we move on to the 2008 edition of our annual Home Theater Receiver buying guide. Like last year, this year we have given you our HTIB and HDTV buying guide. Once again our series would not be complete without talking about the hub of your Home Theater, the Receiver. This year we have three categories, $500 or less, greater than $500 and less than $1000, and greater than $1000. Last year the cheapest receiver supporting Dolby True HD was the Onkyo TX-SR605 which went for an incredible $380. | Get at Short URL | Download Home Theater Receiver Buying Guide: HDTV Podcast #335 | Play in Popup.
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| HDTV Buying Guide: HDTV Podcast #334 | Its time for our annual HDTV buying guide. This year we are listing them by size instead of technology. Last year's most expensive model was the Pioneer Elite Pro-150FD 60 inch plasma TV which came in at $7500. This year the same TV can be found online for less than $5000. Our most inexpensive TV was the Olevia 237T 37 inch LCD which came in at $765. This year the prices for tier one manufacturers are quite affordable. Without further ado, here is the list for 2008: | Get at Short URL | Download HDTV Buying Guide: HDTV Podcast #334 | Play in Popup.
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| Iron Man on Blu-ray: HDTV Podcast #331 | There's never a bad reason to watch another Blu-ray movie, especially if that movie is about a Marvel comics hero. We've compiled lists in the past of our favorite DVDs to use to show off a home theater. It seems like just about every Blu-ray movie coming out these days can easily be added to the list - for sure the block-bluster movies from the big studios. Iron Man is no exception. If you're looking for a fun movie that looks and sounds great, look no further. | Get at Short URL | Download Iron Man on Blu-ray: HDTV Podcast #331 | Play in Popup.
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| Five Technology Trends to Watch: HDTV Podcast #329 | Every year the Consumer Electronics Association compiles Five Technology Trends to Watch. The full document is about 25 pages long, but it has some great information in it, so we went through it to pull out the highlights. The CEA claims that the "topics chosen this year by CEA market analysts cover a wide range of digital technologies that will impact the world." While they may not end world hunger or and end to war, we do agree that they are interesting trends that we all will want to keep an eye on. We'll give the HT Guys Digest version, but please read the whole article if we pique your interest. | Get at Short URL | Download Five Technology Trends to Watch: HDTV Podcast #329 | Play in Popup.
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| DIY or buy it on eBay?: HDTV Podcast #321 | It's no secret we're into projects; we like to geek out every now and then to see what we can put together without breaking the bank. We've built our own MythTV server, assembled a Mac based video server and have messed around with whole house audio as well. Another project we've had in the back of our minds for years now is the infamous DIY Home Theater Projector project. As we started to do our research, a thought hit us. Would it be better to build a projector ourselves, or just pay a little extra and buy one on eBay? | Get at Short URL | Download DIY or buy it on eBay?: HDTV Podcast #321 | Play in Popup.
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| Black Friday predeictions and Neuros OSD review: HDTV Podcast #314 | Dennis from Medina OH sent us a link to an article that ran down a list of Black Friday Predictions at BlackFriday @ GottaDeal.com. We want to do the same thing. The only rules we had were not to read the article prior to making our predictions. The article has predictions about computers, computer peripherals, GPS, and all things electronic. Our predictions will stay in the realm of HDTV and Home Theater.
We also recently received an email asking us for a good solution to archive old family videos that are locked away on VHS tapes. Many options require you to use the hard drive of your computer for the recording process. Today we take a look at a devices that easily connects to your analog sources and records to multiple destinations. The Neuros OSD lets you convert your treasured videos to digital so they can be enjoyed for years to come. | Get at Short URL | Download Black Friday predeictions and Neuros OSD review: HDTV Podcast #314 | Play in Popup.
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| CEDIA 2008 Round-Up, Day 2: HDTV Podcast #309 | CEDIA 2008 Round-up, Day 2: Samsung, Sony (again), Mitsubishi, Blu-ray, Yamaha, Audessey, much, much more! | Get at Short URL | Download CEDIA 2008 Round-Up, Day 2: HDTV Podcast #309 | Play in Popup.
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| CEDIA 2008 Round-Up, Day 1: HDTV Podcast #308 | CEDIA 2008 Round-up, Day 1: Universal, Panasonic, Dolby, Sony, Blu-ray, Niveus, Tivo, much, much more! | Get at Short URL | Download CEDIA 2008 Round-Up, Day 1: HDTV Podcast #308 | Play in Popup.
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| HSU Research ULS-15 Subwoofer: Podcast #304 | Anyone who owns a home theater system knows that a Subwoofer is essential to the experience. Watching a movie in HD with surround sound is great, but some scenes require that you feel the bass. A subwoofer does just that. An issue some have is Subwoofer placement. Its not always convenient to place the subwoofer next to the receiver. This requires that you run cable to a spot that is more conducive for the placement of the speaker. The ULS-15 has a nice feature that makes this no longer necessary. The subwoofer has a wireless connection that in most cases works great. More on that later. | Get at Short URL | Download HSU Research ULS-15 Subwoofer: Podcast #304 | Play in Popup.
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| Have DVR, No DVR Required: Podcast #301 | In a ruling on August 4th, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned a district court decision that barred Cablevision from launching a new technology it is calling Remote-Storage DVR (RS-DVR). The district court had blocked release of this service to Cablevision subscribers, but as of Monday, it's back on the table. Remote-Storage DVR provides all of the benefit of a DVR, without all of the drawbacks. You can record, playback, pause, fast-forward and rewind television just like a DVR, but you don't have to worry about ever running out of storage and you can view the programs from any TV in your home. | Get at Short URL | Download Have DVR, No DVR Required: Podcast #301 | Play in Popup.
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| Playstation Movie Downloads: Podcast #294 | Sony announced on Tuesday that that they would begin offering movies and TV shows for download to the Playstation 3 through the Playstation store. Movies are available from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros in addition to the obvious inclusion of Sony Pictures titles. The system is setup much like Vudu and AppleTV, new release movies can be rented for $3.99 in standard def and $5.99 in high definition or purchased in SD for $14.99. Older titles are available for rent for $2.99 for SD, $4.50 for HD and $9.99 for purchase. So the big question is, "How does Sony's offering stack up against Vudu or AppleTV?" | Get at Short URL | Download Playstation Movie Downloads: Podcast #294 | Play in Popup.
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| If the HT Guys ruled the world... Podcast #287 | DisplaySearch recently released a report about what TV manufactures will need to do to sell more televisions in the coming years. One of the key features was network, and specifically Internet, connectivity. Just a couple days prior to that report we received a press release about the availability of HP's MediaSmart Connect for pre-order. We saw the demo at CES and liked the idea. All of this got us thinking; DisaplySearch says TV's need Internet connectivity, HP agrees in theory, but prefers the set top box route. If we could design our own Internet connected TV or STB, what would it do. From the 'If the HT Guys ruled the world...' point of view. | Get at Short URL | Download If the HT Guys ruled the world... Podcast #287 | Play in Popup.
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| A new RF Standard for Remote Controls: Podcast #286 | Isn't it annoying when you want to turn on your home theater with your IR based remote control and one or more components misses the command. It could be that someone walked in front of the remote or that you just didn't keep it pointed at your system long enough for the entire macro sequence to be transmitted. That's why most integrators shy away from IR based remotes and use systems like Crestron or Control4 to transmit commands to a head end unit which then sends the commands via Ethernet, Serial, or IR via an emitter to the equipment being controlled. | Get at Short URL | Download A new RF Standard for Remote Controls: Podcast #286 | Play in Popup.
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