Amazon launches HD 101 site
We all know that the average consumer is overwhelmed by HD gear these days. Amazon has taken the wraps off its new HD 101 site, with the hopes of educating the "average consumer" on the ins and outs of assembling an enjoyable HD rig. Hats off to them -- some basic, unbiased knowledge may be all separates a interested-but-confused prospect from a purchasing customer (well on their way to HD-addiction, we might add). The site does a pretty good job of the basics, too: sizing charts, display tech comparisons, and even a calibration disc listed as a "must have" item. Amazon certainly doesn't have a vested interest in one technology or another, since they supply all manner of HD gear. Sure, they offer some advice we can't get totally behind, like "Don't cheap out on cables," and "With any type of HDTV, models with 1080p resolution will deliver the best picture quality," but it's a good place to point your less, um, devoted friends and family to for a start. 
Filed under: Misc
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dhanik @ Oct 11th 2007 1:24AM
"Don't cheap out on cables" - I can't believe Monster is still is business.
Good work on Amazon's part though, technology keeps changing so fast sometimes even us *techies* get behind. Like i didn't know what x.v.color was and how 120 Hz was better. Fortunately, i had Wikipedia
Rich @ Oct 11th 2007 5:40AM
"Don't cheap out on cables"... seriously?! That blows absolutely all of their credibility right there.
When it comes to speaker cables... maybe... MAYBE... but when shopping for digital cables, my advice would be the exact opposite: buy pretty much the cheapest ones you can.
Kim @ Oct 11th 2007 2:29PM
Frankly, I'm pretty happy with my HD setup right now... but what I want to know is where I can get the entertainment center pictured on the frontpage of HD101. I have an old tiny Ikea unit and way too many components.
Grizzly @ Oct 11th 2007 5:05PM
Am I the only one who is annoyed that you can never find a link outside of Engadget HD on this site? Man, you wrote a whole post on a cool website launched by Amazon. Where is the link? Yes, I can find it myself by googling, but it's stupid.
JeffDM @ Oct 11th 2007 11:31PM
Click the "read" link below the article or the article picture. Yes, it's very annoying, but it's standard practice on AOL/Weblogs Inc blogs.
Steven Kim @ Oct 12th 2007 4:49PM
@Grizzly -
As JeffDM indicates, it's the way all posts on Engadget are structured. Ryan explained this push for consistency on his blog:
www.ryanblock.com/index.php?s=engadget+link
JeffDM @ Oct 11th 2007 11:35PM
The speaker cable can be bought cheaply with no repercussions, as long as the wire gage is sufficient. I heard that lamp power cord has been shown to be competitive with ridiculously priced speaker cables.