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Don't let retailer's lights distract you from buying the right HDTV

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 10th 2009 at 5:01PM


In case you hadn't already learned your lesson and started checking behind the displays while HDTV shopping, the HD Guru points out another element of the in-store experience that throws off buyers (and likely contributes to the LCD vs. plasma choices we find so infuriating): lighting. In case you don't recall from your last trek to a big box superstore, the lighting is quite often stuck on blinding making it nearly impossible to discern any difference in picture quality between televisions, specifically in terms of contrast and black levels (the pictures above are of the same value priced display, at left, under normal home lighting, at right, how it looks under some store lighting setups.) Tested with an illuminance meter, all the stores (except Best Buy's Magnolia showrooms) averaged well above home ambient lighting levels, with Wal-Mart and Costco measuring the highest at 411.66 and 742.77 lux. Still, there's tips on how to get a good idea of a TV's black levels even under those circumstances, plus some choice words left over for the incredible (and useless) dynamic contrast ratio numbers every manufacturer trots out these days, so go ahead and get educated.

Best Buy taking direct control of Magnolia, closing 7 standalone stores

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 14th 2009 at 6:33AM

Best Buy just announced plans to streamline Magnolia's operational structure, starting by shutting down its headquarters, distribution center and 7 of 13 stores. It's far from the only high-end A/V dealer feeling the pinch, but Best Buy claims these moves will streamline operations and it remains committed to the brand, adding a new location in Chicago this year and keeping all of its in-store locations open. So far Valentine's Day is working out better than Halloween but we're officially calling a holiday watch for all electronics retailers.

McIntosh, Magnolia reaching out to California customers

by Steven Kim posted Jun 11th 2008 at 8:21AM

McIntosh, Magnolia reach out to California
In addition to its announcement of new shipping products, McIntosh is getting out in front of customers in the flesh. Teaming up with Magnolia stores, the company has announced two "Evening with McIntosh" events for June 10th: one in Palo Alto and the other in Santa Monica. These seminars will run from 6 - 9 PM, and will give attendees a chance to talk with McIntosh reps. They won't be trying to sell you a timeshare, but you'll be treated to a historical overview of how "McIntosh has helped define the ultimate in Hi-Fi luxury." Also, McIntosh is putting up a MC275 amp for a free giveaway -- enter at select California Magnolia stores this week. C'mon McIntosh, show the rest of the US some love, ok?

Fans react to 3D Mavericks / Clippers matchup

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2008 at 11:02AM


Under normal circumstances, we tend to give 3D a hard time around here, but it's hard to deny the strides the technology has made of late in an attempt to move beyond being a gimmick and into a desirable product. It seems that hundreds of NBA fans that packed the Magnolia Theater just days ago were quite impressed with the first regular season matchup to be aired in 3D. Those in attendance were able to catch a commercial-free 3D broadcast of the Dallas Mavericks versus the LA Clippers courtesy of two Sony 4K projectors and a set of gaudy glasses. Unfortunately, we're not sure if the one-time event will blossom into something more, but feel free to tap the read link for more opinions and a couple more snapshots.

[Via AboutProjectors]

FSN Southwest preps first NBA regular season 3D broadcast

by Richard Lawler posted Mar 19th 2008 at 6:37PM

It's good to see those Brits aren't the only ones getting 3D HD sports action this season, as PACE is back and hooking its Fusion 3D tech to an NBA game yet again. For the first time during the regular season (after last year's All-Star Game and a Finals game) -- and unsurprisingly with a connection to Engadget HD friend Mark Cuban (where's our invite man?) -- the March 25 game between the Dallas Mavericks and L.A. Clippers can be viewed live at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, or across town in the Magnolia Theatre with Sony's SXRD 3D projection system beamed onto an 18x42 foot screen for VIPs and 100 lucky fans who can win entry on mavs.com. Now if they could just find a way to simulate buying tickets for way over face value from eBay or StubHub in the theatre, it would be just like going to a real game.

Magnolia Pictures' The Architect to hit theaters and discs December 5

by Richard Lawler posted Oct 31st 2006 at 2:09PM

Macall Polay/Magnolia PicturesMark Cuban has been pushing for day-and-date releases and giving customers choices on how they want to experience content; for those who decide to check out The Architect when it's released they will certainly have plenty of choices. With a day-and-date theatrical, cable, DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray release you can check it out on any format you want -- no BitTorrent Mark? -- but it remains to be seen if this type of release will spread to other studios. The Architect is a film about a mother who is trying to get the housing project where she lives torn down and rebuilt, and brings the original architect to see what has become of it. No word on any HD extras, the DVD has an MSRP of $28.98 while the high definition versions are set for $34.98

[Via MovieWeb]

Amazon.com adds callcenter for TV buyers

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 23rd 2006 at 4:05PM

Next time you're looking for advice on buying a new HDTV, Amazon wants you to consider their customer service department, targeted at people buying $1,000+ television sets. While we recommend actually looking at the displays you're considering and even hooking up your desired accessories if possible, if that isn't an option you may want to check this out. You can access the service by a button located on the page of certain TVs and have a representative call you. The service is headed up by a former employee of Best Buy's ministore Magnolia. Amazon is even looking to branch out into custom installation, it looks like retailers are certainly looking to take advantage of HDTV confusion by providing information. We certainly hope that information is a more accurate than pure sales hype, but that remains to be seen and besides, that 70-inch LCD would definitely fit through your doorway, no need to measure.

MovieBeam gets a boost from Magnolia Pictures

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 14th 2006 at 6:52AM

Magnolia Pictures, friendly day-and-date releasers of such HD flicks as Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Bubble, have announced support for the MovieBeam platform. According to VideoBusiness, despite already having support from the major studios, MovieBeam thinks they can find a niche delivering HD flicks to film buffs who want to avoid the messiness of finding an arthouse actually showing limited release movies. Combined with Magnolia's unorthodox release strategies, they seem to make a good match.

Also of note, if you want to check out the service without laying down $199 for the box up front, our friend Dave Zatz mentioned a coupon code (PR49B) that drops the price to $49, although we don't know if that is still valid. Ben wasn't very impressed with the quality of the HD when he reviewed MovieBeam, while Dave had a better impression of its SD capabilities. If you get your HDTV OTA, this may be the VOD service for you.




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