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AVReview pits four high-end receivers against each other

by Steven Kim posted Apr 27th 2009 at 7:28AM

Pioneer SC-LX71, Onkyo TX-NR906, Sony STR-DA5400ES, Yamaha RX-V3900
Despite the trickle down of advanced features on many manufacturers' lower-end receivers, there's still plenty of room for their upper-echelon offerings as well, and the UK's AVReview put four £1,200 - £1,500 ($1,750 - $2,200) receivers in a matchup. Entering the ring were the Onkyo TX-NR906, Pioneer SC-LX71 (SC-07 in the US), Sony STR-DA5400ES and Yamaha RX-V3900; we only wish models from Denon and Marantz would have made it to the contest as well. That said, matching up four receivers is not to be taken lightly, and it sounds like each of the contestants would serve you well in both features and absolute performance. We won't spoil the ending for you, but even though only one receiver snagged the overall crown, at this price point you should know that things are more nuanced than a single "winner;" your personal priorities are going to be the biggest variable in choosing the best model for you.

[Boxing glove image courtesy germes-online]

HTIB shootout picks the best at a variety of price points

by Darren Murph posted Dec 4th 2008 at 7:20AM


We've already seen one speaker guide pop up this fall / winter, but for those not so keen on piecing together a multi-channel setup themselves, PC World has a solid alternative. It has taken a cold, hard look at seven home-theater-in-box (HTIB) setups ranging from $500 to $3,000 and picked the best one at each price level. We won't spoil anything here, but if you've been looking for some assistance in choosing from the plethora of options out there, this ain't a bad place to get educated.

CNET UK hosts Blu-ray player load time shootout, PS3 wins

by Darren Murph posted Nov 28th 2008 at 9:08PM

Long load times on Blu-ray players have always been a pet peeve of ours, and obviously we aren't alone. The gurus over at CNET UK rounded up four of their favorite decks and popped in a test disc (Vantage Point) in order to find which was the quickest at getting down to business. Trailing the pack was Pioneer's BDP-LX71, which took a staggering 1:54 to load and play the film. Panasonic's DMP-BD35 nabbed the bronze in unceremonious fashion (1:16), while Samsung's BD-P1500 slipped in second with a 1:09 load / play time. As we gave away in the headline there, Sony's PlayStation 3 easily took first with a test time of just 42 seconds. We'd love to know if any other untested decks could outperform that -- anyone care to time their unit and chime in below?

Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter roundup: get universal control of your PS3

by Darren Murph posted Nov 25th 2008 at 7:29AM


So, here's a conundrum for ya. Sony's PlayStation 3 has been all but universally hailed as a stellar Blu-ray player and a respectable part of any home theater. But Sony forgot to include an IR receptor on the thing, making it incompatible with the vast majority of universal remotes on the market. Solution? An Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter. For the longest while, the original IR2BT was the de facto choice for handling the conversion, but now that it has been replaced with the more expensive (and versatile, in fairness) IR2BTci, CNET decided to roundup three other viable options so you, the almighty consumer, could make the choice that serves you best. Hit the read link for a gathering of the reviews, and don't forget to curse Sony for making you go through this exercise in the first place.

Update: RemoteShoppe has a similar, and equally helpful, roundup of its own.

Blu-ray studios get graded, Sony Pictures comes out on top

by Darren Murph posted Oct 8th 2008 at 1:58PM


Kudos, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment -- you've apparently been doing quite well in the Blu-ray department this year. The folks over at Sound & Vision recently took a hard look at a number of BD-releasing studios this year in order to give 'em all the grade they deserve. As for criteria? Critics looked at the "technical prowess of the audio and video presentations, the adoption or avoidance of available Blu-ray exclusive technologies (BD-Live, etc.) and the breadth and diversity of their releases as well as their reaction to the unique challenges of the latest evolution of the BD market." Interested to see how the rest of the competition fared? Give the read link a look for all the dirt.

HP's MediaSmart EX475 takes on homegrown Windows Home Server systems

by Darren Murph posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 6:29PM


If you've somehow managed to hold off from buying one of HP's MediaSmart servers (or, you know, just forgot about your plans to buy one), MissingRemote has a nice writeup explaining the benefits of picking one up versus building your own. The storage junkies over there pitted an EX475 against a "home brewed Frankenstein" and a server built with WHS-specific parts in order to see which of the three would emerge triumphant. In the end, HP's own unit managed to garner the most of their love, which was quite surprising to be honest. Sure, building your own can be a ton of fun, but the EX475 just delivered in every important area for right around the same price as the other two homegrown competitors. Don't believe us? Tap the read link and check it out.

Netflix Player, Apple TV and VUDU compared: movie STB shootout

by Darren Murph posted Jun 5th 2008 at 1:53PM


Talk about timely, yeah? Just hours after our latest Ask Engadget HD question pondered which of the three big hitters in the movie set-top-box arena was superior, along comes a comparison of the trio from PopSci. Of course, this being Engadget HD, we've all ideas many of you won't agree with the verdict put out (hint: Roku's box is deemed the winner), but some decent points are made nonetheless. For starters, the Netflix library is far more expansive than those offered up by Apple and VUDU; for folks looking for the widest range of titles (and cheapest method of renting), it's hard to overlook the Netflix Player. For junkies that just have to have HD, your choices are clearly defined, and between the Apple TV and VUDU, critics noted that the former's ability to dabble in YouTube was a perk that may sway certain buyers. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, be sure and hit up the read link if for nothing more than the pros / cons -- the decision's still yours, you know.

Vizio / Olevia pitted against one another in LCD shootout

by Darren Murph posted May 22nd 2008 at 1:11PM


If you've been considering buying yourself a budget LCD HDTV, chances are Vizio and Olevia are still on your radar. Thankfully, LCD TV Buying Guide has taken the time to pit the two against one another in order to give you the information you need to choose the best of the pair. In the test, the 46-inch Vizio VW46L and 42-inch Olevia 242T FHD were used, and all of the important issues -- you know, image quality, shadow detail, color accuracy, motion lag, etc. -- were all covered. We don't plan on ruining it for you, so you'll have to exert a bit of effort and check out the read link below if you're interested in finding out which set came out on top.

Display technology shootout: OLED vs. LCD vs. plasma

by Darren Murph posted Jan 27th 2008 at 5:30PM


Every so often, we see a writeup pitting whatever the hottest display technologies at the time are against one another, and sure enough, CES 2008 lit a fire under the folks at Sound & Vision and out came the latest shootout. This particular one highlights OLED, LCD and plasma, and doesn't hesitate to point out that SED isn't included because it simply "seems DOA," while the Laser TV was dissed for still relying on rear-projection design. Ready to check out the strengths, weaknesses and domination potential for each of the three? Hit up the read link -- and be sure to dodge those stray punches.




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