Archive for July, 2009

Sony Bravia M-Series KDL-19M4000/S 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV,Silver Want a small LCD TV that still brings a lot to the kitchen table or bedroom? The KDL-19M4000/S is Sony’s answer. With three HD connections (including an HDMI, component, and PC input), a sleek design, and the picture quality you’ve come to expect from Sony, the KDL-M4000/S is designed to deliver the performance you want without turning your bedroom or kitchen into a second home-theater you can live without. 10W (5W x 2) Audio Power Output Simulated Stereo Dolby Digital Sleep timer V-Chip Parental Control VESA hole spacing compatible ATSC / NTSC tuners with QAM Fast panel response Wide Viewing Angle Color – White with Silver Accent 1-Year Limited Warranty Input Ports – HDMI, RF Connection, 2 x Composite Video (1 Side/1 Rear), S-Video, Component Video (Y/Pb/Pr) Input, PC in (D-Sub) + Audio In (Stereo Mini), 4 x Analog Audio Input (1 Side/3 Rear), Audio Out, Optical Digital Out, Headphone Jack Approximate Unit Dimensions – 15.8 (H) x 19.1 (W) x 6.5 (D) with Pedestal Approximate Unit Weight – 16.1 pounds
Customer Review: Typical Sony Quality & Great Reception
This is the second 19-inch LCD HDTV that I have bought, and the first Sony for this size.

I bought this white Sony to place in my kitchen where I have had a black Sharp 19-inch LCD HDTV (which I moved to a bedroom). Well first I found that the color is bright and the blacks are solid giving it an excellent picture. This white Sony is also a very attractive unit and perfect to have in a nice kitchen. It is also solid and easy to adjust how straight it stands up.

Plus, using the exact same rabbit ears from the Sharp HDTV it’s replacing in my kitchen, for over the air digital channels, the Sony has much better reception. I’m able to pickup more digital channels then I could with the Sharp.

I would certainly buy this Sony HDTV again.
Customer Review: Just OK
This Bravia replaced a Sharp Aquos counter top model which developed a shadow on the screen after about two years of use. It is larger (about 4″) picture wise than the Sharp and was the largest set I could find that would stand on the counter and fit under an overhead cabinet. It runs off a Direct TV, non-HDTV signal.

Factory preset picture settings were just awful with a very dark picture and odd glossy flesh tones. I tried to adjust the picture a number of times but finally realized I was trying to get the colors and resolution I was used to on the Sharp, which the Bravia apparently won’t do. If my set had true factory picture presets I can guarantee anyone else buying this set will be spending a lot of time trying to adjust the picture.

In addition, unless you are viewing the set from directly in front and at set level the picture washes out excessively which is annoying since a kitchen set is usually viewed from a number of angles.

I would definitely recommend viewing and comparing this set in a store before purchasing. I will probably be looking for a replacement set and relegate this one to a guest bedroom.

Sony Bravia Z-Series KDL-40Z4100/B 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black LCD still not thin enough for you, then look no further than the KDL-Z4100. With a striking slim bezel design, Motionflow 120Hz for the reproduction of smooth, lifelike images, BRAVIA Engine 2 and ACE for a deeper blacks and better shadow detail, now your [...]

Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers (Pair, White)
Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers (Pair, White) Tired of leaving the door open to hear your music on the deck? It’s time for a pair of high-quality outdoor speakers like the Atrium 45 from Polk Audio. The speakers each feature all-stainless-steel and brass hardware for years of rustproof reliability and a rustproof [...]

Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers (Pair, White) Tired of leaving the door open to hear your music on the deck? It’s time for a pair of high-quality outdoor speakers like the Atrium 45 from Polk Audio. The speakers each feature all-stainless-steel and brass hardware for years of rustproof reliability and a rustproof aluminum bracket that permits multiple mounting options and full 90 degree rotation: you can aim them to deliver the best possible sound in a variety of positions.

The Atrium 45 speakers have a wide dispersion pattern, and they’re very efficient, operating on as little as 10 watts per channel. They’re designed to deliver good sound quality across a large listening area, but Polk recommends multiple-pair setups if you want high sound levels in an outdoor setting, as sound tends to dissipate more quickly outdoors than in.

The speakers’ white finish is paintable to match your decor or trim color–you can even paint them green to blend with foliage. Their sculpted front baffle and rounded enclosures minimize diffraction (sound reflecting off of hard edges) for more open and lifelike imaging, and their rustproof aluminum grilles offer 55 percent open area for better high-frequency response than speakers with denser grilles.

Sealed-enclosure (acoustic suspension) cabinets result in taut bass, and the speakers’ 2-way design incorporates a 4.5-inch long-throw polymer cone driver with butyl-rubber suspension and a .75-inch dome tweeter with a neodymium magnet to broadly distribute high frequencies. Gold-plated, 5-way binding post terminals will never corrode. The plugs also allow hookups in a range of methods, including convenient banana-plug-terminated speaker cable.

The Atrium 45 meets or exceeds ASTM D5894-UV Salt Fog, Mil standard 810 Immersion and Mil standard 883 Method 1009 8 for salt and corrosion tests.

What’s in the Box
Two speakers (each with detachable metal grille and built-in mounting bracket) a user’s manual, and warranty information.
Customer Review: Well built and easy to install
I bought these Polks to extend my audio outside while entertaining. They supplement 3 pairs of RC60is that I have in my kitchen/bar/dining room. I’m using a Monster ss-4 speaker selector to connect all four pairs. The Atriums were easy to install with solid mounts, although I would have liked the mounts to rotate on more than one axis so I could “toe-in” the speakers and angle them down. If mounted vertically you can toe-in, if mounted horizontally you can angle down, but you can’t do both. My main gripe is they don’t seem as loud as the indoor speakers so I can’t just set a comfortable volume for all four pair simultaneously. To be fair my outdoor space is noisy so I might be cranking them up to compensate. I plan to add a volume control to attenuate the indoor speakers to solve that problem.
Customer Review: Good deal, good price, great sound
Not my first set of outdoor speakers, but much better than the BOSE outdoors I had previously. Price was almost half of retail, and sound is great. My friends, the birds, the bears and the other animal in the neighborhood all seem to enjoy my smooth jazz CD’s on the outdoor speakers.

Bose 161 Speaker System (White) – ideal for stereo or home theater use Enjoy rich, full sound from music or movies with this compact pair of sleek Bose speakers. Whether placed on a desk or bookshelf or mounted on a wall for use as surround speakers, these speakers are designed to deliver balanced, [...]

Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Built-In Blu-ray Player
Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Built-In Blu-ray Player Once again, Sharp has shown its LCD technology leadership by successfully creating a new LCD-TV category. By leveraging their technology expertise in Blu-ray Disc players, Sharp’s AQUOS TV engineers have developed Full HD 1080p LCD-TVs with a built-in Blu-ray Disc slot, enabling [...]

Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Built-In Blu-ray Player Once again, Sharp has shown its LCD technology leadership by successfully creating a new LCD-TV category. By leveraging their technology expertise in Blu-ray Disc players, Sharp’s AQUOS TV engineers have developed Full HD 1080p LCD-TVs with a built-in Blu-ray Disc slot, enabling you to take easy and full advantage of 1080p Blu-ray titles. The slot is also backwards compatible enabling it to play DVD and CD titles. The LC-42BD80U features a screen size class of 46″ (45-63/64″ Diagonal). It features a 10-bit Advanced Super View Superlucent LCD panel with Deep Color compatibility for the brightest, most vivid colors, as well as Sharp’s 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced circuit for the ultimate in fast-motion image processing. Sharp’s proprietary Spectral Contrast Engine XD (Extreme Dark) provides high contrast ratio and deep black levels. The LC-46BD80U features 4 HDMI terminals, two HD component inputs, a PC input and RS-232C for control. Active Contrast Dynamic range extension based on advanced real-time picture analysis for greater sense of depth. Active Color picture processing results in rich color, especially in bright scenes. High Brightness AQUOS LCD TVs are very bright. You can put them virtually anywhere? even near windows, doors or other light sources – and the picture is still vivid. Built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC Tuners provide access to available DTV and analog TV channels. Six 1080p Compatible Inputs including four HDMI (v.1.3 with Deep Color) and two HD component inputs. OPC (Optical Picture Control) automatically adjusts brightness to suit room lighting. Screen Size – 46 Class (45-63/64 Diagonal) Resolution – 1920 x 1080 Response Time – 4ms Brightness – 450 cd/m2 Viewing Angles – 176 H / 176 V Audio System – 10W + 10W Tuning System – ATSC/QAM/NTSC

Samsung LN32B550 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color 31.5″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * Touch of Color high-gloss finish — black with red accents * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) * built-in QAM cable TV tuner receives [...]

Coby CSP94 300-Watt 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Black
Coby CSP94 300-Watt 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Black Hi Performance Speaker System Customer Review: Really cheap, but that’s about it The best thing about this speaker system is it’s really cheap. You get a decent bang for your buck, but that’s about it. I wanted to hook mine up to my roommate’s [...]

Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-32XBR6 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Sony Bravia XBR-Series KDL-32XBR6 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV PRODUCT FEATURES:32-inch 1080p flat-panel LCD HDTV 60 Hz Motionflow high frame rate technologyDLNA compliant24p True Cinema input capableHigh-definition 3D graphic user interface1080p input capable via HDMI (x4), Component (x2) and PC inputBRAVIA Sync Customer Review: Usual Sony Quality After looking and comparing HDTV’s for several months [...]

Bose 161 Speaker System (White) – ideal for stereo or home theater use Enjoy rich, full sound from music or movies with this compact pair of sleek Bose speakers. Whether placed on a desk or bookshelf or mounted on a wall for use as surround speakers, these speakers are designed to deliver balanced, spacious sound with minimal or moderate amplifier power (10 to 100 watts per channel). Automatic protection circuitry keeps the speaker drivers from being overdriven, heightening the speakers’ reliability without interfering with your listening.

If you’ll be using them in a home-theater capacity, keep in mind that they’re designed to blend seamlessly with the Bose VCS-10 center-channel speaker and any Direct/Reflecting Bose speaker system.

Unlike conventional speakers, which radiate sound in a single direction, these speakers use Articulated Array driver positioning and Stereo Everywhere technology to deliver balanced sound throughout your listening area. Further, Bose’s two 2.5-inch proprietary Twiddler drivers per speaker move more air from their small enclosures than similarly sized conventional drivers, creating a sound you’d expect from much larger speakers.

Be sure to use the proper gauge (or thickness) of wire or speaker cable for the length required to run the distance between your amplifier and your speakers. If the length is 30 feet, use a minimum of 18 gauge (.75 mm); use 16 gauge (1.5 mm) for 45 feet or 14 gauge (2 mm) for 70 feet. Supplied custom mounting brackets offer a range of placement options.

What’s in the Box
Two speakers, self-adhesive rubber feet (three per speaker) for shelf positioning, wall-mounting brackets, and owner’s manual.
Customer Review: Bose 161s
Excellent bookshelf speakers for stereo use in a medium-sized room. Full, clear sound — lives up to the Bose name.
Customer Review: Great sound
I bought these to finish my surround sound system, nice additition to my Bose 201 speakers.

Toshiba 22AV500U 22-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Get ready for watching all your favorite movies and shows with the new Toshiba 22AV500U 720p HD TV. This great looking LCD TV has DynaLight Back-Light Control that utilizes advanced image processing to monitor the brightness of each video frame, and adjust the backlight intensity accordingly based in [...]

Coby CSP94 300-Watt 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Black
Coby CSP94 300-Watt 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System, Black Hi Performance Speaker System Customer Review: Really cheap, but that’s about it The best thing about this speaker system is it’s really cheap. You get a decent bang for your buck, but that’s about it. I wanted to hook mine up to my roommate’s [...]