Designtechnica take a first look at the new LF LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder, a DVR and DVD recorder in one unit.

The main job of this piece is to record TV shows on it’s 160 GB hard drive from the listings of Microsoft’s Program Service.

“Like a Tivo, the LRM-519 can pause and rewind up to 90 minutes of live television as well as fast forwarding and rewinding recorded programs. This programming can be burned onto a DVD via the LRM-519’s load tray and supports DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW and DVD+R Double Layer. LG’s device can also playback DVD movies as it is a progressive scan player.”

The LRM-519 can also serve as a digital media hub by allowing devices which have USB connections, such as digital cameras and MP3 players, to connect so their content can be accessed through the DVR. Media file formats supported through this method include WMA, JPEG and MP3. External USB hard drives can also be attached to expand storage memory options for recorded television programming. Through the LRM-519’s Ethernet port, the DVR can connect to a home network, wired or wirelessly, to access and share TV shows, photos and music with a Windows XP-based PC.

Interesting entry by Microsoft and LG, I will enjoy seeing how this thing pans out.

LG LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder Page 1 - First Looks - Designtechnica

Rear projection sales were up 3% in October, even though there was a 2.7% drop in shipments.

The average street price jumped 5.5% for the month, according to Rosemary Abowd, vice president of PMA. The key reason for this large increase was the dramatic growth in the proportion of sales coming from the 1080p resolution microdisplay-technology segment, which moved from 13% in August to 24% in September, and then jumped further to 32% in October, Abowd noted.

It seems the numbers are a reflection of the shift to larger displays with newer technology, like the Sony SXRD units.

“The portion of 50-55 inch models went from 32% to 36%, and accounted for 40% of the total revenues, up from 34% in September. The growing popularity of LCOS (liquid-crystal-on-silicon) models, including D-ILA from JVC and the premium-priced SXRD from Sony, also helped boost street prices.”

Rear Projection Sales and Shipments in October

Here is another high end projector beauty, this time from InFocus. The 777 is their new flagship model, and she is one slick looking machine.

CreativeMac give this home theater masterpiece the highest marks of 10 out of 10. Here are their final remarks:

“Summing up, the InFocus ScreenPlay 777 is the standard against which we will judge all other projectors coming into our facility for evaluation. Well, at least for the time being. There are native 1080p projectors on the way, but until they can reach the 777’s $15,000 price point, this is as good as it gets. For the money, this projector represents a remarkable value. Highest recommendation. 10 out of 10 stars.”

Wow, that’s pretty strong. Those Mac freaks pros know image quality. Let’s see, if I can get that 2nd mortgage…

Here is another Infocus 777 Review from last month.

InFocus ScreenPlay 777 Review

The high end projectors are dropping in price, and the newer models are becoming available.

Henning over at HD Blog has found an extensive look at this new SXRD projector from Sony. I have been waiting for a review on this machine.

“This projector really impressed the testers: there were no major weaknesses! They were first impressed by the great colour representation. Then they were impressed by the contrast ratio, which is among the best of any projector ever built. The level of detail is amazing due to the 1920 x 1080 resolution and lack of pixel structure. The lack of digital artifacts was amazing - no noise on dark scenes, no false contouring, no rainbow effect (of course, there’s no colour wheel!) etc. ”

Sounds like a winner, if you’re shopping in this price range.

HDBlog.net Review: Sony VPL-VW100

Here is another review of this popular Panasonic 42″ Plasma. There is also another earlier review here. This time, Businessweek gives this unit a once over, and stamp her with 4 out of 5 stars.

Here’s the rundown:
The Good
Excellent picture, with near-3-D imaging

The Bad
Visual “noise” when transitioning from black to lighter colors

The Bottom Line
One of the best plasmas in its class, with a relatively low price

“While there are some noticeable omissions from the Panasonic TH-42PX50U that make it less than ideal for people worried about future connectivity, it’s an outstanding performer in terms of image quality — and at a price that won’t break the bank. Few would be unhappy adding it to their home theater, or using it as a second set in the bedroom.”

Yep, this is easily one of the most popular 42-inch plasma screens available. It’s not perfect, but it would be a great way to get into the home theater game now, without having to sell your children.

I have seen this unit priced very competitively online:

Full Review (warning - popups)

The HTguys give us their picks for best A/V Receivers in four (USD) price ranges:

- less than $500
- from $500 to $1000
- from $1000 to $2000
- and greater than $2000

And we’re off…
Less than $500

Pioneer VSX-1015TX
7.1 Channel A/V Receiver with THX Select 2 Certification ($370 to $499)
7 channel x 120 watts
THX Select 2 Certified
DTS-ES Discrete, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital EX, and Dolby Pro Logic II x

Video Conversion up-converts S-Video and composite video into component video
Good priced entry level unit. Has support for WMA9 audio decoding. No multi zone support. Decent set of features for the price.

Harman Kardon AVR-240
7.1 Channel A/V Receiver with Logic 7 Processing ($350 to $599)
7 channel x 50 watts (high-current amplification)
Logic 7 processing

192kHz/24-bit digital converters
EzSet+ to automatically set system speaker levels
Sleek styling
This is an entry model from a very high quality company. They measure 50 watts per channel with all channels driven at full power.

$500 to $1000
Continue Reading “Best A/V Receivers”

I came across a decent roundup of the best DVDs for this year, so far. It’s probably not exactly the list I would pick (maybe I’ll take the time later), but a good selection still.

These were not necessarily chosen as best flicks for their content, but for an excellent home theater experience. (Excellent sound, good digital transfer, crisp and immersive video, etc.)

Batman Begins

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Crash

The Incredibles

Ray

Sin City Recut & Extended Edition

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Steamboy

Titanic Special Collector’s Edition

War of the Worlds

Rent these movies online at Netflix - free 2 week trial. Movies mailed to you with free return mailer enclosed. Great service!

Best DVDs of 2005

These 2 models are the hottest and most popular rear projection sets available today.

Excellent image quality coupled with the Sony brand makes these two HDTVs tough to beat.

I’ve covered several reviews and lots of info about these units here, so I decided to consolidate everything to make it all very easy to find.

Reviews

Sony SXRD KDS-R50XBR1 50 Inch HDTV

50 inch SXRD Review
“I’ll lay bets that Sony’s newest SXRD offerings are going to shake things up in HDTV-land.” - Full review at Sound and Vision

User Review
“All in all, the Sony SXRD 50 (it also comes in a 60 inch screen) is an awesome HDTV with a large range of features and high quality screen.” - Full review at HDBeat

SXRD 50 Review
“If you are looking for a great picture from DVDs and HD, consider this TV. Sure it is expensive, but man the picture is amazing.” - Full Review at HDBeat

Sony SXRD KDS-R60XBR1 60 Inch HDTV

60 inch SXRD Review
“By today’s standards, the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 is expensive, but its fabulous performance and feature set make it well worth the price for early adopters.” - Full review at Cnet

60 Review
“This set appears to put Sony back on top. It’s really something special.” - Full review at UltimateAV

User Review at AVS (non-technical “blind test”)
“Wow did you see that… it looks so three dimensional… I’m getting dizzy watching this it so real… look at that picture its so realistic”

Continue Reading “Sony SXRD KDS-R50XBR1 and KDS-R60XBR1 Info and Review Roundup”

Matsushita, makers of Panasonic and JVC products, have closed CRT plants in Europe and the US.

The plant in Germany made CRTs for big screen TVs. The US plant made CRTs for bigscreens and projection TVs.

Just another sign that Plasma, LCD, DLP and the rest are taking over.

The CRT is dead, long live the CRT.

Panasonic-Toshiba CRT plants close in Europe, US
Via HD Beat

eCoustics take a look at this upconverting DVD player, which has caused quite the buzz due to being able to upconvert to 1080p.

Pros:
- HDTV up-conversion
- 1080P support
- Region Free
- HDMI and VGA outputs
- Firmware upgradeable

Cons:
- Lackluster design
- Childish remote control
- Expensive
- Does not come with an HDMI cable

Summary
“With a price over $200 dollars, the HVD2085 is on the high-end for a mid-range DVD player. Picture quality is good, and we like that the player is region free, but we just can’t justify the high price. Heck, for $245 dollars, Neo Digits should have thrown in an HDMI cable, instead you will have to pick up your own, and you can expect to pay more than $40 for a good cable too.

So what should you do? Well, if you will not be importing those foreign films and 1080P output isn’t that important to you, buy the Oppo Digital OPDV971H DVD player instead. For under $200 dollars you get a great DVD player and a DVI cable thrown in. The HVD2085 isn’t necessarily a bad player; it’s just not a premium name, so why pay for it?”

So, it sounds like the Oppo is the best way to go.


NeuNeo HVD2085 Review