Product Reviews
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HDTV Ratings: The best lower-cost high-def front projectors
Although I've been writing about front-projection video systems for almost a decade, and envying those who had them, only recently have high-def models come down enough in price for me to consider buying one. Also, moving from a one-bedroom apartment in New York City to a larger home in the suburbs allowed me to carve out a separate space dedicated to watching movies and listening to music. Now that I've been living with my system—a 1080p DLP projector, 106-inch 16:9 screen, and 7.2-channel surround-sound system—for more than a month, I can say it was worth the wait. There's no home-entertainment experience that can compare to a movie presented in all its high-def glory on a very large screen, backed by a powerful surround-sound soundtrack. Even my primary 50-inch plasma TV (a far larger set than I ever imagined I'd have) can't deliver the same kind of visceral impact you can get from a front-projection system. I can honestly say that I now generally prefer watching high-def movies at home to seeing them on the seemingly ever-shrinking screens in the multiplexes at the mall. (Plus a bottle of water doesn't cost me $4, and I don't have to endure 30 seconds of Abba's "Dancing Queen" while someone rummages through a bag for a cell phone.) If you've been contemplating building your own truly big-screen home theater, the good news is that our just-posted Ratings of front-projection TVs (available to subscribers) echo my own experience. Front projectors continue to get more affordable, and better, every year. (Need help deciding? Read our free "Is a projector right for you?" report for important buying guide information. If you'd rather stick with a conventional flat-panel HDTV, we've recently updated our Ratings of LCD TVs and Ratings of plasma TVs, too. Those Ratings are also available to online subscribers only. But read my other post, Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs, for a general overview. And see all our blog posts about plasma TVs and LCD TVs, for the latest news.)
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 3:46 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Although I've been writing about front-projection video systems for almost a decade, and envying those who had them, only recently have high-def models come down enough in price for me to consider buying one. Also, moving from a one-bedroom apartment in New York City to a larger home in the suburbs allowed me to carve out a separate space dedicated to watching movies and listening to music. Now that I've been living with my system—a 1080p DLP projector, 106-inch 16:9 screen, and 7.2-channel surround-sound system—for more than a month, I can say it was worth the wait. There's no home-entertainment experience that can compare to a movie presented in all its high-def glory on a very large screen, backed by a powerful surround-sound soundtrack. Even my primary 50-inch plasma TV (a far larger set than I ever imagined I'd have) can't deliver the same kind of visceral impact you can get from a front-projection system. I can honestly say that I now generally prefer watching high-def movies at home to seeing them on the seemingly ever-shrinking screens in the multiplexes at the mall. (Plus a bottle of water doesn't cost me $4, and I don't have to endure 30 seconds of Abba's "Dancing Queen" while someone rummages through a bag for a cell phone.) If you've been contemplating building your own truly big-screen home theater, the good news is that our just-posted Ratings of front-projection TVs (available to subscribers) echo my own experience. Front projectors continue to get more affordable, and better, every year. (Need help deciding? Read our free "Is a projector right for you?" report for important buying guide information. If you'd rather stick with a conventional flat-panel HDTV, we've recently updated our Ratings of LCD TVs and Ratings of plasma TVs, too. Those Ratings are also available to online subscribers only. But read my other post, Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs, for a general overview. And see all our blog posts about plasma TVs and LCD TVs, for the latest news.)
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 3:46 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
HDTV Ratings: The best LCD and plasma TVs
We tested more than 60 HDTVs for our latest LCD TV Ratings and plasma TV Ratings (both online reports are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers). The good news: More HDTV models than ever before have very good or excellent picture quality. Such sets can do justice to the wide variety of high-def content now available to consumers. We also just completed Ratings of high-def front projectors (also available to subscribers), which can deliver a truly theater-like experience in the home. (Check my other blog post, Ratings: The best lower-cost high-def front projectors, for a quick overview of the 14 front-projection HDTV sets we tested. And if you're a subscriber, you'll have access to our Recommended front projector HDTV models.) In our latest review of flat-panel sets, among the top performers were models from brands such as LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. Some modestly priced sets—including TVs from several of those brands, as well as Vizio and Insignia (Best Buy's house brand)—earned Best Buy designations. Most of the 40-inch and larger LCD TVs in our Ratings are 1080p "Full HD" models that can display all the detail in high-def images. More LCD sets have 120 Hz technology, which doubles the TV's frame rate to help reduce motion blur—a traditional LCD drawback—during fast-moving scenes.
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 3:45 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
We tested more than 60 HDTVs for our latest LCD TV Ratings and plasma TV Ratings (both online reports are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers). The good news: More HDTV models than ever before have very good or excellent picture quality. Such sets can do justice to the wide variety of high-def content now available to consumers. We also just completed Ratings of high-def front projectors (also available to subscribers), which can deliver a truly theater-like experience in the home. (Check my other blog post, Ratings: The best lower-cost high-def front projectors, for a quick overview of the 14 front-projection HDTV sets we tested. And if you're a subscriber, you'll have access to our Recommended front projector HDTV models.) In our latest review of flat-panel sets, among the top performers were models from brands such as LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. Some modestly priced sets—including TVs from several of those brands, as well as Vizio and Insignia (Best Buy's house brand)—earned Best Buy designations. Most of the 40-inch and larger LCD TVs in our Ratings are 1080p "Full HD" models that can display all the detail in high-def images. More LCD sets have 120 Hz technology, which doubles the TV's frame rate to help reduce motion blur—a traditional LCD drawback—during fast-moving scenes.
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 3:45 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Hands-On with the New Sony PlayStation Video Store
The PlayStation Video store is now live with some 300 movies and over 1,200 slices of TV content.
PC World – Jul 16, 2008 1:35 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
The PlayStation Video store is now live with some 300 movies and over 1,200 slices of TV content.
PC World – Jul 16, 2008 1:35 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Plus
Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Plus This software has lots of features, but they can be difficult to access. 89.99 Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Plus
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 12:01 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Plus This software has lots of features, but they can be difficult to access. 89.99 Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 Plus
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 12:01 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier
Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier This multimedia suite offers lots of options but doesn’t always execute them well. 69.99 Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier This multimedia suite offers
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:59 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier This multimedia suite offers lots of options but doesn’t always execute them well. 69.99 Roxio MyDVD 10 Premier This multimedia suite offers
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:59 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
CyberLink PowerDirector 7
CyberLink PowerDirector 7 (Deluxe) This full featured video editor is easy enough for a newbie and powerful enough for a seasoned editor. 69.95 CyberLink PowerDirector 7
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:48 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
CyberLink PowerDirector 7 (Deluxe) This full featured video editor is easy enough for a newbie and powerful enough for a seasoned editor. 69.95 CyberLink PowerDirector 7
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:48 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Adobe Premiere Elements 4
Adobe Premiere Elements 4 Adobe hits another high note with its consumer targeted video editing software. 99.99 Adobe Premiere Elements 4 Adobe hits another high note
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Adobe Premiere Elements 4 Adobe hits another high note with its consumer targeted video editing software. 99.99 Adobe Premiere Elements 4 Adobe hits another high note
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:45 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8 Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:42 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8 Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8
Laptop Magazine – Jul 16, 2008 11:42 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
MSI Wind U100-002LA
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
ZDNet – Jul 16, 2008 10:57 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
The MSI Wind U100 makes a positive first impression with its polished design and roomy (for a Netbook) display and keyboard, but it's missing a handful of features--bigger battery, solid-state hard drive, and WWAN--that would turn it from a very good to a great on-the-go mini-laptop.
ZDNet – Jul 16, 2008 10:57 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
iPhone 3G: More tests, more findings
We didn't expect to find many differences between the old and new iPhone beyond 3G network and GPS capability. (Our colleagues over at the Cars blog are taking a closer look at the iPhone as a portable GPS navigation device. You can read their initial thoughts on the iPhone's GPS capabilities and watch our short video review of the iPhone 3G for more details.) Both phones share the same brilliant, high-definition display, the same built-in 1.9 megapixel digital camera, and the same intuitive interface. But our voice-quality tests turned up a pleasant surprise: Voice quality for talking—how you sound to others—was very good, compared with just good for the previous iPhone. That's especially welcome news considering that its listening quality—how incoming calls sound to you—was still only fair, the same as the old iPhone and most other GSM cell phones.
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 09:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
We didn't expect to find many differences between the old and new iPhone beyond 3G network and GPS capability. (Our colleagues over at the Cars blog are taking a closer look at the iPhone as a portable GPS navigation device. You can read their initial thoughts on the iPhone's GPS capabilities and watch our short video review of the iPhone 3G for more details.) Both phones share the same brilliant, high-definition display, the same built-in 1.9 megapixel digital camera, and the same intuitive interface. But our voice-quality tests turned up a pleasant surprise: Voice quality for talking—how you sound to others—was very good, compared with just good for the previous iPhone. That's especially welcome news considering that its listening quality—how incoming calls sound to you—was still only fair, the same as the old iPhone and most other GSM cell phones.
Consumer Reports – Jul 16, 2008 09:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
