Download Dvd Movies

Writen by Richard Romando

Downloading DVD movies from Internet sites is a very convenient and fast way to own your own movies. Numerous ways are there to download DVD movies. There are file-sharing programs specifically designed to find and download movies easily. Additionally, some websites offer free DVD movie downloads. They provide enormous collections of popular movies. The development of efficient video and audio compression technologies and speedy internet connections has made movie downloading very popular. Today, you can download movies even before they come to the theaters.

Instruments required for DVD movie downloading are a computer, an internet connection, and a DVD player. Proper video/audio codecs such as DivX codec and XviD codec are to be installed in the computer. To get surround sound, install the AC3 codec. KiSS DP-450 DVD player was one of the world's earliest DVD players that supported the playback of DivX movie downloads.

Important factors that control the quality of movie downloading are the source of the movie, its size, and the video codec used. So always make sure that the movie uses an advanced video codec such as DivX or XviD. Always choose a genuine professional website to download from, in order to ensure a full-length and high quality DVD movie. The time for movie downloads differs depending on the run time and the bit-rate of encoding. A full-length DivX / XviD movie has a size of 600 MB to 700 MB. 750 MB is space enough for a two-hour DVD movie. A high-speed internet connection makes all downloads faster.

DVD Movies provides detailed information on DVD Movies, Download DVD Movies, DVD Movie Rentals, Copy DVD Movies and more. DVD Movies is affiliated with Buy Home Theater Systems.

Choose The Correct Home Theater Projector

Writen by Steve Faber

How to Pick the Correct Projector for Your Home Theater

You're finally making the jump to the holy grail of home theater video displays; the front projection system. There's nothing else that delivers that really big, impressive video image like a front projection system. It's how you get that real cinema experience in your home theater. Home theater projector prices have plummeted in recent years, and the size of the units have shrunk right along with the prices. No more do have to live with a coffin sized box on your ceiling. As sizes have decreased, the image quality and brightness have actually improved dramatically. You'll notice image quality and brightness are two separate issues.

How do choose the correct home theater projector for your application from the myriad of projectors on the market today? There are so many different units, each with their strengths and weaknesses. First of all, there are two main projection technology categories, analog and digital. Analog projectors are based on CRTs, a mature technology that's been around for decades. Those are the projectors with the separate red, green and blue picture tubes and three lenses on the front. The other projectors use one of the newer digital technologies. These projectors have a single lens on the front. There are three major types of digital projectors on the market today; LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon). Each type of digital projector has it's advantages too.

You need to evaluate your specific requirements in order to make the proper decision. First of all, look at the room. Is it a dedicated home theater or a multi use room? Do you have complete control of the light? What aesthetic concerns are you dealing with? What is your projector budget? How large of an image do you want? Do you watch primarily DVD movies, TV movies, sports, or other TV programming? What specific source components will you be using with your projector now or in the future? Is picture quality the most important thing, or are other concerns, such as noise, size or brightness more important? Are you installing the projector yourself, or are you hiring a custom installer to do the installation for you? Where must the projector be placed? Can you get the required video and control cables to that location? These questions must be answered to ensure you get the proper projector for your home theater. If you are using a custom installer, they will take into account these factors and specify the appropriate unit for you.

Dramatic improvements in the picture quality of digital projectors notwithstanding, CRT projectors still deliver the most film like image. They have no pixel structure and deliver rich, deep blacks. Properly set up and calibrated, with a good video processor, and with the proper size screen, a CRT projector will deliver simply stunning picture quality. You'll need to use a good quality projection screen, typically with 1.3 – 2.5 gain depending upon the size, viewing angel and ambient light in the room. Prices on really great CRT projectors have fallen like a rock in the last year or two. You can get a 9" CRT projector that used to cost $35,000 to $50,000, for less than a third of that figure now. Many firms no longer make CRT projectors due to the decreased demand for projectors using this technology. In addition, the required video processors have decreased dramatically as well. Ten years ago a great video processor used to cost $10,000 to $20,000. Now you can get one for well under $5,000 and as little as $2,000, brand new. They also easily last 8,000 – 10,000 hours when properly set up.

If they are so fantastic, why doesn't everybody still use CRT projectors? Well, there are many detriments to a CRT projector as well. The best ones, with the 9" tubes, are simply huge. It's like hanging an upside down bathtub on your ceiling. If you want to put one under a coffee table, it'll be one large table. They are also very heavy, around 150 – 200lbs, so you need the proper structure to support them. CRT projectors also require precise placement. They must be perfectly square with the screen, at the correct elevation for good picture quality. In addition, while many digital projectors have zoom lenses, allowing the projector to be placed at a range of distance from the screen, CRT projectors must be at a very precise distance for a specific screen size. These factors severely limit placement options. While the larger CRT projectors put out more light than their smaller counterparts, they have pretty dim images compared to even the least expensive digital projectors. Finally, CRT projectors require specialized setup in order to get a watchable, much less an optimum image. Every 6 months to a year, they must be re-calibrated to ensure you are still getting optimum picture quality.

There are some very good reasons why most people are using digital projectors in their home theaters today. Many are small and light, require minimal setup and calibration (compared to a CRT), are quiet and have a bright, sharp image. But, there are many different digital projectors, ranging in price from around $700.00 to over $100,000.00. Which one is the best for your specific application? Thankfully, the situation is changing, but many of the digital projectors marketed for home theater use are really just re-badged presentation units. Presentation projectors sacrifice good video quality for brightness. Brightness is much more important when giving a Powerpoint presentation in a lit room than the correct color palate or the black level. The red on the pie chart looks great, no matter what, as long as you can see it from the back row.

You want to choose one of the newer units that has been truly designed for home theater applications. The actual technology used for the imaging chip is not all that important, there are great examples using all three of the digital technologies. Companies such as Sony, Runco, InFocus, Vidikron, Marantz, Benq, Panasonic, Sharp, Optima and Sanyo and some others all make great home theater projectors. The projector will have great black levels, to accurately reproduce detail in the darker areas of the picture and give great contrast. Absolute brightness is not extremely important, unless you have a multi-use room without complete light control or you have a lot of people over for sporting events. If you are entertaining many people for sports, it's nice to have some light on in the room, so a brighter projector is advantageous.

Projectors come in a number of different resolutions. The lower the resolution, the smaller the screen you can use before you can see pixel structure. Also, the lower resolutions will not support true HDTV. Most will display HD, but at a decreased resolution. The lowest end projectors typically have resolutions of 800 x 600. The Texas Instruments Matterhorn chip is popular on budget priced wide screen projectors, and has a resolution of 1024 x 576. Anything over a resolution of 720 will allow for true HDTV. The TI series of HD-2 DLP chips has a resolution of 1280 x 720. In April of 2005, TI announced new DLP chips with 1920 x 1080 was ready for production, allowing for true 1080p resolutions. Projectors with this chip will begin shipping in Q1 of 2006. Blu-Ray Disc has stated they will support 1080p, so by late 2006 there will be commercially available 1080p content besides Microsoft's WMHD discs.

Another very important aspect of home theater projectors is the internal video processing. This is one of the primary differences between good home theater projectors and presentation projectors. Digital projectors must display progressive scan images at the native resolution of the chip, so any interlaced signal, such as 1080i HDTV, must be de-interlaced and then scaled to the native chip resolution. Poor quality video processors, weather in the projector or external units, cause all sorts of video artifacts that can get in the way of a satisfying video presentation. This subject alone is too in depth for this article, as entire texts have been written on the subject. However, one common video artifact is "jaggies" where diagonal lines are jagged instead of straight. Another annoying artifact caused by poor video processing is moire'. This is a pattern seen as alternating light and dark lines that change position as the image moves.

You'll want to be sure your projector supports the HDMI or DVI with HDCP copy protection to allow you to connect a HD-DVD, scaling DVD player or Blu-Ray Disc player. These devices will only allow maximum resolution on a display that has a digital video input with HDCP copy protection. In the future, cable TV and satellite providers may restrict the maximum resolution to their digital outputs too.

When choosing your new home theater projector, make sure it has the video quality, brightness, size, auditory and budget characteristics that you need. Projectors are a large investment, choose carefully and you will be rewarded with years of thrilling video in your home theater.

Steve has 15 yrs in custom electronics. He is a CEDIA certified designer with ISF and THX certificates. His experience includes: installer and programmer; system designer; business unit director for an a/v importer; sales rep for a CE distributor; and principal of a $1.5M+ CEDIA firm. He's now senior sales engineer for Digital Cinema Design in Redmond, WA. Get more great home theater and home automation information here:Home Theater Projectors

My Final Hsu Vtf2 Subwoofer Settings Thanks To Rew

Writen by Kyle Kolbe

Last weekend, I got the Room Equalizer Wizard (REW) fully working under the latest Parallels beta. With the latest beta I was able to calibrate my soundcard and output test signals without pops and clicks causing impulse errors and data corruption.

At the click of my mouse, REW shows me exactly what my Hsu VTF-2 subwoofer's output looks like. After hours of tweaking I decided on a 3 o'clock low pass crossover (between 80 and 85 Hz) and a level a large hump from 20–38 Hz and a relatively flat response from 40–100 Hz (see chart, this measurement is with both the sub and main speakers active). I figured action movies would benefit from the deep bass boost and music would benefit from the flatter response in the mid-bass (I'm pretty sure the indie-rock I like doesn't have much information below 40 Hz, electronica, though…). At the end I adjusted the sub to get 63 Hz (a bass kick drum's fundamental frequency) as close to the reference line as possible.

Arriving at this optimized setting was not easy, I had to set every knob on the sub wrong before I knew I was right. REW showed me that at any other crossover setting I had a sharp null at around 50 Hz. If I switched phase to 0 degrees on the Hsu VTF-2 subwoofer I could see a definite dip at 80 Hz (telling me the 180 degrees was the best setting, my mains are wired in reverse polarity because my Rogue Audio 99 pre-amp inverts absolute phase). I first thought the level increase in the deep bass was bad so I moved my sub out of the corner closer to me along the left side wall. Interestingly, moving the sub had no effect on the lowest octave but I lost significant volume in the mid bass. So the sub is back in the corner, I even moved it as close to the wall as I could to further improve the mid-bass response.

Movie viewing is much more exciting now. We watched Finding Nemo on Sunday after an early dinner (my bad idea, it kept up our daughter way past her bedtime, I just wanted to hear some Pixar bass). Where bass had been constricted before by my improper settings, it was now full and authoritative. The mine explosions at the end of the submarine chase had a satisfying ka-boom that made my daughter jump (and me grin with a tweaker's satisfaction).

In music acoustic and electric bass lines are no longer recessed and ill-defined. Depending on the recording I can hear the full note defined by the bassist's fingers hammering and plucking. The bass player has earned a place in the soundstage. Bass kick drums are tighter while remaining full and balanced. It's easier to visualize the mallet striking the drum's skin and the damping. pillow inside hopping.

So, integrating your subwoofer into the rest of your system is not as easy as playing some pink noise and watching your SPL meter's needle fluctuating wildly above and below your reference level. The flaw with the wide band pink noise method is the averaging. If I took the average level of my subwoofer, the bandwidth I care about (40–100 Hz) would still be set too low, and I would still be plagued with lean bass.

It really takes the power of REW and its limited sine sweeps to show you what is really happening. If you have a PC you can drag into your listening room cabled to your system and an affordable SPL meter, then there's no reason you can't have optimized, deep, balanced and natural bass from your subwoofer (unless your sub sucks, then you should buy a Hsu).

Father, Husband and Geek. My geeky interests have not changed since I was a kid. I still love comic books, anime, role-playing games, console video games, indie rock, imported toys and mecha models, bad American and great British sitcoms, and all the tech that let's me experience these hobbies to their fullest. Now that I'm married with children, I've had to strike a balance between supporting and pleasing my family and feeding my geekery hunger. Lucky for me, my wife is very accomodating and even geeks out with me on occasion (the ladies love Joss Whedon's "Firefly"). My two year old likes anything that moves on the front projection screen and makes noise, so far she is easy to please. Geekwithfamily.com exists to enrich the lives of fellow geeks and the friends and family who put up with them.

Lcd Wall Mounts

Writen by Eric Morris

LCD mounts are an important part of the LCD television set-up. They provide a means by which your LCD television can be attached to the wall, where they will be out of the way yet in prime location for viewing pleasure. The following are some of the best LCD mounts in the market today.

The SmartMount Universal Tilt Wall Mount can hold LCD televisions ranging from 10" to 30" flat screen panels. The wall plate is ultra-slim and holds the LCD screen close to the wall for an installation that is ideal for POS stations or office applications. It features a one-touch tilt, and the screen can be tilted 15 degrees without the aid of tools. For a prompt and hassle-free installation, SmartMount can be mounted to concrete or a wood stud. SmartMount also mounts to a metal stud with metal fastening.

The Peerless LCD Flat Panel Articulating Wall Mount offers a money- saving mounting solution for 10" to 22" flat panel screens. Truly flexible, this mount can fold flat against the wall to a 2" depth or stretch out to 15.25". Elegant in its make, this wall mount is ideal for conference rooms, offices, hotel rooms, etc. It has 180 degrees of rotation for the best screen positioning. It is relatively hassle-free when it comes to installation.

The Atdec Flush Universal LCD Mount is a comprehensive wall mounting solution for 90% of the monitors measuring 19".

Moview wall mounts come with a stylish design, along with a ten- year warrantee from the manufacturer.

LCD provides detailed information on LCD, LCD Projectors, LCD Monitors, LCD Tvs and more. LCD is affiliated with LED Displays.

Home Theatre What Difference Do Cables Make

Writen by Warren Thompson

If you go to your local home theater store, you may be confronted by a variety of "extreme" sounding names for cabling: Mega Cables, Monster Cables, Uber Cables… the proliferation of "boutique" cabling is always a source of controversy in home theater and audiophile circles. The question is, how much difference do they make, and are they worth it? Well despite the perils involved in even mentioning this topic, I'm going to attempt to add something to the discussion.

The most important thing to recognize is that a cable cannot improve the sound of a home stereo system any more than an electrical wire can create extra electricity when you plug it into the wall. That's actually a very good example, because when you're listening to audio for instance, what we're hearing is an electronic representation of acoustic sounds – that is to say, the actual sounds have not been captured and stuffed into a compact disc like fireflies in a child's jar – they have been copied, imitated, and a representation stored on the disc as a series of numbers.

These numbers are then read and translated into electronic signals, which are sent to the speakers in order to approximate the actual sounds. With that in mind, it makes sense that poor quality wires don't physically change the sound – instead it's like a game of 'telephone', in which the band tells the CD, the CD tells the player, the player tells the wires, and the wires tell the speakers, with something being lost at every step so that the message "Aunt Betty baked a pie" is altered to "Fat Eddy wants to cry" or what should be a great live recording sounds tinny, distant, or otherwise just plain wrong.

A good cable will change the signal as little as possible, but all cables do damage your signal a bit – it's simply a matter of degree. As far as which cables are the best? That's up to you or your local audio guru to decide – much is up to personal preference, with the rest probably being left up to your budget to decide.

Warren Thompson is fanatic about his new home theater system. He is also a contributing writer for hometheaterfocus.com – an immensely informative guide to home theater technology, with information about speaker positioning, home theater lighting, projection systems and more.

Playing Music Or Other Cds With A Code Free Dvd

Writen by John Dulaney

The technological jump has been instrumental in revolutionizing the entire home entertainment scenario. Region free DVD players ushered in a new era of change, which has impacted viewing and listening experience the world over.

Now we have all seen CDs. They are present literally everywhere. Our homes, workplaces, inside our computers and laptops, you name it and CDs are there. CDs are in fact similar to DVDs. One of the important things about DVDs is that they are able to store more data than CDs. A code free DVD can, to put it simply, hold around seven times the data that a CD could hold. This is the reason why a region free DVD can store a MPEG-2 encoded movie effortlessly, along with a lot of information.

From the time they hit the markets in 1997, DVDs and DVD players have become remarkably popular. A typical code free DVD can store up to 133 minutes of video. What is more when it comes to storing music also, code free DVDs have the edge over conventional CDs. A DVD can store around six to eight hours of music per side, with a significantly higher quality audio output than a CD.

A code free DVD comes to you with a host of features that you would not find with a VHS tape; the labeled on-screen index, for instance. You can now choose the part of the movie you want to see using your remote effortlessly. When it comes to the features available in region free DVD players, there are plenty. You have Dolby digital sound, surround sound, features for enhancing picture quality, and what not. Most of the region free DVD players are also compatible with audio CDs.

Code free DVDs are manufactured using the same methods as in the case of CDs. They work on the same principle of having 'pits' and 'bumps'. A code free DVD is made up of layers of plastic and is around 1.2 millimeters thick. A code free DVD is able to store more data than a CD, thanks to various reasons like having more area and a multi-layered storage facility. Code free DVD players have extremely sensitive components to read the equally sensitive and small region free DVDs. Region free DVD players have a 'MPEG- 2' decoder. This decoder can read compressed data and enables you to watch your favorite flicks.

Many movies are filmed at a rate of four frames per second. Most of the countries around the world like America or Japan have television sets that use the NTSC format, which enables 30 frames per second. Many European countries like Italy, France, Greece, UK, and Spain use the PAL format, with a display speed of 50 fields per second. It is because of these regional differences that a DVD player has to be formatted to be compatible with all or most of the systems. When it comes to the standards, as we have seen there are lots of standards like PAL, SECAM, NTSC, or PAL-SECAM, depending on the geographical location. These standards are subject to varying based on the location. Code free DVD players, however, enable you to play literally any DVD, whatever may be the region of its origin, and support most of or all of the standards. So they are called 'region free,' 'code free' or 'zone free' players.

Modern code free DVD players literally pack a punch and are great at decoding different formats to give you a superior picture quality and an amazing audio output. Since region free DVD players are designed specifically for playing code free DVDs with some special features, many times you will find that even your PC is unable to play a DVD. The reason is the superior processing power of a code free DVD player, which gives it the edge over some computers.

One can find DVD audios flooding the market recently. Although DVD audio players meant to play only audio are rare to find, most of the code free DVD players can play DVD audio discs. The format of a DVD audio disc is different from that of a DVD video. Good code free DVD players have something known as 'digital to analog converter' (DAC) in them to play these discs. It is always recommended that you get a code free DVD player with a 192kHz/24-bit converter for superior audio quality.

The DVD audio quality is better than the conventional CDs. They also make for great recording, offering you better accuracy. One can get still enhanced sound quality on code free DVD players by connecting them to a home theater system, preferably with around five speakers. Also check out whether your system is 'Dolby digital ready.' If it is, you can have the ultimate movie experience - so great is the sound quality.

The principle on which a code free DVD player works is similar to that of a CD player. Laser beams hit the surface of the disc to read the 'pits' and 'bumps.' The video signal is then sent to a television set and the audio signal to the speakers, after being amplified by a decoder. Most of the region free DVD players play both movies and music CDs. Similarly, most of the modern day code free DVD players enable you to play recorded content in the form of CD-Rs, which you could have done using your computer. You have the latest code free audio DVD players which handle only audio discs.

Almost all good brands of code free DVD players will have standard features like decoders, Dolby digital decoders, surround sound, and many other things. If you are in the market for a code free DVD player, your options are plenty. You can choose from a wide range from leading names like Sony, Samsung, Aiwa, Apex , Thompson, to mention only a few. There are also a lot of smaller companies who can give you equally good region free DVD players. You can always go through referrals. They may be of great help.

You can also do a bit of research on the Internet and find literally hundreds of models of region free DVD players. The basic models would cost you about $30 - $70. Although they are termed as basic models, the latest models in this segment come with a host of features. Buy the ones with the progressive scan technology as they offer better video quality. If you are willing to splurge a little more than $100, then you can go in for the higher models, which would come to you with a host of other features. You can record with these models. If you are unwilling to let go of your good old VHS tapes, you can always go in for region free DVD player-VCR combos. You can get a good player for around $200.

If you're an avid gamer, you might find satisfaction in DVD players with 'nuon' technology, the latest in the market. These players come with additional features, where you can attach a mouse or a joy stick, enabling you to play interactive games. These game stations could set you back by about $400. Leading brands like Samsung and Sony offer great models in this segment. If you want multi-disc players or 'juke boxes,' as they are popularly known for their ability to play both DVDs and CDs at the touch of a button, can go in for these models, which could cost you upwards of $400. And just in case you are one of those high-flying, jet-setting executives, you can always grab a portable model. You can get one of these models for up to $700 or even more, depending on the features.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That's every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N , PAL-M VCRs and much more.

Dvd Duplicators

Writen by Seth Miller

DVD duplication, also called burning, is a process that copies your data onto a disc, by 'burning' small pits onto the surface of the disc using laser beams. Unlike replication, duplication has very low project start-up and higher per-unit costs. Naturally, it is more convenient when volumes required do not exceed 200 units or so.

A DVD duplicator is an asset for any office, as business houses are now aware that a major portion of their total expenditure is spent on data and internal data storage requirements. A DVD duplicator comes in handy when one needs to back up and share a huge quantity of data both within and outside the business.

Better still, a DVD duplicator is easy to buy and highly affordable. Several good DVD duplicators are available in the market; you just need to find the right choice for you.

A DVD duplicator will also copy CDs. Go for a second-hand duplicator only if it comes with a complete warranty. You will find that the price of newer duplicators is often lower than you would expect, and the more recent the model the faster it will duplicate DVDs.

The standalone tower system is the most common form of DVD and CD duplicator. These duplicators can function without a PC and generally comprise a number of multiple optical drives in a tower. A controller card operates these drives, thus enabling multi-copy action. The master disc is generally inserted into the reader drive, and then blanks are inserted into target recorder drives. Once insertion is complete, the operator will simply press a button to start the copy process.

DVD duplicators are also available as automated systems in which no manual intervention is needed once the copy process starts. These duplicators are costlier, due to their requirement for robotics. An autoloader on a duplicator is ideal for any company that does not have enough workers to take care of a tower system.

DVD duplicators are ideal for copying video, data, games, software and corporate presentations onto multiple DVDs for distribution.

DVD Duplicators provides detailed information on DVD Duplicators, CD DVD Duplicators, DVD Duplicator Printers, Automated DVD Duplicators and more. DVD Duplicators is affiliated with DVD R Duplication.

Custom Home Theater Is It Right For You

Writen by James McDonald

A custom home theater is defined as a unit that will provide you with the excitement that you have always wanted, designed specifically for your needs, in the convenience of your house. If you are thinking about the installation of a home theater, you may want to ponder the custom designed products that are available from several of the top manufacturers. There are alot on the market and many of them will provide you with a huge range of possibilities. For those seeking to invest in a home theater to enjoy, why not have one custom designed to fit the specific needs and desires that you have? It may be the best solution but there are points to consider.

Many of today's top manufacturers of home theaters, such as Panasonic, Bose, and Sony will offer the home theater options that are able to be completely customized. They understand that consumers have varying degrees of needs. If you walk into a home theater store, you may find that this is what they are promoting as the best solution to their customers. 'Come and design your own home theater'. You need to be careful not to spend more than you need to and get the experience that is just right for your specific room. The value of having a customized system is that you can select the type of features that will suit you the best, and you will also be able to get the products that you need rather than those that come pre-packaged with a complete system. It may make sense to consider a custom designed product.

So how do you know if a custom home theater is right for you? A recommended way to go about this is to jot down all the things you must have in the new theater. If you need a wireless system, then make sure you put this high on the list. What about high definition quality? Surround sound? These are important aspects and can be found on a variety of systems that are available today. After composing your list of 'absolute must haves' you may be surprised that you can find an off the shelf system that has 95% of it. This could save you money, allowing you to upgrade other areas of your entertainment room. You can even put your savings toward a nice movie sofa, one that you and the kids can sprawl out on.

Home theaters make a wonderful investment in your overall enjoyment. There are plenty of options out there to mull over. You may find that the home theater system that is already out there is just about perfect for your needs. You may also determine that the one that is out there is really too big or complicated to use for your home entertainment needs. Going with a custom designed theater puts you in the position to acquire the very best product for your money.

James McDonald writes for easyhometheaters.com, a resource where you can locate a home theater system that is suited perfectly to your specific needs.

Whats Behind The Technology Of Bluray And Hd Dvd

Writen by Brian Johansson

Movies are finally ready to take advantage of the High Definition displays that have been in stores for years. DVDs brought us great picture and sound that created a boom in the television and home theater market. Display technology rapidly grew to bring us a picture that was twice as good as DVD quality video. The problem was that DVDs cannot store enough information to fit HD quality video and sound, until now. New technology has created a DVD that can store up to five times more information than before. This new technology comes in two formats called Blu-Ray and HD DVD. These two formats were created separately and they currently in competition with each other. They both use similar technology to bring HD quality video and sound, but they do have some differences.

The technology behind the two formats is based on the same optical technique that regular DVDs use. A laser is focused onto the surface of the disc and reads the digital information that is converted to video and sound. Blu-Ray and HD DVD incorporate a new colored laser that can be focused more precisely onto a smaller area of the disc. This allows there to be more information packed onto the same size disc. It's like a record player using a smaller needle and lines are just moved together tighter towards the center, leaving more room on the outside for more information. The reason for having to fit the information onto the same size disc as a DVD is so that all optical discs created with older technologies will fit into the same reader. So a Blu-Ray or HD DVD player will play CD, DVD and their own discs. Because of their competition there are no players that will play Blu-Ray and HD DVD. The main difference between the two formats is simply a matter of storage. HD DVDs can store 15GB; about three times as much as a DVD. A Blu-Ray disc can store 25GB which is about five times as much as a DVD. Both will have the same video resolution as of right now, but Blu-Ray has the potential to store better video when it is available. For now, extra space is used for movie extras like behind the scenes segments. Only time will tell if these formats will merge or fight it out to the end. History has shown us that one format usually prevails.

More great information about Blu-Ray and other upcoming technology is available at http://www.find-hddvd-blu-ray-information.info

Explanation Of The Two Major Formats Bluray Disc Or Advanced Optical Disc

Writen by John Dulaney

The gradual evolution of the optical disc technology saw the arrival of the DVDs. DVDs changed the entire entertainment experience. People could watch the latest blockbusters from the comfort of their homes with their latest high definition DVD players, with unmatched picture quality and audio output. DVDs are everywhere, so too are DVD players. You have the high definition DVD players with all sorts of features. The future lies with emerging technologies like Blu-ray and advanced optical discs.

Blu-ray Discs

Blu-ray, popularly known as BD or blue-ray discs, is a next-generation optical disc that has been developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). The group consists of leading consumer electronics giants, PC and media manufacturers, like Philips, Samsung, Sony, Sharp, HP, Hitachi and Panasonic, to name a few. The format enables recording, rewriting and playback of high definition video (HD). One major advantage that the technology has over conventional DVDs is that it allows for more storage capacity. It can hold up to 25GB on a single layered disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. The technology also incorporates advanced video and audio codes for the ultimate high definition viewing experience. The name Blu-ray is used because the format uses a blue-violet laser, instead of a red laser as in the case of traditional DVDs.

Another major advantage with Blu-ray format lies in the fact that the entire technology is backwards compatible. You can now play your old CDs and DVDs through a BD/DVD/CD compatible unit. The blue-violet laser has a shorter wavelength than a red laser, which enables it to focus on a disc area with greater precision. The data is also packed on the surface of a disc more tightly. This explains the disc's capability to store more data, even though it is of the same size as a traditional CD.

The technology is supported by some of the world's leading manufacturers. In fact, many major movie studios have already announced titles with Blu-ray in them. Warner, Disney, Sony, MGM, and Paramount are among the leading studios who have embraced the format. Some of the famous titles include movies such as Desperado, Fantastic Four, Hero, Kill Bill, and Lethal Weapon. Sony has in fact come out with a mass produced model, which has already hit the market. Several other leading brands have also announced their intentions to launch models with the Blu-ray format.

The Blu-ray movie codes are different from that of DVD region codes. So you have North America, South America, Japan, and East Asia excluding China forming the Region 1, followed by Europe and Africa forming the Region 2. China, India, and Russia make up Region 3.

One major disadvantage with Blu-ray format is that many standard DVD players are unable to read the discs. This problem is being rectified in the form of backward compatible players though. The growth of Blu-ray discs is expected to drive the growth of the home theater segments to further unprecedented heights.

Advanced Optical Discs

Yet another technology, or format to be precise, which is giving the Blu-ray format a good run for its money, is the Advanced Optical Disc (AOD) format. It has been created by Toshiba in collaboration with NEC. Even though it is considered the main rival to the Blu-ray format, ironically, it is being supported by the DVD forum that includes nine members, who are 'Blu-ray disc founders.' While a single layered disc using this technology holds around 15 GB of data, a double layered disc would hold 30 GB of data. One can compress 20 GB of data in the recordable version.

This format too uses the blue laser, the difference being the higher compression of the video stream. One major advantage of the AOD format over the Blu-ray format is the fact that the AOD format will cost you less. Although not a great deal is known about the format as yet, if one were to go by the Toshiba-NEC team, then the players would be smaller than the ones using Blu-ray format.

Capable of playing high definition DVD, some models using the AOD format from Toshiba have already hit the markets. They are roughly priced around $500-$800. Details available on the progression of the technology are sketchy, however, during this point in time.

Industry Trends

Industry analysts believe that the Blu-ray format would hold sway over the masses in the near future. There are other related technologies which are also trying to break in, like the Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) technology. This technology is still at a research stage and claims to have greatly increased storage capacity than both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats.

Researchers are also working on many other technologies. Some of them are claiming to be working on a technology with a storage capacity that is, believe it or not, 100 times that of a DVD. The technology involves making disks with a three-dimensional structure rather than the traditional two dimensional DVDs. With data storage and protection assuming importance, research on various lines is being carried out. Most of these research activities have the potential to revolutionize the home theater market.

With convergence of various features being the trend nowadays, there are several models of DVD players already available in the market, which have gaming options apart from playing DVDs. The increasing popularity of home theater systems is driving the research in this field.

Movie makers too are increasingly dependent on digital formats for both film making and projection. Digital video and audio outputs are considered far more superior to the existing traditional methods, and offer viewers an enhanced movie experience.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That's every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

Is The Ipod Video Really That Good

Writen by Trevor Sadowski

The iPod video is popular due to its huge memory and the video playing capacity of the longer life battery. However, there are still some drawbacks to the design but whether you regard them as important depends upon your own liking of the iPod range.

The screen is bigger than the previous models which is great, but the surface is still easy to scratch, therefore you will still need a case to ensure protection.

Although the video image is excellent and the screen clarity may be easily compared to your TV set, there are still some problems with freezing video images. However, the fact that interference from sunlight or other light sources has been eliminated is excellent.

Although the battery life is improved overall, people complain that it is short in video mode. However, this is true of any resource intensive device, just ask laptop owners. You just need to be aware and remember to recharge regularly.

Anyway, this complaint can be balanced by the fact that the video is played with no flaws and looks really detailed.

The best new features of the video iPod concern the sound quality. It is clearer and louder with a bass that is stronger, my particular favorite.

Another good feature is the easy control, the video feature is generally accepted as being superb, but minor criticisms concern the interruption of the sound when switching between tracks.

The definite advantages of the ipod video may be gathered together, people point out that ipod video has a superb, thin and attractive enclosure with a great display. It also has the best sound, 15-20 hours of music, new clock and even the time in other parts of the world.

Conversely, the drawbacks or criticisms can be summarised as being the incompleteness of the video integration that suggests the experimental project aspect, absence of any new games, no changes in the interface, the smaller than expected screen as regards the video features edition and slow transfer of photos direct from the camera.

All this being said, you will find that the majority of people see the ipod video as the best music player around that has superior quality of sound and is just simply the best looking device money can buy.

After all if this is not the case then why has the Apple iPod range reached a state of almost complete domination in the portable music player market?

As a screen for the photo album, the clarity of the screen may win the competition with any TV set's screen. As a movie player, the iPod video is below the expectations, but it may be considered a great step in the video technology.

Trevor Sadowski is an mp3 enthisiast and runs a website devoted to the features of the apple ipod video and other ipod models in the range.

Get The Facts Before You Buy Your Next Dvd Player

Writen by Thad Pickering

DVD players are an essential piece of equipment in the typical home entertainment or home theater system setup. So it makes sense that you should know what is available and what to expect when you go shopping for one. They have essentially taken over the position formerly held by VHS tape players/recorders as the digital quality of the images is just so much better than anything that VHS is capable of producing. That's why you see most video rental stores displaying their movies mainly in DVD format these days.

Just one DVD disc can usually hold enough information to display the movie itself, and also provide surround sound at the same time. On top of that you will often find additional commentary and extra scenes to add to the enjoyment of that movie too. Very soon high definition DVD players will be hitting the market too which will take video to the next level, making the images even sharper, more crisp, and pleasing to the eye.

However, you can still get some great video with the current crop of DVD players, especially those that have progressive scan. This is a method of displaying all the lines on the TV screen all together at the same time, rather than interlacing them as older conventional analog sets have done for years. You may not actually see much difference on an analog set right now, but if you have a HDTV or EDTV the video will be higher quality since they are capable of using this technology.

If price is your most important consideration, and you have a conventional TV set that you plan to keep for a while you will be able to find some real bargains right now as single disc dvd players without progressive scan can be had for very little money. Just keep in mind that if you decide to upgrade your TV to view HDTV, you will most likely need to buy a new DVD player that can take full advantage of it's capability at that point.

If you like to just load up movies and view them without having to change discs all the time consider buying a muti-disc player. They are definitely more expensive, but seem to work well for some folks. They also can be used to play hours of CD music without having to change discs too, and that is a big attraction for a lot of people.

Keep in mind that portable dvd players are also widely available now and lots of people are making good use of them. The convenience factor is off the charts as you can literally watch movies wherever you go. Many travelers enjoy taking them with them to pass time in airports and while actually traveling. Just be aware of the average battery life of the unit you buy and have enough extra batteries to take you to your destination.

Hopefully knowing what options are available to you in dvd players these days will help you find the one that is just right for your needs.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including audio and video. You can find out more about best portable dvd player and portable dvd player reviews by visiting our Home Theater website.

High Definition Television

Writen by Simon Oldmann

High definition television are becoming more and more popular, many people are getting a HDTV because they believe that this is turning out to be the next standard in television sets, there is no wonder to this belief since the transmission quality is definitely superior to anything that came before it. The most common thing you can hear is that someone that just got a HDTV set says that he would not have believed how fast he would get used to this phenomenal quality.

In fact, most of the HDTV users say they don't understand how they watched television "the old way", and that they can not stand to watch a regular television because of its poor quality, this is even worst for sport addicts who confess that HDTV is almost a necessity for those football games.

It is not surprising then that this is not only an American trend, this HDTV madness is on a global scale, and like any other market rules this suggests that high definition will indeed become a very accessible purchase in a few year, the demand is predicted to grow in the next few years and as more television stations start transmitting in high definition more users are expected to join the market.

The companies that make the high definition television sets say that this started as a slow and gradual excitement, much of it because many people got used to the standard television broadcast, and no one thought that there will be any advancement on the level of transmission quality, most people had thought of the DVD markets and the digital signal gadgets but not about improving the actual result that you see on screen.

The result is that slowly, but surly, many are giving the high definition television a chance and once they watch it, they are hooked, and there are high chances that they will ultimately go for the high definition.

One product that has been linked most of all to the high definition transmission quality is the plasma screen, most users say that one simply can not exists without the other, that the plasma executes what the high definition enables, and while this may be very true the costs of both are still very high and not everyone can afford to purchase a plasma television set, but experts say that like all other things, this too will change in the next few years as the standards in the television market change completely, in other words they say that most people will be surprised at how quickly they will be sitting in front of their own plasma screen at home.

Anyone looking to get a high definition television set, or a plasma screen , is strongly advised to research this market before he buys anything, this market is known for its prices fluctuations and rapid changes, so make sure you buy a good product and that you are properly covered for maintenance and guarantee. Once you decide make sure you know how to install everything properly and take good care of your electronic equipment so you can use it and enjoy it for many years.

Simon Oldmann has been studying personality with focus on the effects of financial planning on health and mental stability. Simon is currently writing tips and advice on smart purchases such as a High Definition Television for ZupaTips.com

The Big Tv Screen Perfect For Families

Writen by Tom Gibson

It wasn't so long ago that miniaturization was all the rage in the world or electronics, and I guess it still is to some extent, but we do seem to be getting back to the 'big is beautiful' mind set, and especially when this comes to the new-age televisions. Now that the big TV no longer needs those huge tubes bulking out from behind the screen, it means folks can have a big TV set, yet save living space at the same time.

Tiny TVs may be novel, but there's nothing quite like watching television and particularly movies on a big screen. Why is the movie theatre so popular? Simple, it's big screen entertainment! Ok, so we have no way of replicating that in the house, but there are some pretty impressive home entertainment systems around these days nonetheless. Many folks are investing in terrific surround sounds systems too, so staying in really is becoming the new going out when it comes to big TV entertainment in the home.

Another problem the big TV's used to have was picture quality. Anything above a 32" screen was difficult to focus on unless you sat at least 8 feet away. Not so nowadays with the introduction of the wide screen flat panel and high-definition televisions on sale, otherwise known as HDTV. These modern types have much higher-resolution screens and you can sit much closer to them if you want to.

At the time of writing I have a Sony FWD42PV1/B 42" Plasma Television which is wall mounted. I don't even have the words to describe what a beautiful piece of engineering this is, but what I can tell you is that it takes up no room, looks terrific, sounds awesome, and has given the family a great home entertainment system which we all enjoy. Who would have thought just a few years back, that a 41" big TV would give us more room space than our old 29" Samsung.

To be honest, I never thought I'd fall into the trappings of the big TV screen, but my family kept going on and on about it for so long that I eventually agreed to take look and see what all the fuss was about. Boy I'm so glad I did! I'm neither a couch potato nor a TV addict, but what bit of viewing I do enjoy has been increased ten fold by our new system, and I'm real happy to have the extra floor space too.

Although all this new technology is not cheap, it's coming down in price all the time, and the quality keeps getting better and better to the point where there will soon be nothing left to improve upon. I can't fault it, and for someone who's known to be a bit thrifty with the cash, I can honestly say with hand on heart, that the big screen entertainment center is perhaps the best investment I've ever made for the family home. It certainly gets more attention than a new washing machine or 3 piece suite, that's for sure!

Tom Gibson is a proficient writer and webmaster of TV Forcast dot com where he has articles on the New Improved TV Flat Screens and The Tiny Portable TV. He also has other 'TV' related to pieces on the site.

Coming Soon More Radio Listening Choices Thanks To A New Concept Called Hd2

Writen by Douglas Hanna

While HD radio increases the quality of AM and FM broadcasts dramatically, this may not be the main reason to buy an HD radio.

You may buy it because of a new concept called HD2.

HD radio is digital radio. It requires less radio spectrum which, in turn, enables a concept called multicasting. In other words, radio stations with HD radio technology will be able to broadcast their primary FM channel in digital while offering up to two additional side channels on the same frequency. These extra channels have been named HD2.

What to expect from HD2

Seven of the nation's largest broadcasters have joined together to form the HD Digital Radio Alliance to promote HD radio and to coordinate the use of HD2. One of the goals of this Alliance is to help create new programming content to put on those HD2 signals. The Alliance intends to coordinate the use of the new HD2 channels to offer variety – music, news and entertainment – across formats. Early next year, it will announce specific HD2 programming and promotional efforts for the country's top 25 markets.

The Alliance also pointed out that HD radio offers more than just entertainment. It can also transmit text messages such as traffic reports, and real-time weather forecasts. It also has an interactive capability. For example, the day may come when you will be able to instantly download or purchase a song you're hearing on your radio simply by pressing a "Buy It Now" key.

Free and commercial free

Alliance members have said that HD2 channels will be free and commercial free, at least initially. Just as important, they will be locally programmed in each market – unlike satellite radio which cannot offer local material. How long these HD2 channels will remain commercial free is hard to guess. However, Alliance members have said that these HD2 channels will remain free to listeners, just like today's AM and FM broadcasts. with the possible exception of premium multicast services such as concerts or traffic updates.

25 stations now with dozens more coming

Last May, Chicago's WUSN became the USA's first commercial FM outlet to multicast. Infinity Broadcasting recently added a second digital channel to Chicago's WJMK. Three Detroit stations have announced a new companion multicast channel, and a number of National Public Radio stations have begun multicasting. It is believed that more than 25 stations are now broadcasting HD2 and dozens more are expected to add these channels by year's end.

In other words, HD radio and HD2 are on the march. Now, all we need are more HD radios so we can actually hear this amazing new technology.

To learn more about HD radio, please go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz.

Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio, the Internet and family finances.

A Good Home Theater Isnt Just About Your Picture You Also Need A Quality Sound System

Writen by Tim Gorman

When you are making your first home theater it is natural to be mostly concerned with the image that you will be getting. Of course it is very important to make sure that the projector or TV is the best that you can get for you budget, but it is also important to think about the sound that will be getting as well. A good quality speaker system can make a huge difference to the quality of your home theater. Although the image is obviously the main component, a good audio will make sure that you get that big screen experience in your home theater. What you really need is a good surround sound system. This really allows you to get the full benefit of the movie soundtrack.

If you do not have a good speaker system then it really can spoil the whole movie, so it is well worth spending a good portion of your budget on a really high-quality set up. You really need two or four speakers at the front of the cinema and two at the back to give you the surround sound. You will also need a sub woofer for the deeper tones and a center speaker. This should make sure that you get the full benefit of the soundtrack.

But you do not only need the right speakers; you also need to make sure that they are of a good quality as well. There is no point in spending a large amount on a good projector and then having poor speakers. But you do not have to spend a lot of money to get a good quality system There are some really good systems by some suppliers such as Panasonic and Dell and you can get some really good deals if you look around. It is also possible to some good second hand systems that can give you good quality at a low cost. The best place to look for these are on eBay. You might have to have an older model but just because there is a newer model out, that does not mean that there are not some very good older models as well.

If you get the sound system right then it can really add to your enjoyment of your home theater system and it is well worth doing a bit of research to make sure that you have got the best deal for your money.

For more helpful advice and information on finding the best home theater speakers visit ShoppingForHomeTheaterSystems.com where you will find important tips and money saving home theater reviews you can trust.

Hitachi 55 Plasma Tv Hitachi 55hdm71 55in Hdtv Ready Plasma Television

Writen by Jeremy Hier

The Hitachi 55 plasma tv delivers five-star performance in a 55-inch screen. With an aspect ratio of 16:9 and resolution at a whopping 1366 x 768, this plasma display device is unsurpassed.

Hitachi has developed a new ten-bit image process that handles over a billion color display gradations, and produces the highest blacks and deepest saturation of any plasma tv unit.

Mount this elegant monitor on a stand or on the wall; at just over four inches thick, it takes up virtually no space in your room. This 55-inch plasma tv is best viewed at a distance of 14 feet or more. The streamlined picture-frame style plasma screen boasts a 160 degree viewing angle, evenly illuminated across the entire screen, with absolutely no curvature. Distortion is thus eliminated.

The Hitachi plasma has a dead silent operation, not employing cooling fans. Its high-efficiency panel technology, dynamic false contour reduction, contrast and color enhancers are unrivalled. Other standard amenities such as life extension mode, screen saver, a monitor ID bit, 20-watt audio amplifier, split screen with dual image control and picture-in-picture (PIP) launch this state-of-the-art plasma TV right to the top of its class.

Other convenient features include menu, input and sound adjustment buttons, day and night memory, three language screen display, and an enormous amount of input/outputs for the friendliest of digital imaging plasma displays.

In science, "plasma" is known as the "fourth state of matter." Plasmas constitute more than 99% of our visible universe. Now, thanks to super-high technology, the ubiquitous plasma has become the means to bring high definition television to discerning consumers around the world.

Find out about the top plasma TV's by reading our plasma television reviews. Other Hitachi plasmas include the Hitachi 42 inch plasma tv.

Mini Dv Recorders

Writen by Kristy Annely

The major Mini DV recorders brands are Sony, Panasonic, and JVC. All these brands have various kinds of Mini DV recorders with a variety of features, size and price. Depending on the need (professional/ amateur use), you can choose from a variety of features like editing facility, conversion, quality of recording, and size. The price varies, starting from around $2000. Compatibility with other recording/playing systems also needs to be kept in mind while going for a particular recorder.

JVC has come up with many kinds of Mini DV recorders. The JVC BR DV 600 U, for example, is a player as well as recorder. This compact device offers the choice of editing the film through any system, whether Mini DV or DVD or Super VHS. Conversion from an analog to digital signal is also possible. The picture recording quality is sharp and the sound quality is good. Most importantly, this player-recorder can be upgraded to the level of more advanced models if needed. Price varies from $2000 to $4000, depending on the retailer or online store you are ordering it from.

Sony's DSR 45 VCR is also a player as well as a recording device. It records/plays not just Mini DV, but also DVCAM cassettes. This model does not have editing features. It costs around $4000, though you can get one for much less through some online stores and websites like eBay.

Panasonic also has many Mini DV recorders on the market. It's popular AG DV IDCE model is light and compact. A feature that has made it popular is the possibility of night time recording. It's LCD monitor is small, with length of about 4", but this makes it easily portable.

It is important to remember that most Mini DV recorders also double up as players. You must choose the recorder keeping in mind that all recorders may not be good players, and vice versa. So it is important to think beforehand of the features you need most, and then choose a Mini DV recorder.

Mini DV provides detailed information about mini DVs, mini DV camcorders, mini DV conversion and more. Mini DV is affiliated with DVD R Duplication.

Multistandard Vcr

Writen by John Dulaney

The quality of the picture created through this technique depends upon the capturing and storage method used. Digital TV (DTV) is comparatively a new format, having a high quality picture presentation and has practically become the standard in television video. The 3D-video is digital video in three dimensions, first premiered at the end of the 20th century. This technique utilises six or eight cameras, capturing 3D-video streams with real-time depth measurement.

There are certain standards that are followed in video formatting. These are, Phase-Alternating Line (PAL), National Television System(s) Committee (NTSC) and Compagnie Française de Télévision (SECAM). While North America uses NTSC system, PAL and SECAM are used in Europe, with South America using PAL-M, PAL-N, PAL and NTSC. Almost every area of the world has a combination of video standards.

PAL is a colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. It has eight incompatible types in use through out the world. These are, types B, G, H, and also D, I, K, N and M. The technology was first developed by Walter Bruch at Telefunken in Germany and was first brought public 1963, with the first broadcasts beginning in Britain and Germany in 1967. In PAL, 25 frames are transmitted each second and each frame is made up of 625 individual scans, termed as lines and works on 50Hz power frequency. The general specification for PAL may be in the form 625lines/50Hz. PAL-M has a different specification within the family of PALS standard, having 525lines/60Hz.

In 1953, the first ever colour broadcast came to the US. This was based on NTSC format, which is being used by many other countries in the American continent and in Asia as well, and in other countries including Japan. The NTSC TV image has 525 horizontal lines per frame. With every other line being skipped, NTSC scans from right to left and from top to bottom. Oddly enough, in NTSC, the scanning of the complete screen is through two steps. The first scan will go through the odd numbered horizontal lines, while the second would scan the even numbered ones. This alternate line scanning is termed as interlacing.

SECAM is an analog colour television system first used in France. This system is typically used in France and some of its neighbouring countries, which were the French colonies at one time. A team led by Henri de France working at Compagnie Française de Télévision, which was later bought by Thomson, invented SECAM. It is historically, the first European colour television standard. The standard uses the same bandwidth as PAL, but transmits the colour information in sequence. It has a scan rate of 625lines/frame with 25 frames per second frame rate, the same as PAL does. In comparison with PAL, SECAM has the ability to render images with the correct hue, ensuring consistency of the colour.

Now let us discuss what a multi-system TV is.

We discussed about the various video standards that are used all over the world. Almost every part of the world has a combination of the standards in use. Unfortunately, with none of these standards being compatible, VCRs, TVs and DVD players made in one part of the world, cannot be viewed in another. The utility of a multi-system VCR is the ability to play video of any standard. Multi-system VCRs will play video tapes from any part of the world having a different standard, but it does not have the ability to convert the video signals. If you have a NTSC TV system and you are playing a PAL video movie on tape in your multi-system VCR unit, you will not be able to watch the movie, because of your incompatible TV system. To watch the movie, you would require a converting multi-system VCR, which will convert the video output into NTSC, through its built-in video standard converter. If you have a basic multi-system VCR, you would require an external video converter, in between your VCR and TV, in order to watch that movie. Normally, all multi-system VCRs, that are being manufactured presently, all have the converter built-in for convenience of the consumers. On the other hand a multi-system TV would play that PAL video tape without a converter, whether built-in the multi-system VCR or an external one.

Whether the video signals are in PAL, NTSC or SECAM, a multi-system VCR will provide the corresponding output for you to watch that tape in your compatible TV or on a multi-system TV system. To watch a video tape, not conforming to the standard of your country or the country that you are presently visiting, you need more than just the basic multi-system VCR. If you have a basic multi-system VCR, the output signal needs to be converted before you can watch it on your TV screen. If your TV is not compatible with the standard of your video tape, you would need a video converter box, connected in between your TV and your VCR systems, which will convert the video output signals from your VCR, make it compatible to the standard of your TV, and play it on the screen.

The other possibility in watching a non-standard video tape would be to have a basic multi-system VCR along with a multi-system TV. As discussed, a basic multi-system VCR does not have the ability to convert the video output signal appropriately to play on your standard TV. But, if you had a multi-system TV, it would have had the feature to convert that signal from the VCR output and make it compatible for you to watch. The disadvantage is that you shall not be able to make the converted copies of the tape in this kind of arrangement. This conversion does produce any degradation of the picture quality on your TV screen.

There is yet a final possibility that exists, which will enable you to watch the tape. If you have a multi-system TV/VCR combo, you can play any video standard and watch it on your TV too.

A normal VCR has two video heads, one to record and the other to play back. There are additional heads available in certain VCRs which are used for special effects, such as, slow motion, freeze frame, etc. Lots of techniques are being put in by manufacturers in order to increase the clarity and quality of the picture on your TV screen. Now, there are many VCRs in the market that allow quick play from the stop point. There are VCRs designed to provide the feature for quick play from the stop point. Many models now feature pre-programmed universal remotes with the ability to control TV and cable boxes. A universal remote control module will control your TV and VCR of the same make.

You have an option to choose between two to three different recording speeds virtually with any VCR. The playback speed is automatically set, and even though VCRs record in two speeds, the playback option provides you with a choice of three. Though a faster moving tape provides a less recording time, it also has a better picture quality and clarity. Special video heads have been designed by manufacturers like, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, and Sharp. These heads allow time-shift recordings at the slowest speed for improved picture quality for recording and playback.

Today's multi-system VCRs usually record an electronic index code at the start of each recording. This helps in searching the tape by index search, when the VCR stops at each index mark and plays back a few seconds of the recording. Some of the VCRs would let you go to that exact point, directly to that specific index mark and start to play back. These models lets you search forward or backward at fast or slow speeds and the jog control, lets you move the tape in the same way, frame by frame. The VCRs set the time signal on their own from the time signal being sent from your local PBS station, where-by you do not require setting the time yourself. In power on, the VCR with display the correct time, with 'Auto Clock Set' found in the mid and upper ranges of multi-system VCRs.

If you intend to buy a multi-system VCR with a view of recording programs, then the programming feature of that VCR becomes an important factor. All multi-system VCRs have atleast one recoding capability of your desired program. The basic feature allows you to set the built-in clock to start and stop within the next 24 hours. More complex programming allows recording of several different programs on different channels on a period of 28 days period. One of the other features will allow recording of the same program being broadcasted at a specific time everyday. Many of these VCRs include VCR PLUS+, which allows you to enter a number listed in TV Guide or many newspapers' television guides, for recording purposes. In some, the VCR PLUS+ will even help you to change the channels on your cable box via a mouse, or an infrared transmitter located on the top of the VCR.

Multi-system VCRs have a characteristic of producing high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) sound quality and it is a new type of stereo sound that is not like the low pitched ones that was available on old models of VCRs. This upgrade is certainly to be taken into consideration, if you are thinking of buying or replacing your present VCR, since all the movies and videos have Hi-Fi sound tracks encoded with Dolby Surround system.

110-220 Volt Electronics - A multisystem TV is a TV capable of receiving and displaying different video systems like PAL, SECAM and NTSC. You'll be able to operate a multisystem TV in 99% of the world. Their dual voltage design allows them to be plugged into either a 110 voltage source or a 220 voltage source. In some cases, the plug on the television will not fit your country's outlet, so an inexpensive plug-adapter will be needed. They can generally be picked up at an electronics store such as http://www.planetomni.com for $1.95. With a multisystem TV, such as a plasma, CRT tube type, LCD or DLP, you'll likely need a codefree (sometimes called region free) DVD player. These exist in many forms. When used with a PAL-NTSC TV you'll be able to see the full 625 lines of resolution available in the PAL system and the full 525 lines used in the USA NTSC system. There exists a converting type of DVD player which is codefree in that it can read all of the world's 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. 140,000 other products are available here: http://www.planetomni.com Tel. # 800-514-2984

Tv Lcd Vs Plasma Tv

Writen by Jay Carmichael

If you are looking at getting a new TV, or building a home theater, then there is quite a bit of research to be done before you make the plunge. Right now there are two competing technologies for High Definition Flat Screen TV. The first is LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and the second Plasma TV. Both will offer a great picture, perfectly flat screens which will keep your straight lines looking straight, and immunity from magnetic distortion, but which technology is better? What are their prospective pros and cons? Read on for more information.

Before I get into what you should buy, you should get the "how does it work run down", the quick and dirty edition. It is quite difficult to compare two competing technologies because they tend to be, by nature, apples and oranges. This is why it helps to know your fruit. Plasma and LCD TV's generate their pictures in extremely different ways. A Plasma TV's pixel consists of gas-filled cells coated with a phosphorescent material. When an electrical current charges the gas in a cell, it makes the coating glow. However, in an LCD TV, the pixels are liquid crystal cells placed over a fluorescent backlight. The cells opacity varies in response to an electrical signal, passing or blocking the light. This method has been used for computer monitors for quite some time.

Burn in has plagued the plasma TV's reputation while the LCD is seen as a "view from the front" only TV, but recent technological advances have decreased the gap between these two competing technologies. Plasma TV's are now more resistance to burn in and ship with screen savers while LCD's have increased viewing angles. So what is the difference? Well, first things first. It is no coincidence that major TV manufacturers are offering plasma TV's at the top of their lineup while placing LCD's at their entry level positions. One reason for this is the fact that LCD's are not economical in larger sizes. It is very uncommon to see a LCD with a screen size larger than 40". Also, If you are looking at screen sizes under 37", an LCD is your only flat panel choice.

In my opinion, overall there is still a gap large enough to have a clear winner. I feel that for large cinema type applications you will be better off with a plasma solution. Plasma will give you a slightly better picture with brighter colors and more contrast at larger sizes. LCD however is great for an extra TV and if you watch your power bill, you will be happy to know that an LCD will use much less power than a Plasma of the same size.

So if you need a flat screen for the kitchen, you will not be disappointed with the convenience of a LCD TV. If you are looking at a TV in a size that does overlap technologies, then you must decide which to go with. I would choose a plasma TV in most cases over an LCD TV of the same size. I feel the advantages of the plasma's picture quality outweigh the cons of the LCD's advantages which also happen to be quickly disappearing as the plasmas technology matures.

If you would like more information about TV Technology, visit newtechnologytv.com. We offer Plasma TV Information, and tips for picking a Plasma or LCD TV.

Flat Screen Displays Coming To A Kitchen Near You

Writen by Michael Casamento

Flat screen displays have infiltrated into our lives, and it is no surprise why. One look at that sleek thin profile, and truly stunning picture quality, is usually all it takes for one to be sold on this totally cool technology. Most people will agree that the real benefit to a flat screen display is its mounting flexibility. For the first time we can mount our TV's directly on a wall freeing up valuable floor space.

Perhaps the one room in our homes that can benefit the most from flat screen technology is the kitchen. People tend to gather, and spend a lot of time in their kitchens, making it the perfect spot for a TV. Unfortunately, kitchens are designed around food preparation, and therefore tend to be less than ideal areas for watching TV. Putting even a small TV on the countertop can occupy some vital real estate. Even a flat screen may take up too much space if left on a countertop stand.

But wait… there is hope for even the most crowded of kitchens! Many aftermarket manufacturers specializing in display mounting hardware have devised some really great wall mounts for flat panel TV's. Brackets can be purchased that will let you mount the TV directly to the backsplash. This method will suspend the TV over the countertop, allowing full use of the counter's surface during food preparation. Some of these mounts can be extended and swiveled for even more viewing flexibility. You may choose to angle the TV towards you when working at the sink, then swivel it for viewing at the table.

The sky is the limit when it comes to mounting your flat screen display. Don't feel that you must settle for the cheap stand that came with the screen. Look around at some of the available mounting solutions designed to get the most from flat screen technology. A sleek display deserves a sleek mount.

© Written By: Michael Casamento For more information please visit my site: http://www.shoptvmounts.com This article may be freely reproduced so long as the above resource box is included in its entirety.

Copy Dvd Movies

Writen by Richard Romando

DVD movies can be copied to a hard drive or blank DVD disc without any loss of quality. Most DVD movies are encrypted to prevent the dropping and dragging of their content with a view to secure data. So the copy facility is a highly sought-after process in the case of DVD movies. There are a number of tools available to eliminate problems such as CSS (Content Scrambling System) and region protection. For this purpose, you want a ripper such as DVD Decrypter, DVDShrink, or SmartRipper, which are free and available online. After the ripping process, you need an authoring or mastering software to burn the movie into a blank disc. For copying a DVD movie, just place the source disc in the drive, click the copy button, and place a blank disc in the drive where copying is prompted. A lot of software is available to create easy and quick DVD movie copies with exceptional quality. Most of these software can make backup copies of any copy protected DVD movie by using decrypters integrated with them.

Before copying a movie, you should consider several things. You have to convert the target movie size to fit your copy disc. Care should be taken to copy completely all the audios, subtitles, and features to the target disc. To save disc space, compress dual-layer movies into a single-layer disc. In case your DVD movie is damaged accidentally while copying, use DVD Cloner, a professional copying and restoring tool. You can copy DVD movies into a number of video formats including SVCD (MPEG-2 format) and VCD (MPEG-1 format). The system requirements for DVD copying include DVD writer drives, a RAM capacity is 64 MB and more, and 10 GB or higher free disk space.

DVD Movies provides detailed information on DVD Movies, Download DVD Movies, DVD Movie Rentals, Copy DVD Movies and more. DVD Movies is affiliated with Buy Home Theater Systems.

Regionfree Dvd Players In United Kingdom

Writen by John Dulaney

United Kingdom DVD Region

In UK, the DVDs and DVD players that are manufactured and sold are coded for Region 2, since UK falls in the Region 2 code. These local DVD players are able to play only the DVDs that have the region code 2 marked on them. However, regionfree or code free DVD players will be capable of playing back a DVD from anywhere in the world. It is perfectly legitimate to own and use a region free DVD player in the UK; however it should not be misused for illegal activities.

United Kingdom's Video and TV Format

The video and television format used widely in UK is PAL standard, however, in certain products, NTSC standard is also available. The Pal and NTSC standards are incompatible and are limited to playing only the same format discs. This problem is overcome by using a regionfree DVD player in the UK that has the provision for switching between PAL and NTSC, as per the disc requirement.

Electricity Facts for the UK

The electricity supply in UK is 220-240 volts and all the local appliances are designed to run at this voltage. However, an American make of DVD player would normally not be able to operate in this voltage, since it is designed for 110 volts. To overcome the differences in voltage supplies for different parts of the world, some of the regionfree DVD players have the dual voltage feature, which enables the customer to use his DVD player anywhere in the world.

A Variety of Features for UK Codefree DVD Players

Most of the regionfree DVD players in the UK come with some great standard features, some of which include language choice, which makes it possible to select video scenes, menus, audio tracks and subtitle tracks automatically. Special effects for playback can be used for the functions called freeze, slow, step, scan and fast. The parental lock facility can enable parents to restrict the access of their children to play back certain discs. Programmability, random and repeat play, and digital audio output are other great features. They can also recognize DTS Digital Surround audio tracks.

Also available are the wall mountable DVD players that can be good space savers around the house, and the portable DVD players that can be taken along in a car.

Advanced Features of Code Free DVD Players

Some of the more expensive code free DVD players in the UK have certain enhanced features, such as playback for video CDs and super video CDs, MP3 CDs, MP3 DVDs, laser discs, CDVs, and picture and photo CDs. They can also play back video files in unique formats like MPEG-4 and DivX. These DVD players can give a better picture quality through the component video output and progressive scan component output (YUV or RGB).

They also have multi lingual on-screen display feature, reverse single-frame stepping and reverse play at normal speed. They can provide a perfect digital picture quality using SDI, DVI, or HDMI digital video outputs. They have a 6-channel analog output using MLP, Dolby digital or DTS. The advanced models also have a Digital Zoom feature that gives a 2 × or 4 × enlargement of part of the picture.

There is a wide choice of brands available, and the information about the models and their pricing can be obtained from the Internet easily. Web sites are springing up everywhere that offer a lot of information related to types of codefree DVD players and their features, rates, and availability. The commonly available brands include Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Nissan, Yamada, Denon, and several others.

The price range of code free DVD players in the United Kingdom varies widely according to the choice of features in each brand. To state broadly, one can buy a DVD player from around $90 to $800 based on one's choice and requirement. No matter where you live, you're sure to find the regionfree DVD player that's right for you.

In the USA you can buy region free DVD players, both that convert to PAL or NTSC or don't convert and some that do all three, starting at $79.95 from a company called MIND LOGIC at http://www.mindlogic.com They ship worldwide and offer lifetime warranties on all their codefree dvd players. You can call them from inside the states toll free at 800-514-2984 or from overseas at 925-686-9945.

They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N, PAL-M VCRs and much more.

To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a particular film has not reached the theaters yet, Hollywood film studios imposed an encoding technique. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. So while a normal, non-codefree DVD player can only play DVD's from one region, a codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions. PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. The Sharp DV-NC85 and most other combo CODEFREE DVD and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH PAL (there is no such thing as a SECAM DVD disc, all SECAM countries use PAL DVD) and all PAL-NTSC tapes but you'll need one of our VIDEO STANDARDS CONVERTERS http://www.mindlogic.com/CONV_TNLB.shtml

High Definition Dvd Players In Spain

Writen by John Dulaney

Initially, the PAL format of broadcasting was quite popular in Spain, because of two main advantages. PAL gave a much better picture than other formats like NTSC or SECAM. This was because it had a large number of scan lines. Another major advantage why DVD players in Spain had the PAL format was that they played standard DVD discs and they promised color consistency. Manufacturers of DVD players used latest technologies available to play DVDs with utmost picture clarity and perfect sound output. High definition DVD players are the answer for the needs of getting the best output from discs.

High definition DVD players are rapidly becoming very famous in Spain, because in the analog DVD players, you can find slight flicker in the output image displayed on the screen. This is because the number of frames being displayed per second is quite less, which is around 25 frames per second. This drawback is overcome in high definition DVD players where the quality of the picture is at its best and when they play high definition DVDs, the output is enhanced to a greater extent.

There are many manufacturers and companies that mass produce HD-DVD players in Spain. One major company that assembles flat panel televisions and high definition DVD players in Spain is Sharp Electronics. Apart from Spain, it also has its factories in China and the U.S. Since a lot of these players are manufactured or assembled here, the price of these DVD players is usually quite considerable.

DVD players usually have a region tag attached to them, depending on their region. Since Spain falls in region two, the DVD players that are manufactured and purchased here tend to play DVDs pertaining to region two. In order to play DVDs that are available all around the world, you need to be specific about it while selecting a high definition DVD player. Just like standard DVD players available in Spain, HD-DVD players are also available with region free or code free options. High definition DVD players provide you a much better picture quality and crystal clear sound, but do not ensure that they play DVDs from all nations. It is the choice of the customers to specify their requirements when buying.

One can also check the Internet to collect information regarding various high definition DVD players available in Spain. A variety of information like the make of the players, features available, models, price range, and guarantee and warranty options can be found through these sites. Some of the brands that offer HD-DVD players in Spain are Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. Each company has several models of high definition DVD players in its list and depending on the features and options requested by the customer, they are variedly priced.

Panasonic has a huge range of DVD players with around 20 models currently on hand. They are priced from a little over $70 to over $350. Panasonic HD-DVD players are available in intense colors like black and silver, and they usually come up with progressive scan facility. Another famous DVD player manufacturer available in Spain is Philips, which is quite a renowned name all over the country. With over five different models, Philips players are quite famous in the country. Starting from $75, the models go over $350, depending on the features.

With over a dozen models in its list, Pioneer also finds a place in the leading DVD player companies in Spain. They offer the most cost effective as well as the most expensive high definition DVD players in Spain. You can pick one for just about $60 or can even go for one priced over $900. Sharp Electronics assembles its DVD players in Spain. The assembled models are marketed effectively all over Spain and are priced considerably around $250. Sony DVD players are considered one of the most cost effective DVD players available in Spain. They are available for around $80 for the basic models.

Whenever you go in for the high-definition DVD players, you can make a note of the various specifications mentioned about the product. It is important to look out for the region free option and other specifications like digital audio out-coaxial. This is the general form of output for any high definition DVD player. You can look for multi color TFT monitor, which is widely available and quite famous in the electronic market of Spain. The players also come up with functions like multi-subtitle languages function, multi-audio languages function, and also multi-angle function. Like any other standard DVD player in Spain, high definition players also have the basic features like parental control and remote control facility.

High definition DVDs are new generation discs that store data and make the experience of watching movies at home a thoroughly enjoyable one. Another such technological advancement which is prominent in the entertainment industry is blu-ray. Blu-ray discs, just like high definition discs, are capable of displaying the best quality picture and clear digital sound. These new video disc formats need special features in DVD players to broadcast the video signals. Hence in Spain, you have to look out for DVD players that are compatible to both these high definition formats. This is to ensure that the DVD players you choose are consumer friendly and are worth the investment you make in them. HD-DVD players usually play all kinds of discs like audio CDs and MP3s and also discs that have optical standards.

If you already have a DVD player and want it to play high definition discs, you can use a high-definition multi-media interface, which is a digital interface standard. Many movie making companies are now interested to release their movies in high definition format or in blu-ray format, and hence analog televisions and standard DVD players find it difficult to play various movies that are released in either of these two formats. With high definition DVD players, you can play the existing discs as well as the new generation digital discs at almost the same efficiency. Hollywood studios, Microsoft, Intel, and many other companies have encouraged the next generation high-definition format, which has become the order of the day.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders and High Definition, HD DVD players, Blu-ray,Advanced Optical players/recorders in Blu-Ray DVD players/recorders. A multi region (aka codefree) DVD player or recorders is capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere in the world, that is all 8 regions and both PAL and NTSC standards. That's every DVD movie on earth! Many can not only play them but convert from one standard to the other for showing movies on any TV on earth. There are also PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs. You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. They also carry PAL-SECAM-NTSC TVs, PAL plasma, PAL LCD and PAL DLP multisystem TVs and multisystem converting and non-converting VCRs, voltage transformers, video standards converters and more than 140,000 products. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945

Dvd Recorders

Writen by Jennifer Bailey

Recorders are devices that are used to record and store data onto different mediums like cassettes, tapes, CDs, DVDs, hard disks and so on. The earliest recorders were used to store audio files on magnetic tapes. Magnetic tapes and cassettes were around for a long time for storing both audio as well as video signals. The trend in the last decade is the use of digital recorders for storing audio as well as video files. Digital recorders are much faster and easier and can store much more data than magnetic tapes. The recorders are also more compact and portable.

DVDs have become a favorite media for storing data because of their reliability, as well as the capacity to store huge amounts of data. A DVD recorder is a device that records data onto a DVD. These recorders can read data from any kind of an analog source such as TV, video cassettes, floppy disks, CDS, and even digital cameras and mobile phones. There are also DVD burners or writers that can also read and store data from the computer onto a DVD. The basic time modes of a DVD recorder are one, two, four, six or eight hours. There are also some recorders with two-and-one-half-, three-and-one-half-, and four-and-one-half-hour modes. The smaller the mode, the better the quality of the recording. One- and two-hour modes are better, and they also play well in most DVD players. A commercial DVD can hold 130 minutes of video. Some DVDs have two layers that can hold 130 minutes of video data each.

There are many kinds of DVD recorders: DVD recorder/VCR combo, DVD recorder/hard drive combo or standalone-DVD recorders. There are also various DVD formats that can be read by only certain kinds of DVD recorders and readers. These are DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD+R DL, and DVD-RAM. Very few manufacturers such as LG and Panasonic are offering DVD recorders that are compatible with most of these DVD formats.

Recorders provides detailed information on Recorders, DVD Recorders, Digital Video Recorders, Digital Voice Recorders and more. Recorders is affiliated with Stereo Speakers.