Showing posts with label avoid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avoid. Show all posts

4/21/2012

Standard DIRECTV Receiver Review

Standard DIRECTV Receiver
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I had a Samsung DVR for a little over 3 years and had to replace it. The only thing at Best Buy was this DirectTV DVR. It has been two months now and I still am not used to the remote control. I don't like the user interface with this unit at all. I believe with my Samsung, I had TIVO and now I have DirectTV DVR service.
On the Samsung unit, you could click on info and see the year, actors, brief synopsis and more for shows. It is hit and miss on the DirectTV unit - almost no information shows. I have had trouble setting up season passes and doing searches for several channels - SCI-FI and USA to be specific. I used to have a nice long keyword list for searches. That no longer exists.
I have a Dual LNB dish and I used to be able to push the live TV button to get to what was showing on the other tuner. This isn't on the new unit. I was able to program the remote in my bedroom to work the TV but no matter what I did, I could not get the remote to control the volume in my living room. Over all, I really hate this receiver.
There are some pros that I will list though. One is when your phone rings, it pops the caller ID info on the TV screen. You can also subscribe to the game channels on direct tv. Extra remotes can be purchased from DirectTV and are not very expensive.
I will probably try to replace this DirectTV receiver for something different at my soonest opportunity. I just find it frustrating to use after having a Samsung.
Just an update on this - April 2009. I don't know what I was thinking when I gave this thing 2 stars!! It did not deserve it. 2 Stars was way too high for this piece of junk. If you have a TIVO unit that goes bad, do whatever you have to do to get the TIVO fixed but do not buy a Direct TV DVR. The user interface is so horrible and the hardware sucks - I have had to reset the entire unit about 5 times and lost everything I had recorded.
You know when something is really bad when under suggested Tags "Piece of Crap" is suggested.
Update March 2010 - I still hate this unit.

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Standard DIRECTV Receiver (Lease)

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3/10/2012

DIRECTV Plus R15 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - 100 hour(s) - DIRECTV Review

DIRECTV Plus R15 - DVR / Satellite TV receiver - 100 hour(s) - DIRECTV
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I've owned the R10 and other Tivo based units. This unit, the R15, is by far the worst DVR of all time. DirecTV is doing first time PVR users a diservice by turning them off to the jobs of PVR ownership.
It's slow.
Impossible to navigate.
Buggy.
Crashes.
Worthless.
Be warned.

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DIRECTV® Receiver/DVR (R15)DIRECTV® satellite receiver: Access over 225 digital-quality channels through DIRECTV. With plenty of premium channels and a variety of sports packages to choose from, you'll always find something to watch. You can even get program listings up to two weeks ahead of time with the Advanced Program GuideTM.Digital video recorder (DVR): Digitally record up to 100 hours of your favorite programming, or enjoy the convenience of one-touch recording while you watch live TV. Never again will you have to buy videotapes or hassle with trying to set your VCR to record.Instant replay: Immediately rewind and replay whatever you're watching with the instant replay function, then restart the program where you left off.Optical Dolby® Digital output: Just connect this receiver to a Dolby®-compatible sound system, use a digital optical cable, and get set for super-crisp, super-realistic digital audio.Intelligent recording: Record programs with your favorite actor, director or based on a special keyword. The WishListTM function searches programs and schedules recording for you.Convenience features: Take advantage of the on-screen program guide, manual commercial skip and multiple speed rewind/fast forward to watch TV the way you want.Additional components: While this receiver is compatible with DIRECTV® broadcasts, you will also need a subscription service to supply the signal and a satellite dish that's able to receive the services you want.Note: DIRECTV® services are sold separately.

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7/06/2011

Samsung HL-S5086W 50-Inch DLP HDTV Review

Samsung HL-S5086W 50-Inch DLP HDTV
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I have had this TV for the last 2 months and it has been fantastic. Sure you could get the 1080P model instead, which I will admit does have better picture but you'd end up paying at least $500 more for it. Given the ever dropping prices of these kinds of TV's I'd rather save that money and use it in a few years to upgrade when I have the room for something bigger and better.
I had extensively compared this model to the Toshiba 50HM66 and in stores I will say the Toshiba did look a bit better. Don't let yourself be fooled though, for some reason Toshiba always seems to do the best job of making their TV's look good right out of the box while Samsungs require some adjustments to get the best picture. Once you do all of this they will look very similar in regards to picture quality.
In regards to the previous poster I will assume that he doesn't have the TV nor has done any research on it. This TV most definetly has a VGA input (although the competing Toshiba doesn't). Also you have been missinformed in regards to using HDMI to connect a computer. I have had a high end media center pc connected to my Samsung HL-S5086W using a DVI to HDMI cable and the picture is outstanding. Pretty much any computer with DVI out on the video card can be connected to this TV using a DVI to HDMI cable which can be picked up for ten dollars online, no other equipment needed.
Overall I am very happy with this purchase and would completly recommend this TV to anyone on the market for an HDTV on a budget.

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Get the sharpest and clearest images possible from HD and standard TV with with the 50-inch Samsung HL-S5086W DLP television. A contrast ratio of up to 2500:1 captures blacker blacks, crisper whites and images that burst into life. And the high-speed of the DLP chip, with millions of tiny mirrors that switch on and off over 15,000 times per second, delivers a precise, razor-sharp picture. It has a built-in analog/digital (NTSC/ATSC) tuner, offers both HDMI and component video connections, . It also measures just 15.6 inches deep (with a "hidden speaker" thin bezel), fitting where many other large-screen HDTVs won't.
DLP (which stands for Digital Light Processing) uses an optical semiconductor to recreate source material with a fidelity analog systems can't match. While other technologies lose a certain amount of light in transit, the microscopic mirrors in a DLP projection system bring more light from lamp to screen. It also features better color uniformity over time--no burn-in, screen aging or color-shifting possible. It's the leading display technology for products like small portable conference room projectors and professional venue entertainment systems.
This Samsung DLP television employs a Texas Instruments DLP chip that is comprised of millions of microscopic mirrors. The DLP chip is faster than any HDTV technology, with the mirrors switching on and off 15,000 times a second to deliver a razor-sharp picture for fast moving images. It also offers Samsung's Cinema Smooth 720p light engine, which creates an image with no visible pixel structure and accurate shading and better low-light detail for the most film-like picture. You'll get up to a 2500:1 contrast ratio with outstanding colors and deep black levels.
The Samsung Digital Natural Image engine (DNIe) Video Enhancer refines all analog NTSC and wideband video inputs for an overall improvement in picture quality. DNIe improves contrast, white level, picture detail and incorporates digital noise reduction to improve lower quality video inputs. The 3-line digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time to dramatically reduce edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Samsung's Cinema Smooth 3:2 pull-down film mode corrects for the artificial frames created when films are converted to DVDs. The result is a clearer image without the subtle motion artifacts caused by 24-to-30 frames per second video conversion.
Samsung's 2.6-inch color wheel spins at 14,400 rpm for smooth, fast motion video, and has five color segments for more accurate colors. It achieves film-like transitions without pixel breakup found in slower color wheel designs and slower switching LCD microdisplays. Air Bearing technology also makes it whisper quiet.
Samsung also worked closely with Microsoft to create a special Game Mode that optimizes image quality, sound and response time for more realistic video game play--with just a single touch of a button. The Game Mode enhances dark areas, sharpens the picture, speeds up the image processing response and enhances the sounds of your games.
Other features include:
Picture format adjustment: Enjoy all your 4:3 aspect-ratio programming in smooth, wide-screen without black bars. Four pre-set aspect ratio modes--Normal, Wide, Zoom 1 and Zoom 2--stretch your image to fill the screen naturally.
Color temperature adjustment: Selectable between Cool1, Cool2, Normal Warm1, and Warm2 with on-screen display.
Auto volume leveler: Keeps audio volume consistent during channel changing to minimize static sound bursts.
Discrete IR codes: This set is equipped with discrete IR codes for use with a macro/programmable remote.
Closed caption: Displays dialog that can be read along with encoded broadcast TV programs and pre-recorded videos.
V-Chip: Enables parental control for channel and program blocking of TV programs that incorporate the rating code signal.

High-quality virtual surround sound can be experienced with just the speakers built into the TV. SRS TruSurround XT technology delivers an amazing, simulated 3D effect with clear dialog and powerful bass. It produces 10 watts of power per channel (for 20 watts total). It offers the following connection options:
Component (Y/Pb/Pr): 2 inputs
HDMI: 2 inputs
Composite (RCA audio/video): 3 inputs (1 on the front)
S-Video: 2 inputs
PC: 1 D-Sub-15 input
PC audio: 1 input
RF: 1 input
Sound monitor output: 1
USB: 1

Tech Talk HDMI is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any audio/video source (such as a set-top box, DVD player, or AV receiver) with your TV--all over a single cable. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It supports all ATSC formats--standard (SDTV), enhanced (EDTV), and high (HDTV).
SRS TruSurround XT audio adds three new audio enhancement technologies to produce an amazingly immersive sound experience.
Dialog Clarity brings movie dialog into focus during the playback of any surround-encoded material to make speech much clearer and crisper.
TruBass creates incredible deep rich bass allowing a person to perceive significantly deeper, richer low bass tones that are far beyond the physical low frequency capabilities of the speaker itself.
The SRS WOW feature widens the soundstage by processing standard two-channel stereo material as well as multi-channel encoded material for a dramatic improvement in the playback of any stereo audio over a two-speaker system.
Component video (also called Y/Pb/Pr) features a three-jack video input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. You will need a separate RCA left/right audio cable for sound.
What's in the Box DLP TV, remote control (with batteries), power cord, printed operating instructions.
Warranty It's backed by a 1-year warrant on parts (including lamp) and labor, with in-home service backed by Samsung toll-free support.

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5/07/2011

VIZIO E320VA 32-Inch Class LCD HDTV, Black Review

VIZIO E320VA 32-Inch Class LCD HDTV, Black
Average Reviews:

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I have this TV and enjoy the sound and picture quality. I'm a soundaholic. If you've never had a stereo or srs/home theater sound... it DOES take some time to adjust. The sound can be *VERY INTENSE*.
I suggest you adjust the sound; turn the TruSurround HD sound *TO OFF*, but do leave the TruVolumn *ON* (you can enter the graphic equalizer presets) use these to set the quality sound you enjoy most. When you do this it's of course 'best' to be playing music, music dvd IS BEST.
If you SET the preset equalizer setting to *FLAT OR OFF*... you will be able to enter and customize the settings on your (*bass & treble*) levels.
Don't hesitate to play around with the sound settings, one click will return it to the factory settings.
You will require a lower volumn level, significantly lower... the audio quality IS dynamic and intense for this TV.

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VIZIO's E320VA 32" LCD HDTV delivers superior picture and audio quality at an amazing value. This flat screen LCD HDTV features SRS TruVolume and SRS TruSurround HD audio for advanced virtual surround sound, 50,000 to 1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio, and four HDMI ports to connect up to four HDMI devices to your TV. Also, the E320VA consumes 58% less energy than the 32" 2009 model, exceeding ENERGY STAR 4.1 guidelines, when the TV is turned on, to reduce energy consumption and utilizes built-in ambient light sensing technology, which automatically adjusts backlight levels to the brightness of its surroundings.
Auto-adjusting sensors provide efficient ambient lighting.

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