Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...

the fans arent really showing either, especially with it being such a huge year for the steelers and pens (not to mention fairly successful for pitt hoops and penn state football)

if they would just put out a decent product, fans would show. pnc is really nice. cant use the small market excuse anymore either. instead, theyve absolutely punted the next 3-4 years. they'll be the nats next year

Some of you Audiophiles are probably familiar with Harman/Kardon, JBL and Infinity lines of stereo equipment.  In the past I would purchase some refurbished items from their online store (they come with a full manufacturers warranty and I've never had a problem - just click specials on the left side of the webpage).

But a few months ago I discovered their Ebay store, which sells the refurbished items for even less than the Outlet.  Just recently I've purchased a new HK 7.1 tuner for $210 that retails for $699 and a JBL iPod speaker for $33 that retails for $99 - both came direct from the factory and in original packaging (I'm pretty sure neither had been opened in their life).  There are some details to be had so I thought I would pass it along.  Just don't bid against me!

on a related note, what should i look for in a reciever

godsshoeshine wrote:
on a related note, what should i look for in a reciever

The answer to your question is largely dependant on your sources, speakers and budget.

But for starters, look for on board decoding of the new hi-def audio codecs, and enought inputs to acommodate all your gear. 

godsshoeshine wrote:
on a related note, what should i look for in a reciever

Well, back in April Chaz got me looking at 7.1 channels and the Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs which is why I bought the new receiver (I wouldn't have, except that I got a such a killer deal).  They are impressive although we both agreed that there really isn't much for true 7.1 available right now, but there will be.

What I usually do is tell people to take stock of all their current physical inputs and outputs (TOSLINK, HDMI, Digital Coax) and their non-physical inputs and outputs (Dolby Digital, Dolby True HD, etc.).  You can get most of this information from the manuals or online.  I know this sounds dorky as all hell, but you will find great benefit in mapping all of this out.  You will find that even though your stereo has digital Coax and TOSLINK, not all of the non-physical outs will work over both so map it in such a way that you know you need two TOSLINK inputs and 2 HDMI inputs for maximum non-physical output.

Then look at where you think you'll be in 5 years.  Are you adding Blu-Ray, new gaming console, adding a bigger TV, etc….

So then pick a system that meets all of your current needs but gives you a little room to grow.  Lastly, look within your budget to buy the most wattage possible along with a full set of speakers (if you don't have them already).  Lots of times I'll see people buy a high watt surround system, but use three speakers - what's the point?  I'd rather buy lower wattage and have a full compliment of  good speakers.  Wattage is really based on the room you need to fill the sound so you'll have to guage as I've never seen your place.  Look at what you've got now, how often you crank it up, and how far you sit from your speakers and see if that's satisfactory.  Use that as a guage, but don't overpay for wattage.  Most people never use half of what their systems are capable of…

Unless you never plan on buying Blu-ray, I'd say you have to at least take a look at a system that supports Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.  I tend to buy a new receiver every 7 years or so, and even though I don't plan on buying a blu-ray player, I do think at some point in the next 7 years I will have Dolby True HD in a digital file and something to play them with, so I made the leap.  I know DirecTV is going down this route at some point, which was enough for me.

I'm always here to help.  If you think it's beneficial for the group, we can do it here or you've got my email address.

This is the system that I bought.  It's not the most powerful system (mid-level, I'd say), but we still live in a one bedroom apt in a city with neighbors really close by.  Even if we upgrade to a condo in the future, we're a long time away from the suburbs so I don't need that much.

basically all i have is a 52" lcd tv, a blu ray and a wii. from there, i'm going from scratch

godsshoeshine wrote:
basically all i have is a 52" lcd tv, a blu ray and a wii. from there, i'm going from scratch

Budget?  And remember, speakers are the most important piece of any system.  Dont skimp there.  Rule of thumb is speakers and sub (assuming you're going 5.1) should be at about 2/3 of total cost when getting a receiver/speaker setup.

ESPN The Magazine

Arte Moreno and his team deliver the best fan vaule in Sports.

"santonio holmes: large and in charge" hahahaha

Last summer I gave you all a ridiculously long rundown of Smackie?s Digital Revolution of 2008.  Just letting you know that everything is still running beautifully and I have expanded my digital collection to include all of my DVDs too.

But this summer I have become enamored with the pairing of Nvidia?s ION video chipset with Intel?s low-power consuming ATOM processor.  What does all that mean?  A sleek power saving combo that is capable of producing 1080p video.  Oh, and it?s cheap as hell right now (if you can find it) which makes it perhaps the best chance to make the HTPC go mainstream.

So, as it?s a bit of an early adopter technology, there aren?t a whole lot of options right now ? especially in America.  We can basically buy a pre-built machine (ASRock?s Nettop 330) imported from Hong Kong, Canada or the UK for $300 with just a DVDRW drive or $400 with a Blu-Ray drive or build our own machine which seems to be just as costly.  But let?s break it down first.

The Nvidia chipset is a GeForce 9400M which is capable of 1080p video.  The ION part is pairing the Nvidia chip with Intel?s ATOM chipset.  This is a clear distinction from most netbooks as they are paired with Intel?s video chipset (945GSE or 945GC) which does not support 1080p HD video.  These new nettops have the same power saving bonuses of the ATOM, but with the added ability of HD video.  Sounds good so far.

The folks who are making the motherboards are pretty smart as well.  They?re adding DVI and HDMI out so you can use these nettops as HTPC?s capable of being plugged into your HDTV?s.  They also support 7.1 audio.  Since they use low power chipsets, some are fanless and run completely quiet ? one of the biggest knocks on HTPC?s has been the sound they produce.

Now, there?s a few Intel Atom chips, but for sake of simplicity I?ll just talk about the two you?re most likely to see:  N270 and the N330.  The N270 is a single core chip and the N330 is a dual core chip.  If you?re not doing any HD video, then the N270 can save you a ton of money and work just fine (an N270 motherboard runs about $150, while the N330 motherboard will run you about $220).  Keep an eye on the N270 motherboards as well ? some of them do not support HDMI out.  Both have low power consumption, but only the N270 can really run safely without a fan.  The N330 will give you much better HD video out, although there have been some complaints about HD flash video streaming from both the N270 and the N330.

After looking to build my own low-power HTPC for under $400 (remember, I have a $400 price point for new gadgets), I?m really thinking of going down the ASRock route and getting one pre-built, throwing Win7 on it with Media Center and enjoying Blu-ray video and 7.1 audio in a tight little low power package.  The motherboard and case would cost me about $300 and a Blu-Ray drive would make it about $380 ? I?d still have to put it all together, but for $20 I can get something already built.

Anyone else try the Nvidia ION package yet or thinking about it?

For about the same price I'd buy a standalone blu-ray player (which will undoubtedly have better audio/video quality) that has built in wireless playback from your PC via DLNA.  Plus many of these players have native support for netflix. netcast and youtube streaming.  Something like this http://reviews.cnet.com/blu-ray-players-recorders/lg-bd390/4505-9991_7-33488056.html?tag=mncol;lst

But that's just me.

Interface, interface, interface.

While those players do a nice job of GUI's for the add-ins (like YouTube and CinemaNow), they do a lousy job of interfacing your collection, which is my primary concern with nearly 1TB of data.

Check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_tgu1bXdMc&NR=1 (skip to 3:33 to see him interact with his music collection).

Now compare that text driven interface on the LG BD with this from Windows 7 Media Center:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJWtIbL8hpg (3:00 minute mark to see the interaction with his music collection, ignoring the touchscreen of course because this all from the seat of my couch with a universal remote and an HDTV). 

And the 1:20 mark to see how we go through our Movie Collection using a My Movies plug in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13KL0_Durg

There's no way smackette lets me get rid of all the DVDs and all the Cd's if she had to go through an alphabetical text list of all the artists, songs or movies to play a track or album.  Put a CD cover in front of her (like the downloadable jukebox) or the cover of the DVD (like walking the shelves at Blockbuster) and we're on to something. 

Oh, and I have never been successful getting HD to stream over wireless N with any consistency of anything even close to decent quality.

MS ain't gonna take this one lying down:

Google Announces PC Operating System to Compete with Windows

nice closing para: Don?t be evil, Google?s unofficial motto, has long been understood as code for ?Don?t be Microsoft.? Perhaps, it ought now it ought to be augmented with the commandment, ?Leave no Microsoft product unchallenged.?

sweetcell wrote:
MS ain't gonna take this one lying down:

Gazelle.

Google it.

I'm a big fan of a slick UI, but I'm more concerned with top notch audio and video quality, even if it costs more and requires more than one device.  Which is why I have a Squeezebox and a new Oppo Blu-Ray player. 

I can control the Squeezebox either on the included remote, a browser on my PC, any Wifi browser, or an app on my iphone.  And it supports every audio codec known to man including ogg vorbis and especially flac.

And the Oppo is a special piece of gear when it comes to blu-rays, dvds, sacds, red book cds etc.

I have a pretty high end system though so the audio advantages of this gear would not be as apparent on best buy type kit.

chaz wrote:
I'm a big fan of a slick UI, but I'm more concerned with top notch audio and video quality, even if it costs more and requires more than one device. 

vansmack wrote:
the best chance to make the HTPC go mainstream.

Clearly, you missed that part of my post.  Techies like you and me will deal with all of the difficulties and have numerous devices and get the best we can out of every device we have (well, until you get married at least…).

I'm talking about the mainstream here - bringing digital to the masses.  If I have to teach one of my clients (let alone their less techie spouse) to use 7 different devices to get the best possible audio/video/streaming out of their system, then I will lose business.  A techie doesn't have to hire me, but if I want to take digital media to the masses then this is the best and easiest solution I have found.  HDTV, 7.1 surround sound and a slick user interface for movies and music that a monkey can use.  And nobody has come close, in my opinion, to what I've propsed here, save for maybe XBMC, but as a consultant, it's impossible to keep up with the updates for your client.

It can remain a niche, as you have propsed here, but I have higher hopes for home solutions for personal Digital Media.  I'm one for the people…

One day after I posted about my quest for an HD nettop, Engadget posed the following question:

Ask Engadget: What's the best nettop out there now?

"All of these new nettops have me intrigued. I'm looking for a small, quiet and cheap PC to replace my aging tower in my home office, and all it really needs to do is load Microsoft Office, check email and surf the web. Is there a particular nettop that's better (or a better value) than another? I know it's a rather new segment, but hopefully someone has taken a chance on one already. Thanks!"


Since I'm sure all of you don't have Engadget hooked up to an IV like I do, I'll share my answer here too:

July 10th 2009 5:31PM

If you don't intend to do HD video, then any of the Atom single core machines paired with the Intel graphics chip will be fine, however you'll find better performance from the Dual-Core Atom (N330) then you will from the single-core Atom (N270). Some of these models include the MSI Wind, ASUS EEEBox and the Fit2-PC. To answer the original question posted by Engadget, those have been the best performers I've seen for casual use. These can be found at most online retailers common in many countries.

For those that want to do HD video or Media Center nettops, you really need to look hard at the pairing of the Atom Chip with the Nvidia ION chipset, and you really shouldn't consider anything less than the dual-core Atom chip. Buying a single core with the high performance graphics chip is like driving a race car with the e-brake on. These models include the Acer Aspire REVO and the ASRock ION 330, which can be found in Asia, Europe and Canada at retailers and online (online only in the US at this moment). If you want to build your own, check out the Zotac motherboards…

But if you do go down the ION route, do yourself a favor and wait a few months, if you can, for more competition and you'll probably save yourself $100. Sure, $100 might not be much, but it's 25% of the purcahse price of a $400 machine.

OK, apologies to smackie for thread-jacking, but I need some advice from gadget nerds and I figured this was the place to post it

I'm shopping for a GPS and I'm down to two models:

TomTom GO 930

Garmin nüvi 275T

My main requirement is that it comes with European maps preloaded (so that I don't have to pay $100+ for a map of Italy).  Everything else is pretty much gravy.

Any hands-on experience with either of these devices or their brands?

It looks like the TomTom might have some issues linking via bluetooth to my Blackberry 8830, while the Garmin should do this fine.  The Garmin has free (ad supported) traffic, while I'd have to tether my 8830 to the TomTom (if it even linked) in order to get the same service (and pay Verizon $15/month to do so).

That said, I like the idea of the "hive mind" TomTom map correction service and some other cool features in the 930 (lane selection, etc).  The TomTom also has a built-in FM transmitter (unlike the Garmin), although I'd probably use my tape adapter anyway.

Leaning towards the Garmin, but open to either.

Thanks.

Sorry I can't help with nav devices.  I have an in dash unit that came with my car and use the Nav App in my phone when I'm not driving.  Is your phone Euro approved (i.e., do you have at&t or T-Mobile as your carrier?)?  You may not need a new device…

i have a garmin (forget which model) and its ok. i dont use all of the stuff you talked about, and i find that i disagree with its choice of route often