Until Now Cable Companies Have Been Slow To Provide HDTV

Only recently have the major cable companies started to roll out High Definition(HD) channels to their cable system customers. High Definition Television (HDTV) is a digital broadcasting signal that is replacing the old analog broadcasting signal. It offers better picture definition and resolution.

Traditional analog signal is broadcast in 720 x 480 (720 Width by 480 Height), 480i, video format. The new HDTV signal is either broadcast in 1280 x 720, 720i or 1920 x 1080, 1080i. The addition lines and size make for a much improved picture. It is almost like being there or at least looking through a window. Shows, movies, and sports are better then ever in HD. After getting my HDTV, I was debating getting rid of my Comcast cable because of the limited number of HDTV channels available. I was planning on switching to satellite, when Comcast finally stepped up their High Definition
(HD) line up. Comcast recently added and new group of HD channels to bring them to a total of 30 non preferred channels. Among the new channels added are the Food Network, Animal Planet, TLC, USA, CNN, HGTV, The History Channel, and Sci-Fi Channel. Additional there are also a handful of premium HD channels: HBO, Showtime, Cinamax, and Starz. With this new line up, Comcast has one of the better HD selections. It is not always about how many HD channels are available but more about the quality of the channels available.

While other satellite providers can say they have more HD channels, most of the additional channels are ones that most people and families would never watch. My Family, including the dog, loves to watch the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and National Geographic Channel. The shows and picture quality can not be beat. I like to watch live sports on the networks HD channels and ESPN HD, Comcast SportsNet HD, and NFL Network HD. The picture and view is better then getting tickets and going to the game in person. My wife is constantly watching the Home and Garden TV and Food Network Channels, which I benefit from getting new dishes for dinner at least a couple times a week.

Archie Harris delivers consumers the latest Cable TV reviews and deals from regular users like. A tech writer for over 17 years, Mr. Harris navigates his way through the confusing world of cutting edge entertainment and discovers the best consumer friendly deals out there from companies like Comcast Cable, Charter Cable, and Timewarner Cable. If you're thinking about purchasing cable television make sure you read Archie Harris' articles first.

Samsung TV

LCD Flat Screen TV - 7 Things to Consider When Buying LCD Flat Screen TV Online

So you have been thinking about the purchase of an LCD Flat Screen Tv.

In days past the choices on where to purchase highly regarded home theater equipment was pretty limited. If you were lucky enough to live near a big city you had several specialty electronics stores to choose from. If you lived in suburban America you had one or two big name electronics stores, while if you lived in rural America you were sometimes out of luck until you made an excursion out to the "big city".

Today, that has all changed with the arrival of the Internet. Anyone with access to the Internet now has access to a gigantic specialty electronics store right in their own home. Practically any LCD flat screen tv known to mankind can be purchase online with the click of a few buttons.

While the choices are limitless, it is more important then ever to do your research and become a smart consumer. The following 7 things will help you be an educated consumer and help you get the best bang for your hard earned buck.

1. What size tv do you need? - Know the size of your room and how much space you have available, but also know what is the best size for optimum viewing. If you sit to close you take the risk of noticing scan lines or pixels, but sit too far away and you begin to lose out on picture details and the immersive feel of a wide screen tv. It is recommended that you can sit anywhere between 1.5 and 3 times your HDTV screen size for the best viewing experience. So for a viewing distance of 8 feet (96inches) you would want an LCD that is at least 32 inches, but not more then 63inches. If your viewing distance was 12 feet (144 inches) you would want a screen size with a minimum of 46 inches and a maximum of 96 inches for the best viewing experience.

2. Know what features are important - Most people are going to want a 1080p tv, but what about contrast ratio, response times and refresh rates. Do you watch sports or movies with a lot of fast action? If you do then you will want something with low response times and may want to consider a 120Hz LCD for smooth motion. Is the look of the tv important. Some manufacturers have begun releasing LCDs with stylish bezels where the tv looks great when turned off as well as on. Some people will say that one of the disadvantages of shopping online is that you don't have the benefit of a helpful salesperson to guide you through the buying process. While that may be true of a specialty home theater store I would argue that you can get much more helpful information by doing a little research yourself online then you can from listening to some of the downright bad advice that is shared in some of the big electronic chain stores.

3. Price - Lets face it, the biggest advantage of buying online by far is the price. The local brick and mortar stores with there overhead costs simply can't match some of the prices that can be found online for the same exact LCD flat screen tv. But prices can also vary greatly from one online retailer to another. When you compare price make sure to take all things into consideration such as shipping fees and taxes when determining the actual cost of the LCD. The price savings can be significant, particularly on the mid to high end displays. At the same time, you can't simply rely on price alone when buying an LCD online which brings us to the next consideration.

4. Company reputation - Make sure the retailer is reliable. What good is it to save a bundle of money on a new tv only to find out that the retailer is shipping faulty products. Is there a company phone number to contact with questions? Is the site professional? Are all transactions placed on a secure connection? Have you heard of the retailer before? Check out customer rankings and reviews online. A good, reliable site will allow customers to place reviews of the product, but also of the service that they received from the retailer.

5. Return policy - Another extremely important consideration for buying an LCD tv online is what is the return policy? If the tv is damaged will they return it, no questions asked? If so, who is responsible for the shipping fee? Will they pay shipping or are you responsible for shipping? What if you want to exchange the tv? One of the things about going into a store is that you can actually take a look at the tv. What if you order the LCD, get it sent home and then realize it is not what you were expecting? Can you exchange the tv and if so what is the restocking fee if any? An upfront knowledge of the return policy is essential when purchasing an LCD online. The good online retailers will have a return fee that is as good or better then many of the brick and mortar stores.

6. Shipping - It is important to understand several things about shipping. What are the shipping costs? Will the product get damaged in shipping and if so who is responsible. Some people feel that there is a much greater chance of receiving a damaged product when buying online and having it shipped, however many times there is less handling of a tv from a large online retailer who ships the tv from their warehouse then there is in some of the local stores where tvs are shipped from one warehouse to another until it eventually enters the stores warehouse and then delivered to your home. Is white glove delivery available to bring the LCD directly into your home? Can you have someone setup the tv for you and if so what is the cost.

7. What about cables, accessories and extended warranties? - Cables, accessories and extended warranties have long been a major profit center for the brick and mortar stores. Do you ever notice how the sales personnel seem to save there most passionate sales pitches for the extended warranties? Many times that is when they have the opportunity to earn a larger commission based on the warranty sales. Today's flat panel LCD tvs are much more reliable then in years past and it is generally not worth the extra cost of an extended warranty. Not to mention cables. Stores often push the sales of overpriced cables saying that you need them in order to get a quality video and audio experience. These cables are one of the areas where a store can make a lot of money. The truth is that there is very little difference between cables, particularly the digital cable such as HDMI. Local stores won't carry the discount cables, so ordering cables online is a perfect way to save a great deal of money.

Buying an LCD flat screen tv online is a great way to get a high quality tv and save a lot of money at the same time. With a little bit of online research you can buy that perfect tv from a reliable retailer and have it conveniently shipped home where you and your family will be able to enjoy the latest movie release or sports event on your new big screen tv.

Check out my recommendation for the best online retailer for LCD flat panel tvs. For a review of some of the best LCD flat panels stop by http://familyhometheaterguide.com

The Family Home Theater Guide is an informative guide to home theater, with a particular emphasis on family entertainment.

Samsung Rigmarole

VCRs with Video Converters

The solution

For quite some times the inventors on the line were pondering how to overcome this problem of conflict of standards of video tapes. Video tapes from one zone did not play in other using a different standard. Ultimately they came up with the idea of Video converting VCR as the solution to the problem. A video converting VCR could play any tape using any standard and thus it was possible to view a PAL standard tape on an NTSC TV or vice versa.

Multi-system VCR and Converting Multi-system VCR

A Converting Multi-system VCR is an improved version of the traditional Multi-system VCR. An ordinary multi-system VCR can play video tapes from anywhere in the world. But there is one big constraint. The video tape played on it must conform to the standard the VCR uses. This is the point where a converting multi-system VCR scores over the conventional VCR in a way that it does not require the video tapes to be played which conform to its standards. It just converts in the incoming incompatible signals to friendly signals and makes the viewing of the tape possible. The same result can be obtained by using an external converter or such other device attached to a traditional multi-system VCR, but the quality will be poorer compared to a convertible multi-system VCR.

How to make the choice of brands

Experience reveals that branded products normally works well compared to those cheaper editions of the video converting VCR available in the market. Not only that the reliability is far better than the other ones. A number of branded products are however, available in the market. They include companies like the Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, and Hitachi etc. All of them manufacture regular multi- system VCR but not the video converting VCR. The only company that produced video converting VCR was Samsung, the SV-5000W, but they have discontinued the productions. A potential customer often makes the choice basing on the clarity of picture, quality of audio systems and the life span of the products. So today for video converting VCR, you will require a converter. Some standard converters are the TENLABs or a PAL-SECAM-NTSC compatible television set.

Why the video tapes require a video converting VCR to play

The three most widely followed standards of video tapes are NTSC, PAL and SECAM. All variations of these standards followed anywhere in the world is a combination of two or all of these standards. When the first colour TV was discovered, the NTSC system was introduced in United States and Canada way back in the year 1953. Among the eastern countries, Japan with the obvious influence of United States and its nearness to North America also uses the NTSC standard that uses 525 lines frame to play the video tapes. PAL, the short form for Phase Alternating Line, was introduced in the European Countries in 1960 and immediately gained popularity. The bandwidth of PAL and SECAM standard, that is used in France, are the same and their line frames match too. But SECAM standard transmits colour signals sequentially. NTSC standard is not popular outside the North American countries and SECAM is used only in France and its earlier colonies. Rest of the world uses PAL and even the South American countries use some variations of it.

Issues relating to choice of video converting VCR

Compatibility is the main issue involved in the choice of a video converting VCR. Viewers in North America will opt for a video converting VCR that will enable them to play video tapes with PAL or SECAM standards to be watched on their NTSC TV. Similarly and European or Asian viewer will like to play NTSC video tapes on their PAL compatible TV and these can be achieved with video converting VCRs. In case of the multi-system VCRs, the companies will require the buyer to purchase some PAL/NTSC video converter that would replace a multi-system TV, which becomes otherwise a necessity. There are also systems with the feature of a direct converter that converters all incompatible signals into device friendly signals making viewing possible.

About DVD and video converting VCR

Video tapes are quickly loosing grounds in favour of the new and much more compact DVDs. In fact, DVDs have become the new version for home entertainment. But the problems of incompatibility of standards are also present here and thus some video conversion is also required here. In this case the video converting DVD player is region-free. Sometimes a region-free DVD player is also named as a code-free DVD player, that can play DVDs using any standard from any zone. Incidentally, the standard for a DVD is the same as that of a video tape, namely, the PAL, SECAM, and NTSC. Like Video converting VCR and multi-system VCR, there are several types, models and brands of a code-free DVD player. However, the leading companies are the same as in case of multi-system VCRs like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Hitachi, Toshiba, and Phillips etc. The code-free DVD players can play any CD or DVD using any standard procured from any zone on a non-convertible device. With a region free or code-free DVD player you can play a SECAM DVD from France or a PAL DVD from Europe on your NTSC TV. However while buying you have to choose between multifarious models with different price tags depending on your requirement and budget. The prices will also be different basing on the brands and specifications.

About the prices for video converting VCR

Now that a direct video converting VCR is out of market, the possible alternative will be a separate video converter converting your multi-system VCR into a video converting VCR. The cost of branded products is on the higher side. For example if you opt for a product from companies like Hitachi, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, or Phillips, it may cost you on average $350 that would be higher than the non-branded cheaper qualities available. But the warranty and service provided in case of branded items, compensates in the long run. However, fierce competitions in the commercial world have forced companies to come up with cheaper versions, around $100 per item and in multiples of that amount. For example, Samsung provides a Hi-Fi multi-system, with tape conversion facilities and a world-based TV tuner at approximately $400. However branded models ordinarily will cost in the range of $500 to $1,200 depending on product in respect of multi-system VCR converters and also SVHS playback systems.

The affect of visuals

It is a well established fact that a visual is worth hundreds of words. It is quite easy to apprehend the message with a visual rather than words or any other type of interaction. Even the cavemen used to express their messages by means of pictures drawn on the walls of caves, where a single picture could depict a thousand messages. That is why visual expression is always popular. In earlier days it was movies and then gradually with the coming up of home theater and televisions, video took over. But initially, with the difference of standards such videos were confined to a particular zone. To solve this shortfall, the video converting VCR and later with the advent of DVD the region-free DVD player came into existence. Now the restrictions of standards and difference of geographical zones are no more a hindrance to free viewing of video tapes, CDs and DVDs by the viewers with video converting VCR systems and region-free DVD players available.

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

Samsung Flat TV