Introduction The HDTV receiver remains one of the most curious categories in A/V components today. Without an HD receiver, you cannot make your system pull in the best-looking video from the skies, thus making the component a must for everyone who wants to make their HDTV “ready” systems into one that actually is actually HDTV “active.” The problems with this category of gear are inexplicably odd quirks and high prices. At $699, the HD200 is far from an add-on for the mainstream (non-videophile) consumer who at a minimum just dropped $1,700 for an HDTV-ready big screen. In comparison to NTSC satellite receivers, which can cost less than $100 (when not given free as some sort of promo from a satellite provider), the HD200 is relatively expensive. On the other hand, living life without HDTV, especially when you have a TV that can pull off the feat, is even more expensive in terms of missed opportunities ...

Introduction I think it is fair to say the Sony HD100 is the most anticipated product in the short history of consumer HDTV. While RCA was the first to market with their $699 DTC 100 DSS and terrestrial receiver, this wasn’t exactly embraced as the most friendly AV component. Sony continually promised that the HD100 was just around the corner, with all of the convenience and performance we expect from the Japanese giant. It was significantly more than a year after we first saw the RCA box in stores that the Sony HD100 was available to the buying public. I purchased one of the first units and held onto it until my HDTV system was completed six months later. The Sony HD100 is both a DSS receiver and a terrestrial TV tuner. Of course, it receives HDTV signals from DirecTV, as well as many over-the-air channels. As you may have heard, digital TV reception is hit ...

Introduction Sony’s SAT-T60 combines TiVo, the most popular personal television service, with DirecTV, the most popular satellite service. This means that the SAT-T60 will not only save you some space in your entertainment center or equipment rack, it will also let you keep up on the latest television shows and still have a life. Before personal television units such as TiVo and ReplayTV, we were forced to manually program VCRs and were at the mercy of damaged, worn-out tapes and/or power outages. Then came VCR Plus, but that wasn’t exactly the most intuitive system, and it was never a huge success in the eyes of consumers. Sure, it was cool to see the little VCR+ logo on your VCR, but who wanted to hunt though the TV Guide to find a particular show’s special code number? With TiVo’s service, you simply browse through a complete list of the coming two weeks’ worth of programming. ...

Introduction The RCA DTC100 receives, decodes and displays standard definition NTSC broadcasts from local and cable stations, plus all DTV formats, as well as DIRECTV satellite programming. Retailing for $ 649.00, the DTC100 provides a comprehensive array of audio and video outputs, serving a range of display devices from standard TVs to many high-definition display devices. RF, Composite, S-Video and 15-pin VGA video outputs are supplied, along with RCA-type connections for analog audio in addition to an optical (Toslink) discrete digital audio output (however, no COAX digital audio connection is included). The DTC100’s HD monitor output supports high-resolution video up to 1080i. To achieve this signal, the 15-pin D-subminiature connector is used to provide a component output (RGB) that is compatible with multi-sync displays. The horizontal resolution at the HD monitor output for standard definition digital broadcasts may be up to 720 pixels per line and, for high-definition broadcasts, can reach 1920 pixels per line. The ...

VCRs suck. They just do. I understand there are situations when you need them. I’ve got one in my rack to watch vintage Philadelphia Flyers hockey games, but that is about it. As the publisher of a 70,000 readers-per-month audio-video publication, I am not so proud to admit that it takes me all sorts of effort to make my Mitsubishi VCR record from DSS through my AV preamp. It’s not impossible to do but, in my world, I don’t have the time and/or the patience to bother with it. Panasonic Showstopper featuring ReplayTV technology ($499) is the digital replacement to the VCR. Simply, the Panasonic Showstopper uses a hard disc system to record compressed television signals for future viewing. It can be configured into your television and/or home theater system in a number of ways. I hooked my Panasonic ShowStopper between my Sony B3 DSS receiver and my Proceed AVP AV preamp. Another ...