The Green Channel Beginnings

HBO came into infancy under the name “The Green Channel”. It was the brain child of cable pioneer, Charles Dolan who won the franchise to build the very first cable system for TV in lower Manhattan. With Time Life Management at his back, The Green Channel became Home Box Office in 1972. Sometimes a Great Notion, starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda was the first film to be seen on HBO using a complex of microwave towers to feed the programming.

Time Life gained complete control of HBO on 1973 and it soon became one of the fastest growing subscription services in America. Unfortunately, it also had a very high “churn” rate, which meant that subscribers would try it for a while and then dump it by cancelling their subscription.

Free Previews Save the Day

The daring “free preview” concept was tested in Lawrence, Massachusetts where people were given a free trial for 3 months before they had to start paying for it. The promotion proved itself by the fact that many chose to sign onto the program. The concept enabled HBO subscriptions to stick in other areas of the country and it eventually gained a firm foothold.

HBO Goes High Definition

In 1975 HBO with the broadcast of the Thrilla in Manilla boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, it became the first network to deliver continuous signals via satellite. (Sattelite Tv subscribers now have the option of purchasing HBO as part of their service package.) Continuing advances in technology permitted HBO to eventually offer a high definition (high resolution) version of its channel.

HBO has been the subject of criticism over the years because of the fact that it offers restricted content to its viewers, but it also has the reputation for offering exceptionally high quality original programming. Approximately one third of the households in the United States that subscribe to a television serve are set up to receive HBO. HBO has spun in several different directions in the broadcast industry making it a leader in telecommunications.

In this article we explode the industry biased HDMI Cable Reviews and show you how with inexpensive standard HDMI cable you can achieve excellent results and enhance your home cinema listening experience and get noticeable sound quality improvement through your audio visual system utilising the available digital connections.

Choosing the best HDMI cables for your own system is a fairly straightforward process and there are a few things to be considered before you buy. Firstly, do not get brainwashed by retail shops that try to sell you the most expensive cables because they want you to spend as much as possible rather than understanding the needs or requirements of your home cinema setup – don’t be fooled.

So what HDMI Cable would be best suited for my home cinema system?

Firstly, the basic principle behind HDMI is to transmit uncompressed digital data via 2 interfaces and digital data cables should be mainly compared by the quality of the components and manufacture. The HDMI Cable Reviews available seem to focus on the more you spend the more you achieve – well stop and think again. Good quality manufacture of an inexpensive HDMI connector cable gives the same results as spending 10x or 20x more.

Generally you will find that many of the available HDMI Cable Reviews do not explain the importance of the usages in differing applications of the standard home used HDMI interface. It is very useful to understand the importance of the different HDMI specifications, whereby, a Cat 1 cable is capable of sending an audio visual signal to achieve maximum results on a 720p or 1080i TV/LCD screen and a Cat 2 HDMI Cable is capable of delivering an audio visual signal to achieve best results on 720p, 1080i, 1080p & the new 1600p TV/LCD devices. The standard specifications for HDMI are a number ranging from 1.0 to 1.4 which represents the new HDMI specification and interface versions being made available right now, 1.4 being the latest DHMI interface specification. However, don’t worry about these numbers as any new HDMI equipped devices are backwards compatible for cabling purposes.

It is important that you choose the minimum length of cable for connecting your equipment and getting an HDMI interconnect that has top manufacture quality. In order to achieve the best sound and video quality from your equipment the digital cabling plays a big part.

That can be daunting task. I don’t admire you!

There is so much choice out there, how on earth do you think you can make your pick for the best system that suits your preferences?

It is going to be hard work.

It’s a pity that its not easier, as owning a home theater is a great addition to the home that turns the humble TV into real entertainment.

But with so many dizzying options out there, it can be a hard ball game – and you might require help finding the way through the maze of fancy names and new technologies.

What I love about home theater systems is you can mix and match different models with different brands. For example you may have a Pioneer DVD player and at the same time have BOSE speakers, as long as they remain fairly well matched then there is no problem.

But putting together home theater components requires a steep learning curve, as you need to investigate and try to find out which brand is compatible with the other.

Here are 4 tips that quickly guide’s you to pick your way through the top brands for a great home theater system that meets your preferences

Tip 1. The easy way is to buy a complete home theater then you know for sure the manufacturer has got the system working perfectly.

But with all pre-made packages, though the price may be agreeable, something has to give, and in the case of home theaters that’s usually the speakers – and believe me you don’t want a great system with inadequate speakers.

The only way to eliminate the problem, is go to the shop, bring along your favorite “acoustic” CD, and try it out on the systems displayed there, listen carefully, if the sound is to your liking then you know the system performs well.

Tip 2. The best brands that will offer top quality include: Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer and Kenwood, also check out brands such as Yamaha, JBL, Denon, Onkyo and Bose.

Tip 3. It’s always a good idea to at least investigate the opportunity of selecting the best possible combination of components that will deliver the highest entertainment value.

Say you have a sleek, elegant home theater system from Pioneer – it works like a charm, but the DVD player does not perform well with audio CDs.

But you love your music, so do you pick a Denon instead or simply choose another system with a brand that satisfies your ears.

Tip 4. Then there is the A/V receiver and speakers, which by most manufacturer standards are basic at best. The features and functions are limited when compared to the diverse potential you could get with separate receivers, just make sure the speakers and A/V receiver is compatible.

Summary

It is arguable, but I believe it is fair to say that sound is the most important aspect of the complete home theater experience. You try watching a movie where the screen is crystal clear and the sound is shady at best. It would add up to calamity for you and your family enjoying the home theater.

You just won’t take pleasure in the movie and afterwards you would think to yourself “Why did I waste so much money for this home theater?”

The usual sound format is 5.1 surround – that’s 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer, this is also known as Dolby Digital. If you want a more quality sound that is good, crisp and clear then try to buy a separate set of surround sound speakers, either of the same brand or from another quality (compatible) manufacturer.

This receiver was made especially for the budget-minded individual who wants the maximum amount of quality and features for their dollar. While other receivers will offer a larger quantity of elaborate features, many consumers with a limited budget aren’t interested in paying for, or using many of these higher-end features. The TX-SR508 provides a balanced solution at a reasonable price.

The Onkyo TX-SR508 provides 80 Watts of power into7.1 channels. Four 3D-capable HDMI inputs provide connectivity to high-definition electronics. Supported audio formats include Dolby DTS and Dolby Pro Logic IIz, which supports the latest surround sound technology. Dual-zone outputs and bi amping add features not typically found in receivers in this price range.

The list of features built into this A/V receiver is really impressive. The Audyssey technology suite provides an automated way to setup and configure the receiver for any audio environment. The Audyssey 2EQ analyzes the room geometry to provide the best configuration for both primary and satellite speakers. Audyssey Dynamic Volume levels fluctuations between different audio sources. Audyssey Dynamic EQ automatically balances tonal and surround-sound settings regardless of the volume level.

A graphical on-screen display provides a great way to remotely and visually configure the receiver’s settings. Using an HDMI connection, the receiver connects to a video source that displays a transparent menu of receiver settings and options. The image displays over whatever video source is active, which means you can make your settings without disrupting what you’re watching.

Onkyo’s WRAT technology provides high-end audio reproduction from high-definition audio sources through three primary capabilities. A low negative-feedback design expands the definition of audio and video sources for a richer and more detailed A/V experience.

A closed-loop circuit design between each component and the power supply provides superior isolation to reduce bleed through and interference. WRAT provides instant current to satisfy power-hungry, high dynamic-range conditions that are often present in modern digital sources.

Today’s audio/video devices are all about features. With so many audio devices, home theater receivers are continually challenged to support the ever-expanding demands of the consumer electronic industry.

The Onkyo TX-SR508 receiver is an exceptional choice for those consumers seeking as many features as possible within a narrow budget.

Whether your A/V setup is basic or complex, the TX-SR508 offers the quality and features often found in systems within a much higher price range.

Best all-around AV Receivers

The best AV receivers overall provide the perfect blend of price and performance while providing the features most consumers want. The best all-around is the Pioneer VSX-1020-K, which offers excellent audio and video performance for the price. It’s also packed with 6 3D-capable HDMI 1.4 inputs, ensuring this receiver is “future-proof.” The VSX-1020-K has terrific iPod/iPhone integration, allowing users to playback music from their devices while viewing album art on their TV using the included cable. Pioneer has also released an iPhone app that allows you to control the receiver using your iPhone.

Another top choice is the Onkyo TX-SR608, which sells for around $499 online. Just like the Pioneer, this receiver is 3D ready with 6 HDMI 1.4 inputs. It also offers excellent audio performance, as indicated by its THX Select2 Plus certification, an award usually only reserved for higher-priced models. Video performance, which is handled by the Faroudja DCDi video chipset, is strong as well; this receiver can upconvert all incoming sources, including analog, to 1080p over the HDMI output.

Best AV Receivers under $500

With the top home theater receiver manufacturers such as Onkyo, Denon and Pioneer continuously raising the bar on performance and features, consumers don’t have to spend a fortune for a high quality AV receiver. Since it can be found just under the $500 mark, Onkyo’s TX-SR608 is the best all-around pick in this price range for the reasons listed above.

If audio/video performance is your most important criteria, the Denon AVR-1910CI is an ideal choice that’s delivers a good mix of performance, features and price. It sounds superb for the price and is equipped with an Anchor Bay video chipset, which does a solid job handling upconversion. The AVR-1910 also features great Audyssey technologies including the MultEQ calibration system, which automatically adjusts speaker settings and levels for your listening environment, Dynamic Volume, which reduces the annoying volume fluctuations during commercials, and Dynamic EQ, which improves audio performance at lower listening levels.

Best High-End AV Receivers

Designed specifically for audio- and video-philes that want the best performance and the most features, high-end AV receivers cost quite a bit more than mid-range offerings but deliver big in those areas. Though you can spend a fortune for a flagship offering such as Denon’s $7500 AVP-A1HDC receiver, the company’s AVR-4810CI offers superb performance and a terrific feature set at a price that’s much easier to stomach. This 9.3 140-watt-per-channel receiver is an excellent choice for those that wish to power a multi-room audio system, providing enough channels and zones to run a 5.1 surround system in your main home theater room and 2.1 speaker setups in two other rooms. You can also power a 7.1 or 9.1 surround sound system in the main room, using the Audyssey DSX processing to create a more immersive experience.

Other highlights of this $2,999 receiver include 6 HDMI 1.3a inputs, built-in Wi-Fi for streaming internet radio stations or music from a networked PC, and Audyssey’s excellent MultEQ XT calibration system to help you get the best possible sound quality.

3. Aaron Rodgers

Some may say I have a biased opinion here, which may be true. At any rate, I think he is an elite quarterback. He has quite possibly the prettiest deep ball in the game, he has EXCELLENT decision making on the field, in fact throwing zero interceptions through two games this season. This year he has the second highest QB rating at 126.4, and a very impressive completion percentage of 70.8%. Through only two games, he has 620 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Not having any real “superstar” receivers, aside from Greg Jennings, he still makes things happen. Don’t get my wrong, I think the Packers top 3 or 4 receivers are great, but none of them have reached superstar status yet. Rodgers spreads the ball around and wins football games. Last year, his third season starting, he got himself a Super Bowl ring, he now has as many as Brett Favre!

2. Tom Brady

There seem to be a lot of people who really dislike Tom Brady. It seems most people either love him or they hate him, it doesn’t seem like there is much in between. Whether you love him or you hate him, you can’t deny the numbers he puts up. Incredible decision making, in my humble opinion the best 2-minute drill in football, He stays calm in the pocket, and doesn’t let himself get flustered when he makes mistakes. This season, he has been putting up very high numbers, in typical Tom Brady fashion. Best in the league QB rating of 128.0 and best in the league total passing yards with a total of 944, and a league high 10.68 yards per attempt. Brady is another QB who doesn’t really have a “superstar” receiver. Yes, he had Randy Moss, but not anymore. He gets it done with hard-working receivers, just like Aaron Rodgers.

1. Peyton Manning

I don’t think a discussion about great quarterbacks can be made without mentioning this name. The best QB currently playing, quite possibly the best ever. I have never seen a field general quite like this one. He virtually (probably literally) doesn’t need an offensive coordinator. He can read defensive schemes like no one else, calling his plays on the field and usually with outstanding results. He is an accurate passer with excellent decision making and an unmatched awareness of what is going on around him. The only drawback is it seems that once he throws an interception, he tends to get flustered and sometimes can’t recover from it. His neck injury this year and the resulting caliber of the Indianapolis Colts shows that one person CAN make a team. An overall passer rating of 94.9, 54,828 yards, with a 64.9% completion percentage in his career so far. Until this year, Manning had not missed a start since 1998, 208 consecutive starts! Not only is he amazing, he is tough and resilient. He will go down as one of the greats of all time, if not THE best ever.

Thanks for reading!

-Jason

http://www.footballfreeforall.com/

You don’t need to be confused with making a selection on which configuration to choose for your home theater. I love a good setup and put a lot of emphasis on acoustics. However, in order to achieve outstanding results you should not get caught up in all the hype – you don’t need 9 channels, in fact you don’t even need 7. For most theater’s, 5 is perfect.

Going with 5.1 will accomplish the acoustical result you desire and save you money in the process. As you add more channels, the more the demands are placed on your receiver. And if you are concerned about missing out on all the new sounds offered in the latest movies, don’t worry…most are still recorded in 5.1; and most importantly, I am confident you won’t even notice a difference in adding the extra channels. However, if your intent is to build a very large theater with ceilings higher than 20 feet, you may want to explore 7 or 9 channels. During my design and planning, I decided that I wanted to stick with 5.1 but also keep my options open in the future in case I changed my mind.

Knowing that the studio’s are always trying to create and push new sound mediums for the consumer I decided to future proof my room the best I could. I accomplished this by running extra speaker wire, in the 9 channel configuration, and installing PVC conduit in my ceilings so I could quickly and easily run new wire in the future. The extra cost was minimal and I highly recommend it to protect your investment in the future. Plus, if a speaker wire ever fails, etc it can easily be swapped-out.

Another thing I did to compliment my 5.1 setup was to add an extra subwoofer. An extra sub is not necessary, but two are usually better than one for a few reasons. Assuming you are using the same make and models, an additional sub will yield significantly better bass response. The sounds will be smooth and more evenly dispersed and the listening area will be wider. The quality of the sound will extend to all of your seating areas and you’ll have a very hard time determining the source of the low frequencies; often with a single sub the bass may sound good from one seat and lumpy from another. Assuming proper placement, one sub is good but two are even better!

Bottom line, when designing your home theater all you need is a 5 channel setup; don’t get caught up by all the hype on adding extra, unnecessary channels. If your receiver supports the use of two subwoofers, go ahead and add an extra. And last but not least, don’t forget to future proof your room by adding some extra wiring and conduits.

Overview of 2007 PRS Series

The latest (2007 and newer) PRS Series Amplifiers feature a variety of solutions for your car audio needs. They have available for you monoblock amps, 2-channel amps, and 4-channel amps, giving you no less than 1200 watts max on each one. In addition, their exterior design is far more attractive than the average amplifier on the market. For me, this is another great plus to the PRS series amplifiers because you can’t help but think that it would look good in my car, rather than trying to find a way to hide it.

The PRS digital amplifiers showcase Pioneer’s new ICE Power technology. With it, it would be virtually impossible for you to hear any sort of distortion, allowing it to produce a much more pure sound than any other amplifiers out there. That’s not all! You’ll find that the amplifier will also produce an accurate bass with incredibly clear mid-range and high-range sounds. You won’t even have to worry about the amplifier sucking up power from your car because these amplifiers are amazingly efficient, which would reduce heat produced from the amp as well and allowing it to channel more power into your sound system.

The New 2008 PRS-A900

If you think all of that sounds good, wait until you hear about the new January-released PRS-A900! Audiophiles world wide have anticipated the release of this new PRS Series 4-channel amp and they have great reasons to.

It’s the first of its kind and you can be sure than many more will come. It features everything from the previous year: digital amplification, great exterior design, extremely low distortion, and incredible efficiency. But Pioneer didn’t just replicate their 2007 models but also added some new features.

Unlike any other amps, the PRS-A900 showcases a completely separate left and right channel power supply, a filter-less design, and construction design that protects against external disturbance. The result of these features is a far improved sonic purity production from the amplifier!

Perhaps one of the coolest unique features of the Pioneer PRS-A900 is the H-Shaped internal structure design. It absorbs vibrations created from driving your vehicle. How? Well imagine for a minute a wooden seesaw with two people, one on each side. Now if one person jumps on his side, the other side will rise up or at least that other person will feel the impact. Now imagine that the same seesaw is constructed out of flexible plexiglass (assuming it doesn’t shatter on impact); if the one side jumps , the flexibility of the plexiglass will absorb the majority of the force, and the other side would be less likely to be catapulted as high as the wooden seesaw. The H-Shaped internal construction works on this concept! The result is a greatly reduced interference within the sound quality that the amplifier produces

The independently powered left and right channels further improves sound isolation, preventing any sort of additional interference and allowing for more efficiency from the two-channel or four-channel outputs. Think of it as two garden hoses for two different plants you are watering-one hose for two plants would cause you to lose water and time.

If you’re not on the Pioneer bandwagon, I suggest you do so now because advancements in technology like the few that I mentioned above sets Pioneer’s PRS Series amplifiers far above other competitions gunning for the mobile audio industry!

Design

The Pioneer PDP-5080, like most plasma televisions today, is very sleek in appearance. The structure is a high gloss black with silver along the sides, bottom, and top of the set. From the front, only the black is visible. The Pioneer PDP-5080 includes a matching stand. It allows the speaker below the panel to be removed in case you want to use an external audio system.

Overall

This plasma displays an awesome deep shade of black with a clean image. The Pioneer Kuro HDTV also has an anti-reflective screen which greatly reduces the glare of light. Although it isn’t 1080p, we do not feel this is a issue for a set this size. It was difficult to find a difference between the picture from this set and one of the newer 1080p televisions. Consequently, we feel that this is one of the best tv’s being sold today…definitely worth the buy.

The price for a NFusion HD receiver at a time I purchased it was $450 and the price has dropped to $370 at this moment. Although the receiver is a HD receiver it needs additional equipment to receive HD channels, most satellite dealers now days will sell you the preinstalled 8Psk module for additional $60. At that time that the NFusion released this receiver they have been dealing with a lot of lawsuits from dish network and that is the reason why 8Psk module was not included in the price. Installing the module was very easy with the help of FTA professionals.

The black sleek finish is very pleasing on the eye and remote-control is very light and easy to use although the range of remote is very weak. But the only competitor Sonicview 8000 HD is dealing with the same remote control problems. Removing the front cover and adjusting the sensor helped out a little bit, some more expensive remote extenders will fix the problem.

After testing all the other free to air receivers I have to admit that this one is probably the easiest to set up. First thing you will see is your language option, then you will be asked if you would like to proceed using automated or manual set up. For first time users I would recommend the automated process as it makes it very simple, you will be asked to check mark the satellites that you have set up and then the receiver will automatically set up all your dish settings for you and scan for the available channels.

The menu display from factory settings is set up to orange but you can change it to blue in your user settings. The guide works very well and after pressing the F4 button it will populate seven day EPG which is very impressive compared to the other receivers. The channel surfing is very fast maybe even a little too fast but that can be adjusted in your user settings.

PVR option is also available and it works very well with all hard drives that I have tried, over the period of six months it failed to record about 10% of the shows programed to record. Yes it is not perfect but it will do the job.

USB plug-ins are available on the front and back which makes it much easier to hide your ugly cables for the hard drive in the back and use the front USB plug-in to update files when necessary. The receiver is equipped with the option to update files from the Internet but is not working very well so the best is just to use your USB stick. Simply go to FTA professionals NFusion HD files section and download the latest updated file to your USB stick and then using a remote-control update your receiver.

One of the most frequent question I have seen is if this receiver needs to be connected to Internet at all times? And the answer is yes. Currently there is no standalone file available so the only option is Internet key sharing, NFusion is running a public server so you will not need to pay any additional fees for that. Because this is a public server they are still having some issues when it becomes busy, mostly on weekends.

Another big question is how much freezing to expect? Well overall it’s not bad, uptime is about 90% as long as you keep it up-to-date and have very good signal and quality from your dish you can expect little or no freezing.

And for the final commonly asked question, how safe are you using Internet key sharing? I would say if the providers start looking for your they will find you but there’s things you can do about it. One thing is to use a proxy, NFusion HD receiver has a option to use a proxy server so that you can hide your IP address even though the NFusion representatives are promising that the system is not keeping track of your IP address. You can get a free proxy but it may cause quite a bit of freezing you just have to try a few until you find the one that works well for you.

Considering the price I would rate this receiver 7/10 and the support at FTA professionals.tv 10/10.