Letters - August 2007
From a Harmony owner
August 24, 2007
To Randall Smith,
Just got the Logitech
Harmony 890. Reviews are all over the place. People love the device but hate the
software and web interface. You seem to be the only real person who has had several
Harmony remotes and is comfortable with the 890 setup. I've had a couple of Universal and
one advanced Sima remote in the past, so this Harmony seems to be the cat's meow. If you
don't mind, I may throw you an e-mail or two about my experience with the device once my
house-renovation project is complete. One question: Do you have any further thoughts on
the remote? You can get back to your regular e-mail activities now.
Richard
Programming a universal remote can be a process that
requires a lot of time and patience to perfect, but the end result is worth it. I do have
some experience with the Logitech remotes, as well as a few others, and that combined
experience has helped me when I attempt to fine-tune a new remote to my system. As far as
helping you program your remote, I will assist if I can, but if you need additional help,
I would suggest you search the Internet for forum threads that may discuss your Logitech
remote. The people who respond on those forums are usually owners of the remote being
discussed, and most of the time they can put you on the fast track to achieving your goal.
Again, good luck with your remote and your house renovation….Randall Smith
Which Oppo?
August 17, 2007
Dear Wes Marshall:
I hope you can help me ASAP with a question I've been
trying to get a straight answer to for a week. I've called both Vizio and Oppo, but have
been unable to get a definitive response without feeling someone's bread was being
buttered or ox being gored. I have just purchased a Vizio P50HDTV10A plasma display, which
features DCDi upconversion in its 720p processing. Given that fact, my question is rather
simple. I want to upgrade my current DVD player (an eight-year-old Sony) with an Oppo, but
given that the TV has Faroudja processing, do I also need to pay the additional 80 bucks
to get it in the '981, or under the circumstances would the '970 provide me as good a
picture (and a component output to boot). I've been trying to ascertain the quality of the
Faroudja processing in the TV this week; standard test scenes in Star Trek:
Insurrection and Seabiscuit turned up no evidence of the dreaded jaggies.
Can I trust the processing in the TV, or should I plop down the extra $80 for the
DV-981HD? Without anywhere to actually view the Oppo in action, I'm at wit's end as to
which way to go.
Dr. Brooks Barr
The answer lies in one short, sweet abbreviation: HDMI.
Using HDMI keeps the signal in the digital domain for as long as possible. Since your TV
accepts HDMI, and both the '981 and '970 offer HDMI, it's all down to picking which you'd
rather have. I happen to like the fact that I can play SACD and DVD-A on the '981, so, to
me, that $80 extra is a no-brainer….Wes Marshall
HD shopping
August 3, 2007
To Wes Marshall,
After years of faithful service, my CRT set is dying. I
have been looking at different flat-panel sets and I am getting conflicting advice from
the salespeople. I’m thinking of either a 42” or 46” LCD, LCD because of
video-game playing by my teens and I am told by the salespeople that it could cause “burn-in”;
they all seem to agree on that point. Where they disagree is on the need of 1080p (which
doesn’t mean anything to me); some say it matters only on larger sets and others that
it matters all the time. I am planning on getting an upscaling DVD player like the Oppo
DV-981HD to go with it and an HD cable box.
Because of all the reviews, I am limiting myself to Sharp
or Sony, leaning toward the Sharp because of the features/price ratio. Also I am known for
keeping my electronics until they die. From this information, I have two questions: First,
does the 1080p matter in a 42” set? Second, should I look at other brands like LG,
whose sets are readily available at a lower price where I live?
René
You are thinking correctly. I personally own a couple
of Samsung LCDs that are 720p and I’m quite happy with them. However, I watch them
from a distance of about 10’, and I watch a lot of ABC and ESPN sports, both of which
use 720p natively. A 1080p set will have double the pixels, so if you are sitting close to
the TV, you will be able to see a difference. Both Sharp and Sony are top notch. I would
add Toshiba and Samsung to your list. And you’ll love the Oppo….Wes Marshall |
