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Today's Show:
Three big items today. First we take a look at JVC's 56 inch 720p TV. Then we talk about our personal experience with the tecStream system. The show ends with a quick overview of the products named in this year's RAVE awards.
56" HD-ILA Rear Projection TV HD-56G786
- As you would expect this TV does well with HD material (720p or
1080i). As you would expect standard definition viewing is a
compromise. If you don't have a cable or satellite box that up converts
you may be disappointed with the results. There are better TVs on the
market and by now you should be considering 1080p. But if you are on a
budget, this 56 inch HDTV for $2,400 (as low as $1900 online) is hard
to resist. This TV is a decent 720p alternative to some of the
1080p TVs currently for sale. Great bang for the buck!
Things we liked:
- Good
color.
- Two 1394 ports
- 92 lbs and
18 inches deep
- ATSC tuner with cable card slot
Things we didn't like:
- Less detail in general than some other sets we've tested
- Channel changing with the ATSC tuner could be faster.
tecStream from USTec
The day has finally come, we've got a fully functional tecStream system running and it rocks. Our installation has three zones set up as follows:
Zone 1:
tecStream 2500
Sony 400 disc DVD changer
HD DVR
Zone 2:
tecStream 2500
Harman Kardon DVD Player
HD STB
Zone 3:
tecStream 2500
HD DVR
All the tecStream units run through the central tecStream switch at the main wiring cabinet. The system couldn't be easier to use. You press the special tecStream button on the provided remote and you can see what playing on any of the devices in the network. There hasn't yet been a single glitch or malfunction in the system, and the playback has been perfect. It works exactly as you'd expect.
There are a few gotcha's though. First, and most importantly, it doesn't yet support High Definition. They showed some demos of this working at EHX in Florida last month, and we're told the full functionality should be coming very soon. That will make this thing really kick.
Other than that, the remote control is straight from the eighties. Using it makes you feel like you should be tuning into an episode of Alf or Small Wonder. To be fair, Harmony has the tecStream codes in their database, but you'd think for the power of the system, it would come with a better remote. And last, if you run your computer network on the tecStream network you'll be limited to 10 base/T. Not bad, but certainly not what we're used to these days.
Overall, had tecStream been an option when Braden bought his house, he certainly would have put it everywhere. It's awesome.
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