Podcast #509: Home Theater "In a Box" 2011

As you know, we typically are not big fans of Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) systems. In years past we've decided to put our own "box" systems together, complete with TV, Blu-ray player and the audio system as well. Last year we had a $10,000 system and a $5,000 system. This year, with prices going the way they have, we decided to be even tougher on ourselves and try to produce a complete system for $1,500 or less.

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Podcast #477: Panasonic DMP-BDT110 Blu-ray Player

We have been doing this show for the past six years and have had an opportunity to review a lot of Blu-ray players. So when the Panasonic DMP-BDT110 (Buy Now $135) showed up on our doorstep we were pretty sure we knew what to expect from a sub $150 Blu-ray player. We were wrong! Panasonic has raised the bar for every player out there regardless of price.

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Podcast #475: Zediva and the Blu-ray Process

Recently we were talking with an old friend of ours who works for a movie studio in the Blu-ray production facility. This got us thinking about what it takes to create a disc filled with all that high definition goodness. Today we are going to take a high level look at what is entailed in producing a Blu-ray disc.

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Podcast #470: Samsung BD-D6500 Blu-ray player

There’s a lot of talk about streaming movies eventually taking over for conventional disc based media like DVD and Blu-ray. But we all know the quality just isn’t quite there yet to eliminate Blu-ray entirely. So what are you to do? Why not buy a Blu-ray player that also streams movies so you’re covered for both cases? If it also supports 3D, you’re triple covered. That’s what you get with the Samsung BD-D6500.

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Podcast #463: Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray Player

Oppo has been around since 2004, about a year longer than the HT Guys. We’ve watched them go from a company that built high performance upconverting DVD players to one that builds high performance Blu Ray Players. Today we take a look at the latest in the Oppo lineage, the BDP-93. The player is all black with a brushed aluminum face. The fit and finish is first rate and looks great in our equipment stack. The BDP-93 has a MSRP of $499.99.

Check out our sponsor TheaterInvite.com

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Podcast #435: Can Blu-ray pull it off?

Blu-ray would like to supplant DVD and take over as the dominant video format in households all around the world.  We see the advantage from a pure quality perspective, but believe that costs have to line up for it to actually happen.  With so many forces pulling against it, can Blu-ray really become the successor to DVD?

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