MrMcGoo

Warner has announced that The Matrix, Harry Potter 4, the entire Lord of the Rings series and Batman Begins will be out in the fourth quarter in HD DVD. The LOTR series is likely to be the theatrical release, and not the extende versions. (This is a conspiracy to measure the number of times that they can sell you the same movies.) Blurry-Ray has not announced any major titles yet in the dual layer disks that are capable of delivering on the hype. Bill

The Duke is right, always look for the 1 watt distortion level. However, your ears should also be used as numbers can be used to lie. Klipsch speakers do not lie, they just put out what was put in. Headroom is needed for good musical reproduction. The amount of headroom needed is a function of room size, listening habits, speaker sensitivity etc. More is better as long as the quality on the first watt is good. Bill

Early adopters pay a premium for a machine that will go obsolete rapidly. It's not for everyone. The quality of most HD DVDs is significantly better than HD cable etc. In a year or three, HD DVD will become common. Blu-ray on the other hand may or may not make it. If it does make it, then universal players will be needed. Only time will tell whether unversal players will be available. Most consumers should wait out the format war. Particularly stay away from Blu-ray until the picture quality is improved. The picture on HD DVD is much better; it's just the HD DVD machines that are clunky. Bill

The BB employee may be deaf. Consider the source. Bill

If there isn't any output from the horn tweeter, the most likely reason is a loose wire. Remove the screws on the tweeter. It is very heavy with most of the weight on the rear, so be careful not to drop it. There are two spring clips holding the wires that are easily depressed. If one wire slipped out, depress that clip and replace the wire. If that is not the problem, call 1-800-klipsch and ask to talk to a service tech. They will help you determine the cause and get you any needed parts. Shipping sometimes also causes the horn tweeter to come apart. Bill

The 1080P24 format is an HD storage format. Both HD DVD and Blu-ray are stored on optical disks that way for movies. HD DVD outputs 1080i while Blu-ray allegedly outputs 1080P. The fly in the ointment is that the Samsung Blu-ray player has a terrible 1080P picture via HDMI. The Samsung allegedly looks better via 1080i over componrnt cables. This problem may be unique to the Samsung player. The Pioneer and Sony players due in August or October may be better at 1080P. In any case, there are very few 1080P displays today and those that exist can deinterlace 1080i to 1080P better than the Samsung player. The HD DVD output at 1080i has a superb picture for half the cost of the Samsung, if you can find one to buy. Later generations of HD DVD players will be able to output 1080P. The bottom line is that 1080P players are a red herring, but good 1080P24 movie transfers to optical disks are where the state of the home theater is at the moment. Bill

Who cares if America fails? Every American should care, that's Who! Bill

Blu-ray needs to get the dual layer disks out if they want to compete. The MPEG-2 video codec requires the additional space. Alternatively, Blu-ray needs to use either VC-1 or MPEG-4 (H.264) for video compression. High definition movies are all about picture quality and the quality is not there yet for Blu-ray. Nobody wants to pay $1,000 for a machine with a so-so picture. The AVS forum sentiment seems to be the Blu-ray has lost round one in the format war. All of the pre-release trash talk by Sony has added to the disapointment. Sony may have lost some credibility. If their own machine gives a better picture with the same movies that look like crud on the Samsung, they can get back in the game. Bill

Jay, It looks like I hit a nerve. Your position is the standard rationalization of folks that make copies NOT allowed by the fair use exception to the copyright statutes. Time Warner sold its music division. The reason was lack of profitability due to the fact that few younger Americans actually buy music on CDs; they illegally copy it the music onto MP3s etc.. Steven Jobs saved the music industry much the same way he saved Apple. He created a reason to buy Macs and he created the iPod which in turn sells the music that goes on it. If it wasn't for the iPod, the music industry would be dead. Bill

Software piracy is a major issue in Hollywood. It nearly ruined the music business, so they want to avoid the problem with movies. Blu-ray has more robust copy protection, so it has more studio support than HD DVD. If no one loses a copy of the encrytion key as happened to SD DVD, Blu-ray encryption could last a long time. However, Blu-ray is way behind on development of the rest of the technology. They have been blowing a lot of smoke about superior technology, but cannot manufacture dual layer disks yet and have no advanced video or audio codecs in use yet. Hitch is the only movie that Blu-ray has out that can be shown on an in-store display. Fifth Elemnet was supposed to be their main launch title, but the picture is so bad that no one would buy the machine. When Sony launches in August, there may be a better ability to compete. Bill

Jay, Sony made claims that it would produce dual layer disks that would have a capacity of 50 Gb. HD DVD does use dual layers to come up to 30 Gb. HD DVD uses the more efficient VC-1 video codec and DD+ for audio. Sony's use of MPEG2 is a major error, but was necessary due to the HD DVD launch. Sony has no authoring tools for advanced video codecs at present. In the future, I expect Sony to use MPEG4, part 10 (aka H.264) to compete with VC-1. In the short run, HD DVD is clearly superior. If Blu-ray get the yield of 50 Gb disks above 40%, there may be some competition. If not, Blu-ray has already lost the format war. Bill

I was in BB today and was able to watch the Samsung BD player on a Samsung 61 DLP that will play 1080P. The movie was The Fifth Element. The picture looks better with Superbit at 480P that Blu-ray at 1080P. The Blu-ray format has the following problems at this time: 1. 25 Gb capacity due to single layer limitation. 2. MPEG2 encoding which uses too much space to fit a high quality picture on 25 Gb disks. 3. No advanced audio codec is being used; disks are limited to DD (not DD+) or uncompressed PCM. The PCM hogs space needed for the video. 4. First generation bugs such as slow boot and load times. 5. A price double that of HD DVD with lower picture quality at present. The upside is that BD movies will sell for less that HD DVD movies. This may change soon. HD DVD prices MAY come down soon (in August) to compete. An LG player that does both HD DVD and Blu-ray may come out within the next year. Many folks would want to wait for better players, more titles and lower prices. Bill

The Klipsch Ultra 2.0 system was not hooked up for demo at my BB. The systems that were hooked up did not sound good to me. I bought on the Klipsch name and the reputation of the Ultra 2.0 system on this board. The BB that I trade at has employees that recommend Klipsch for home theater as their best. However, the geek in the computer department was clueless about Klipsch. Bill

My old computer was more than three years old so it was time to replace it. The new system has outputs for 5.1, but 2.0 is enough for my type of use. My computer is in the same room as my 7.1 theater. The BB sales drone did not even point out the Klipsch computer speaker systems. The Klipsch Ultra 2.0 system was exactly what I was looking for, but was priced a few dollars higher. All the other usual brands were there as well including Blo$e. The BB employee was surprised when I went for the slightly more spendy Klipsch, but did say that they are high quality. The man at the door checked my invoice to be sure that I payed for everything. Nothing like such a classy place as BB. On the way out the door, a young lady saw the box and said that Klipsch was better than "even Bose." Well, at least the rank order was right, even if the spread in quality is a bit more than the young lady was aware of. The Ultra 2.0 system turns out to be much better that my already high expectations. The new computer's sound card must be good as well. The speakers are built to a much higher standard than the Polks being replaced. It is a night and day difference. Well done Klipsch!!! Bill

There may be a dual player that does both HD DVD and Blu-ray, but not SACD or DVD-A. Both high res audio formats appear to be dead. Bill

As HDTV penetrates themarket, HD sources will be sought out. HD DVD is the best HD source available today. It is a nihe product due to lack of titles available. In a few years there will be so many HDTVs out that either Blu-ray and/or HD DVD will be huge sellers. Blu-rays from Samsung went on sale yesterday for $1,000. HD DVD is selling at less than half of the Blu-ray price and is farther along with being debugged. Bill

Did the dealer use the B&K Ref. 50's notch filter? That is a possibility for your lack of bass. Bill

The problem is more than likely with the speakers' setup and not the speakers themselves. The problem is one of physics, ie, bass cancellations. In simple English, the sub is likely working against the mains and has nothing to with the brand or type of speaker. The system is capable of huge bass output, if setup optimally. Both Fish and SoundBroker are in the right ballpark. Another set of speakers will not solve a problem with the room's acoustics, bass cancellations or speaker placement issues. The polarity of the wiring has to be right and so on. Bill

Big Ben had a start on a great career, but it is probably over now, if his ride is any indication. I hope that I'm wrong, but it is plain crazy in any case to risk all of those future millions on other drivers. Bill

The only thing that I would change would be the center channel. It handles about 75% of movie content. Always go for the best center that you can afford. Speakers will last far longer than most receivers. they are a far better investment when well made. Speakers do not become obsolete; receivers go obsolete rapidly. Outboard amplification would also be a possibility. Receivers are challeneged for power on action movies. A good subwoofer makes the RF-83s less necessary. A god sub or two goods subs are a must. You will have excellent bass that way, so the bigger woofers are not necessary. Bill

Dean is correct. The RC-7 design eliminates comb filtering with the tapered array. The single woofer working from 550 Hz on up is by design. Deep bass is played by both woofers. Bill

The subwoofer's crossover needs to be bypassed as DrWho stated OR it needs to be set as high as possible to avoid the cascading of two crossovers. More bass output will give your theater more slam. A second subwoofer is also a possibility. Heresies all around sounds like the start of a very good theater. The biggest weakness is lack of bass with the Heresy. Subwoofer output cures the problem. Good subwoofer output is key and placement is also critical to output. I found myself sitting in a null from my RSW-15. Better placement and a Velodyne SMS-1 evened out the bass response. Placement of the other speakers is also important. Bill

The last fellow that hit me was in his early twenties, was driving a 2003 Kia, and had an insurance card. It turns out he had cancelled his insurance. It is a common thing where I live. The kids get the proof of insurance then cancel. My F-150 4x4 had frame damage that bent the two frame rails down an inch and a half. I was hit on the 10,000 pound hitch assembly that is bolted to the frame. The bumper was barely bent, yet ther was $3,000 in damage to the vehicle. I estimate medicals are at $7,500 and going up each week. The damage to chops' vehicle is worse. It may not look like much, but it was steel that was bent. Humans are not made of steel; we are made of much more fragile tissues. The other fellow's insurance company (if he has one) will claim that there was a minmum impact and only soft tissues were injured, ie, a "MIST" injury has occred. Even people hit by a cement mixer doing 60 are "barely injuered." Bill PS: Insurance rates are higher for males under age 25 for the simple reason that claim rates are higher. B

There are too many of these creeps on the road. The ticket is probably for leaving the scene, which is a felony in many jurisdictions. The detectives will be on him in due course. The main things that you need to do are: 1. Make certain that you get timely medical treatment as needed. It may be some time before symptoms get worse. 2. File an insurance report about the accident asap. Try to get a name and plate number etc. from the police to give your insurance. You will need a copy of the police report which will require a report number. 3. File an accident report with your state patrol, if required by law. They will probably revoke the creep's license (if he has one) and require proof of insurance to reinsatate it after the suspension is up. 4. Consider hiring an attorney to file appropriate claims. Your own insurance company may try to avoid part of its responsibility. I've been hit twice by uninsured motorists, one of whom was driving on a suspended license. They end up with very big bills to pay. Bill

The change would be a move sideways. Go for a bigger sub if you want an improvement. Try to at least double the amp's power for a significant change. Klipsch has new subs out that have equalization to even out room response and extend lower. Bill