Ultra Cool Gadgets

The Marantz heritage of building only the finest CD & DVD players is evident throughout the DV4001. This DivX DVD player is capable to handle not only DVD, but also CD, CD-Rs/RWs with music in MP3, WMA, but also JPEG for a nice slight show of your homemade pictures. The DV4001 is an exceptional DVD player for the ideal home theater system, bringing DVD movies to life with stunning digital video and surround sound capabilities. The strict hand-selection of parts, for example, allows for the amazing sound and image quality. A dedicated remote control compliments the versatility of the DV4001.

Technical Details :
* Plays DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, CD, CD-R/CD-RW, VCD 2.0,MP-3, WMA, DivX ULTRA and JPEG HD discs.
* HDMI Output with scaling (1080i, 720p and 480p).
* Progressive scan with 3:2 pull-down film detection.
* 192 kHz/24-bit audio D/A converters, 108 MHz/12-bit video D/A converter.
* Low Profile Aluminum Front Panel.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK :
Video – superb! I have only used it on component video @ 480p, on my 65″ Mitsubishi HDTV, but it completely blows away any other DVD player I have used. With good source material, it looks practically high def, and the color and shadow detail are awesome – very faithful to the original material. I am sure that when upconverted over HDMI it is even better, but I have not personally tried that yet.

Audio – superb! Every single ‘bit’ of digital audio comes through perfectly. I thought all digital-out players should sound identical, but now I am not so sure… IMO, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are significantly more “immersive” and dialogue is easier to hear at low volume. Keep in mind, though, this unit does not have optical (toslink) audio out, only digital coax. No big deal, but you should know this.

Build quality is awesome – you will not be disappointed here! The brushed aluminum face is very classy and makes a statement that you are serious about home theatre. Another nice feature – no annoying bright blue light on the front to distract your viewing experience! I hate it when that happens! The “power” light only glows red with the unit is in standby mode.

However, there are few “perfect” things in this world, including this wonderful item. My niggles are:

#1: I wish it would remember where you left off if you remove a disc, like several Sony’s I have owned. This is a terrific feature, and I cannot understand why all players don’t do this.

#2: For some reason mine has the color and tint controls backwards in the picture setup menu. Marantz did offer to repair it under warranty, but I usually leave the picture settings at default anyway, so I can live with it as-is. It must be a bug in the firmware, but Marantz had never heard of this problem on the DV4001, so don’t let this discourage you from purchasing this fine machine.

#3: I’d like to have a choice between optical and coax for digital audio.

DENON has become a world leader in the manufacture of high quality audio and audio/video equipment and software products for the entertainment and information industries. Its professional-use and consumer-use equipment and software products are recognized internationally for their originality and standards of quality, durability and innovation. DENON is recognized internationally as Japan’s leading manufacturer of high-quality audio and audio-visual products, and is the only company in the industry involved in the development and production of both hardware and software.

Technical Details :

* Plays DVD audio and superaudio CD.
* HDMI scalable output to 1080p resolution.
* DiVX Ultra v6.0 playback support.
* DDVC video circuitry for improved performance.
* Separate video D/As for interlaced and progressive mode.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK : High dollar player for low dollar price !!

I spent some time researching upconverting DVD players and found that the Denon DVD 1940CI was favored by other reviewers on several other sites – and they were right. This player’s upconverting technology may not match Blue Ray’s clarity and rich detail, but it makes an amazing impact on my 1080p LCD. For a hundred dollar DVD player you feel like you stole a production quality unit. This DVD player has a very nice loading tray and pickup head allowing for stable playback and tremendously good error correction. I have a two year old who likes to “help” with the DVDs and the pickup head reads the discs through her finger-prints and scratches. If you’re on a budget and not interested in Blue Ray I would recommend this DVD player to you.

When it comes to HDTV viewing, how large a screen can you afford? How about 40 inches or 160 inches? Here’s a product that can do it! Developed in collaboration with leading filmmakers, Panasonic”s Hollywood tuning process produces images that mirror the director”s artistic vision and intent. This process is now further aided in the new PT-AE2000U by maximizing the image quality of the full-HD content in Blu-ray discs and HD broadcasts for large-screen viewing. The carefully tuned optical system teams up with a newly developed Detail Clarity Processor to dramatically boost image clarity. The PT-AE2000U offers the ultimate home cinema experience with crisp full-HD images in remarkable detail. The newest LCD home-theater projector with 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) native resolution: the PT-AE2000U is designed for savvy home theater enthusiasts and audio video professionals who desire an immerse home entertainment viewing experience, the new projector delivers 1080p images with a carefully-tuned lens system to reproduce remarkable detail and clarity with 1,500 lumen brightness and 16,000:1 contrast ratio. The new PT-AE2000U model is the next evolution of its predecessor, the PT-AE1000U, which has been widely accepted and used to display professional movies. The new projector reproduces the original picture quality intended by Hollywood movie and television directors — all within the comfort of consumers’ home theaters. Up to 16,000 – 1 Dynamic-Contrast Ratio Smooth Screen Technology Up to 1920×1080 screen resolution for up to 1080p HDTV and Video display Dynamic Iris – Automatic adjustments produce deeper, richer blacks Pure Color Filter Pro – Expands the color gamut to approximately match the level specified by the digital cinema industry Detail Clarity Processor – Adds sharpness to reproduce fine nuances lost in image compression Split Adjust Mode – Freeze a scene and make adjustments.

Technical Details :
* 1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution and 16,000:1 Contrast Ratio.
* 1500 Lumens Brightness via a 165 W UHM lamp.
* LCD x 3 R, G, B.
* 3 HDMI, 2 Component, 1 S-Video, 1 Video Inputs.
* Comes with power cord, wireless remote control and batteries for remote.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK :
Just upgraded from the PTAE1000U which I only had for a month, prior to that I’ve had a Sony HS-10 for 4 years. The picture on the 2000U is outstanding in comparison to both! I’m projecting onto a 120″ screen with minimal zoom adjustment and feeding it with signal from a Tivo Series 3, Scientific Atlanta 8300, and upscaling DVD — the HD-DVD is on order.
While the physical size of this projector is on the large-side, it is designed to make placement very easy with the horizontal and vertical lens adjustment that doesn’t require any key stoning. It also vents out the front so it is ideal for putting on a shelf against a back wall of a room.

The HDR-SR10 includes all the tools necessary to preserve your memories. In addition to a built-in 40GB hard drive and professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, the ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and BIONZ image processor captures Full HD 1920 x 1080 video and 4 megapixel still photos. Face Detection technology helps ensure that people look their best in every image, while Super SteadyShot optical image stabilization reduces blur, even when using the 15x optical/180x digital zoom. Top it off with a built-in zoom microphone with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel recording for lifelike surround sound that makes your videos come alive.

Technical Details :
* Capture video to hard disk drive or Memory Stick media; 40 GB built-in storage.
* 1920 x 1080 high-definition recording.
* 2-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor with Exmor technology; Bionz image processor.
* x.v.Color captures and displays life-like color.
* Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording.

HDR-SR10 Handycam Highlights :
- 1920×1080 recording : Record stunning, incredibly detailed video footage in the clarity of 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution.
- Face Detection for video footage and digital still photos.
- 2.3-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor (with Exmor technology) and Bionz image processor.
- Bionz image processor : The advanced Sony Bionz image processor uses hardware-based Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuitry that improves camera response time, screens out noise before RAW data conversion, handles Dynamic Range Optimization processing, and prolongs battery life.
- Exmor imaging sensor : Exmor technology captures video and still photo images with high resolution, high sensitivity, and exceptional detail. Advanced on-sensor A/D conversion yields rich tonal reproduction with high signal-to-noise ratio.
- Hybrid recording : to hard disk drive or Memory Stick media.
- Dual Record : While recording video in high definition, you have the ability to capture still images directly to Memory Stick Duo media (sold separately).
- 15x optical/180x digital zoom : The optical zoom helps to bring the action close up from far away. In addition, Digital Zoom Interpolation means that extreme digital zooming is clearer, with less distortion than previous types of digital zoom.
- 2.7-inch widescreen touch-panel Clear Photo LCD Plus display.
- Built-in zoom microphone with 5.1-channel recording.
- Dolby Digital 5.1-channel recording.
- Professional-quality Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens.
- Dynamic Range Optimizer.
- Tele Macro function.
- Switchable HD/SD format recording.
- Active Interface Shoe : Sony’s proprietary hot shoe makes it easy to use Intelligent Accessories, such as external lights and microphones, by providing power and on/off capability directly from the camcorder.
- HDMI Connection with Bravia Sync (CEC) technology.
- i.Link interface (IEEE1394) : Quickly transfer images from the camcorder to compatible devices equipped with an IEEE1394 interface, including camcorders, digital VCRs, and PCs, using this high speed, bi-directional digital video/audio connection.
- USB 2.0 interface.
- InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter System.
- Stamina Battery Power Management System.
- Built-in Intelligent Flash.
- Easy Handycam button.
- Date Index function.
- Memory Stick Pro Duo media slot.
- Quick On and Manual focus.

PROS:
- Great Images.
- 40GB internal storage.
CONS :
- Excessively heavy.
- Poor internal microphone.