Buyer's Guide

A / V Equipment

     Audio/Video (A / V) equipment consists of all the components that make up your home theater system.  In this section, we will focus on the source equipment; in other words, the equipment that creates audio and video for your home theater system.

Standard DVD Player:  We do not recommend buying a $40 or $50 device.  The difference in video quality between one of those or a DVD player costing $120 is astounding.  Around $120 is a pretty good price to expect to pay for a decent DVD player, but don't be afraid to pay a little more or less.  Make sure the DVD player has both component video and HDMI outputs.

HD DVD Player:  HD DVD is one of the hot new items on the shelves this year.  It offers 1080p (which is an amazing picture) if you have the right TV and wiring.  Since it is still new to the market, HD DVD players are much more expensive than standard DVD players.

Blu-Ray Disc Players:  There is a battle for the new 1080p disc format between HD DVD and Blu-Ray.  They both have their pros and cons, but they are too technical to discuss here, and the average consumer wouldn't notice the differences.  The new Playstation 3 is a Blu-Ray disc player which is the reason that many people feel that Blu-Ray will win the 1080p battle. 

Cable:  There are 3 types of cable TV channels: analog (low quality), digital (good quality), and HD (best quality).  Analog channels are usually channels 99 and below.  Digital channels are 100 and above.  HD channels are usually in the 700s.  The biggest fall-back with cable is that all cable TV packages come with analog channels which look terrible on an HDTV.  The worst part is that most people watch analog channels more than the others.  Cable TV has many virtues as well.  It tends to be a bit more reliable than satellite, since it usually doesn't go out during bad weather.  It also doesn't usually carry extra costs to have analog cable in all rooms in the house.

Satellite:  Satellite's biggest pro is that comes in 100% digital.  That means great picture and sound quality on all your channels.  They also offer some great sport packages such as the NFL Sunday Ticket.  It's cheaper than cable on 1-2 TVs but gets more expensive as you add more and more televisions.  There are often deals where you can get several rooms installed for free with a one or two-year contract, but with satellite you can lose signal during bad weather.  If you only use one or two TVs, satellite is definitely the way to go.  Otherwise, you might consider cable.

TiVo and DVR:  If you watch an hour or more of TV per day, you should consider getting a DVR (digital video recorder).  TiVo is the most popular brand of DVR.  You'll be amazed at the convenience it offers.  Recording shows has never been easier, and with the two tuner DVR, you can watch one show and record another, or you can record two shows at once.  You can also pause and rewind live TV which is an option you will absolutely love.  TiVo still makes the best DVR in our opinion, and some satellite and cable companies have satellite boxes with a TiVo built in.