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from Robert Silva
Welcome to my Weekly Home Theater Newsletter! The Christmas and Holiday Shopping Season ends this week for most consumers, but what about those After Christmas and Year-End Clearance Sales. Check out some great tips that will help you find the best deals. Also, if you are still shopping for last minute gifts, check out my suggestions, including some great products priced at $199 or Less.
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In the Spotlight
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After-Christmas and Year-End Sales - What You Need To Know
After-Christmas and Year-End sales are a great time get some good deals, but you can also end up with a purchase disaster. This is where the consumer needs to shop smart. Don't just grab the newspaper AD and run down to your local consumer electronics retailer without arming yourself with useful knowledge and tools to get the most from your After-Christmas dollar. For all the details, check out my article: After-Christmas and Year-End Sales - What You Need To Know.
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Vivitek D326WX DLP Video Projector - Product Review
At an MSRP of $1,199, the Vivitek D326WX DLP Projector is a great value. With its extremely compact design this projector can be placed just about anywhere, and with its included carrying case, you can take it with you to the office or grandma's house. With its native 1280x800 native pixel resolution and impressive 2,600 lumen output capability, the video quality is very good. Flesh tones and overall color saturation produce a very natural looking image. Another bonus is that the D326WX has a very quick turn-on and cool down shut off time. For more details, check out my Short and Full Reviews, as well as a Photo Gallery and results from a series of Video Performance Tests Photo (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
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Holiday Special - Great Home Theater Products Priced at $199 or Less
Many consumers have the impression that home theater is complicated and expensive. Although you won't find that 42-inch Plasma Television or LCD flat panel television for $199, there are a lot of surprisingly good home theater-related components priced at $199 or less, that make great gifts for the Christmas and Winter Holidays. For my look at my current favorites, check out my Top Picks for Home Theater Products Priced at $199 or Less. Also, for more gift possibilities, check out my Top Home Theater Gifts for Holiday Shoppers.
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Top Picks
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Blu-ray Disc Players
from your
Home Theater
Guide
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Although DVD, as we know it, will be around for some time to come, the advent of high definition playback for consumers is now available in the U.S. and is making an impact with consumers. Check out the latest offerings for Blu-ray Disc Players.
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1) Sony Playstation 3 - Blu-ray/DVD Player and Game Console Combo
The Sony Playstion 3 is not only a hot video game console, but it may be the best Blu-ray Disc player. For a price of about $399, you not only get a game console that can be connected to your home theater and home network, but also provides 1080p upscaled DVD and Blu-ray Disc playback via HDMI outputs. Unlike most Blu-ray Disc players, the PS3 is upgradable to Profile 2.0. The Playstation 3 will give you your money's worth, even if you never play a video game. If you are a movie fan that has been put off buying a Blu-ray Disc player due to cost or fear of obsolescence, check out the Playstation 3 option. For a complete rundown on the PS3's total functionality, check out the report from Roger Altizer, About.com Guide For Playstation Games.
2) Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray Disc Player
The Samsung BD-P1500 plays Blu-ray Discs at full 1080p/60 or 1080p/24 resolution, provides bitstream output for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD via its HDMI 1.3a output, and is fully playback compatible with standard DVDs, most recordable DVD formats, standard music CDs, and CD-Rs/RWs. Another bonus is that standard DVDs are upscaled up to 1080p via the HDMI output. The BD-P1500 adheres to Profile 1.1 (Bonus View) specifications, and is firmware upgradable (including a forthcoming Profile 2.0 upgrade) via internet download. For more details, check out both my Short and Full Reviews, as well as my Photo Profile.
3) Panasonic DMP-BD55K Blu-Ray Disc Player
Blu-ray Disc players are getting more versatile and less expensive. I had the chance to check out the DMP-BD55K in a colleague's setup and found that the Blu-ray playback quality is top-notch, and the standard DVD upscaling performance is improved over previous Panasonic Blu-ray Disc players. This player also features built-in Profile 2.0 interactive capabilities which can access additional internet content related to some Blu-ray Disc releases. This player also has the ability to download firmware updates directly. Two other conveniences include the inclusion of 7.1 channel analog outputs for use with older non-hdmi-equipped receivers, and a has very slim design. If you haven't experienced Blu-ray, the DMP-BD55K is definitely worth a look.
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Product of the Week
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Onkyo TX-SR506 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver
If you are looking for a great gift this Christmas and Holiday shopping season that can help start a home theater system for a special someone, check out this week's...read more
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Best Moves in a Bad Economy
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Save & Invest the Right Way
Find out how to beat a bear market, make smart choices, and keep your cool even when the economy is unpredictable.
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