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About me

My posting summary

1 to 10 of 29

My comments

• I have to disagree with your review in several areas. While I don't have this specific model, I do have two other Harmony remotes, and with 4 kids in the house, they've seen their fare share of abuse, and they last as long as other brands (I had a URC remote last about 3 years, and both my Harmony's are into their 3rd year with some signs of wear, but given the environment, I think they're doing OK).
  Regarding the battery, Harmony remotes use standard AA or AAA batteries. In this case, they include Sanyo rechargeable batteries. So to say the batteries expand has nothing to do with this model.
  From my perspective, no other remote matches the Harmony remotes in ease of use. Find me another remote that has activity-based macro commands, computer-based programming and a DVR-friendly remote for less than $200. I'm not an installer, but I've tried a wide range of remotes over the years and I've yet to find anything that matches the Harmony line for ease of use and ergonomics. In reply to: "Logitech has a bad track record"

  December 2, 2009

  0 replies

• Great points, and often overlooked, too. Personally, I take great exception to those who insist that you have to listen before you buy. First, as you pointed out, few people even have access to a local store with any sort of selection. In addition, several internet direct brands offer free in-home trials. The landscape for buying speakers has changed dramatically over the last few years, and it is pretty apparent that quite a few people still haven't caught up yet. Buying speakers online is a completely viable solution, and for most people, the only real option.
  
  Also, I think one's speaker budget must also be considered. Were I spending $5K + on speakers, I'd probably make the trip to a larger city to audition myself. But, like most people, I don't have that kind of budget. I only had about $1,000 to spend on EVERYTHING, including the receiver. In that price range, buying online is really the only option.
  
  So don't knock buying speakers online, it is a great option for most people In reply to: "What's wrong with buying speakers online"

  October 28, 2009

  0 replies

• So, when you finally go out and buy that 2.40:1 what are you going to do with all the 16:9 TV programming? Maybe you can talk everyone into re-shooting all the TV shows, movies, etc.. to match the aspect ratio of your new TV? You will never say goodbye to letterboxing of some type. Your 2.40:1 solution would only trade in letterbox bars for pillarbox bars. 16:9 aspect ratio is a compromise, but so would any other aspect ratio. Until you convince all the content providers/makers to recreate everything in the same aspect ratio and never stray from that again, you will have black bars. So, stop worrying about black bars, it is completely pointless, and has nothing to do with the topic at hand. In reply to: "LED TVs: 10 things you need to know"

  October 14, 2009

  0 replies

• Correct, and, if you act quickly, you can get it for $30. Works fine with my 7Mb/s DSL connection. Previously, I had a 1.5Mb/s connection, not good. But once I moved up to the next tier, it works great. I would consider it DVD quality.
  
  Oh... and anyone who prefers Redbox to Netflix obviously has pretty low standards when it comes to watching movies... In reply to: "Netflix CEO hopes to stream to PS3, Wii, iPhone"

  September 30, 2009

  0 replies

• Some people clearly don't understand how digital photography works. A clear indication of this is when they complain about the lack of a time/date stamp. The job of the digital camera is to capture the image with the greatest degree of accuracy possible. You don't alter the original, keep that version clean. Then, if you want a version with time/date stamp, you can achieve this with little effort through software. There are free and paid products (some under $30) that will let you easily grab the date/time data from EXIF and apply it in a variety of ways to individual photos or batch process the entire directory. You can do this to create copies, or modify the original (not recommended). Simply put, it is a digital photo, waiting for you to make any/all adjustments you'd like. Keep the original pure, then go to town with changes to copies. The camera did its job, time for you to do the rest. In reply to: "Camera has NO DATE/TIME STAMP feature or capability!"

  September 6, 2009

  0 replies

• This review is a complete lie. Google for any sign of CMOS failure with any Canon camera. There are scores of active digital photography forums, were this an actual problem, those forums would be lit up with complaints, as this model is VERY popular.
  
  This reviewer would be wise to stop making outrageous allegations without first providing some evidence. Do your own research, buy this camera or not based on the actual merits of the product, not based on falsehoods such as this. In reply to: "Do NOT purchase this model-CMOS failures!"

  September 6, 2009

  0 replies

• Your center channel speaker must have really sucked, then.
  
  I see two issues here: people without surround sound systems who should be listening to the stereo track on movies. Also, there are settings for audio defaults on most DVD players. Make your adjustments there, too.
  
  If you do have a surround sound system, be sure to optimize your settings, which may include boosting the center channel. If your receiver has Audyssey/MCACC/YPAO or other automatic calibration routine, run that a few times to dial in your system to your room acoustics. Make sure your center channel speaker is well placed and not behind the front edge of your TV. Also, make sure your speakers are up to the task. Small "lifestyle" speakers just can't reproduce a full range of sound. Most have a huge mid-frequency gap where dialog disappears into. Make sure your center channel speaker has at least a pair of 4" drivers and a 3/4" or larger tweeter. The larger, the better. Again, puny little speakers with a single 2.5" driver (and no tweeter) just can't fill the audio range needed for clear dialog. In reply to: "What'd he say? How to improve home theater dialogue intelligibility"

  May 6, 2009

  0 replies

• Very well stated. There are a few times where an LCD is a better option, but overall, especially for those concerned with the best picture quality, Plasma rules. In reply to: "'Plasma's dead. Should I buy plasma?': Ask the Editors"

  March 18, 2009

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• The IR to BT converters are nice, but at $100 and up vs. $15 for the Nyko, I just can't justify spending the extra money. The Nyko is cheap, and it works great! The only drawback is the lack of power on/off and eject. Thy Blu Wave is even recognized by the Harmony software, making it really easy to integrate your PS3 with your Harmony remote. I'll take the Blu Wave and the $80 savings every time over the other options. In reply to: "Okay, but better options exist"

  December 2, 2008

  0 replies

• We've had both Sirius and XM in our cars for a few months now, and I always preferred Fred, Lucy and Ethel over Alt Nation, 1st Wave and Lithium. My car was XM, and I've been an XM subscriber for 3 or 4 years now. Since the switch over this week, I now know why I preferred the XM versions of these stations; they had much deeper play lists, and the DJ's didn't insist on talking over the songs! On Friday, I listened to Alt Nation on the way to work, running errands at lunch, and on the way home, for about an hour of combined listening time. I heard MGMT's Electric Feel 3 times! And on all 3 of the Sirius channels, their stupid DJs kept yammering well into the song. Sorry, I don't pay a monthly fee to listen to DJs, I want to listen to music, and some variety, too.
  
  Basically, when deciding what to cut, Sirius/XM threw out the baby and kept the afterbirth. Feh... In reply to: "Sirius gets serious, reshuffles lineup, cuts DJs"

  November 16, 2008

  0 replies