Vote
If you use a power conditioner, have you noticed an improvement in the audio and/or video performance of your system that you can reasonably attribute to that device? Inquiring minds want to know!
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Have you used Digital Copy with titles you've purchased? If so, do you find it to be a useful feature?
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It used to be that all television was delivered wirelessly over the air for free—well, you have to wait through commercials, but you don't pay any money for it. Then cable companies started offering a much wider palette of programming via wires, charging a monthly subscription—and on many channels, the commercials are still there. Satellite service returned to wireless broadcasting but retained the subscription fee and commercials on many channels.
Now, a fourth delivery system is gaining significant ground. More and more viewers, especially younger viewers, are receiving their TV programming from the Internet. This approach frees you from the strictures of a broadcast schedule—no more Must See Thursday, though DVRs like TiVo remove this limitation from over-the-air, cable, and satellite as well (plus, they let you skip commercials). Even better, some content is free (for example, basic Hulu in standard definition) while premium programming typically requires a subscription fee ($8/month for Hulu Plus in 720p, $9/month for Netflix).
So I wonder: When you watch network TV—and I mean all networks, not just ABC, CBS, NBC, WB, and Fox—do you receive it mostly via terrestrial over-the-air, cable, satellite, or the Internet? Or do you eschew network TV altogether?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Then there's the issue of 4K content, which I believe won't be available for distribution to the home for quite some time, if ever. Yes, we might see 4K-capable media in the next year or two—for example, BDXL optical discs and RedRay servers—but the studios give relatively few movies the full 4K treatment, and I bet those same studios will be loath to release movies for the home market at 4K. Until they do, owners of 4K displays will be limited to upscaled 1080p, which isn't all that much sharper than the original and carries the risk of scaling artifacts.
So I wonder how important 4K really is in the home? What do you think?
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How many of the Oscar-nominated movies have you seen so far? Do you intend to see more before Billy Crystal returns to host the 84th annual extravaganza on Sunday, February 26? Which are your favorites? Please let us know in the comments.
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Today's poll question, then, is this: how many active remotes do you currently have on your coffee table that you end up having to pick up at least once a week?
How many separate subs do you have in your system? Or do you use full-range main speakers without a sub? What led you to your decision in this regard?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Such an system sounds remarkable, with smoother pans to the sides and a much more hemispherical soundstage that gives new meaning to the term "surround sound." But during the show, I heard one question asked over and over—will consumers be willing to expand their home theaters to include 11 main speakers? Obviously, this requires a greater financial investment, and very few non-enthusiast spouses would be willing to accept a room crammed with speakers.
Of course, one could even go beyond 11.1—I've heard systems with as many as 45 speakers in the walls and ceiling, and the Iosono system (profiled here) places literally hundreds of speakers around the periphery of a theater. So at what point does this game go too far? How many speakers are too many for a home surround system?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
This week, I'm asking the same question about music—how much do you listen at home versus on the go? Of course, the same issues arise in this case—the audio quality of your home system is likely far better than your iPod or other portable music player, but the portable player is far more convenient. On the other hand, portable music players have been around a lot longer than portable video players, and you can be doing other things while listening to music as opposed to watching video. So I suspect the distribution of answers might be somewhat different, with more people listening to music on the go more of the time. But I could be wrong…
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice. Select the ratio that most closely reflects your listening habits.
Last week, I asked how much you have invested in your home theater. Among the many interesting comments was one from willieconway, who proposed a related question: How much do you plan to invest over the next few years?
I realize that, in an uncertain economy, it's difficult to predict how much you might spend on your home theater. But assuming your circumstances remain as they are now, do you plan to upgrade your system in the next, say, two years? If so, how much do you think you might spend? Will you concentrate more on the video, audio, or environment?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
I sure as hell hope we'll still be watching TV at home in 10 years—I know I will be if I'm still around—but I also recognize that this activity is becoming more mobile, especially among younger viewers. Still, I expect both forms of TV consumption to remain viable for a long time—at home for the big-screen, high-quality experience and on a mobile device to pass the commute time (assuming you don't drive to and from work!).
Guttenberg's question got me wondering about the time our readers spend watching TV at home versus on the go—what is that ratio for you? When you cast your vote, select the ratio that most closely reflects your viewing habits. It will be very interesting to see the distribution of responses, and perhaps I'll run this question again in a year or two—or 10—to see how that distribution changes.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
These musings lead me to wonder, how much have you invested in your home theater, including display, sound system, and source devices? If you've built a dedicated room, please include furniture, acoustic treatments, ambient-light control, décor, and construction as well. What proportion of your budget has gone for video, audio, and environment?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
On the other hand, if you stay home to watch movies, you don't get to see the latest titles until they are released on Blu-ray or other media. Also, there are many commercial cinemas that surpass all but the most elaborate home theaters in performance. Then there's the social aspect—maybe I'm weird (okay, maybe there's no "maybe" about it!), but I actually enjoy sharing the movie experience with my fellow humans, as long as they don't talk or text during the show and the kid behind me doesn't kick my chair.
So how often do you go out to the movies? Why do you go—or not—in lieu of your home theater?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
These musings lead me to wonder how often you listen to headphones in your home theater? Do you prefer them over speakers, or do you use them only to promote domestic tranquility after everyone else has gone to bed? Do you have an AVR with Dolby Headphone, and if so, do you use it? What make and model of headphones do you have? I really hope you leave a comment after voting with some of these details.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Now, of course, the replacement rate for TVs is much faster, because performance improves, screens get bigger, and cool new features are added while prices drop every year. This leads me to ask, how often have you replaced your main TV in the last 10 years? Has your pace of replacement increased over that time?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
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