Vote
As always, I encourage you to leave a comment with more details about your choice. What brands are you especially interested in? Are you thinking about hiring a custom installer, or are you a DIYer? If you picked "Other," what are you referring to? Let us know so we can provide exactly the coverage you crave.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
So what device do you mostly use to stream video? As before, if you select "Other," please leave a comment telling us what type of device you use. And in any case, I'd love to know why you use a particular device as opposed to something else.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
So far, Vizio is the only company to announce 21:9 flat panels for the US market, which will be available "sometime this year" in three screen sizes—50, 58, and 71 inches (diagonal)—though no pricing has yet been revealed. Philips has offered a 21:9 set in Europe for a couple of years, but it's not available in the US. Will other manufacturers follow suit? I suppose that depends on consumer demand.
Which leads me to this week's poll question: What do you think of 21:9 flat panels? Are you eager to get one, or do you think this just another gimmick designed to sell more TVs? Once you make your selection below, please leave a comment explaining your choice. Opinions seem to run hot on this topic, and I'd love to hear yours!
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Which leads me to ask, what is the downstream bandwidth in your home? If you don't know, there are several websites that let you measure it, both downstream and upstream; I use speedtest.net, which yielded the results shown above at my home, where Charter Cable provides my Internet access. If you know how much bandwidth you're paying for, you might want to verify it. Also, I'd love to know if your broadband Internet access is provided by DSL, cable, or another service—my impression is that cable is generally faster than DSL—so please leave a comment about that if you would be so kind.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Now, I'm asking the same question with regard to audio quality. What Blu-ray titles do you think provide the best audio—surround envelopment, dynamic range, frequency response, foundation-rattling bass, etc.—with which to demonstrate the capabilities of an audio system? As before, simply select "Here it is" below and leave a comment with your favorite title(s) and which audio qualities are particularly outstanding. I really hope more of you who click on "Here it is" also post a comment!
Vote to see the results and leave a comment with your favorite title(s); thanks for your input!
David has featured nearly 60 titles in Ultimate Demos, and he will continue to add to the list. But there are many more movies available on Blu-ray than he can possibly cover, so I'm asking for your help in identifying more demo-worthy discs.
This week, I'd like to know which 2D Blu-ray you think has the best video qualities—detail, color, black, shadow detail, etc.—with which to demonstrate the capabilities of a display system. (Next week, I'll ask the same question about audio.) Simply select "Here it is" below and leave a comment with your favorite title(s) and which qualities of the video are particularly outstanding; you might even identify specific scenes to help the rest of us find the best moments.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment with your favorite title(s); thanks for your input!
Do you download music files? If so, what is your favorite source? Do you download mostly MP3s or high-rez files? As always, I'm especially interested in learning what service you use if you select "Other."
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Do you listen to music-streaming sources? If so, which one is your favorite? Don't forget to leave a comment about your preference, especially if you selected "Other."
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
If you watch streamed video content in your home theater, what is your favorite online source? Naturally, with so many sources available, I can't list them all here, so I've included an "Other" selection—if you choose that one, I really hope you leave a comment and let us know what that source is. Also, I encourage you to leave a comment explaining why you prefer a particular source—high picture quality, low cost, wide selection, short start-time delay, etc.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
At the other end of the spectrum are systems that include only two speakers with or without a sub (2.1 or 2.0, respectively) or maybe three front speakers (left, center, right) and a sub, which is designated as 3.1. Finally, many folks, especially those with their main system in a small room, opt for a soundbar—a long, thin cabinet with several speaker drivers that, in some cases, simulates the sound of a surround system and might or might not include a separate subwoofer.
So I ask you—what is the speaker configuration in your main system? Some elaborate systems might have more than one subwoofer, in which case, select the option that reflects the number of main speakers. Then, I really hope you'll leave a comment describing your speaker system, including brand, models, and placement.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
So I ask you—what is your next home-theater purchase? A new flat panel or projector? A Blu-ray player? Part of the audio system? Or are you planning to jump in with both feet and get an entire home-theater system all at once? Once you vote, I'd love to read more details. What makes and models are you considering? Will the new component be 3D-capable? Will it offer online streaming? What components do you already have?
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
This is much closer than most people sit from their video display. How about you? To vote in this poll, follow these steps:
1. Measure your viewing distance in inches;
2. Divide your viewing distance by your screen's diagonal size in inches;
3. The result is the relationship between your viewing distance and screen size.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.
Most visitors to UAV are into watching Blu-ray or DVD movies on their home-entertainment system, be it a 32-inch flat panel and its internal speakers, a full-blown home theater with front projector and 7.1 surround sound, or anything in between.
If you live alone, of course, you can watch whatever you want. If it's just you and your spouse/partner, you probably have to do some negotiating, but hopefully your tastes overlap at least somewhat. On the other hand, if you have young children, they most likely have the final say and you play a lot of kids' titles—over and over and over ad nauseam.
We are dedicated to providing reviews of Blu-ray movies that help you separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of both content and audio/video quality. To fine-tune that effort, we'd like to know what movie genre you watch most at home. Of course, you probably watch many different genres—perhaps a roughly equal number from several genres—in which case, please indicate your favorite.
Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice. If you vote "Other," please tell us what genre you're referring to.
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