Q I already have a Sunfire True Subwoofer Mk II in my HT system. If I wanted to add a second subwoofer, how important is it that it should be the same brand/model? Or perhaps it would be better to find a subwoofer that has strengths that the Sunfire lacks?

A Well, the Sunfire doesn't lack much. It is powerful and plays very low frequencies. If you have the room though, and want to get a second sub, buy an 18". Sunfire does not make one that big, so it would have to be a different brand, but low frequencies don't have the tonality issues that regular speakers do.

T

Q I recently bought a widescreen Mitsubishi (WS55311) TV which has been calibrated, and a Sony DVD player (DVP-NC655P) which has progressive scan and the chroma bug. I never would have bought this player had I found your website first. The chroma bug is very noticeable in chapter 4 of "Attack of the Clones" which takes place in the office of Chancellor Palpatine. All those red walls and floors! However, I saw something on the new "Spiderman" DVD that threw me. On chapter 4, Willem DaFoe enters a glass booth that turns him into the Goblin. If you look at the beams that support the glass in the booth, you can see noise/grain that almost seems to be moving, like little ants. I also see it on "Star Trek 3", on the bridge where the walls are dark grey. But if I switch from the component connection and go with an S-Video connection, the problem is still there but not as bad. Is this noise/grain I'm seeing another form of the chroma bug? I borrowed a Denon DVD-1600 from a store and with the component hookup the noise/grain was still there but it still looked way better than the Sony.

A I suspect this is mosquito noise, which is not the same thing as the chroma bug. Isn't it great to have so many issues to deal with, now that we have digital video? With VHS movies, it looked like garbage, but we didn't care.

T

Q I'm getting ready to buy a powered sub for my hometheater/music system and had a question. I've noticed some subs have an LFE input. Is there any benefit in having this input?

A When a line-level input on a subwoofer is labeled "LFE", it usually means that input does not have a crossover in the circuit. Other subwoofers have a toggle for putting the crossover in or out of the circuit. You would use this (no crossover) if your THX option were activated on the processor/preamp, or if the crossover were somewhere other than in the subwoofer.

T

Q  I am wondering which connection method is superior for video signals: S-Video, optical, digital coax, or component?

A Component video would be superior, but you need a bit of clarification here. Coax cables are used for video and audio. If it is just ordinary video, one coax cable is used, and it is called composite video. For audio, it can be analog, in which case a simple coax cable is sufficient, one cable for each channel. If it is digital audio, either a digital coax cable (must be 75 Ohm impedance) can be used, or a Toslink optical cable can be used. The digital cable can carry all the audio channels, such as DD or DTS, or conventional PCM signals from a two-channel CD player for example. Component video also uses coaxial cables, preferably 75 Ohm because the frequency is in the Megahertz, and it takes three cables, one for red, one for blue, and one for green. The luminance is carried along with the green. It is an analog signal, even though it is high frequency. S-Video (also analog) uses one cable that has four conductors. One pair of  conductors carries the chroma and one pair carries the luminance, for a total of two signals. The short answer is that you should use component video where possible, with S-Video in second place. If you have to use composite video, it is time for a new TV.

T

Q I have a Denon AVR2800 receiver and a Bose AM10 system, along with a subwoofer. My problem is the sound is not clear. I explain it as the loud sound of metal when if hits the ground. My bass is fine. Any suggestions as to how to improve my sound?

A You are asking more of the Bose than it can deliver. Get a nice set of bookshelf monitors that have a tweeter and mid/bass driver (e.g., 61/2" woofer) in the box, instead of the small modular Bose units that have only a little driver in there. If you are cranking your system, that is just not compatible with tiny speakers.

T

Q I like to listen to Internet radio stations from around the world and have connected my PC to the AVR (Denon 3802) via the PC's standard 'Speaker Out' jack. Recently the PC has been banished to another room. Rather than lay speaker cable across the apartment do you know if there is a device available that would allow me to make a wirless connection from the PC to the AVR?

A Yes, there are products out there that can do this. It depends on how much you want to spend. Here are some links: http://www.mjsales.net/page4.html      http://www.macwichita.com/reviews/DrBottConnectionKits/drbottconnectionkits.htm      http://www.usr.com/download/datasheets/devices/6003/6003-ds.pdf.

T

Q I have recently set up a home theater system consisting of a Hitachi 57'' Widescreen HDTV Monitor, an Integra 6.1 Receiver, a PSB Mini Home Theater speaker system, and a Panasonic RP62S DVD player. Everything works flawlessly except for two things concerning the picture. On many DVDs, the picture quality is superb, but on some titles like "Artificial Intelligence" and "Minority Report" there is an issue with flickering black spots especially with scenes with white backgrounds and a ghosting on letters when the credits open up on bright backgrounds. Any info on this issue it would be a great help

A This sounds like light bouncing around in the TV enclosure. You could open it up and blacken the walls of the enclosure with black felt or flat paint, but this might invalidate your warranty. It might also be a problem with the lens(es). Less expensive ones don't have proper absorption of stray light.

T

Q Why aren't the supplements on most anamorphic DVDs also presented in anamorphic format? It's maddening having to switch modes all the time. Even if it was originally shot on 4x3 video (e.g. a "making of" infomercial), one would think that they could add some borders and encode in the same way as the main movie.

A It is surely just a matter of expense. If they have a production house put the extras in anamorphic format, it would add substantial costs to the DVD production. So, they just slap the video material for interviews with the director in there, and if it is a deleted film scene, they often don't bother color correcting it or doing any of the other things that are needed between the camera negative and the release.

About Secrets Register

Terms and Conditions of Use