Q If I play widescreen movies on a Projection TV (4:3), it will damage the CRTs (because of black bars on top and bottom). Can I solve this problem by playing widescreen movies on the Projection TV with 16:9 enhanced mode?

A CRT and Plasma display devices can be affected over the long run by having black bars on the sides, either by burning the image on the parts of the display that are being used, or just wear and tear on them. DLP, LCD, and LCOS projectors are not subject to this problem. So, yes, you can take care of this by expanding the image out so that the entire face of the display is being used, but do it with the Zoom control rather than just widening the image. Some new TVs have gray bars on the top and bottom, or sides, so that all parts of the display are being used. If you have one of those types of TVs, you don't need to use 16:9 with 4:3 programs.

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Q How does a 50" DLP TV with 1280x720 generally compare with Plasma if space is not an issue? Is it 16:9 'Native' resolution? I think you reviewed a similar set. Basically, is a plasma display inherently "better" than a DLP projection TV at the same resolution? What is the meaning of 1280 when the specs also say this is only a 720p display format? Is 720p enough? Sorry I'm a bit confused.

A The problem is that the resolution is not always specified with the same number coming first. For example, 1280x720 is the same thing as 720p, assuming that the 1280x720 is displayed in progressive scan, which it will be. The 1280x720 is the resolution, and 720p refers to the way it is shown. For 1080i, sometimes it is specified as 1080x1920, and sometimes as 1920x1080. Just remember that the larger number is always the width of the image, while the smaller one is the height. Plasma is not necessarily better than DLP. They are two very different technologies. Your opinion of them will depend on what you like.

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Q I recently purchased a Yamaha Hometheater DVX-S100, and I am basically pleased with its audio capability. However, it's a progessive DVD player, which has a Faraoudja DCDi chip, and it seems to provide jagged edges in the subtitles and in some cases, if I look real hard I can see it in parts of the background. It does this with some DVDs such as "Terminator 2" the remastered digital version. I have an Hitachi Ultravision HD TV 53SDX01B (4:3 ASPECT RATIO). Is this normal or is there a way for me to test the DVD to determine if it is defective?

A The Faroudja chip does not correct all the problems of DVD players. Combing in subtitles is an issue that we test, and it shows up with some players, and not in others. Your player has the subtitle combing problem that we test, using "The Abyss" DVD. It is a defect, and one of many that we are hoping manufacturers will correct in new players. So far, they seem to be getting them taken care of, one by one.

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Q I have a Sony 34XBR800 and a Sony DVP-NS999ES set up in a very small room. I pretty much use it to watch movies. What would be some suggestions for a nice, small surround system?

A I would suggest a set of five Paradigm Atom bookshelf speakers (about $100 each), or a set of five Adire Audio Kosala bookshelf speakers ($325 each). We heard the Kosalas at CES 2003, and they are wonderful (we will be doing a formal test soon). For a subwoofer, get an SVS 25-31 PCi, at $549. The new Yamaha RX-V630 receiver, at $499, would go with these speakers nicely. A review of the 630 will be published shortly.

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Q I've read that the THX Ultra certified Onkyo DV-SP800 DVD player has the Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE) bug. I have considered buying this player in the past and hooking it up to the Onkyo TX-SR600 receiver with Paradigm Monitor speakers. But after reading about the progressive scan and CUE, I'm having some second thoughts. Would the DV-SP800 still be a good buy or not? Does Onkyo plan a fix soon?

A There are numerous DVD players out there without the CUE, that you can choose from (see our list of players with and without the bug). Get one of those. Fixing the bug in an existing model is more trouble for the manufacturers than it is worth. They will more likely just sell out their inventory, and worry about fixing the bug in their next models.

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Q I absolutely loved your article about active speakers vs. passive ones, and couldn't agree more with your conclusions. It's truly a shame that the "high-end" manufacturers have failed to provide active products for consumers. Out of curiosity, are there any particular "reasonably priced" brands that have impressed you? I got the impression from your article that the traditional Genelecs, Alesis, Mackie, KRK etc. "studio mixing monitors" just didn't float your boat. Any personal recommendations?

A Manufacturers are perfectly capable of building active speakers, but they just don't seem to be popular right now. However, M&K makes some very nice ones, which Colin reviewed recently.

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Q It seems you're very fond of the Denon DVD-1600 DVD player, as it is free of the Chroma Bug (CUE) and uses the Faroudja decoding engine. Do you believe the DVD-3800 with the Silicon Image decoding engine would do as well or better displaying DVD movies? The 3800 is $600 more expensive. It seems to be a more substantial piece with design features to eliminate interference and vibration. This alone seems to make it a better option, but if the decoding engine isn't as good, I'd rather buy the "inferior" 1600. What are your thoughts, please?

A Since you can afford the higher price, I would suggest waiting for Denon's newest player, which will have DVD-V, DVD-A, and SACD capabilities (a "Universal" player), at $999. We will be testing it as soon as it becomes available to us. Denon told me it will not have the CUE.

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Q I am looking at the Toshiba 57H82 Projection TV because I can get it with my billions of unused Amex points.

I read on your site that any HDTV should be purchased with DVI or the Satellite/Digital cable will be downsampled to 480.

It is not obvious to me based on a review of the Toshiba site if this model has DVI inputs. It has "Dual ColorStream® HD Component Video Inputs," but says "DVI Upgradeable." What can you tell me about this?

Also, this model has "IDSC™ Pro with 720p capability." What happens when you feed a 1080i signal to this 720p-compatible TV?

A DVI is finally catching hold, so I would not only suggest getting a TV with DVI built-in, but making sure it is also has HDCP as part of the DVI. HDCP means "High Definition Copy Protection", and unless this is part of the DVI in a particular TV, the DVI might not work with a DVI signal coming from your set top box or DVD player.

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