Q  I was killing time in my local national electronics retailer (I won't name names, but let's just say they are nearly as good as their name implies) the other day and marveled at the picture quality on all the new digital TVs (plasma and direct view). However, upon closer inspection I could see all sorts of artifacts in the pictures, especially on skin tones and moving objects. None of the sets was immune. What is the cause of these artifacts? Is it lousy encoding on the DVD media? Is it the DVD player's image processing? Is it simply a function on digital TV? I tend to notice fewer artifacts on analog TV sets...is this simply a function of the lower resolution?

A I suspect you were seeing artifacts produced by TVs scaling the DVD picture to something at higher resolution, such as 1080i or 720p. Plasma TVs often have poor quality Analog-Digital-Analog processing as well. Digital TV is still in its infancy, and there is plenty of room for improvement.

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Q How much (if any) benefit is there to getting bookshelf-type speakers that go below 80 Hz if the speakers are only used for home theater with a crossover to the sub set at 80 Hz? Does it make a difference if their range is capable of going far lower? I have found myself drawn into a debate (for which I cannot find an answer) whether it's better to get speakers that have a fuller range at higher cost, even if they're not used full range, versus saving the money by going with speakers that bottom out at 80 Hz.

A When a speaker is specified as having a response to 80 Hz, this usually means it is down 3 dB at 80 Hz, rather than being flat to 80 Hz. So, it would be better to get speakers that are rated at lower frequency, say 40 Hz, and this will likely give you the flat response to 80 Hz.

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Q I recently purchased a Samsung 30" TXN3071 monitor in order to enjoy my small collection of widescreen DVDs. The monitor comes equipped with 3:2 pulldown and my Panasonic player has progressive scan. Engaging the player's progressive scan doesn't seem to affect the image in any way. Does the monitor's 3:2 process override the player's progressive scan? Does the player's process provide "backup" for the monitor's 3:2? Does having a TV with 3:2 pulldown eliminate the need for a player with progress scan?

A Progressive scan and 3:2 pulldown detection are two independent things. Progressive scan means that two fields are combined to be shown together, with all scan lines sequentially presented, rather than one field of even numbered lines followed by a second field with the odd numbered lines. 3:2 pulldown detection means that the TV notices whether the movie is film based (24 frames per second) or video based (30 frames per second), and shows certain fields more than once if it is film based. In switching between progressive scan and interlaced, you may see a momentary flicker before the image settles down, but it may not look different because when you use interlaced scan from the DVD player, your TV is converting it to progressive scan before displaying it.

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Q  I am planning to buy a home theater system, specifically, the Panasonic SCHT700. But I have a Sony 5 disc CD changer - DVNPC665 - right now, and I am confused about whether to just add a receiver and speakers to it. I am using a small space and don't want to much power. I am confused about the advantages of each.. Can I use my VCR, camcorder, games with theater in a box? Would I need a separate receiver for that? Why is it that the standalone receivers have inputs and outputs, but the HTB only has outputs? If I decide to buy a receiver, which would you recommend under $300, and why? I need an education, no doubt. I think it will help for me to understand how the different components go together so as to understand the difference in the inputs and outputs. I have a Sony 24FV300 TV.

A A typical HTB is designed to give you everything self contained, including DVD player, receiver, speakers, and subwoofer. That is why it might not have inputs. If you want to customize your system, that is when you get a receiver. For $300, go down to CostCo and look at the receivers there. They usually have some that are designed specifically for selling from a pile of boxes where you just pull one out and put it in your shopping basket without tying up a salesperson. Usually about $279 or so. Some HTBs have auxiliary inputs, but you have to search them out.

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Q I have a Yamaha DSP AX1 receiver, with a pair of B&W CDM 1NT speakers up front. I am working to make a system for audio only. What's best for music stereo and multi-channel: Yamaha DVD S2300, Onkyo DVSP 800, or Marantz 8300?

A Universal players are having some difficulty. It is not as easy as they thought to build circuits in the same chassis that will decode everything. Until they get the problems solved, it might be best to get a dedicated CD player separate from SACD and DVD-A.

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Q I have a Yamaha RX-V795 receiver and Bose AM-7 speakers. While watching a DVD or listening to music I can't seem to get any bass from my passive subwoofer. I am planning to buy an active subwoofer and have short-listed Yamaha's YST-320 and JBL's PB-12. Both these subwoofer fit in my budget, so I was wondering if buying either one will help with the lack of bass.

A Although the Bose passive subwoofer is not very powerful, it certainly should be giving you some bass, and I am not sure what is wrong there. But, in any case, getting a separate powered subwoofer and connecting it to the subwoofer output jack on the receiver will definitely give you more at the deep end. However, you need to be careful to set the bass management in the receiver menu properly so that bass is being redirected from the other speakers to the subwoofer output.

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Q I've just put together my first home theater, using a Sony VPL-HS10 projector. With a picture that's 10 feet across in the widescreen modes, problems with the picture are readily apparent. With most DVD's it's perfect, though. Now, I realize I need an external line doubler for the TiVo/Sat and the VCR, though a few DVD's have had jaggies and artifact issues as well. However, with my projector's WXGA resolution, do I need a doubler that will do scaling, too? If the projector's internal scaler is fine, what kind of line doubler would best suit it within a limited budget? Would an iScan Ultra really be any better than an iScan Pro? How does the Centerstage CS-HD or the Zinwell Brite-View compare? Finally, in hooking up a unit, would a DVI connection produce any improvement over a component one?

A Digital projectors all have doublers (de-interlacer is the proper word) and scalers (scales the image to the native LCD panel resolution, i.e., WXGA 1366 x 768 pixels). Even though the HS10 panels are pretty high resolution, a 10 foot image will show up all artifacts in an average room. These include artifacts from MPEG compression as well as the decoding process. Putting in another scaler may just make the picture worse since it adds more processing into the signal path.

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Q I have a Pioneer CLD-D501 laserdisc player that says nothing about DTS, but it does have an optical digital out. Is it possible to play a laserdisc DTS soundtrack with my player? Also is there better sound on a laserdisc player going through the digital optical out or just using the regular RCA audio out?

A DTS capability came about at the end of laserdisc technology's lifespan. Unless the player has a logo somewhere that indicates DTS, it is unlikely to play the DTS laserdiscs. You can get your player modified to play DTS, but it is such old technology, I would recommend assigning your player to the closet and going with DVD. The optical digital output jack is where you get digital bitstreams, while the stereo analog RCA jacks are for two-channel analog. If your receiver has an optical input jack, you will likely get better sound by connecting your laserdisc player to the receiver with a Toslink optical cable.

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