LG Electronics has announced that it will be adding the VUDU high definition movies on demand service to one of it’s existing Blu-ray disc player models, the BD-390 via a software upgrade. The upgrade, which can be downloaded via the player’s NetCast Entertainment Access applet built into this model will be available soon.

LG began offering the VUDU service directly through some of it’s TV’s earlier this year.

Previously VUDU’s service was available only through the company’s own VUDU players. VUDU players purchased from Custom Audio-Video & Home Theater integrators come with high capacity hard drives built into them allowing the owner not only to rent movies in both standard and high definition for between $.99 and $5.99 but also to purchase movies in either format and “own” that movie for immediate and/or later viewing without limitation. Some of VUDU’s players, those available to the general consumer through their website, do not offer the built in hard drive but do allow rental of movies from their service.

This is a big step for VUDU allowing them to increase their market awareness and penetration as one of the premium movie download services available today. You can check out the VUDU website HERE and the custom installed version is available through your local Audio-Video Integrator.

In the central Pennsylvania area you can contact AllMedia Custom Video & Sound. For other areas of the country you may want to visit the CEDIA website for a list of qualified dealer/integrators in your local area.

Being a VUDU dealer since 2008, I have found the VUDU player to be trouble free, the service stable and the list of available content constantly growing. The video and audio quality of the content is superb, especially the movie titles that are available in VUDU’s own HDX format which offers higher bit-rate versions of many popular titles and provides a significant improvement in both video and audio quality – even beyond their excellent HD content.

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I know you don’t clean your computer screen very often and it is hard to clean it from the inside so please click here and consider this my present to you!

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Secret #1:

WHAT YOU BUY TODAY WILL BE OBSOLETE TOMORROW, IF IT ISN’T ALREADY

What you should do about it: Don’t sweat it. Just read what you can before you buy to educate yourself so you don’t make a terrible mistake. If you shop wisely, you can get a tremendous leap over what you have come to know as television.

The good news is the better stuff coming down the pipe is knocking prices down on the stuff out now. Plus, consumer surveys SCREAM to the electronics companies that people WANT these new, slim, high resolution Home Theater setups. There are billions of dollars to be made. Those surveys snapped the head of every exec in the biz. They geared up to make more. “Make more” equals “economies of scale” equals “make MORE money,” even at lower price points! The first one costs a bazillion dollars: research, tooling up, marketing. Then, with volume, the cost per unit plummets. The guys who want to have very latest get to pay the most. Why be that person?

If you’ve already purchased a particular technology – Plasma, DLP, LCD, front or rear projector, whatever, ENJOY it. It IS important to realize that wide screen aspect ratio does not equal high-definition TV, though. Some think if the picture is wide, they’re there. That might be FAR from there. I hate to say this because I’m a guy and guys hate this – you might want to read the instructions.

Secret #2:

(And this is really, really big) YOU CAN’T TELL WHAT THE PICTURE LOOKS LIKE FROM WHAT YOU SEE IN THE STORE

What you should do about it: What you are doing now, research! The hard part is cutting through the opinions of weenies who want to see a feather clearly, blowing in the wind at 50 yards. I’ll help you there. Read on.

There are three reasons why Home Theater Ugly Secret #2 is true.

1- The sets aren’t adjusted right. They are turned way up to dazzle you. The dazzle will bother you when you get home. Worse, it drives the set to what you’d call distortion. The better picture happens when the picture is turned down in brightness, sharpness, contrast, and whatever else has been goosed. Why do they let this happen? It’s like a conspiracy that everyone is in on – except you. Because when they are all lined up, 40 sets in a row, the manufacturers know you might think theirs is different and better. But they ALL do it, so it’s a wipe. And if a store is a little bit shady, with some hi-def sets to move at a higher profit margin, well, now, those might have been “optimized” to look better than the others. Yes, most of the hi-def sets CAN be adjusted correctly for you in your home. MAYBE by you. Did I mention that Bubba the shopper-doofus was there, just before you browsed in, that he found the remote control and screwed up all the settings anyway? So, you can’t trust what you see in most stores. But wait, there’s more.

2- Many of the sets are being fed video poorly. A distribution amp or humungous splitter shares the picture among the displays. That hurts the picture. A store might have 40 sets on one distribution, but the ones they really want to move on a purer source, showing a better picture. You’ll never know.

3- What you see may or may not be high definition or even good quality. Just as bad, it might be super fidelity you won’t likely ever see again. Because, what you watch at home might not be broadcast or cablecast with a good picture. So, you can see misaligned sets fed bad pictures that bear little resemblance to anything you’d see at home. Ready to drop several THOUSAND on that? Didn’t think so. But tens of thousands of people do. Probably WILL this weekend. Eager commissioned salespeople will confide that THIS unit is the superior one. No hidden agenda there, do you think, huh?!

Secret #3:

THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH EVERYTHING

What you should do about it: Relax. Don’t obsess. It’s more a matter of things being done different ways by different designers. For example, on this set, the colors are spot on, but the resolution is a little off. On that set over there, the resolution is incredible, but the red… You are still going to love the setup you buy – and remember – you just might have it for 10 years or MORE! You’ll look at it more than you look at your wife, husband or kids. I’m talking face time. Relax. We’ll get you through this.

A personal note to THE OBSESSIVES: If you haven’t already left this article, I want you to think about the fact that there are millions of screen dots to go wrong. Not that they will, but the 317th one from the left and 119th from the bottom IS a little shaky, don’t you think? Time to take a deep breath. One, two, three. Exhale. Even though there’s something wrong with everything, if you embrace that thought and LET IT GO you’ll be able to enjoy the – uh – big picture. The state of the Home Theater art – even if it IS yesterday’s art, is very, very nice. Relax.

Why a Home Theater? And what’s it MEAN anyway? Good questions. A Home Theater is simply the natural; evolution of the TV experience. Now that we can, we do. It’s how it goes. Basically, you get a shorter, wider picture (more like a movie in a… theater) and the picture is much clearer than the TV you sat too close to as a kid – remember Mom yelling? And you can have better sound too. It can be all around you, or just in the front. You choose. You can have a box that plays the deep notes – fun things like car crashes, earthquakes, whale farts, cannons. You get to experience them like never before. It’s not essential, but it’s there if you want it.

A Home Theater is just like going to the movies. Except the screen isn’t that big, but you can get a good seat. You don’t have to endure advertisements in the ‘pre-show entertainment’ if you don’t want to. You can go to the bathroom and touch the door handle on the way out. No paying $6.75 for a bag of stale popcorn. No popcorn bagging zomboid teenagers. No lines. No sticky floors (unless that’s the way you live, not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

There. Now you know the top 3 Ugly Home Theater secrets. But, it isn’t quite that simple…

At http://www.GreatHomeTheater.com/ there are 9 more secrets revealed. I promise you won’t get neurotic or get your hands dirty, and I won’t talk you out of what can be a tremendous and highly enjoyable leap forward in home entertainment.

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If you’ve been thinking about buying a home theater projector and read reviews or done a little bit of research, you’ll be aware that there are two technologies competing for the contents of your wallet.

Both LCD and DLP are used in projectors suitable for home theaters, but they work in quite different ways and produce slightly different results. If you ask around – particularly in electronics stores, you’re likely to be provided with a mass of information that’s confusing and often just plain wrong. So here, in an effort to clear the fog surrounding projectors, is our guide to LCD v DLP.

LCD

LCD projectors have three separate LCD panels, one for red, one for green, and one for blue components of the image being processed by the projector. As light passes through the LCD panels, individual pixels (or picture elements) can be either opened or closed to either allow light to pass through or be filtered out. In this way the light is modulated and an image projected on to the screen.

LCD projectors have historically had three main advantages over DLP. They produce more accurate colors (due to the three separate LCD panels), they produce a slightly sharper image (although this is as good as undetectable when watching movies) and they are more light-efficient, which means they produce brighter images using less power.

However, LCD projectors also have some disadvantages, although as the technology improves these are becoming less and less relevant. The first of these is pixelation, or what’s known as the screen door effect. This means that sometimes you can see the individual pixels and it looks as though you are viewing the image through a ‘screen door.’ The second historic disadvantage of LCD v DLP is that LCD doesn’t produce absolute black, which means that contrast is less than you would get with DLP.

However, the advent of higher resolution LCD projectors (particularly ‘HD-ready’ projectors which have a horizontal resolution of 768 pixels or greater) means that pixelation is less of a problem than it used to be. And the improved ability of LCDs to produce high-contrast images is also allowing them to be taken more seriously by home theater enthusiasts.

DLP

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a technology developed by Texas Instruments and it works by projecting light from the projector’s lamp onto a DLP chip, made up of thousands of tiny mirrors. Each mirror represents a single pixel and directs the light projected onto it either into the lens path to turn the pixel on or away from it to turn it off. Most DLP projectors have only one chip, so in order to reproduce color, a color wheel consisting of red, green, blue and sometimes, white filters is used. The wheel spins between the lamp and the chip and changes the color of the light hitting the chip from red, to green, blue. Each mirror on the DLP chip tilts towards or away from the lens path depending on how much of a particular color light is required for that pixel at any given instant.

The key advantages DLP has in the LCD v DLP debate is that DLP projectors tend to be smaller and lighter, have better contrast, and don’t suffer the same pixelation problems as LCD projectors. There is one problem that some users report with DLP projectors, although it appears to only affect a very small number of people. Because of the way DLP works, at any given instant, the image on screen is either red, green, or blue. However, the images change so quickly, that the human eye doesn’t detect this and your brain puts the red, green and blue images together to make a complete frame of video. Unfortunately, some people can see the individual colors, and others can detect them enough to cause eye-strain and headaches. However, technology has improved significantly with the introduction of six-color wheels and faster rotation speeds. The rainbow effect should be a problem for even fewer people. The best way to find out if you’re affected is to try out a DLP projector, perhaps by hiring one, before you buy.

Technology in both LCD and DLP projectors is improving all the time. However, at the time of writing DLP still has a slight edge in the home theater market.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of Master Home Theater Design (http://www.master-home-theater-design.com), a website which provides information, articles, and tutorials on getting started with Home Theater.

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Entertainment centers are a very important part of the living room or TV room decor. They form the focal point of room for this room, and that’s why it’s essential that you choose good pieces like cherry, oak, maple, antique or traditional styles to modern contemporary styles and finishes.

In modern America entertainment centers are seen in most homes. Your home audio and video equipment make up the bulk of the home theater experience, but it’s the entertainment center that makes the room. Maximize your living space with, TV stands and armoires that have room for all your home theater components.

Beautify your home with elegant audio video furniture. Choose home entertainment centers from brands like Bello, Schroers & Schroers, Becker Designed, Inc, Omni Mount and more. These companies are known for their high quality construction and striking designs. With the many varieties of TV entertainment centers, people choose them for many unique purposes:

• Hide the television
• Add traditional decor to the home
• Give the room the sense of luxury
• Add extra shelves for more home decor or storage

Home entertainment centers allow you to decorate each room in your home with whatever motif you choose. TV entertainment center take the center of attention off your television and allow you to focus on the entire room.

Today armoires are being used as entertainment center furniture. Made with the same great quality and style, this type of entertainment center furniture is sure to fit perfectly in your home, yet add an extra bit of style beyond that of traditional TV centers.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

About The Author:

Roger King is a successful author and publisher of www.1st-home-decor.com Entertainment centers and ideas to showcase your homes.

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Projectors have come a long way in the past few decades. The desktop fossils that were once used to show home movies or classroom filmstrips are a thing of the past. With today’s technology, you can now experience a projected movie that emulates a full-blown theater flick, without the time, effort and hassle of standing in line at the local cinema.

DLP projectors – also known as Digital Light Processing projectors – have brought the proverbial silver screen to the home front. The fact that some theaters actually use this type of technology for feature movie projection makes this truer than you might imagine. After being digitally converted and placed on an optical disk – much in the same way as DVD technology is produced – the images are fed into the projector and sent to the movie screen. The main difference is that DLP projectors offer a high definition experience, as opposed to that of a DVD. The result is a picture that very nearly rivals the quality of a 70mm projection, but without the imperfections.

The color accuracy of the DLP system is outstanding, with an end result that beats LCD technology. Some of the advantages that make a DLP the projector of choice are its low power consumption, compactness, micro-mirror construction (which is responsible for the high level screen resolution), high contrast and brightness. All in all, this is the closest that anyone can come to having a bona fide cinema within the confines of their home.

With every set of pros, you’ll always find some cons lurking in the shadows. Such is the case with the DLP projector. For those who are particularly sensitive to certain visual effects, the DLP design produces a type of “rainbow effect,” which could serve as a distraction when looking from one side of the screen to the other during viewing. This will play out as a brief splash of colors, which is simply a result of the type of technology that’s used in the production of the DLP. Most people don’t even notice this color display, but those who are in tune to that sort of thing may see it as an annoyance.

While this is also true for LCD projectors, consumers might be disappointed to know that DLP projectors need to have their light source changed after every 2,000 to 3,000 viewing hours. All in all, though, this is nothing new and, when you consider the higher quality that this type of system offers, it shouldn’t be seen as much of an inconvenience at all.

Perhaps the most inhibitive aspect to the acquisition of a home theater projector and screen, such as the DLP, is that the cost will typically fall within the range of $3,500 to $5,500 for the mid-range systems, once you purchase everything that you’ll need in order to complete the set-up. In addition to that, you’ll have to consider the cost of the rest of your home theater system, since these figures only factor in the DLP expenses.

For those who can afford to do so, the DLP projector is an excellent investment, despite its few downfalls. While no projection system is perfect, DLP is currently the most capable set-up on the market for the price and provides a powerful theater experience for those who aren’t inhibited by space or finances.

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Launched in 1996 by EchoStar Communications, DISH Network is the second-largest satellite TV provider in the world, with 11 million subscribers and 9 broadcast satellites. In addition to TV programming, DISH Network satellite TV also offers 50 Sirius Satellite Radio music channels and Starband broadband Internet service. J.D. Power and Associates recently ranked DISH Network #1 in customer satisfaction among all U.S. satellite TV and cable companies. DISH Network Satellite TV System To receive DISH Network programming you need a DISH Network satellite TV system to capture the broadcast signal and transmit it to your TV.

Due to the competition between DISH Network dealers, you can now get a complete DISH Network satellite TV system free when you subscribe to their programming service.

Here’s what you get when you subscribe to DISH Network’s satellite TV service:

• A free DISH Network satellite TV dish and stand.
• Up to four free receivers plus universal remotes.
• Free DISH Network HDTV (high definition TV) receivers.
• Free installation in up to four rooms of your home.
• Free gifts such as a free DVD player and home theater system (click on the link below for current offers).

Here’s what you get with DISH Network service:

• All-digital programming for the clearest picture and sound available.
• More than 256 program channels.
• Up to 500 commercial-free movies per month.
• DVR (digital video recording) so you can record your favorite programs.
• Up to 60 pay-per-view programs per day.
• Your local channels broadcast in digital format.
• Fifty commercial-free Sirius Radio music channels with CD-quality sound.
• Toll-free, 24-hour, 7-days-a-week customer service.

Ordering DISH Network Satellite TV Service:

You can place your order online, or you can call 800-315-0788 toll-free (Use Promo Code: 28774) and order through a DISH Network representative. The representative will take your order, schedule your installation, and answer any questions you may have. Installation time is usually one to five days after you place your order. A certified DishNetwork installer will install your system, test it to make sure it works, then show you how to use all the functions and controls.

Bottom Line:

With DISH Network satellite TV service starting at a dollar a day, plus the fact that you can get a complete satellite TV system for free, DISH Network satellite TV is a bargain.

Click on the following link for more information on free satellite TV systems and service, or these links for ordering information, the latest offers, and free bonuses from DISH Network satellite TV.

About The Author

Brian Stevens is a professional freelance writer and webmaster who has written extensively on DISH Network satellite TV.

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Get a 4-room Satellite TV System free and Satellite TV Dish and Receivers free are ads seen online and offline. Are these deals really free? The answer to that is yes and no. Yes because you get the satellite TV systems free. You could get other promotional gifts such as a digital video recorder (DVR), DVD player, HD systems and home theater systems at no charge. The ads all promote the free equipment.

Programming services do cost money. After the demise of Pegasus and Voom, there are only two major satellite TV providers in the USA. DISH Network and DirecTV are both providing 100% digital satellite pictures and both offer free satellite TV systems. Both companies also have fine sales support teams for their customer services.

When ordering a free satellite TV system from DISH Network, you might have to pay a $99 activation fee. This fee is credited to your programming bill, so your satellite TV system is free. Installation of your TV system is also free. You also have the option to upgrade to a DVR receiver or an HDTV receiver at no charge. Monthly services at DISH Network start at $29.99 but standard 60 program channels start at 39.99. Monthly fees go up to about $80.00 for 230 channels including such channels as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz! and Sirius radio. DirecTV offers more shows, movies and HDTV than DishNetwork or cable. All programs are broadcast in digital format for crystal clear sound and picture. With one of their free DVR receivers you can pause and fast forward live TV or record with the remote control.

Depending on what your credit rating is, you may be required to pay a deposit or prepay when ordering a free satellite TV system from DirecTV. As the deposit is refunded to you and the prepayment applies to your programming fees, DirecTV’s satellite dish and receivers are free. The installation is free also. A DVR receiver is an additional $5.99 and HDTV receivers are $9.99. Programming packages at DirecTV start at $39.99 per month for 115 channels which includes 67 music channels and go up to more than per month for 185 channels including Showtime, HBO, Cinemax and Starz!. You do get more sports programs including NFL Sunday Ticket with DirecTV. Sports channels are broadcast in all-digital format. You may get the satellite systems and promotional home electronics free but programming services range from $39.99 to $109.99 per month.

Cable TV’s monthly fees are increasing a lot every year.

For football fans wanting to see every NFL game, DirecTV is better.

For normal family viewing, DISH Network seems to be the choice.

If you only watch a few shows a week and have access to over the air TV, satellite TV probably isn’t the choice for you.

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Buying a receiver is one of the most important decisions you’re going to have to make when building your home theater. The receiver has a number of functions including; connecting and switching audio sources; connecting and switching video sources; decoding surround sound formats; amplifying an audio signal and sending it to your speakers; tuning in to radio stations; and acting as the interface between you and your home theater.

The first thing to think about is whether you want a receiver at all or would you be better off buying a separate decoder, amplifier, and tuner?

Despite being a more expensive route – not to mention the extra space needed – separates do have some advantages. You can pick and choose your own combination of components, can upgrade each component individually and won’t lose all the functions if one piece develops a fault. On top of that, having each electronic component in a separate box does improve sound quality when compared with having them all on one circuit board.

However, the separates route is more expensive, more complicated and needs more space than buying a receiver. And for most people it’s unnecessary. Today’s receivers do a very good job in all of their functions.

So what should you look out for when buying a receiver? The first thing is to make sure that it has all the inputs you need for the equipment you need to connect to it. Sounds obvious, but it’s very easy to overlook. As a minimum it should have digital audio inputs (optical and co-axial) for Dolby Digital and/or DTS. It should also have analogue audio inputs for CD player, set-top box and possibly DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD player (the last two currently don’t have digital outputs in order to make it less easy to pirate CDs).

You should also consider whether you want to route all your video sources such as TV, DVD player, and games console through your receiver. Doing so means you can switch between sources from one controller, very easily. But if you want to do this you’ll need to make sure the receiver you’re interested in has enough video inputs. These could be S-Video or component inputs are best, or if you’re in Europe, Scart. You should also make sure the video output from the receiver is of high quality, so again, it should be S-Video, component or Scart.

If you can test a receiver before you buy, it’s worth comparing the quality of a video signal from a DVD player when it’s connected directly to a display and comparing it with when it’s connected via the receiver. There shouldn’t be any noticeable difference in quality.

The power rating of the amplifier is also important. The bigger the room you have for your home theater, the more power you’ll need. And makes sure that the power rating is quoted in Watts per channel – the last thing you want is to get home with your 100Watt receiver and discover that its power is split between eight speakers in you 7.1 set-up. It’s impossible to specify how powerful your amplifier should be, but if your home theater is in a reasonable-sized room, as opposed to an aircraft hanger, 100Watts per channel should be fine.

Finally, don’t forget the remote control. It’s the key interface between you and the receiver and you’ll spend a lot of time using it. So make sure it’s comfortable and straightforward to use. The last thing you want is to have to spend ages wading through on-screen menus to get what you want.

About the Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner

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For those seeking to buy their first flat panel TV display device, it is easy to be confused with conflicting and counter claims by different interest parties. So what is the truth in the competition between LCD and Plasma TV? Here’s are some pointers before you rush out and buy your flat panel TV on impulse. Just consider and keep them in mind when choosing.

Actually, both types of technologies have their pros and cons.

Let’s start with various factors.

Picture Quality

Plasma TVs have better contrast ratios and show better blacks than an LCD TV. That means in a dark scene, you are able to see images more clearly defined. This is because in LCD technology, liquid crystals are unable to shut off all the light completely due to the presence of the backlight resulting in light leakage and therefore it is impossible to get absolute black. Because of this, plasma TVs are able to produce better color saturation than LCD TVs.

Screen Size

If you looking for a really big screen, then you have to go for plasma TV as they are available in sizes up to 103 inches! LCD TVs on the other hand come in maximum sizes of up to 65 inches. If you compare prices on both technologies for the same screen size, you will also realize LCD TVs are more expensive especially in larger screen sizes.

Life span

You may also want to factor in how long your new display device can last. Currently, both LCD TVs and plasma TVs have life expectancies of around 100,000 hours for the better made models from reputable manufacturers.

Power consumption

Again LCD TVs have this advantage over plasma TV. Power consumption for LCD TV is 30% less than plasma TV. With rising oil prices, maybe it is better to get an LCD TV. Further more, plasma TV generate more heat and if you live in an air conditioned home, the air conditioning usage will definitely rise too.

Viewing Angle

If you are going to invite many guests to your home, a plasma screen will do better. It has a wider viewing angle than LCD TV. Guests can easily view on either left or right side of the Plasma screen without fear of the loss of image which is inherent in LCD TVs.

Response Time

If you enjoy action movies or sport programs, plasma TV offer a better deal as it can handle fast moving images better than LCD TVs. Traditionally, most viewers can see blurring of moving images with the LCD format. However, this problem has been reduced compared to earlier generations of the technology as the response times for LCD TVs have come down to as low as 4 milliseconds on high performance models. With the advent of refresh rates of 120 Hz and even 240 Hz for the latest LCD TVs, there has been significant improvement in LCD technology’s handling of fast motion.

Burn in effect

Plasma TV suffers from this particular effect called burn in. You get a permanent ghost like image stuck on your screen. This is the result of having static display of the same image over long periods of time. LCD TVs do not suffer from this potential problem and, as such, are the preferred technology to choose if you regularly use your TV for certain types of sources (e.g. Business and news channels, NASCAR races, Computer images). Later generation, higher performance Plasma TVs have special circuits built into them that can virtually eliminate this problem.

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