heapatrouble - ProductWiki

heapatrouble sent a message to ger

heapatrouble — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:12:51 -0400

July 23, 2008 at 4:12 pm

"It is possible to turn off the HDMI output of the receiver from the front panel using the pure audio button to the far left of your input select buttons on the front panel as well as from within the onscreen menus. If nothing else, you can unplug the receiver for about a minute or use the reset to default feature to start over again."

heapatrouble sent a message to MikeSugar

heapatrouble — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:29:17 -0400

July 4, 2008 at 5:29 pm

"It can be. As with any piece of electronics, and especially power amps, receivers and pre-amps or surround processors, ventillation is an important consideration. However, if you don't have the room in your A/V stand to allow for 2-5 inches of unrestricted airflow above the component in question (in your case, the receiver) there are alternatives out there. In my case, I am using the Antec A/V cooler placed immeditely on top of my 875. It is very effective, even on the low setting, and the backlighting perfectly matches the blue backlit highlights on the 875."

heapatrouble updated 2 products

heapatrouble — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:28:21 -0400

1. updated Marantz AV8003 - June 28, 2008 at 5:28 am

chose Integra DTC-9.8 over Marantz AV8003
new pro/con: Too few inputs.
new pro/con: Anchor Bay chipsets don't perform as well as either the Reon or Realta chipsets.

2. updated Firefox - June 28, 2008 at 5:24 am

disagreed: "Memory usage and load time are significantly slower than IE."
disagreed: "Firefox V2 crashes semi-regularly and uses a lot of computing resources"
agreed: "Websites designed with proprietary IE/Active X code may not render correctly"
agreed: ""Awesome bar" learns and adapts according to the frequency and recency of pages you visit"
agreed: "Faster browsing in v3"
agreed: "Improved memory usage in v3"
agreed: "In page searching and highlighting is powerful and straightforward. Just slash and type, or F3 refind: easy!"
agreed: "Page loading can be significantly faster than IE, especially when using speed-enhancing plugins."
agreed: "Fewer security exploits directed at Firefox vs. IE"
agreed: "Open-source project"
agreed: "Tabbed browsing"
agreed: "After a crash can "Restore session" which reopens all tabs"
agreed: "Extensive functional add-ons (extensions) and plug-ins"

heapatrouble updated Microsoft Xbox 360

heapatrouble — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:07:23 -0400

May 30, 2008 at 12:07 am

tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"

heapatrouble updated Onkyo TX-SR875

heapatrouble — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:14:45 -0400

May 28, 2008 at 3:14 pm

tapped as "love it"

heapatrouble sent a message to Erik

heapatrouble — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:09:10 -0400

May 28, 2008 at 3:09 pm

"I'd love to make it, but I will be in a meeting at that time, with no way to reschedule (work-related, not hobby :]) Thank you for thinking of me and thanks especially for the vote of confidence that your invite seems to indicate."

heapatrouble updated 3 products

heapatrouble — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:26:46 -0400

1. updated Onkyo TX-NR905 - May 21, 2008 at 1:26 pm

disagreed: "too expensive!"

2. updated Onkyo TX-NR1000 - May 21, 2008 at 12:59 pm

new pro/con: No compatibility w/ more recent surround formats
disagreed: "Has replaceable modules to ensure future compatibility"
new pro/con: No plans to upgrade HDMI to the 1.3 spec.
new pro/con: No video transcoding or upconversion.

3. updated Mass Effect - May 21, 2008 at 12:55 pm

tapped as "love it"
tapped as "have it"

heapatrouble commented on 3 items

heapatrouble — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:25:31 -0400

1. commented on Onkyo TX-NR905 - May 21, 2008 at 1:25 pm

"I haven't experienced any kind of a/v delay on my 875. However, the system can be adjusted to sync the audio to the video. Also, rather than looking at the Reon chip as a con, it would be better to look at it as a pro since the 905 and the 875 are the only receivers in this price range to offer this level of video processing. Seriously, it is very nearly the level of performance of the Realta chip which presently is only available in the Denon AVR-5803 at $5200 MSRP. Not even the Denon AVR-4308CI at $2500 MSRP offers this level of video performance, and I think that the Onkyos sound at least as good if not better, depending on the speakers being used."

2. commented on Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH - May 21, 2008 at 1:16 pm

"Also, as the latest issue of Home Theater Magazine conclusively demonstrated, video processing/upscaling is absolutely not a sham. There are real quantifiable differences that can easily be discerned. And, of all the receivers in this price range, only the Onkyo 875 and 905 have video quality that is competitive with the Denon AVR-5803, which is several times more expensive."

"I agonized for awhile over whether to buy the '94' or the Onkyo TX-SR875, which I ultimately purchased. The major point of contention for me were: sound quality, video quality, ease of use, and expandability. Of those, the -94 only surpassed the 875 in terms of expandability and only in the fact that the 4 HDMI inputs are independently selectable instead of having to be assigned to be used. Ultimately, what this meant is that you got 7 HD-capable inputs instead of 5. For me, this benefit along with the network capabilities did not surpass the benefits to be gained with THX Ultra-2 certification (vs. Select-2), and Reon video processing. Further, I concluded that, on any system capable of resolving the sound quality differences, the Onkyo is simply likely to sound more audiophile-like. Besides, if I ever get to the point where I need more video switching, quality switchers are plummeting in price and easy to integrate into a systems using something like a Harmony remote."

3. commented on Onkyo TX-NR1000 - May 21, 2008 at 12:58 pm

"I contacted Onkyo a while back and learned that there are not now and likely never will be any plans to upgrade to HDMI 1.3. or offer upconversion or transcoding as with the more recent offerings from the brand. So much for being the last receiver you'd ever need to buy."

heapatrouble updated their about me

heapatrouble — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:06:12 -0400

May 21, 2008 at 1:06 pm

heapatrouble updated 3 products

heapatrouble — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:08:07 -0400

1. updated Onkyo TX-SR875 - May 16, 2008 at 2:08 am

chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Yamaha RX-V1800
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Sony STR-DG2100
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Sony STR-DA5300ES
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Marantz SR7002
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Yamaha RX-V3800
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Denon AVR-3808CI
chose Onkyo TX-SR875 over Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH

2. updated Polk Audio LSi25 - May 16, 2008 at 1:40 am

new pro/con: Speakers need some extra break-in to sound their best.
tapped as "love it"
tapped as "have it"
new pro/con: The cherry side panels are a tough match to other furniture.
new pro/con: Limited finish options.
new pro/con: Needs to be out away from the wall a good bit for best imaging and bass output.
new pro/con: Can be complicated to set up.
new pro/con: Has a built-in powered subwoofer in each enclosure.
new pro/con: Excellent imaging
new pro/con: punchy midrange from dual 5.25" mids
new pro/con: Ring radiator tweeter is extremely detailed and smooth

3. updated Polk Audio LSi15 - May 16, 2008 at 1:36 am

new pro/con: The cherry side panels are a tough match to other furniture.
new pro/con: Limited finish options.
new pro/con: Needs to be out away from the wall a good bit for best imaging and bass output.
new pro/con: No amplifier section for the side-firing sub.
new pro/con: Less bass output than the LSi25
new pro/con: Easier to set up than the LSi25.
new pro/con: Has a built-in subwoofer in each enclosure.
new pro/con: Excellent imaging.
new pro/con: Punchy midrange from dual 5.25" mids.
new pro/con: Ring radiator tweeter is extremely detailed and smooth.

heapatrouble commented on 3 items

heapatrouble — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:07:36 -0400

1. commented on Onkyo TX-SR875 - May 16, 2008 at 2:07 am

"Also, in fairness, the HDMI handshaking problems mentioned above can occur with many brands and are hard to predict, hard to troubleshoot, frequently difficult to reproduce and sometimes seem to have something of an alchemic quality to them. It's very hard to logically lay the blame at the feet one component when it could be the source or display or the particular combination of all three."

"Also, in response to Post 5 ('I don't think it even tries to upconvert or smooth out the HDMI in from my 1080i cable box. very blocky. I hate that.') The reason you are getting pixelation from your cable box is most likely because of the level of compression being used by your cable company. Remember that not all HD is the same regardless of how it is labeled. The level of compression will vary from one provider to the next and even from one channel to the next even though both are from the same provider. This is almost absolutely not the fault of the receiver. It will, if properly configured, transcode any video source from analog to digital and upconvert up to 1080p. But if the source in question is basically garbage (i.e. Nintendo NES, over-compressed HD cable, VHS) then you are getting upconverted garbage that probably looks better than it would have without the processing, but still not to the level of a 360, PS3, or a quality Blu-ray or HD-DVD transfer being played from a quality source."

"In response to Post 16: It will do the upscaling, and the Standard-def sources will look somewhat better, but you won't be able to gild a turd with this thing. It doesn't work that way - especially with something like the NES, which was never really even a quality 480i source to begin with. PS2 will look substantially better because the source material is better than NES. As for which processor will do better, Home Theater Magazine just did a review of the video processing of a bunch of AVR's. The only receiver whose video processing came close to that of the Denon AVR-5308 ($5200 list) was the Onkyo TX-SR875 (the TX-NR905 uses the same processing and should perform the same while adding a bunch of convenience features). The reason for this is that both use processors from Silicon Optix. Presently, no other video processor available in a mainstream receiver come close to the performance of the Realta and Reon processors."

2. commented on Polk Audio LSi15 - May 16, 2008 at 1:47 am

"Presently I am using an all-LSi speaker system (5.2 channels) run by the Onkyo TX-SR875 surround receiver. I have to say that the system sounds fantastic - much better than my prior system. I know this because my ex-wife got the prior system (Definitive Tech bipolar towers w/ 12" powered subs, 3-way amplified LCR powered by a Yamaha receiver.) I can tell you that, the Polk/Onkyo combo is pure magic - especially for the price point. I did A/B/C/D comparisons Running the Polks off the Yamaha and the Onkyo and then running the DefTechs off both receivers. The Onkyo receiver made both speakers sound better than when run off of the Yamaha, but (when run by the Onkyo especially) the Polks absolutely outshone the DefTechs in every way except a sense of spaciousness, bass output and depth of bass. The Polks had punchier, tighter, more detailed bass; punchier more detailed midrange and far smoother more detailed treble than the DefTechs. In fact, it was when I did the speaker comparison on the Onkyo that I realized the DefTechs had a bit of metallic flavor to the highs that I hadn't noticed before but which is probably characteristic of using aluminum domes. With the Polks, there was none of that - just pure detailed music and a very real sense of being there."

3. commented on Polk Audio LSi25 - May 16, 2008 at 1:47 am

heapatrouble updated Onkyo TX-SR875

heapatrouble — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:55:24 -0500

February 18, 2008 at 12:55 pm

tapped as "have it"

heapatrouble commented on Onkyo TX-SR875

heapatrouble — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:05:15 -0500

January 9, 2008 at 5:05 pm

"I recently upgraded my system as a whole, to include the 875. Presently, the system as it is being used is a 360 w/ HD DVD as a source, the 875, a Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD flat panel, and a Polk Lsi speakr package with LSi-25's up front, and LCi-C center channel and LSi-15's as rear channels. Initially I had been running the 360 directly to the TV while I was sitting on the fence about what kind of receiver/speaker package to buy. I can tell you that running the 360 through the receiver then on to the TV actually IMPROVED the picture, for both HD-DVD and DVD. In the next day or so, I will be getting an Onkyo DV-S504 universal DVD player for playing standard DVD, SACD, and DVD-audio, as playing standard DVD over the 360 is a generally disappointing experience due to its poor upconversion of DVD's 480i/p resolution to 1080P. I will also add that, although in the $1600 price range, there's certainly a fairly level playing field if you are looking at a Denon, Pioneer Elite, Sony ES or Yamaha, vs the Onkyo, there are a number of factors which decided me in favor of the Onkyo. 1. Better remote control than Pioneer, Sony or Yamaha 2. Better video processing than Denon, Pioneer, or Sony 3. Sound quality that I preferred to all of the above, but especially the Yamaha. 4. Simpler onscreen display controls than all of the above Overall, I am exceedingly pleased with the package I have set up and I can tell you that the sound of the Onkyo/Polk system is absolutely awesome. Even playing MP3's (disclosure: I only have high-bitrate MP3's) sounds great assuming you let the Onkyo do the DA conversion."

heapatrouble commented on Halo 3

heapatrouble — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:34:09 -0400

October 18, 2007 at 11:34 am

"They have added depth to the character story development, depth to the details (weapons, tools, vehicles, etc) and created and ending that both satisfactorily concludes the overall story and leaves an open enough ending for a new game (trilogy?). I have heard many people complain that Halo 3 doesn't improve upon the original (the same complaint that was made of Halo 2). I contend that the original Halo was good enough that all that was needed (and, indeed, all that may have been possible) was to make incremental improvements in the gameplay experience and storyline. I have also heard complaints about how the Covenant basically dissolved into a civil war once the truth about the origins of their covenant was learned. I think many people felt it was easier and simpler to simply have every member of the Covenant be an enemy. Again, I disagree and submit that the dissolution of the Covenant and the third side that developed added an interesting additional layer of depth to the overall story. I was, however, disappointed that the Hunter species again was on the side of the covenant instead of the Elites. I thought that the Hunters were an awesome ally in Halo 2. Ultimately, I think Halo 3 has been worth every penny (and I've only played the campaign). It expands on the overall story, had interesting primary and secondary characters, a fantastic overall story, excellent gameplay and even followed many of the themes of classic hero literature. As both an avid gamer and avid reader, I am only disappointed that there is not a Halo 4 planned (as of yet)."

heapatrouble updated Halo 3

heapatrouble — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:15:40 -0400

October 18, 2007 at 11:15 am

disagreed: "Single player taken by itself isn't very compelling"
disagreed: "Graphics are Halo 2 in HD"
disagreed: "Doesn't innovate very much"
agreed: "New weapons and equipment add more depth to already deep gameplay"
agreed: "Massive scale in battles and environments"
agreed: "Satisfying conclusion to the series"
agreed: "Online co-op with 4 people"
agreed: "Tons of features and value for your money"
agreed: "Extraordinary replay value in single player"

heapatrouble commented on LG BH200

heapatrouble — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:23:56 -0400

September 27, 2007 at 12:23 pm

"Conversely, there are professionals who argue that the existence of two formats along with combo players will only prolong and confuse the format war with neither side really winning. These industry pros point to the abysmal failure of SACD and DVD-Audio both and suggest that the entrenchment of various companies in either camp and the existence of combo players only contributed to the demise of both formats as opposed to the eventual success of only one (as with Beta vs. VHS). Personally, I disagree. I believe that both formats could have coexisted successfully but for poor marketing decisions and failure to differentiate themselves in a market which, at the time of their introduction was coming to be dominated by MP3 etc. Obviously, there are no comparable market factors for HD-DVD or Blu-ray (it takes far too long to download HD content and the notion of file-sharing is prohibitive). What would really accelerate the growth of both formats is a reasonable price structure for trhe disc themselves as well as broader support from video renters such as Hollywood or Blockbuster."

heapatrouble commented on Half-Life 2

heapatrouble — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:32:04 -0400

September 26, 2007 at 2:32 pm

"Even as glitchy as the Steam Engine occasionally is, it is also a model of ergonomics and simplicity. That you can us the Steam interface to view game trailers, purchase games, receive updates, manage and maintain contact with friends, and even create new maps for games that support that feature. Frankly, if it had near-bulletproof reliability, this would be what the future of gaminig - both PC and console - should look like. And, as for Half-Life 2 itself? Well, it has all the great hallmarks of a great story and a great game: interesting hero, shadowy, mysterious and powerful enemies/villains, a compelling storyline, intelligent supporting characters, great graphics, and more. There is no other game in my collection - including Halo and Ghost Recon - which have commanded so manyof my entertainment hours."

heapatrouble updated 3 products

heapatrouble — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:07:20 -0400

1. updated Half-Life 2 - September 26, 2007 at 1:07 pm

tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"

2. updated Logitech Harmony 880 - September 26, 2007 at 1:05 pm

tapped as "love it"

3. updated Logitech MX Revolution - September 26, 2007 at 1:05 pm

tapped as "have it"

heapatrouble responded to the thread Community Question: What to do about "spam" articles?

heapatrouble — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:33:32 -0400

September 25, 2007 at 11:33 pm

The examples cited seem to be nothing more than shameless commercialized spam. If I wanted an infomercial or to tune into the shopping channel, I know where to go for that. I certainly don't want to have to filter through it on this website. Further, I think that spam-fomercials such as Exhibits A and B along with product promotions (contests, whatever) only cheapen a website like productwiki.com which has, as it's main purpose (or so I thought) to be a legitimate tool for helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions. Commercials closer to the Dawn of Television used to fulfill that purpose, but now we have commercials for pharmaceuticals, etc which go on and on about the fact that the product exists and encouraging us to seek out that product but which fail to inform us as to why the product is valuable or significant. This is why I use my Tivo to fast forward through virtually every commercial. Which, is an incredibly long-winded exposition on why spam should be removed from this website. And now, I'll step down of this soap box before someone kicks it out from under me.

heapatrouble commented on 3 items

heapatrouble — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:19:48 -0400

1. commented on LG BH200 - September 25, 2007 at 11:19 pm

"Also, not having an S-video input is hardly a con in my book. Realistically, if you don't have an HDTV, you have no business buying an HD disc player. You just won't see the benefit and you'd be wasting your money. If you do have an HDTV, then you shouldn't even be considering using an SD connector (composite or S-video) again, you won't see then benefit. Even if you are using a multi-zone and/or multi-source system, the signal degradation that S-video suffers over longer cable runs makes it less likely to be used than a composite video output."

"Both formats have their pros and cons, and both have about equal support from studios which seem to be fairly divided between the two (a very recent development). Just from a performance standpoint Blu-ray ought to win hands down due to its greater storage capacity and therefore greater potential for video/sound quality. However, HD-DVD has been generally acknowledged to have more movies which look and sound like HD ought to. That being said, your better single format players are still being priced somewhere between $500 and $1500 (although HD-DVD player prices are consistently lower), so you may actually spend less money overall on a multi-format player if your tastes run to the higher end of things. That being said, there are numerous good reasons to buy a single multi-format player: system simplicity, consistent ergonomics/usability, and using fewer HDMI inputs are all reasons which top my list."

2. commented on Yamaha RX-Z11 - September 25, 2007 at 11:03 pm

"Although to many people, Anchor Bay Technologies seems like an 'off brand' (if you will), the reality is that they are the parent company of DVDO which makes the iScan line of video processors/scalers. They have been around for a very long time, certainly longer than has DCDi (although not Faroudja itself) or the Reon or Realta series of scalers/processors by Silicon Optix. The truth is that Anchor Bay has significant experience in this field and their products have worked well, been well reviewed and have been consistently good values for their level of performance. In fact, they have just released a THX certified version of their VP50 scaler/processor called the VP50 Pro and getting THX certification for any piece of hardware is a significant indicator of performance."

3. commented on Yamaha RX-V3800 - September 25, 2007 at 11:02 pm

heapatrouble updated 3 products

heapatrouble — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:07:09 -0400

1. updated LG BH200 - September 25, 2007 at 11:07 pm

disagreed: "No S-Video output"

2. updated Halo 2 - September 25, 2007 at 11:06 pm

tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"

3. updated Halo 3 - September 25, 2007 at 11:05 pm

tapped as "have it"
tapped as "love it"

heapatrouble commented on 2 items

heapatrouble — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:11:53 -0400

1. commented on Uniball 207 - September 1, 2007 at 1:11 pm

"I use the Z07 pen every day at work. Among its other benefits, it is the only pen I've found that will consistently write on the back side of carbon paper."

2. commented on Onkyo TX-SR875 - September 1, 2007 at 1:05 pm

"In response to the issue with outputting 1080p via component from an xbox360, there are a couple of potential issues: the first is that many video devices will not accept 1080p over component, only 1080i at best. Second is the firmware upgrade for the 360 that allows 1080p output over component, and finally is the issue of transcoding. The user has to be certain that he/she has configured the receiver to transcode/upconvert 1080p if only hdmi outputs are being used."

heapatrouble updated Uniball 207

heapatrouble — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 13:06:42 -0400

September 1, 2007 at 1:06 pm

agreed: "writes smoothly"
agreed: "ink is waterproof and chemical proof"