Boxee Box now available

The highly anticipated Boxee box is now available at Tiger Direct.
The Boxee box is a multimedia streaming device that was expected to be released this past summer.

The elegant user interface and seamless connectivity to the internet are what make the Boxee box so popular among the home theater enthusiasts. It seems the Boxee hardware will be manufactured by Dlink. If the experience is anything like the Boxee software released for Windows, Mac, and Linux, this should be an exceptional standalone media streaming device.

Boxee for $179.99

Anchor Bay Scaler Performance in Yamaha RXV-765

I finally had a chance to hook up my Nintendo Wii system to the Yamaha 765. The Yamaha RXV-765 is equipped with the Anchor Bay ABT-2010 scaler. This scaler is the same one used in the 2009 Denon line of receivers, and is highly regarded. Although I am only using a composite cable for now, and my tv is only capable of 720P, there is a noticeable improvement in the picture quality. There is less artifacting and mosquito noise in the general scene, and text is rendered with more blending and less jaggies (what I call jagged lines that don't appear smooth). Both problems are typical of composite video connections, and are handled nicely by the scaler.

Most of the games I like to play on the Nintendo Wii are high frame rate, very busy scenes with a lot of fast motion graphics, games like Super smash brothers brawl, and Mario Kart racing. So, as a result, the picture quality during game play is not as easy to see the improvements in as when viewing a static screen, or any of the RPG games that there are not so many objects rendered.

Overall, I am pleased with the picture quality produced by the Anchor Bay scaler. Especially on a composite connection using only the stock average quality cables provided by Nintendo. I could only imagine that feeding the scaler in the Yamaha RXV-765 a cleaner signal would result in an even bigger improvement in upscaling picture quality that would really show the quality of the Anchor Bay scaler solution.

Another great Blu Ray deal Toshiba for $99

I just received notice of this Toshiba blu ray player for $99.

This is a pretty decent player that supports bd-live and is one of the later faster loading players. Also supports media from sd cards including AVCHD. If you have a High Definition camcorder that uses sd cards then you can play the videos using this player.

Click for deal

Panasonic DMP-BD605K Blu Ray Player Deal $112.89

I was helping a friend research inexpensive blu ray players when we came across this really great bargain from Amazon. The player is a Panasonic DMP-BD605K and is comparable in features identically with the more known DMP-BD60. The 605 is a model that was made just for Costco and also comes with a HDMI cable from what I understand, and the 60 does not.

This is a great player with excellent picture quality and analog and digital (optical/hdmi) audio outputs. This player also performs admirably in upconverting dvd sources up to 1080p and is BD2.0 certified.

If you have been thinking about getting a cheap blu ray player from Wal Mart or Target, then you should jump on this deal, because panasonic is top rated in blu ray players, and much better in performance and build quality than anything that you will find at any chain department store at the same price.

Panasonic DMP-BD605K (Brand New)

New Yamaha RXV-765 First Impressions

Now that I have had ample time to break in my new receiver, I am going to give my thoughts on this affordable high value receiver.

Aesthetics
The receiver feels very solid and has very good build quality. It is not too heavy for a receiver packing 95 watts/channel and does not get very hot at all, even after a three hour marathon watching Lord of the Rings III The Return of the King. I particularly like the quick selection buttons that are like macro buttons you can program for events such as watching a dvd/blu ray movie or listening to the radio or a cd etc... The white flourescent display is a lot easier to read than the old amber orange display of past Yamaha receivers. There are also plenty of modes to use to display just about anything you would want in context to the input selected. Overall, a very nice, high tech looking receiver.

Performance
This Yamaha really does not disappoint. The receiver plays plenty loud for both movies and music. I usually watch movies in the highest quality surround codec available on the disk. So, DTS or Dolby Digital for DVD's and DTS HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD for blu ray disks. I find that I usually watch movies using these codecs at or around -25db on the display which is a comfortable listening level to hear all of the dynamics of the movie's surround sound track. For Music the best sound is output using the pure direct mode if using stereo and the 7 channel stereo yamaha dsp for multi-channel listening. For music I find that the volume needs to be a little higher at around -22db probably due to less signal to noise ratio in the recordings using cd's.

So far, I have not strained the amps in the RXV-765 even during multichannel listening, suggesting that the power reserves are pretty decent for the lightweight transformer in the unit. The sound-stage is very good, especially after calibrating the speaker channels using the Yamaha YPAO, which is the Yamaha Parametric Accoustic Optimizer. YPAO is very similar to Audissey on the Onkyo and Denon receivers, and does an admirable job of equalizing the speaker levels and delay for the speakers based on their placement in the room and the room accoustics. This is really a great feature. I setup my speaker levels and delay manually on my last receiver and it took me a good 45 minutes to dial everything in to sound as good as YPAO does in around 5 minutes. This receiver also has HDMI passthrough which allows the HDMI signal to pass through the receiver even when the power is off and the receiver is in standby. This is a handy feature, but does use about 2 watts to maintain the pass through of the signal. I am very pleased with the power and clarity of sound produced by the receiver. The Yamaha produces a very forward sound that is not as rich as the Harman Kardon I had previously but it is a very pleasant non fatiguing kind of sound that I can listen to for hours without feeling tired or like I need a break from the sound.

Scaler
This Yamaha has the Anchor Bay ABT2010 scaler used to upconvert analog signals to up to 1080p out the HDMI port. The scaler is reported to work very well, although, I have not had a chance to test the scaler performance out as I have not hooked any analog components up to the receiver yet. I do plan on hooking up a Wii game system to the unit and will post the results of the performance of the scaler on the Wii as soon as I get a chance.

Remote
The remote for the RXV-765 is decent. It is adequate and feels solid in build quality with smallish buttons that are somewhat rubberized. The remote is also able to control some other gear such as tv's and dvd players which is nice, but it is definitely not a universal remote.

Conclusion
The Yamaha RXV-765 is a very solid performer for both Home Theater and Music applications. Plenty of power for most people with rich and detailed sound. The receiver is loaded with just about every decoder available to date including the latest neural surround processor and a plethora of Yamaha DSP modes from Halls and arena's to SCI-FI, Drama,Games, and Sports. The receiver is feature laden and should be able to process any surround codec you can throw at it. It also sports a compressed music enhancer for listening to mp3 or wma files and it really does sound less compressed and richer. I am very happy with my selection of this receiver and for $399 it was a real bargain.

Awaiting New Receiver

Well, Thanks to my friend and fellow home theater enthusiast Andy for informing me of the Saturday sales that Newegg seems to be having lately. I missed out the first time Andy told me about the Yamaha receivers on sale at Newegg, but this time I scored a new 2009 model Yamaha RXV-765 for $399, what a great bargain for a receiver with a suggested retail of $649 and a street price of $599. Some may notice that this is the same receiver I was amazed to hear sounded so good at only 25 lbs of weight. I opted for the RXV-765 rather than the RXV-1065 for $200 more because I am not so concerned with the power of the 765 being 95 watts/channel and the 1065 being 105 watts/channel because I am going to go with the separate Emotiva three channel amp when I can afford it. It was primarily the features of the 765 and 1065 that got me to consider the Yamaha, and at $399 I don't think I could have made a better choice.

The differences in the 765 and the 1065 are 10 watts of power per channel and HD radio tuner, which I kind of wanted, but not for an extra $200. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my new receiver, and can't wait to watch some of the new movies that have come out, as I have been without a receiver for what seems like an eternity. I will be posting a full review and comparison to my old HK once I have some time to break in the new receiver and have a thorough listen. Stay Tuned.

A New Home Theater Strategy

I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to proceed in replacing the stellar sound I got from the Harman 525 I had to retire. While researching various receivers and amps, I stumbled upon a really nice, favorably reviewed and high value priced three channel amplifier from a company called Emotiva. These amps can be used in a separates setup where a pre-amp is used to feed a signal to the amplifier.
Typically, these types of setups sound a lot better than using just a receiver, but can be prohibitively expensive. Well, most nice mid to high end receivers have the capability to be used as a pre-amp. This capability allows the receiver to work with a separate three channel amp like the Emotiva XPA-3, a 200 watt per channel amplifier, that will sound excellent when paired with a nice receiver. This is what I have in mind for my new setup for my main home theater. This strategy is beneficial in creating great sound in a lot of ways. First, the front left, center, and right channels will have a full 200 watts of power available to them, and this saves the full rated power per channel of the receiver to power the rear surrounds with little strain on the receivers power supply and will result in a very clean and pure sound from all 5 channels. Second, the problem with rating power on consumer grade receivers is that the testing is usually only for one or two channels at a time, and not all channels driven at the same time. The reason for this is because of the relatively weak power supply sections in these receivers. The power ratings for separates tend to be more true in their rating. The Emotiva XPA-3 as an example, uses 600 watts as a minimum power rating with all channels driven throughout the frequency range. The typical power on the Emotiva is usually closer to 650 watts. The reason for this becomes very apparent when you look at the power supply sections of a receiver vs the Emotiva. There is a reason the really good receivers weigh a lot and the average performing ones don't. There is usually a correlation between the ability to create adequate power, great sound and weight.
The added weight is due to a more robust power supply section capable of delivering higher current when needed.

Some comparisons

Item Watts/Ch #Ch Weight

HK AVR 525 70 5 42 lbs.
Yamaha RXV-765 95 7 25 lbs.
Emotiva XPA-3 200 3 57 lbs.

In this comparison, I am only showing the relationship of weight to rated power. I have heard the honest 70 watts/ch from the HK AVR 525 and it sounds good. I have also heard the RXV-765 and although rated at 95 watts/ch played no louder or clearer than my HK. I am actually amazed at the sound it delivered weighing in at 25 lbs. Unfortunately, the only way to demo the Emotiva is to order one and try it risk free for a month which I have not done yet. The spec sheet looks awesome though and is comparable to other high end amps costing thousands, and at $599 is a bargain.

Time to save my pennies, fill my piggybank and purchase this setup.

Harman Kardon AVR 525 R.I.P

My local search for repair service for my Harman Kardon AVR 525 turned up only one shop willing to look at my dying centerpiece to my home theater, and it was not a very good diagnosis. I am looking at $40 just to have the privilege of dropping it off to the shop for a diagnosis.

After describing the problem to the shop it was clear to me after hearing the response that there are many things that could be wrong with the receiver. Could be a mechanical volume control problem, could be in the digital circuit, could be a processor or logic board problem. I was just imagining having to pay for diagnosis in each of those areas at $80/hr and still not having the receiver working right. Not to mention the parts that would have to be special ordered, estimated at $100. No, I think I will have to retire my old friend and get a new receiver. May he rest in peace, we have been through many movies and many hours of music together.

HK Craps out

Well, after many years of faithful service, my receiver is acting up. I looked up the symptoms of the problem on google, and it seems that this particular problem has happened to other HK owners. The problem is that the volume of the receiver will shoot up suddenly, usually when watching movies. The volume knob also does not have an effect when manually turned down, leaving me no choice but to use the remote, or pause the movie and adjust the volume level back down. Also, as of late the remote is only able to adjust volume down and not up, so there is definitely something wrong with the volume control in the unit. Fortunately, I have been able to react before damaging my speakers, and I am at the point where I don't even use the receiver for surround sound movies anymore because of having to babysit the volume.

I have been thinking about my options in how to handle this problem, and it comes down to either
1. Repairing the HK and hope nothing else goes wrong
2. Replace the receiver by purchasing a newer model with more updated connections.

At this point, i have not gotten any repair estimates and that will have a big impact on my decision to repair or purchase new. I think my true desire is to purchase a new AV Receiver with hdmi connections, the latest HD codecs and good upconversion circuit by Anchor Bay or Silicon Optix. Right now I am looking at the Denon AVR-2310ci and the Yamaha RXV-1065. I am also considering some offerings from Marantz, but the upconversion is not as good as the Denon or Yamaha. I would consider another HK but they like Marantz don't really offer the 'whole package' as they still are using older Faroudja scalers which are trumped by the Anchor Bay and Silicon Optix offerings. I think at this point I will plan on getting a new Denon or Yamaha receiver. The hdmi connections and new HD codecs almost make this a no brainer unless the repair will only cost me like $50-100 with a decent guarantee.