Subjects include:

• Speaker Bar Buying Guide
• Digital SLR Guide
• HDMI Questions Answered
• Binocular Selection Guide
• Receiver Buying Guide
• DVD Camcorder Guide
• 1080p Info Guide
• What is Blu-ray?

“I wanted to drop you a note about my recent Order #….
 
On December 31, my Sony KD-34XBR960 failed. It is still under Sony warranty, but because of my location, it will not likely be repaired until February. I have had the Sony KDL-46XBR8on my wishlist for quite a while so, I decided to shop for one, having no idea they had been discontinued. I discovered the only place to get one was refurbished from Sony for $2699 or new from OneCall for the amazing price of $1996. (Cheaper than what I paid for my
KD-34XBR960.)
 
I had never heard of OneCall or Huppinsbefore, so I did a little research into your history before having the confidence to make an internet order.
 
Within minutes, I received a call about a delivery address problem with my credit card. I resolved that and called back into your customer service department. The person who took my call not only was very knowledgeable about my payment and shipping issue, but was also knowledgeable about the product I had ordered. She explained how Huppins was able to purchase the remaining XBR8 stock and how many units were available. She was also up to speed on what Sony had coming out this summer. I found it to be a very enjoyable and informative call.
 
As soon as the TV shipped, I received the tracking information by e-mail and a link to the trucking company. The company, Con-Way, had a very detailed tracking system. Every time the TV moved, I received an e-mail of where it was and where it was going, with an ETA and a link to Google Maps.
 
The trucking company call me to arrange delivery one full day ahead of schedule and ahead of a blizzard. The TV arrived perfectly intact. No marks on the box at all. I was surprised to find it was shipped on a pallet to prevent damage. I was prepared to move the set into my house myself, but the truck driver actually helped me move it into my living room.
 
When the semi pulled up in front of the house, my roommate asked, ‘How big of a TV do you order?’  I replied, ‘The smaller one.’
 
I must say I was quite impressed by this entire process. Everything from the order, customer service, warehouse and trucking company was absolutely perfect. I will not hesitate to order from you again and I am recommending your company to my friends.
 
Thanks and Happy New Year!”
 
Mike Johnson
Senior Studio Engineer
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Vermillion, South Dakota

Panasonic’s booth was long and filled with 3D. They also announced that they have partnered with Skype and Directv. Skype will allow users Panasonic to Panasonic and Computer to Panasonic internet based communication with video. Directv will have a dedicated HD 3D channel. Panasonic and Directv have also partnered with the winter Olympics to broadcast them in HD 3D on that channel.

Samsung’s booth was awe inspiring. It had video monitor flowers twenty plus feet tall reaching up to its mirrored ceiling that covered the whole booth. Samsung chose to show, what looked to be everything that they make. From HDTVs to HTIBs, from cell phones to copies and printers it was all there.

Sony’s booth, not to be out done, had hard wood floors throughout. They, too, showed just about everything that they make. Their Playstation display was enormous, 8 plus full racecar cockpits for playing the latest Grand Theft Auto installment.

LG had a very classy booth. All white carpet, walls and DJ. They had an impressive display of OLED TVs.

Mitsubishi had some of the largest 3D TVs to show in their Mitsubishi truck. They were also touting that their TVs have been ready for 3D for 2 years.

All of the 3D displays looked great. Having 3D gave the picture so much depth and life, it was like being part of the action.

Chris DP.

Huppin’s Retail Sales Manager

Here are some of the show highlights:

HDTV’s – Thin is in
A number of companies are showing ultra thin LCD televisions. LG and Samsung actually had TV’s that are less than an inch thick.

3-D was everywhere
Almost every TV manufacturer had a 3-D display. The demonstrations were excellent and really added another level of entertainment to TV viewing. There was much talk of standardization to avoid confusion for consumers and getting the content providers to participate. I’m looking forward to this next step in TV evolution.

HDTVs and Internet content
Although we’ve already set-up internet TV in the Huppin’s retail store (we are currently finishing a “rewire” to display all the internet options available) I was impressed with the scope and quantity of manufacturers that are making this a priority. There are more ways to get internet content to the TV (both wired and wireless) than I could imagine. There were also a number of companies showing simplified ways of getting your computer hooked up to your HDTV to make full use of the internet. My favorite was the Boxee Box by D-Link, it’s designed for simple hook-up and the remote actually has a small built-in keyboard making it easy to use. What a great way to free up your laptop.

Home Automation
Controlling the operation of your home (or business) continues to see improvement. Not only are we seeing many more control options but the pricing becomes more reasonable as well. I spent a couple hours at the Control4 display and was impressed with upcoming upgrades to the system, such as an improved interface, better media management and an app store for internet content. There are a number of companies that are partnering with Control4 and they are offering even more options to the already long list of control and monitoring enhancements. Energy management was also very prevalent at this show and home automation companies are concentrating on making that control and monitoring part of their systems as well.

Furniture and TV mounting brackets
I saw some great looking furniture, it’s stylish and it address’s equipment cabling and heat issues. Wall mount TV brackets continue to improve in looks and installation simplification. Sanus showed new articulated brackets that allow the cables to be completely hidden.

Overall, the show was upbeat and exciting. I can hardly wait to experience some of our new “finds” as product becomes available.

Scott R.
Custom Installation Manager

Audyssey attributes include:

MultEQ overcomes acoustical problems using information captured at multiple locations throughout your listening area to correct for both time and frequency response problems. The result is clear, well-balanced sound.

Dynamic EQ enables rich, full sound at any volume level by taking into account human perception. It makes moment-by-moment adjustments to make sure that the bass response, tonal balance and soundstage remain constant despite changes in volume.

Dynamic Volume solves the problem of variations in level when switching from channel to channel, between the soft and loud passages within a movie, or during a loud commercial. It allows you to set the dialog level you prefer and then it maintains a consistent level for all content.

Dynamic Surround Expansion (Audyssey DSX) is a scalable system that adds new speakers to improve surround impression. Audyssey DSX first adds Wide channels for the biggest impact on envelopment and then creates Height channels to reproduce the next most important acoustical and perceptual cues. Surround Envelopment Processing is used to enhance the blend between the front and surround channels.

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