Pete's Write

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in any of the products and I don't sell or endorse any of them for any company. (photo courtesy of Paul) Introduction The emergence of the Oppo Blu Ray player as a tour de force in the Hi Def world of video is due to it’s combination of strengths in many fields and little weaknesses, for a rather decent price. If you opt for the top of the line BDP 105, you will get a very solid video player, plus a high end DAC which allows the Oppo to very well in both the video as well as the audio areas. This has afforded Oppo a lot of converts from those who used to have separate BR players and CD players to have an all in one player. However those with deeper pockets that want to wring the best out of their players or have a more audio-centric system with good stereo performance may want to eke more, and expect their disc spinner to to higher levels. Here is where the modified players come in. The basic 105 gives a ...

I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about. This is a pure video test of the playback of a few current BR players: We looked at : Sony BD 765 aka BD 760 in certain markets. Oppo BD 83 (standard edition) Panasonic BD 60 Pioneer LX71 Pioneer BD-23 Denon DVD-A1UD The players will be ranked (eg 1-10) The audience will be blinded, only the administrator of the test will know – I will do this. Test will be done twice to try and test for intra-observer variability. Tests: Operator tests: Startup time – from pressing the eject button on a player which is switched off to the tray opening (in seconds) Initiation time – from placing the disc into the tray to the first menu (in seconds) Responsiveness – how fast does the player react to chapter change, returning to the menu (ranked) User interface (ranked) Ergonomics – how easy is it to press the buttons on the remote (ranked) Duplicate controls on the front panel (ra...

http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/pm-lee-outlines-new-way-forward-national-day-rally-2013-speech http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/national-day-rally-2013-live-updates This is a compilation and summary of PM Lee's National Day Rally 2013 Speech from his Facebook account, covering topics such as home ownership, healthcare, and education:   Introduction PM began his English speech recapping the OurSGConversation ( http://bit.ly/1cJT4ij ) process. He said the OSC has been a very meaningful exercise. "We have listened to one another and created a firmer, shared basis to discuss and plan our future." PM said that to achieve our aspirations, we need to take into account the world around us. He knows Singaporeans feel uncertain and anxious - technology and globalisation are widening income gaps, our population is ageing, and Singaporeans are worried about the cost of living, public transport, and other day-to-day problems. PM said: I understand your ...

Firstly, what is a soundbar: Soundbar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A soundbar or sound bar is a special loudspeaker enclosure that creates a reasonable stereo effect from a single cabinet. Why use a soundbar? Not everyone likes to have 5.1 or more speakers, and aesthetics are paramount in many homes. A soundbar fits under a TV, and has some resemblance of surround sound, allowing the HT enthusiast some cinematic experience, whilst avoiding the cables running everywhere. But having said this, one must understand that a soundbar is merely as good as the reflections off the side walls, which it uses to recreate the surround experience. That means that if you have a room with irregular walls, or different textures on the wall, you will lose the regular effects and it can never be as good as a proper surround system. The advantages are that you can get some effects and avoid ripping up the ceilings or walls to place cables. Other factors to consider are...

  The 38% rule There are two movable variables - the sitting position, and the subwoofer position. For a small home, sometimes neither is variable. I had read up on this before, and understand that sitting in a null zone was negative, but I had a lot of limitations. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and just move my main listening position a few feet forward, and try to get to the front 38%. The result was rather satisfying actually. My subs remained as they were before, and I didn't even re-do the Audyssey, but suddenly the bass response from my mains, the centre and also the general rumble and thump went up a notch. So do consider squeezing that seat forward back and forward a tad... http://www.realtraps.com/art_room-setup.htm [quote] THE 38 PERCENT RULE The placement method used here is based on the "38 percent rule" which theorizes that the best listening position is 38 percent into the length of the room, when measured from either the...