Tiered pricing for internet access based on your bandwidth usage is right around the corner for many, already in place for some, and bringing big changes for everyone. Time Warner is the largest ISP I have heard of going this route so far but more will follow soon.

If you are currently or have been planning on streaming video from online sources such as Netflix or Hulu.com, you better think again. The pricing I have seen from Time Warner has 40Gb of downloads costing $40 - $50 per month. That sounds like a lot of bandwidth but if you stream video you are going to blast past your limit in the first week of  the month.

I always said streaming video wasn't going to take off for years to come and this is one good reason why. The kind of bandwidth required means your ISP is going to need to make some dramatic changes. As pricing goes up, streaming is quickly going to return to the back of the bus.

If you are using the DirecTV On Demand service, as I am, you will have a problem under this new pricing. I for one will be unhappy, but that is pretty much my normal state. I am not using Tine Warner but AT&T will likely follow suit if Time Warner is successful in putting this new pricing in place.

If you are currently experiencing a change to pay per byte internet access speak loud and clear when you dump your ISP. Time Warner is in the awkward position of losing cable customers and watching its bandwidth use climb but is that really my problem? I dumped Time Warner years ago because of terrible customer service, outrageous prices and the final nail, they could never get me a reliable internet connection. Make a stand for progress and fair business practices and find another ISP.

Blu-Ray sale pricing has begun to show signs of coming down, not to DVD levels but it is still an improvement. Mainstream titles such as Black Hawk Down, The Shining and Underworld can be found regularly for $14.99 along with a smattering of other archive titles. I picked up MiB and The Fifth Element for $9.99 recently as well.

New releases still seem to be holding to the $22.99 - $29.99 pricing structure but I expect to start seeing these come down over the next year as well. Blu-Ray has continued to show market strength in a difficult economy and can only go up from where we stand today. Archive titles are at a price worth considering VS their DVD counterparts already, at least if you remain patient.  

I have found the best prices at Fry's and Amazon with some surprise bargains at Best Buy. On a side note, for those of us who still have HD-DVD players, Fry's has some very good deals on the remainder of their HD-DVD stock. I picked up Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 for $9.99 and a number of other titles for under $5 recently.

For true bargain hunters, the wait is nearly over and for those simply looking for a good deal to add to their collection, the time has come. Happy Hunting.

It was 1998 when I first started collecting DVDs, and oh what a time it was. Buy one get ones were all over the web, it was difficult to pay more than five or six bucks for a disc back then, if you knew where to go. It was the golden age of collecting and in a very real way, it was responsible for the super fast adoption of DVD.

Blu-Ray has seen its share of buy 2 get one deals, super special pricing and so forth, but it in no way compares to the early days of DVD. It was the perfect storm. I was working for an online company at the time and was very in-tune with the fledgling industry as a whole. The rise of the internet played a big part in the surge of consumer technology. New product news traveled fast and people wanted it, now.

The general idea behind internet sales sites was not to make money, at least not for a few years or even a decade. It was all about being cool and getting as many customers in your doors as possible. Music, movies and book sales were the driving force behind Amazon and many other companies, they practically gave away the media. Just to ensure they were not going to make any money soon, they often threw in free shipping.

I miss those days but I also realize that they had to end in order for these companies to survive. I grit my teeth when I look at prices for new releases and have had to adopt a different mindset when adding to my collection. In the old days. I bought everything the week it came out, assuming it had received high ratings for picture and sound quality. Today it is more difficult to get me out there on any given Tuesday, I can wait most of the time.

Waiting serves two purposes and unless I absolutely know I have to get the movie, I wait. First off, waiting means the price will come down, way down in most cases. Second, I end up finding I really didn't need the movie. I rent it and will probably never watch it again.

Waiting was unthinkable before, I would miss out on the good deals... hey, wait a minute... you know what? That old marketing ploy actually worked. Amazon got me collecting on the cheap, they hooked me like a pusher births a junkie. All those years ago I thought I was taking advantage of these companies but they were just waiting for my addiction to fully kick in.

I don't collect as much crap as I used to and I figure the stores I buy at are even making a little money off of me now. Perhaps Blu-Ray needs to go out and offer up a few cheap highs to the public. It worked in the past, besides, I could deal with a good sale on Blu-Ray movies right now. I still have a taste for the addiction but I am staying on the wagon, at least for now.

The HDMI confusion is exasperating for everyone. How did something designed to make things easier become a simmering caldron of confusion? Lets try to sort out the facts from the myths.

As I look behind my component stand, I slowly lower my head in shame. The rat’s nest of cables is beyond comprehension and the worst thing is that I did my 6 month rewire just a week ago. I dream of the day I finally step up to a complete HDMI system that uses a single cable between every component, a magic cable that send both the video and audio. I could go from what looks like hundreds of cables down to less than 10. That my friends, would be a miracle.

Every time I step into an electronics store, I am confronted with $60, $70, even $150 HDMI cables, and that is for a 2-meter one. How is it that the HDMI cables I use and cherish are less than half that and the fact is you can get them much, much cheaper… Like for under $15 and it will work just as well as the marketing marvel from Monster Cable that sells for well over $100.

Part of the problem comes from the early versions of HDMI, version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 are all capable of transmitting 1080p video at the same time as the lossless DTS and Dolby formats. This is more than enough for 95% of the people, in fact is well beyond their systems capability.  That brings us to version 1.3.

HDMI version 1.3 comes in 3 flavors, 1.3a, 1.3b, and the top of the line 1.3c. They all do the same great job of handling HDCP, 1080p and lossless audio, not a bit better than the previous versions however. Where you do want to consider the 1.3c cables is if you wish to pass a DVD-A, SACD or uncompressed audio signal to your receiver. Keep in mind that both the source and the receiver must meet 1.3c requirements, if anything in the system is less than 1.3c, you lose all benefits of having that cable version.

In addition to the audio formats I mentioned, 1.3c is also capable of passing the new extended color formats, Deep Color and x.v.YCC. Currently neither of these is built into the Blu-Ray spec. and although a number of players claim to have the capability, it is wasted since the discs don’t carry the additional color signals. Several HD camcorders do record in this format however so the capability may be useful if you have one of these and a TV that is capable.

 The bottom line is that getting a higher version cable won’t hurt you, it just won’t help you except in a very small number of circumstances, if you have the equipment that matches from source to Receiver and TV, or you just want to pay more for a cable.

Don’t fall for the Monster marketing system that grades each cable based on bandwidth. Every one of their cables does a great job of passing every possible format, their grading system is an all out lie and one you will pay for if you purchase the more expensive cables. An HDMI cable can’t change the quality of the image like a processor in a receiver or TV, it just passes along a digital signal. Do your wallet a favor and find the less expensive cables and spend the rest on a few new movies.

Amazon has always been a leader in offering great deals on media and these Blu-Ray discs for less than $10 sale is no exception. Of course, there is a catch, as always, in this case, you have to buy multiple discs, and the more you buy the more you save.

Just choose discs from the generous selection. Buy three and save an additional 30%, buy six and save an additional 40%, or buy ten and save an additional 50%. Pretty simple and it appears that Amazon hasn’t raised the normal price of the discs for the sale.

I picked up Death Proof and Planet Terror, both of which have greatly improved picture and sound compared to their DVD release. In addition, I grabbed the first season of The Universe, a favorite of mine along with three other picks and received the full 40% off. I couldn’t find ten discs I wanted but the choices in this sale are pretty good, I highly recommend checking them out.

Disney chief Robert Iger suggested in a recent interview that Disney needs to raise their prices on Blu-Ray discs. I was shocked and more than a little disturbed by this, not that I think it would last long if attempted. Where the Iger’s thought does worry me though, what if people kept buying?

Blu-Ray prices are already high and Disney is near the top of the pricing lists already. I have always written this off to the fact that Disney makes superb, even amazing Blu-Rays, from picture and audio quality to their interactive features. They rock the Blu-Ray world and even include the SD DVD version in many of their Blu-Ray sets. I am willing to pay for this convenience sometimes, at others times I figure I can wait and buy when prices come down.

Disney holds its movies in a vault for long periods, only releasing classics for short periods, which keeps their value up.  Many of their classics are worthy of this and I understand the idea of maintaining the value of these movies by releasing them at intervals that bring the magic of Disney to generation after generation without wearing the movie thin. I wait for these releases and relive moments of my childhood, often with my young nephews.

The scary thing is that raising prices across the board on Disney Blu-Rays hurts the consumer, especially in these tough economic times. Disney sales will drop and that is the last thing Blu-Ray needs right now, it is important to at least keep things where they are, not move backwards.

I hope Iger and the rest of the Disney heads realize the power they hold and make a decision that will help ensure their classics are shown in the best possible format available for generations to come.

Is it time to go Blu-Ray? The answer is, well, that depends. Blu-Ray is a superior format, better than DVD in every way except price. With entry level, Blu-Ray players found for $200 or so from major brands like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic the time has come for many of us to jump in.

Prices on Blu-Ray players are dropping as quickly as they did with DVD, which means we have a few years before the players and media reach current, or close to current DVD prices. This depends a lot on Blu-Rays ability to continue making its way into homes. If sales slow because of the economy, we will have a longer wait.

One thing to avoid when purchasing a new Blu-Ray player is bargain basement machines. I was shocked to see that Consumer Reports listed the Sylvania player as their best buy. This player and others from brands like Insignia will not play newer Blu-Ray discs and will continue to become more useless with each day. You don’t need a 2.0 Profile machine but it must absolutely be capable of accepting firmware updates.

Blu-Ray players are Java based which allows them to be easily upgraded by the consumer (Free of charge) as new features are added. Unlike DVD, Blu-Ray can and does change, you have to be able to upgrade or your fancy new machine will sit unused after just a few months. Fortunately, most players are upgrade friendly.

The advent of 2.0 Profile Blu-Ray players allows the consumer to connect directly to the internet for automatic updates which makes their use much easier overall. In the event you have an older player or are unable to make an internet connection, manufacturers provide upgrade discs through the mail or you can download the update on your computer and burn it to a CD.

Profile 2.0 players are also able to take advantage of all of the BD-Live functionality, which brings interactive features to the experience. I am not blown away by BD-Live, at least not yet but I have found some fun games and in the case of Sony, a fan club where I can register my Blu-Ray discs and receive points towards additional purchases or even free Blu-Ray discs. If you can afford the little bit extra for a 2.0 Profile player, it is worth it for ease of use but certainly not a deal breaker in my opinion.

Blu-Ray disc prices are also a consideration but I have found that waiting for bargains pays off. In addition, I rent many Blu-Rays from Blockbuster. Netflix also carries Blu-Rays and both services will automatically update your queue so that you don’t have to mess with doing it yourself.

If you have an HDTV, it is probably time to upgrade just for the difference in picture quality. If you have an HD audio capable receiver, you should really go ahead and jump. I know the movies cost more right now but you can always rent and in the end, we are having this discussion because we want the best possible picture and sound available. DVD is far from dead and I weigh my buying decisions on the type of movie and the benefits I can expect to see if I buy Blu-Ray.

Do yourself a favor and treat that fancy HDTV to a completely new level of amazing, even if you can’t start collecting the media, you can still enjoy the magic that is Blu-Ray.

Online reviews are a necessary evil for anyone with an interest in electronics or technology, it is where everyone goes to get information. The internet is a powerful tool for anyone doing research, it is also their worst enemy. Knowing where to look and who to trust is important when making purchasing decisions and thankfully, there is a lot of good information, from knowledgeable people out there, you just have to know which rocks to look under.

An important thing to understand about even the best made, most loved products is that there will always be a unit with a problem. Not every electronic device does everything well and it is important to understand the strength and weakness of any piece of equipment. Owners who have a negative experience are much more likely to jump online and voice their problem while happy owners sit quietly, enjoying their equipment.

The next thing to know is that people are, well, people and the internet allows them to show a side of themselves that isn’t always nice or even truthful. It is human nature to love what you have and more importantly, to poo-poo the competition.

 Shortly after the birth of the internet and the refinement of search engines such as Google, webmasters, retailers and marketers began to understand what a powerful tool the internet is. In addition they needed to devise ways to drive users into their websites where they can sell and market their products. One way to improve your ratings on a search engine is to allow comments and reviews for the product you offer, and this is the root of all review evil.

Online reviews can be very valuable but I have a few rules when I do research. Disregard 90% of the comments on any sales website. Good or bad you are dealing with a high percentage of fan boys and naysayers who may or may not have used the product. Anything written on these sites should be suspect at best. I do pay attention when I see the same comment made over and over however and do additional research on a site with more experienced users, preferably a forum of enthusiasts.

Be it headphones, receivers, turntables, MP3 players or a car, there is a forum of enthusiasts who are more than happy to help you understand any purchasing decision. They will help you understand the real world factors of owning a, b or c product and how one may be better for your system specifically.

When I find a new forum I read through a number of threads to determine the legitimacy of the site. There are good and bad forums. Good forums contain civil, helpful and knowledgeable users. It is fairly easy to pick out the good from the bad based on the intelligence level of the posts. If it appears that every other post is filled with text speak, U R sumwere occupied by teens, which can be helpful but extra care must be taken as a considerable amount of misinformation is likely.

Reviews are not the end all of making purchasing decisions, especially if you are looking at a big dollar purchase or adding equipment that could affect the rest of your system. Any respectable dealer will let you test drive equipment, in your home long enough to decide what is right for you. Take advantage of this to ensure you make the best possible decision for your system. Online reviews are helpful to pinpoint the number of products you need to look at when making a decision but you should never buy blind based on the random information scattered across the internet universe.

Receiver power ratings are a tricky business that baffles even the most knowledgeable enthusiast. Many electronics companies spin their power ratings until they are unrecognizable from the truth and the public rarely has a clue. In testing many popular receivers from the likes of Onkyo, Pioneer, Kenwood, Denon and other major brands, it becomes clear… 100 watts is very rarely 100 watts except in the fairytale land of electronics marketing.

To fully understand how watts work in a home theater we need to delve into some engineering, scientific, brainiac stuff. Since I am not an engineer, a scientist or a brainiac, I will do my best here and keep it simple.

One important thing to understand is that watts are important, to a point. The differences between a 50-watt system and a 100-watt system is small, 3 decibels to be precise. Every 3 decibel increase in volume requires that the power output from the receiver doubles. In other words, every time you bump the volume up one notch, say from 30 to 29, the receiver doubles its output watts.

If a watt is a watt, why do equally rated receivers sound so different, why spend $1,000 when you can get the same watts from a $200 receiver. To illustrate how the power ratings game is played I am going to pretend we are selling cyclists, high end brand A is selling the Lance Armstrong model and low end brand B is selling me.

Both brands use a meter on the back wheel of the bike to compile peak output. Brand A does their test while Lance is climbing the steepest mountain in France and find his back wheel is putting out 100 watts and he is moving at 7 MPH. Brand B puts me at the top of a very steep mountain that has no curves and finds that despite my appearance I am capable of hitting 70 MPH and put out 130 watts. Of course if you put Lance and myself anywhere on earth and have us race, I will lose sight of Lance in less than a minute, followed shortly by a heart attack and quite possibly my death.

If Lance was a receiver, Brand A would put his rating down in a very accurate and meaningful way like this:  "100W/ ch. @ 8 ohms, with no more than 0.1% THD, from 20-20,000 Hz, all channels driven." This tells us that the receiver was tested over the full frequency range, just like we use it, all speakers driven and using the full frequency recorded.

Company B however gives us a specification like this: "130W/ch @ 8 ohms, at 1 kHz, one channel driven." Unless you enjoy listening to test tones through one speaker at 1kHz, this is not a meaningful specification and doesn’t give us any idea of what the system is capable of.

There is no standard for stating power ratings, which allows electronics manufacturers to legally lie to us. Knowing this fact helps and the sad fact is many of us can’t afford a super high end system so your own judgment has to come into play, you have to listen to the receiver, in your home, on your speakers and decide if it works for you.

Many moons ago the marketing teams discovered that 100 watts was the trigger for the general public and they found a way to get that rating without building a better receiver. The fact is however that unless you have an enormous room or very power hungry speakers, these receivers are more than enough for you. There is a very good reason to consider higher watt amps however.

Higher power gives an amp more headroom, which equates to better detail, truer bass and more pleasant sound even at low volumes. Home theater enthusiast often find they have to turn their receiver up, beyond reference volume to get the detail they seek. This is a sign of a straining system. Doing this also makes the bass muddy and the highs shrill, it is the sound of a struggling amplifier.

One affordable electronics manufacture consistently under rates the power of their receivers and they lose business because of it. Harman Kardon makes high power amps with flagship models showing ratings of 75 and 80 watts, these receivers however easily outperform many models that state 120, 130 or even 150 watts.

The moral of this story is that every purchasing decision requires research, by doing your homework your hard-earned money will buy more receiver. Most stores have a 30 day return policy so you can listen to the receiver in your environment, where it counts, take advantage of this and make a decision based on your ears, just make sure they are located in your favorite chair at the time.

Getting Ethernet to your Blu-Ray player, satellite receiver or any other device is difficult if your house isn’t already wired in the room and on the wall you need. In my house, built in the early 70s, I have firebreaks in every wall, which makes running Ethernet an extreme gymnastic sport because of the flexibility involved.

 I could hire someone to come out and do it or I could even do it myself but the effort and cost are just not worth it. I did find a solution however and it is both budget friendly and works like a dream. A wireless Ethernet bridge, also known as wireless print servers, work very well and I am surprised that nobody has picked up the ball and started marketing these as a home theater solution.

Yes, these do require a wireless network to connect to but most people have one, if not they need to get one, besides they are not terribly expensive. Most models have a USB port, it is important that the model you select also have an Ethernet port. My final solution is the Netgear WGR614 Wireless-G Router which has an amazing 4 port Ethernet hub built in which means I don’t have to also add a hub.

The Netgear WGR614 is the only wireless print server I have found with more than 1 Ethernet port and at under $40, it is an incredible bargain. In the rooms I have set these up in I have multiple devices that need to be connected. In my primary theater, I connect my DirecTV HD-DVR, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray and I am sure I will need one for the next receiver I buy. Having extra ports is great but many new products make use of Ethernet now so I am sure I will be forced to add a hub within the next year or two.

Connecting the Netgear WRG614 to a PC network is as easy as connecting the Ethernet, identifying your network and entering your security code. It connects and you are off and running. I have found streaming HD material from my DirecTV DVR to my computer is flawless from across the house and I have never had to touch it in more than a year. It connects, stays connected and I don’t even have to think about it.

For my friends who only have a Mac, well, you need to borrow a PC laptop to do the initial settings but once connected you are all set and have no reason to touch it ever again.

Any wireless Ethernet bridge will work and most network hardware companies have at least one model available. I have found the Netgear WRG614 on sale for as low as $20 if you are willing to do a little hunting, which makes it a serious home theater bargain that lets you take advantage of all the Ethernet features your system provides.

I was given the challenge of building a good home theater for under $1,000. In addition, the premise was that I had received a $1,000 gift card from Amazon and needed to build a complete, 5.1 home theater system that met my previous definition for what a home theater is and offered some kick ass quality.

Building a home theater for under $1,000 while making it a solid performer, is indeed a challenge that requires a considerable amount of thought, bargain hunting and a little compromise. The compromise comes in the form of a smaller display and a lack of Blu-Ray. For many this won’t be seen as a compromise however.

I started by locating an acceptable display that met my requirements for being a real home theater, that meant a screen size of at least 36 inches. In order for the system to be future proof, it needed to be HD and have HDMI capability. This is a pretty tall order if I wanted to spend $1,000 on the TV alone and have a quality display.

I found the Sharp Aquos LC37D44U 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV that has 2 HDMI ports and a brilliant picture. At 37 inches, the lack of 1080P is unnoticeable and this TV is a bargain at the moment. Cost: $570.99

Now I needed the heart of the sound system and it was clear this years models were out, I needed a refurbished unit from last year. I found a number of Sherwood and Sony receivers that fit my budget but I wanted good sound I could build on, not a system that would be stretched right out of the box. I decided on the Yamaha HTR-5840 XM-Ready 6.1-Channel A/V Surround Receiver. This receiver claims 100 watts per channel, a mark I find extremely suspect and would guess the real specification if tested would be closer to 60 watts, but that is more than enough to drive a well thought out home theater system. It decodes all of the standard Dolby and DTS formats currently available on DVD.

The compromise here is a lack of HDMI switching and no HD audio support but that can be remedied using the 6 channel analog inputs when it is time to upgrade to Blu-Ray. Cost: $129.12

To make the most of the Yamaha receiver I knew it would be best to stick with bookshelf style speakers and I wanted a package that included the sub so that the entire system would remain consistent wherever the sound panned during a movie. I expected this to be a tough search but to my amazement, the Polk Audio RM10 Speaker System fit my budget thanks to a great sale. These speakers offer a considerable upgrade from your home theater in a box speakers or your budget brands. Cost: $211.36

The DVD was going to be easy as the prices for very good upscaling players have dropped substantially. I did want HDMI and 1080i support at the minimum, 1080p wasn’t a consideration since the display is 720p. What I found is the Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player, a solid performer at a great price. Cost: $35

Now I just needed my cables and speaker wire. As I have mentioned before, you don’t have to spend much for a good HDMI cable and to prove my point I selected the Premium HDMI - HDMI Male to Male Gold Plated v1.3 Certified Category 2 - 6 ft / 2M for PS3 HDTV LCD TV Blue-Ray cable. Despite the lengthy name and PS3, Blu-Ray claim, it is a simple HDMI cable that is 1080p capable and it more than enough to provide a perfect picture. Cost: $1

Since the Yamaha receiver doesn’t support HDMI I need a optical, digital cable, again, I don’t need anything fancy, an optical cable is an optical cable and any one will do. The 2 pc 6' Digital Audio Optical Optic Fiber Toslink Cable was the perfect answer. Cost: $4.15

Now I just needed speaker wire and following my own advice, it had to be 12 gauge, oxygen free. The product I chose is the Acoustic Research PR221 Speaker Wire 12 AWG Oxy Free Copper, 50 ft spool. Acoustic Research makes good speaker wire without breaking the bank and 50 feet of wire will easily cover most home systems. Cost: $30.53

The final cost of my home theater came to $982.15 and gives me a solid performing home theater for under $1,000. The products and prices on Amazon change often but I am confident that you can go there any day of the week and build a similar system for under $1,000.

One consideration I didn’t address is the value of a projector if you have the right room. A projector system is the bargain way to get a big image for a low price and should be considered if it can work for you.

My next challenge will be to see what kind of system I would put together if money were no object. I am looking forward to this one.

I was deeply saddened to see that Samsung is discontinuing production of DLP televisions, a format I found superior dollar for dollar over both plasma and LCD. DLP televisions have a fantastic, life like picture in a lightweight, slim line form. You can’t mount it on a wall but studies indicate the vast majority of flat panels are sitting on a stand which is where a DLP set shines.

In researching the demise of DLP I found very little up to date information, the articles were all terribly outdated and in no way reflected today’s reality. This is truly sad, as there was no better bang for the buck, dollar per inch rival to the DLP technology. Can you imagine walking into your local mega store and telling them you wanted a 73-inch LCD or plasma for under $2000, they would laugh you out of the store.

Based on my experience in these same stores they would also fail to mention that a DLP would give you what you want. The DLP sets, especially Samsungs newer LCD, DLP sets have a breathtaking picture and in my opinion, a much more film like recreation for movies. The DLP sets however were left out of the way and unless you specifically ask, don’t seem to exist in the salesperson’s memory.

The rainbow effect was a problem for a small percentage of the public when watching inexpensive, older model DLP projectors but is not an issue with today’s DLP sets. DLP sets last a very long time as the moving parts and lamp are easily replaced by the owner at very reasonable prices. There is no down side to a DLP set unless you absolutely must hang the set on a wall.

I am hoping Mitsubishi will continue its production of the DLP sets and keep moving the technology forward. I have serious doubts they will continue much longer however. My grieving is the budget minded consumers gain. Take advantage of the lower prices while you can and get that big, beautiful picture you always wanted at a reasonable price.

Analog audio cables differ from their digital friends in purpose alone. The same cables that work well for your coax digital connection works just as well for any other audio/video connection, provided it is a 75-ohm cable. Unlike digital signals however, the cable used can color analog signals.

The changes made by analog cables are subtle at best and with most systems, no difference can be detected. Audiophiles spend years finding the perfect cable match for the sound they desire, be it warm, flat, expanded bass or any number of other characteristics. For those of us on a budget however, spending a thousand dollars a foot on cables won’t noticeably improve your sound.

You do want quality interconnects however but you don’t need to spend a lot of money, you just need to make sure the cables are well constructed, 75-Ohm, shielded models. I prefer the custom cables from Blue Jeans Cables, and in case you were wondering, I have no affiliation with these good folks, I just love their products and for the money feel they are the way to go.

Monster Cable, as I have stated before are well built and reliable but you pay a heavy price to cover their marketing and they are simply, very overpriced. Don’t spend any more than necessary on analog cables, just make sure they are 75-ohm and well shielded to avoid signal crossover to other cables and avoid picking up noise from power cables and RF signals in your home.

Speaker cables are where I am willing to spend a little more but I don’t go crazy.  I only use 12 gauge, oxygen free cable in my main system. That may sound expensive but the bulk cable found at Home Depot is high quality and inexpensive.

If you must go to a smaller gauge, never go below 16 gauge. If you have a large room where cable runs go beyond 20 feet, I wouldn’t try anything below 12 gauge unless there is simply no way to use it.

Choosing Digital Cables

What cables do I need? This is one of the most common questions in home theater and it is one surrounded in myth and marketing deception. This article will focus on digital cables, HDMI, Coax and Optical cables to be precise.

Digital cables have the simple job of passing along a signal, and this is the important part, it is a digital signal. Digital signals make it to the destination or they don’t, the cable can’t add warmth or bass, it can’t bring out the high end or improve the image on your HD Television. Digital either works, or it doesn’t.

Bandwidth is the only factor that matters when buying digital cables like HDMI, Coax or Optical. HDMI cables carry both the audio and video in a single, easy to use cable. Marketing by stores and manufacturers (I am looking at you Monster Cable) implies that you need an expensive cable to make that new Blu-Ray look and sound right on your new 1080p display.

This is where they begin to flat out lie to the public, as I said above, a signal either makes it or it doesn’t, any HDMI cable will work, you get a picture or you don’t. HDMI cables are self-checking for errors so they work, period. There is no magic cable that improves the picture or sound, so one last time for those in the cheap seats, YOU EITHER GET A SIGNAL OR YOU DON'T, it is digital.

Digital audio cables are a little different however the general facts remain true, the cable doesn’t improve or change the sound of a digital signal, they simply pass on the ones and zero’s which cannot be colored or changed by the cable. The only thing that is different here is that you need to ensure the cables are 75 ohm, which gives more than enough bandwidth for digital audio.

Not all cables are 75 ohm, the skinny cords that came in your DVD player box are NOT 75 ohm, they should not be used for anything. Coax and optical digital cables do not error check but again, as long as you are looking at a 75 ohm cable you don’t need anything else.

Radio Shack offers these cables at a reasonable price, Monster Cable  is outrageously priced but there is not anything physically wrong with them, they are a good cable brand. I prefer Blue Jeans Cables, they are hand made and look great, all for a very reasonable price.

Blue Jeans Cables can be ordered in different colors to make component identification behind a rack easier. They also carefully match the ends so you know exactly which cable in a bundle does what without tracing it back to the source. I use them for my digital cables so that all my cables match but I could easily save a few bucks by going to Radio Shack.

Analog cables require a bit more consideration than digital, I will be discussing them in the next article.

Choosing Analog Cables

Organizing a large DVD and Blu-Ray collection is more than just putting the movies on a shelf. You need a tracking system and an orderly way of arranging the movies so you can find what you want quickly.

When I was living alone and had less than 500 DVDs, I was able to maintain them with less effort than I am able to now, I always knew the movie was there, I just didn’t always know its exact location. Then my good friend and neighbor got his first DVD player and I started loaning movies out.

Loaning movies out must be done with extreme caution, I only have two people I loan movies too and I don’t feel a bit bad about telling everyone else no. Loaning movies complicates things unless you keep careful track of your movies but there is a solution that makes keeping track of your current movies easy. It also keeps track of your wish list and best of all, the movies you loan out.

DVD Profiler comes in a free and premium version. The free version does everything you could want but the premium version is inexpensive and includes a few bonus features. Adding your DVD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs is as easy as entering the name, UPC, reading the disc in a DVD drive or by using a hand scanner. The DVD Profiler database is kept up by enthusiasts and includes every region, version and variable you can imagine, so you always have the exact information that applies to your DVD or Blu-Ray.

DVD Profiler allows you to sort by genre, actor, media type and more making it easy to find exactly what you feel like watching. It also has excellent reporting capabilities, all of which can be printed out. In addition, they have a mobile and online version so you can check your wish list at the store or make sure you don’t already have a disc and trust me, when your collection starts to get big, you can easily forget what you already have.

Now that you have your collection loaded up it is time to organize your shelves. I use alphabetical, which is the easiest but there are other options I will discuss below. I print out a report in DVD Profiler and start loading the shelves, it makes alphabetizing faster. I go through all of my collection once a year to check for out of place or missing movies. Large collections, especially with a teen in the house, have a way of getting unorganized.

I also take the time to go through my list to identify any discs that failed to make it into the database or have vanished, usually into the depths of a bedroom. I track everything down and make corrections if necessary.

Alternative organization methods are as numerous as movies themselves, I have seen by director, year of theater release, and even by the style of case. I would suggest keeping it simple, genre is a good option that makes sense. I also separate my DVD, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD collections, more for appearance than anything else.

Now that you know how to find the best prices, store your collection and keep it organized the sky, well ,shelf space is the limit.

Collecting DVD and Blu-Ray Movies    DVD and Blu-Ray Storage

When you have a few DVD or Blu-Ray discs, keeping them safe is easy. It’s when you have 50, 100, 250 or more DVD and Blu-Ray discs that you have to start getting serious about storage and care of your collection.  This article will focus on where to put your selection to ensure the discs and cases stay good as new.

The traditional solution to DVD and Blu-Ray storage is to use shelves, large shelves, and this is the route I prefer. I have a need to look at the collection, pull out the case and make a viewing decision. Shelf storage keeps discs and cases in good condition and makes looking over your collection fast and easy. Standard bookshelves or dedicated DVD shelves are pretty much the same and interchangeable.

Shelf storage comes in a variety of sizes to fit most situations, the only problem is when you have so many discs, filling so many shelves that you have nowhere else to go. It is possible, as I am finding out now, to run out of shelf space and worse, space for more shelves. Those with an extra room can place their collection there but most of us don’t have an extra room or even an extra wall to spare. For most collectors however, the basic shelf solution is the way to go.

Storage binders are the solution for the seriously space deprived and it works in a pinch. Most people are familiar with these for storing CD collections but they work for DVD and Blu-Ray just as well. There is a serious downside to using DVD binders however. Small dust particles or even dirt get into the sleeves and scratch the delicate surface of the discs. CD’s are capable of playing perfectly well with minor scratches but DVD and Blu-Ray discs can become unplayable much easier because of a thinner layer of protective covering. Even if great care is taken, you can find your collection suffering.

Another consideration of the binder solution is that you have to either store the cases or toss them out which makes trading or selling discs much more difficult or impossible. It also makes picking a movie from your collection a chore as many discs have no clear identity and for those who have difficulty reading small print, well, you will suffer.

DiscSox is a nice solution that is a combination of the shelf and binder solutions. You cut the artwork out of the original case, slide it and the movie into a special sock to greatly reduce your collections space requirements. DiscSox claims a 13 inch stack of cases will be reduced to 3 inches and keep your discs safe and secure.

While I like the idea of saving a lot of space and still being able to see the movies cover, I can’t imagine cutting up the cases. The cases are not important to many people so you will have to weigh the DiscSox option based on your needs.

One creative option is using drawers, in a dresser, cabinet or even kitchen. This solution may work well for you if you prefer a shelf free environment but can’t bring yourself to destroy your collections covers. This option allows you to keep your movies out of harms way while maintaining a more traditional décor.

Now that you have your solution picked out, remember to dust shelves and cases often. Dust can quickly become adhered to the plastic covers of DVD and Blu-Ray cases making them less than perfect in appearance. I learned the hard way and grimace every time I pull out one of those movies.

Collecting DVD and Blu-Ray Movies    Organize a DVD and Blu-Ray Collection

Collecting movies on DVD and Blu-Ray can easily become an obsession. Hang out on any home theater forum and you may be amazed, even shocked, at the movie collections out there. Three thousand DVDs is a lot, and there are more than a couple collectors out there who put the local Blockbuster to shame.

Collecting is easy, but doing it on a budget, dealing with storage, and keeping the disks organized takes work and planning. Taking the time to come up with a careful plan for collecting makes the task enjoyable and pays off for the whole family.

I plan to cover the variables of collecting in several articles, including finding the best bargains, choosing the method of storage, and keeping track of your collection. Collecting DVDs and Blu-Rays seems like a no-brainer until your collection begins to exceed 50 discs or so--at which point organization becomes a must. If you have relatives or friends you loan movies to, things can get even more out of control.

This article covers how to buy discs without busting your budget. The first thing to do is create a wish list with a simple prioritization system.  Creating a list keeps impulse buying to a minimum so your collecting budget doesn’t keep getting dinged with minor wants or dogs. My system is simple and straightforward and can be used in something as easy as an excel spreadsheet, a piece of paper, or an organization system like DVD Profiler, which I will cover in a future article on organization.

Buy it When Released: This category is for the must-have movies, like The Dark Knight. Preordering online can save you money sometimes, but I prefer to hit the local brick-and-mortar for these buys. Home Theater Forum has two hard-working members who put together a list of all the large stores, both online and off, so you don’t have to spend your time searching. Most times the store prices are within a dollar of each other…so you simply visit the one closest to you.

Classics: The first thing about classics is that they are often available in different versions that can have widely varied quality issues.  With some classics, there is only one version available and it simply isn’t worth owning unless you are a die-hard fan. This is another place where an enthusiast’s forum can be handy. You will find other fans out there who know the right version to buy and why. In the case of a single bad version being available, I suggest waiting until a better release comes out.

Really Want: These are movies that have already been released and you know you will buy it. Depending on how recently the movie was released, the price may already be right. For movies released in the last 6 to 12 months--it is worth waiting until you find it on sale or the MSRP comes down. DVD Price Search is an easy online tool that searches all of the major and a number of minor stores. DVD Price Search also lets you enter all or part of your want list and shows you the best store, including shipping costs to make your purchase.

Kind-a-Want: These discs are nice if you find a great deal, but you could live without it. This category includes discs that are most likely to eat away at your budget…so carefully consider what movies you might be giving up from higher on your list when you purchase these. Kind-a-Want discs are about the only time I will consider a used disc and I have had great luck at Half.com. They have a great selection of used and new discs.

Another good way to maintain your collection, getting rid of bad choices and making friends all at the same time is to, once again, give your favorite forum a try. Other enthusiasts take great care of their discs and are looking to trade or sell their copies.

Now that you have a game plan for buying, we can talk about storage next time. See you then!

DVD and Blu-Ray Storage    Organize a DVD and Blu-Ray Collection