Episode 949 February 2, 2013

The best thing to do on a budget is to get a sound bar. They're increasingly popular these days and do a decent job of simulating surround sound. For the money, the Vizio VHT215 is a good one and there's more coming that are very impressive. Yamahas also do a very good job with sim-surround sound bars.

David recommends the Logitech Squeezebox. Mark has one but would like to get the music to his A/V receiver. Scott says if the NAS is DLNA compliant, like Synology's, he can use the DLNA receiver to pull the music off the NAS wirelessly. If the receiver isn't DLNA, then a blu-ray player may be an option. Head over to AVS Forum for tricks and tips on how to network and stream in the home. Scott also recommends AudioStream.com. AL in the chatroom recommends the Airport Express with Toss link to the receiver.

David has a Sanyo Z3 projector and a blue spot is appearing on the screen. Scott says that's a 9 year old projector and if he goes into the settings, he will see a timer setting that will tell him how many hours are on the bulb. It may just be time to replace it. Dave says that another issue may be that an LCD panel may be going out, and Scott thinks it may be the green panel. If that's the case, it's time to get a new projector.

Which one would be good? Scott says he could spend less than $3,000, but he hasn't found one that looks very good. Dave says that the Epson 5020 is less than $3,000 and they're pretty good. Scott does agree that Epson's mid-range models like the 3020 or the 5020 are fabulous.

Jason is looking at the Toshiba LCD TV in 32", is that a good brand?

Scott recommends Vizio for the budget conscious. He'll get a lot of bang for the buck. Dave agrees, but also adds that in that size range, most of the main brands are pretty equal. Scott says that Toshiba isn't bad, it's just not his first choice. What about RCA? Scott says they just started making TVs again, so they're an untested commodity at the moment. He should go with Vizio if he's on a budget.

Neither Scott or David buy warranties. Usually, if a TV goes out, it goes out within the first year. If the warranty is only $50 it may be worth it. The chatroom says to check with his credit card because extended warranties are often offered as a perk.

David is getting a new TV and he needs composite inputs for the devices he plans to connect it to (a DVD/VCR combo and a security camera). Scott says that these days, he'll be lucky if there's just one set of composite inputs. So the best solution is probably going to be a simple switch box. The chatroom suggests daisy chaining the DVD/VCR combo with the security camera and just switching to the input setting on it. Walmart has a DVD/VCR still for sale, and it has component inputs.