I have added a Amazon Fire TV and an Apple TV.  I just started DirectTV Now streaming service and it has not been fun.  Lots of problems.  I am hoping they work them out soon.

agenttaylor January 10, 2017 18:42

I have had Tivo's for over 10 years I think. They are great. However since DirectTV is moving away from them and using Mpg4 which DirTivo's do not support, I made the switch. I wanted all the HD I could get. The DirectTV HR20 is different but has been great. I love the 90 min buffer, preview window, really fast menus and programing. I think the picture is better too. The menus are even clearer. DirectTV is always updating features and fixing any issues (none of which I have really had problems with) with firmware updates. It just keeps getting better. It does not have dual buffering and I thought that would bother me but it didn't. Go to www.dbstalk.com to read up on them some.

Thanks

agenttaylor May 15, 2008 17:09

Nice system! I was just about to pick up a TIVO and noticed your comment that you liked DirectTV better. Could you explain a bit? Any problems with the TIVO? I've read that satellite channels are all over the place and tough to get used to. Thanks!

c427537 May 09, 2008 23:17

I did some testing last weekend while demoing a Lexicon MV5 and learned the the Toshiba A35 is terrible at 2 channel audio on CD's and audio on DVD's either 2 or 5 ch. It does fine for HD DVD. My old Pioneer DV-45a sounded much better with both the CD's and DVD's. I was not very happy. The PS3 was the best of all. Once I put the Rotel back in the system (Lexicon was MUCH better sounding) I got the same results.

agenttaylor March 09, 2008 01:47

I don't really notice any picture differences. I like both. The HD DVD menu's are nicer but you spend 60 seconds in the menu and 2 hours in the movie so it doesn't really matter. The PS3 does not have analog out and the A-35 does so that is a plus. The PS3 is much faster. With the demise of HD DVD soon it is still nice to watch the disc's that are HD DVD only.

agenttaylor February 18, 2008 21:19

Agenttaylor.....what do you think of the Blu-Ray vs the HD-Dvd pictures? Any noticable differences? Do you have a preference?

mitch4t February 02, 2008 20:10

System edited: I added a Toshiba A35 HD DVD player. Yeah, I know. But I have a Blu-ray too. :~)

agenttaylor February 02, 2008 19:11

System edited: I swapped out my Paradigm Seismic 12 subwoofer for the Servo 15.

agenttaylor October 28, 2007 21:45

System edited: I swapped out my 34" Sony tube tv for a new Sony Bravia SXRD KDS-50A3000 50". I have stopped using my B&W HTM2 center since I no longer have room and I would rather have the HTM1 instead.

agenttaylor October 20, 2007 20:41

System edited: I added DirectTV HR20 HD-DVR to my system list. I now like it better then my TIVO.

agenttaylor July 16, 2007 15:52

I have been looking at LCD's for some time but have no money to put to it right now. I really want to though. I just replace my entire AC in the house and that is going to take some time to recover from. My CRT however does work and looks great.

I have not done a direct comparison of the PS3 and a stand alone Blu-ray player but a local high-end store has and said the PS3 was just as good. The PS3 has been a fun addition and I am more than thrilled I got it.

I have been dealing with heat issues in the room and the PS3 is putting out 116 degrees of heat off the back of it. With all the other equipment in the room managing heat has been a pain. The new AC has helped but plenty more still to do. I had a return added and had to make sure it did not add any noise to the room. It worked out well. I still may pull the sheetrock off and re-do the insulation and also treat the room for sound at the same time.

agenttaylor May 02, 2007 14:44

I was doing a search for the Sony PS3 and stumbled upon your system page. My intention is similiar to Mitch4t. I was curious if the PS3's performance in blu-ray can compete with standalone blu-ray players up to $1,000.

Since you have asked, I would suggest that your next upgrade would be a flat-screen 50" plasma or LCD. Your impressive B&W speakers have outshone your CRT box.

Cheers.

ryder April 21, 2007 09:51

The PS3 has a better picture for standard DVD's than my Pioneer DV-45a. Blu-ray movies look even better. I have heard that it is just as good as the Sony stand alone $1000 players.

It does has optical out as well as the HDMI if you want to use that. It well worth buying a PS3 for just moives and DVD's. If you game it is a even better.

agenttaylor March 13, 2007 20:39

Agenttaylor..
, I just got a Toshiba HD DVD player and I'm in love. I would like to get a Blu-Ray player for home theater also. I see that you have a PlayStation 3. Does the Playstation give good picture quality for movies? Does it have a digital audio output and is the sound any good?

I have a 10 yr old son, and if the PlayStation 3 is up to snuff for home theater, I can kill two birds with one stone.

mitch4t March 09, 2007 04:00

System edited: I just replaced my Rotel RSP-976 with a Rotal RSP-1068.

agenttaylor March 06, 2007 11:15

System edited: I just added a Sony PS3.

agenttaylor February 13, 2007 15:29

System edited: I just ordered a Paradigm Seismic 12 subwoofer to use for LFE.

agenttaylor January 19, 2007 14:43

I borrowed a Lexicon MC-12 for a local dealer last night. I spent a few hours with it so far and was blown away by the detail it offers compared to my dated Rotel RSP-976. I am now considering buying a MC-4.

agenttaylor December 28, 2006 14:03

System edited: I added a 2nd Vandersteen 2Wq Subwoofer.

agenttaylor November 11, 2006 10:49

Cables should be replaced IMO I have listened to transparent vs virtual dynamics and the VD cable is far more superior to the transparent. Call up the guys at VD they are easy to deal with and look after your needs and usually give you a big discount

j_haitel October 05, 2006 15:50

System edited: Note: Only the Tivo is plugged into the UPS.

agenttaylor September 25, 2006 17:44

I got rid of the Supercube 1 sub and replaced it with the Vandersteen 2QW. I am much happier with the Vandy sub. The Supercube was terrible for 2 channel music. The Vandy excels at it and also does a great job at video. I plan on adding a second as soon as I can and run them in stereo. I had to rearrange the room some so I could put the sub in the corner since it was designed to be placed in a corner.

I have updated the photos of the room so you can see the changes.

Aaron8727: I have never tried any other cables on the system so I can not give you a fair answer right now. I plan on doing some testing soon and will update my thoughts here.

agenttaylor September 25, 2006 17:36

Very nice system! What are your thoughts on the Transparent Link 200 and the Music Wave speaker cable?

aaron8727 September 12, 2006 04:39

System edited: I just put up a rug on the back wall to help with the rear reflections. The wife really did not like putting panels up but said that a rug was fine. I haven't had much time listening since I put it up but it does seem to help.

agenttaylor August 27, 2006 22:04

My modification approach is to replace critical caps (power supply, coupling, output, etc.), diodes (ultra fast, soft recovery), chasis dampening, power supply tweaks, and replacing selected cheap internal wire with silver wire. This approach can be applied prety much across the board and has yielded great results. I have done this /can do this to just about any CD/DVD player.

vman71 August 23, 2006 18:40