First Glimpse 2009-01 January 2009 Volume 6 Issue 1

5.2 MB·English

Achieve The Best HD Results
Becomeapartofthe
next-generationofHD
videowithLG's52LG70
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You'llexperienceuncom-
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information,seepage8!
January
2009
FEATUREDARTICLE: CEDevicesContinue
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BecomeCable Preserving HD Don'tSettle SimpleStepsTo
FreeWithWireless Memories ForFree EnhanceYour
SpeakersP.13 Made Easy p.30 PCUtilitiesp.49 Gaming P.67
Jr
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\
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FirstGlimpse'
TableOfContents•Volume6Issue1
OnOurCover:Featuredonthismonth'scoverisLG's52LG701080pLCDTVand
BD300NetworkBlu-rayDiscPlayer($2,799.95and$349.99,respectively;www.lgusa.com).
HangItUp 40to42 DigitalImaging
GetTheRightFlat-PanelMount ComparisonCharts
ForYourHDTV Point-&-Shoot
Cameras;D-SLRs;
HDTVs DigitalCamcorders
TheGoodsOnLCDs,Plasmas&RPTVs
Lifestyle Close-up:
EssentialThingsToKnow CE Convergence
CoverStory TVScreenTechnologies
8 HDLikeYou'veNeverSeenItBefore 20to25 HomeTheater Technologiesandfeaturesthatwereoncelim-
LG's52LG701080pLCDTV8< ProductProfileSection itedtocertainproductshavecrossedlinesand
BD300NetworkBlu-rayDiscPlayer 26to27 HDTVComparison deevvoilvceeds.thInatthniossleocntgieorn,swerevetajuksetaolnoeokpuartpCosEe.
Charts 43
Open LCD;Plasma CWohlelanboYroautreG8<adCgoeotpserWaotrekTogether,
6 CENews 28 H5DMTusVts-HaveAccessories 44 AYoMueeWtiinngOfHome-TheaterMinds
HomeTheater Digital Imaging TTeocHhonmoleo-gTyheTahtate'rsCLoenavdeinrggence
10 TheMagicBox 29 BeyondMegapixels 45 MergingTogether
UnderstandingDACs It'sWhat’sOnTheInside OneDigitalImagingDevice,
(Digital-To-AnalogConverters) ThatCounts ManyFunctions
11 GoingDigital 30 FromDigicamToDisc 46 WelcomeToMultimediaFusion
HowWillTheUpcoming HowToPreserveYourHDMemories PCConvergenceContinues
12 TMoVrCeonPvoewresrioTnoAYffoeuctYou? 31 OSpeteiTchalevDsi.fDfiegrietnacleZoom 47 TItaslTkr&anMsfoorremation
13 ACWYiuo/rtuVerlDReHeoscoswemniSevp-eOeTranhkSeepTraehstceesSriC8ml<SpuVlytitsofetlyreumme 3323 SFDiopgcaiantlanliLneCngagmTtchhoesrSEdxpeperlcsatirnuemd 48 TMBEoneodgyraaoeygn'eTdshIJPnauhnsYotoJnTuueshrsteOSMGhwiaannrumetGeeasming
14 H&FionHmdeD-TTThVheeTRaiotgehFrittSBYhuoodupgrpeitNnegeQdusestionnaire 34 C5EsaMsmeunestrtiaa-lHCTaahpviaebniAglcsictTeisoessoKrnioesw ComConpveurgetnceeErxpesrience
15 Yes,YouNeedToCalibrate 36to39 DigitalImaging 49 Antivirus&AntispywareSoftware
GiveYourHDTVAMakeover ProductProfileSection DoYouGetWhatYouPayFor?
CcimnoohpnaFytinrrhgsiletgyshGtbltyio2m0SFpia0srn9esd,thbiGyVlloliSslmanpuPdsmuhebei,lli6lPss.hIOiPs.nusgbuBleCoioxs1hm8iip5snag3sn8tCry0io,,cmtlLp1yi3anp1cnroyoWlh.nei,sbFiNtitrEesGdtr6Gaw8lin5tid0hm1opD-usr5tie3vw8eir,s0i.taPt.erOne.gpiBesrotmexirse8sd5i3to8rn0a.,dPeLrmiiannrctokeldno,finSNatEnhde6hi8Ul5.l0Ss1.A-P.5u3bGl8i0Ss.ThiSn#ugb1sC2cor3mi4pb8ae2rn7yS8.e8rRvAlTilc0er0si0g:1ht.(s80Fr0ie)rsse7tr3vG3el-di3.m8p0Rse9ep.r(PoIdOSuSScNTtiMo1An5S5o4Tf-E2mRa1t0:e6r)Siaeilnsdappuapbdeldairrseihsnesgd
r
50 SurfTheWi-FiWave Wireless
WhatYouNeedToUseWi-Fi
WithYourLaptop 67 GamingServices
51 TheLowdownOn802.1In GeekSquadHelpsYou
TheLatestGenerationOfWireless GetInTheGame
52 EssentialThingsToKnow 68 CERetailers'MobileServices
MediaCenterPCs One-StopConvenience
54 SendInTheGeeks! 69 DigitalVoiceRecorders
SayGoodbyeToSlowComputers BetterQuality,MoreFeatures
8<PricesThatMatchTheUser
55to61 CProomfipluetSeercstiPornoduct 70 EssentialThingsToKnow
SatelliteRadio
62to63 CCoommppaurtiesrosnCharts 72 MP3Players
Notebooks; 5Must-HaveAccessories
Desktops 73to80 WirelessProduct FirstGlimpse
64 SoftwareListings ProfileSection
GetMoreOutOfYourPC 81 to82 WirelessComparison ProductCoverageInquiries
66 N5oMtuesbto-oHkasveAccessories CMhPa3rtPslayers;GPSDevices p(18r30o10d)Wuce2ts4s7t(-5G4>r8fa8inr0sdtgDlriivmepsemag.com
Lincoln,NE68521
Editor's Note Circulation
(Toadjustyourbulkorderortorequestracks.)
G marketingjafirstplimpsemag.com
onearethedayswhereyouneedanarsenalofCEdevicestoenjoyyourmusic,videos, [phone]
photos,andtheInternet.ThankstoconvergenceintheCEworld,productshavegrown
sbpeuyrorneddhtahveianbgiloitnyeopfualrlpsoosretsaonfdCnEodwevoifcfeesrtmoulctoipmlmeufnuinccatitoensa.nCdEwcoornkveinrgceonncjeunhcatsioanlswoith C(pFluoasrcteqouamenesrotriSdoeenrrsvioacrbeocuhtanygoeuransuabdsdcrreispst.i)onorto
oneanother.CellphonesarenowagatewaytotheInternetandcansnapaquickphoto;dig- customer-servicetafirstglimpsemag.com
italphotoframescanuploadphotosfromyourdigicamandonlinephoto-sharingaccounts; [phone]
andHDTVscanstreammusicandphotoslideshowsandgiveyouInternetaccess.Thelist FAX:[phone]
gooneesaonnotahnedroann,dacnadusinedthtishemodnetvhe'lsopFimrestntGloifmpdseev,icweesewxiptlhomruelwthipalteCfEundcetvioincse.shaveinfluenced FPLi.irOnsc.toGBllno,ixmN8pE5se36880501-5380 Fi/iiSiatnodfhiial#ls
Therearemanydevicesonretailshelvesthatcanperformmorethantheiroriginallyintended
purposes.Thenexttimeyou'reshoppingforaCEdevice,whe- Hours
r & tCfkeheEaeetrcpuoriytne’sovs,uearryngoeeMuynePcjs3ues.ptpeBlemealiycegeadrhu,tfsgoefraitgnmhdaeodtsgcheeoatntpssrcootaldhenua,tcbotehrstatdvoeifergfiesbrctearaemen,faumiIslsmiiupongnaegcoeytfsoetCudrEyboyu SMOSwaunwotbl.wn:si..c8nFre-iai.rFpCrmtsiu..it:soGt7tnoloaiC4m.memepnp.r.tsmteeS.oreMr8(avCgipS.c.Tecm)o.8<m(CST)
CEneeds.
AuthorizationForReprints:
[phone]
AaEdssihhtlloeeryy,[email protected] gPreeltneaaeisrleaelrnoprtreeif:ceiPrnregin.cceesalnisdtemdaiyntvhairsyifssruoemarefor
The Latest Arrivals
Look ForThese NewProducts
KeepaneyeoutfortheseproductshittingBestBuyshelvesforthefirsttime.Someoftheitemslistedbelowareshowcasedinthismonth's
one-pageproductprofiles,sobesuretotakealookatthelistedpagenumbersformoreinformation.
HomeTheater DigitalImaging DellStudioSMT-116BDesktop BelkinSusanC.KomenSport
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DenoniPod/NetworkingClient foriPodclassic KensingtonK33430USLiquidAUX
DockwithWiFi Computers BelkinEco-ConsciousLeatherFolio Deluxe
DenonNetworkedAudioSystem Adobe*Photoshop*Elements7 foriPodnano NykoChargeBase360forXbox360
withBuilt-iniPodDock Adobe*Premiere*Elements7 BelkinEco-ConsciousLeatherFolio NykoIntercoolerTSforPS3
OMOommtnnoiirMMizooeuudnnCttanPPtooiwwleeevrre54r50MMoLeaurdngiteum KUeSnBsiPnorgttsonCi70Keyboardwith fcBloearlsksiiiPncoSdiltiocuocnheSleeveforiPod NNyykkooMInetdeiracoHoluebr+TSfofrorPSX3box360
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FirstGlimpse/January20095
N
OPEN
ce news
CompiledbyJennieSchlueter
—
slotMusicFormatDebuts ContinuingEfforts
ToGoGreen
^ Thelatestcomertothe
dtihgeitsallomtuMsuisiccsfcoernemaits BpelsatnsBtuoyrreedceunctelythaengnroeuenncheodusiets
w(whwiwc.hslisotbmeuisnigc.boarcgk)e,d g8a%speemrisssqiuoanrseffrooomtiatcsrsotsosretsheby
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formatattheendof squarefootofgreenhousegases
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L, high-efficiencylighting,HVAC
c FCCApprovesUseOfNewSpectrum “ smpyoeslntitceiymnsf,goraantchdoesmktpyraluincgykhi-tnsw;giifdlmeepeltn;eo--ainddle
upgradingandnetworkingthe
Afteryearsoftestingandde- centralEnergyManagement
bate,theFederalCommunica- Systemtotrackandmanageen-
tionsCommissionhasvotedto ergyspikes.
allowcertainwirelessdevices
tooperateinthe"whitespaces"
thatexistbetweenlicensedtele-
visionchannelsontheTV
broadcastspectrum.Theseun-
usedportionsofthespectrum
couldpavethewayforanewgen-
erationofnetworkingdevices,andastheyarecurrentlyunlicensed,
theyalsoopenthedoorforcompetitionamongbroadbandandmo-
bilephoneproviders.
Manyinthesportsandperformanceindustriesareconcernedthat
thenewtrafficinthespectrum'swhitespaceswillcreatetoomuchin-
terferencewithwirelessmicrophones.TheFCChasofferedassurances
thatitwillmonitorandprotectthewirelessmicbandwherenecessary.
v /
6January2009/FirstGlimpseMag.com
OPEN
marketplace tidbits
Recentresults
GlobalOnlineTVPricesFall fCroonmstuhemmeornthly
Spending
crnIfieoygnhwottum'rtveaipemyoebrbetteeofnyrboowuumayriDtaciihnsnapgenlwcfaeoyLr.SCetAahDrerTce-hV, ttIhhnadetisccuaortovnresyusmtauerderysmsorhseostwploinkedliyn(g57t%o)
revealsthattheglobalaverage tocutbackondiningoutand
priceforLCDTVsonlinehas leastlikely(35%)tocutback
fallenanaverageof22%from onvideogames.
September2007toSeptember Source:NPDCroup
2008.TheonlinepriceforCRTs
rose4%duringthesameperiod,
and,ingeneral,largerTVssaw GPSmaker
thebiggestpricedecline. Garminsold3.9
DisplaySearch LCDTVE-TailAveragePriceInNorthAmerica thmiirldliqounaurntietsrionfthe
ScreenSize September August September MonthOver YearOver 2008,up43%from
Source: 2007 2008 2008 Month Year Q32007.
20inches $392 $431 $381 -12% -3% Source:Garmin
32inches $750 $680 $658 -3% -12%
40inches $1,451 $1,161 $1,115 -4% -23%
46inches $1,915 $1,503 $1,508 0% -21% iSuppliisfore-
52inches $2,791 $2,009 $1,951 -3% -30% castingthatHDTV
unitshipmentswill
MobilePhoneShipmentsDown reach241.2million
SlightlyDespiteHolidaySeason by2012.
Source:iSuppli
ThepriceofLCDTVsonlineisn'ttheonlythingdroppingduringthesetough
economictimes.Thenumberofmobilephonehandsetsshippedworldwide Despitethe
duringthethirdquarterof2008wasdownslightlycomparedtoprevious economic
q0tguu.rar0ore4wtr%tesrhossvt.hoeaMcrsakQnhuiu2spfta2ot0crh0itec8uia.rrlelTryrehtsbeaiesltehhcniihpraadpsneqnhdueial2grsh9t9feaosrmri2ttly0lhpi%eiocnhadoluhllrayiidnsnadegysesest.thhYseiegitanhhri-Qvrod3ovleq2ruu0-am0rye8te,eaarrsa;mmdtaarhrinoskupefyoteafacr- fromndetohwwensCttuEurdAny,prao-
thegrowthratewasjust3.2%. jecteda3.5%growthincon-
sumerelectronicsindustry
T&opMaFirvkeetMoSbhialree,PQho3n2e00V8en(dUonritss,ISnhMiipllmieonnst)s spahriepdmetontthsefsoraQm4e2p0e0r8iocdom-
Vendor Q32008 Q32008 Q32007 Q32007 Q32008/ lastyear.
Unit Market Unit Market Q32007 Source:CEA(ConsumerElectronicsAssociation)
Shipments Share Shipments Share Change
1.Nokia 117.8 39.4% 111.7 38.6% 5.5%
2.Samsung 51.8 17.3% 42.6 14.7% 21.6% In2009,58%ofU.S.
3.SonyEricsson 25.7 8.6% 25.9 8.9% -0.8% carmodelswill
4.Motorola 25.4 8.5% 37.2 12.8% -31.7% comewithiPod
IDC 5O.tLheCrEslectronics 2553.3 71.87.%5% 2510..93 j71.76.%4% 59.%9% sthueppfoarcttosrtyr.aightfrom
Source: Total 299 100% 289.6 100% 3.2%
Source:iSuppli
FirstGlimpse/January20097
COVERSTORY
HD You've Never
Like
Seen Before
LG’s 52LG70 1080p LCD TV & BD300 Network
Blu-ray Disc Player
henewyearhasarrived,and 4,096 sensing process to adjust withDeepColorinputsacinch,while
evennon-footballdiehards brightness,contrast,color,sharpness, givingyoucontrolofalltheSimpLink-
knowthatmeansSuperBowl andwhitebalance.Thisenablesthe connecteddeviceswithoneremote.
Sundayisrightaroundthe 52LG70toproduceanimageautomati- Furtherexpansioncomesbywayofthe
corner.Shortofsnagging50- callyadjustedtomatcharoom’slight- 52LG70'sintegratedUSB2.0port,mak-
yardlineseatsatTampa'sRaymond ingenvironment.Theresultismore ingviewingJPEGdigitalphotosona
JamesStadium,thebestwaytoviewthe engagingandrealisticgameaction,as USBflashdriveorplayingMP3digital
NationalFootballLeague’scrownjewelis wellasapotentialreductioninpower audiofilesonaDAPasimplereality.
onanHDTV.EnterLG'sowngem,the52- consumption.
inch52LG70FlatPanel($2,799.95; LooksToDieFor
www.lgusa.com),adistinguishedmem- WithLG'sTruMotion120Hztechnol-
berofLG'sLG70HDTVSeriesroster.Long ogy,evenarunningbackstreaking Featuringateardropdesignandhigh-
afteraSuperBowlwinneriscrownedFeb. downthesidelinetowardtheendzone glossblackframeaccentedinseductive
1,though,LGcanhelpyouandyour willflowsmoothlyandnaturally.And shadesofred,the52LG70surroundsits
familyrevelinaheightenedhome-theater thankstoLG'sClearVoicetechnology, 52-inchdiagonalscreenwithtastefulso-
experiencebyaddingthetrailblazing whichautomaticallyenhancesandbol- phisticationwhilediscreetlyhidingan
BD300,theworld'sfirstBD(Blu-rayDisc) stersaudiofrequenciesemittingfrom invisibletwo-way,four-systemspeaker
andDVDplayerthatcanaccessthe humanvoices,you'llheartheplay- thatstretchesaroundtheentirebezel.
Netflixinstantstreaminglibraryofmore by-playgivenbythegame'scommen- InadditiontoanonboardDolbyDigital
than12,000titles.Combined,the52LG70 tatorsincrisp,clear,high-qualitydia- Decoder,the52LG70'suseofspeaker
andBD300areasportsandmovielover's logueunimpaired,notmuffled,or actuatorsvs.traditionalspeakerdrivers
dreamcometrue. drownedoutbythecrowdcheering allowsforamoremodern,streamlined
madlyinthebackground. designthatdoesawaywithoften-
TimeForKickoff Afterthelastsecondhastickedoffthe dunusciignhgtlSyRSspTerakueSrurgrriolulensdwXhiTlesosutinlld.prAol-l
Availablein32-,42-,47-,and52-inch clock,youcanroundupthekidsand featurescombined,theISFccc(Image
models,LG70FlatPanelLCDHDTV familyandcountonLG's24pReal ScienceFoundationcustomcalibration
SeriesTVspackfullHD1080p(1,920x Cinematechnologytowatchyourfa- certification)-ready52LG70willcatch
1,080)resolutionsupport.So,asyou voriteHDcontentat24fps(framesper anyviewer'seye,whetherplayingSuper
andyourbuddiesgatheraroundthe second),matchingtherateatwhichHD BowlturfbattlesorFridaynightflicks.
52LG70onSuperBowlSunday,you'll filmsareshot.LG’sSimpLinksystem,
witnesseverysnap,handoff,pass,and meanwhile,makesconnectingother NowPlaying:TheBD300
touchdownasifstandingontheside- SimpLink-compatiblegear,suchasthe
lines.LG'scutting-edgeIntelligent BD300oranLGhome-theatersystem, Doesinstantaccessto12,000movies
Sensortechnologyusesasophisticated tooneofthe52LG70'sfourHDMIV.13 andTVepisodessoundenticing?Then
8January2009/FirstGlimpseMag.com
COVERSTORY
meetthenetwork-enabled,multidimen- HardlyAOne-TrickPony areincreasinglyproviding.Further,sup-
sional,trailblazingLGBD300($349.99; portforBonusViewputspicture-in-
www.lgusa.com)—yourbridgetoun- Forthosetimeswhenonlyanactionad- picturecommentaryandspecialfea-
limitedaction,horror,drama,romantic, ventureorthrillerfromyourownBDli- tureswithinyourreach.
andcomedicviewing.Withasub- brarywillsatisfy,theBD300ismorethan
spcrroivpitdioenrfNreotfmlilxea(daisngloownlaisne$8m.o9v9iea tuupretoqutahleittyasbk.yIwnaayddoiftifuolnltHoDsu1p0e8r0ioprspuipc-- InputOnTheOutputs
month;www.netflix.com)andabroad- port,theBD300'sall-digitalHDMIoutput TheBD300'sEthernetandHDMIout-
bandInternetconnection,theBD300 andonboardlosslessDolbyTrueHD/ putsprovideseeminglylimitlessoppor-
can instantlystream moviesand DigitalPlusandDTS-HDAdvancedDig- tunitytodiveintomouthwateringBD
TVepisodestoyourHDTVfrom italOutsupportmeansasuperioraudio extrasandsuperiorplaybackquality,but
Netflix'sWatchInstantlylibraryin experienceinupto7.1-channelspeaker thistalentedplayeroffersplentyofaddi-
audioandvideoqualityapproaching bliss.Chancesareyourmovielibraryalso tionalconnectivityoptions,including
thatofDVD.Afteryoupressplay,the containsahealthysupplyofolder,stan- opticaldigitalandcoaxialaudiooutputs,
BD300andNetflixwon'tbotheryou dard-definitionDVDs.Noproblemwith CompositeandComponentvideoout-
withadvertisingortrailers.Instead, theBD300,whichcanupscalethosetitles puts,andstereoaudiooutputs.Allthis
moviesstartinlessthan30seconds, to1080pHDquality. comesinasmartlycraftedframethat
afterwhichyoucanpause,rewind,and measuresjust2.3x16.9x10.9inches
fast-forwardtheactionrepeated- CombinedwithabroadbandInternet (HxWxD)andglowswithaglossy-black
ly thanks to unlimited viewing connectionpluggedintotheBD300's richnesstomatchconceivablyanyset-
freedom.WiththeBD300asyour Ethernetport,theplayerputsBD-Live ting.Throwinanincludeduniversalre-
ticket,youcanalsodigdeepinto supportatyourfingertips,givingyou mote,andyou'reonepressofthePlay
Netflix’ssmallerlibraryofclassic scadsofWeb-basedmaterial,including buttonawayfromthousandsofNetflix
moviesandTVepisodes,aswellasa trailers,ringtones,interactivecontent, movies,high-defBDglory,andhoursof
selectionofrecentreleases. andexclusiveextrasthatmoviestudios Internet-enabledBDextras. IS
FirstGlimpse/January20099
—
HOMETHEATER
The Magic Box
Understanding DACs (Digital-To-Analog Converters)
THEATER
qualityofincomingbroadcastsignals.
HOME Inthissetup,thetelevisionmustusean
internalADC(analog-to-digitalcon-
verter)totranslatetheanalogsignalback
intoadigitalformat,sotheconverter
boxintroducesanunnecessarystepthat
inevitablydegradestheoriginalsignal.
TthheeggooovdernnemwesnitsthhaatsiyfoyuoucnoeveedreadD—ACa,t
leastupto$40.Everyhouseholdin
Americaiseligiblefortwofreecoupons
worthupto$40eachoffthepriceofcon-
verterboxes,meaningyourout-of-pocket
costisminimal(andpossiblynothing,de-
pendingonwhatboxyoupurchase).You
canlearnmoreandsignupforyour
couponattheDTV2009Websitelo-
catedatwww.dtv2009.gov.E3
byTracyBaker
DoYou Need
magineifthegovern- needhardwarecalledaDAC(digital- A DAC?
n mentpassedanewlaw to-analogconverter)totranslate.Con-
m17a,ndalaltiU.nSg.tchiattizaesnsofmFuesbt. vienrctoermibnogxedsigwiittahlDsiAgnCaslse,qwuhiipcphedcroencteaiivne IfHyDou’ovreoptuherrcwhiassee—daintetlheevipsaisotntwo
abandonEnglishastheir dataconsistingentirelyofonesandzeros. years,there’slittlechanceyouneeda
officiallanguageandin- TheDACitselfisaspecialchipwithin converterboxwithaDAC.Check
steadspeak,write,and theconverterboxthatusesaprocessor thedocumentationthatcamewith
readMandarinChinese.That,inanut- coupledwithaninternalprogramto yourtelevisiontodeterminewhat
shell,isthesituationthatoldertelevi- translateallofthoseonesandzerosinto typeoftunerithas(digitaloranalog).
sionsacrossthecountryface.Asof analogvideoandaudiowaves.The Ifithasadigitaltuner,youdon’t
thatdate,televisionstationsmust resultinganalogsignalisthenpassedout needaconverterboxwithaDAC.If
abandonbroadcastinganalogsignals oftheconverterboxtoaconnectedtele- ithasananalogtuner,youneeda
thatoldertelevisionsnativelyhandle vision,whichhasnoideatheanalogdata converterboxwithaDACtoreceive
andexclusivelyusedigitalsignalsthat itisnowreceivingwasoncestoredindig- over-the-airsignalsfromlocalbroad-
makeasmuchsensetooldertelevi- italformat. casters.IfyougetTVservicethrough
sionsasMandarinChinesedoesto acableorsatellitetelevisionoperator,
mostAmericans. ConverterboxeswithDACsarenicefor contacttheprovidertoseeifyou
Inorderforolderanalogtelevisionsto dtohno’steuwsieththoelmdewritThVasll(-dsiegeitsalidteeblaerv)i,siobnust, nceeievdeasenryviscpeecaifatleretqhueiptrmaennsittitoon.sti•llre-
makesenseofthenewdigitalsignals,they oryouwillreducethesoundandpicture
10January2009/FirstGlimpseMag.com