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It is 2010 and the latest big thing in video is 3D movies. All of the major manufacturers are starting to sell their 3D audio-video receivers and processors and prices for 3D capable gear are starting to settle down to reasonable levels. So let's take a look at mid-range receivers from  three major manufacturers - Denon, Pioneer, Onkyo and Yamaha.

Before we look at individual units - let's take a look at a few basic features that are mandatory in the new generation of receivers:

HDMI 1.4 - in reality there is nothing special about HDMI 1.4 vs the 1.3a. In fact, it is only a change in specifications for the ports and cables that do not introduce any hardware changes. In theory, all HDMI 1.3a devices would be 3D capable if they had powerful enough processors to crunch the massive amounts of data associated with 3D. So while the HDMI ports and cables are not really any different, the processors in the new machines are upgraded to ones with enough power to work on more data.

Room sound auto-calibration - this is one of the most essential features that eliminates the need to manually set speaker distances, individual sound levels and it will even tell you if you got your cabling wrong.

HDMI upconversion - this allows one to take video and audio from any type of connection and any  source and upconvert it to 1080p over HDMI. If you don't have this feature, you may have to connect more than one cable to your TV to enjoy the old sources.


On screen display (GUI, overlay) - the ability of the receiver to display all the settings and controls on your TV instead of small LED screen on the unit itself. Very handy and mandatory in this day and age.

Connections and ports - Last by not least - What and how many devices can be connected. Everyone has different needs, but a few types of connectors and ports are essential nowadays. HDMI, digital audio (RCA/coax  and Optical/SPDIF), component for older HI-Def sources, USB for iPod/iPhone and other sources.

As you can see, I'm not listing 7.1 or 7.2 for that mater as a required feature. Most of these receivers will have the ability to hook  up seven speakers and at least one subwoofer, but it is not as widely used as industry wants us to believe. Majority of people (around 78% according to AV magazines) use either stereo (2 speakers), 3.1 (left, right, center and subwoofer) or 5.1 (left, right, center rear left, rear right and subwoofer) setups. This is due to the fact that good speakers in general are quite expensive and many chose to have less but of better quality, others don't have enough space for 7 speakers, and many have already built their 5.1 theaters that they are happy with. Even most 7.1 receivers are 7.1 only in name and not in function as one would have to sacrifice second zone connections and even may need to get a separate two channel amplifier to power those two speakers.   

Now that we are done with the basics, let's take a look at our lineup in more detail (in no particular order):

Pioneer VSX-1020-K: This is a mid-upper range Pioneer receiver that is aimed towards people with good speakers, good understanding of cutting edge technology and a variety of old and new sources of video and audio.

The good:
Works with iPhone/iPod  - this receiver has front USB connection to let one use iPod or iPhone as the source for the music and video. It will display full album art and controls on the TV screen and will allow for almost all iPod functions

We own two small dogs and as a result have to visit pet stores in the area in order to stock up on pet food, toys and other items.

A few days ago I've stopped by to get some food for the upcoming week and was asked at the checkout if I wanted to contribute $.99 for their adoption program. Now, just like many other people, I consider pet adoption programs extremely important and helpful as otherwise many of these wonderful creatures would be put down. So of course I've agreed to contribute this small amount to the "Adoption program". I've paid for the food and was about to step out of the store, but before I did so, I've asked the teller a question - "What is your pet adoption program and how is the money spent?". The response shocked me. The money donated to Petco for their "Adoption program" pays for one tennis ball that is given to people who adopt a dog or cat through Petco. You see, you don't actually contribute money to pay to get them out of a shelter, for veterinarian to check them out, to get the shoots, to get anti-flea treatment, to buy food for homeless animals or to keep them in the shelters just a bit longer before they are put down. You are buying a tennis ball from Petco and that's how your money is spent. Not only does the Petco make money by helping people adopt animals simply so they now become customers and buy food, toys, accessories, etc, but they also use the claim of having Animal Adoption program to sell you tennis balls.

I found this very disturbing and needless to say, I won't contribute to their program any more. Instead the money will be given to a no-kill shelter or Humane Society to be used for animal medical services.

We are undergoing some remodeling at our house, namely installing hard wood floors, baseboard and crown molding. Since I'm a big do-it-yourself proponent and a notorious penny-pincher, I've decided to take a look if it makes sense to it myself. At $2.5 per square foot for labor - we would have to pay around $3,000 for floors alone and about another $800 to get our baseboards and crown moldings installed. Not sure if $3800 is a lot of money for you, but it sure is for our family.

In order to install the floors, crown molding and baseboard I will need a miter saw. But which one and where to buy it? I knew nothing about miter saws, so immediately I've made a few mistakes before I got what I needed. So if you need a miter saw - read the rest of the article to learn from my mistakes and do the right thing from the very start

Mistake #1 - I went to Harbor Freight and bought a 10 sliding miter saw. When i got this beast home, unpacked it and turned it on I've discovered a few problems. For starters the blade and fence (the rail against which you line up the piece being cut) were not square, as in they were at an odd angle. So if i cut anything - it wouldn't be at the angle I wanted it to be. The second problem was the unbearable noise the motor on this cheap saw produced. So at $150 it was cheap, but the quality was definitely lacking. 

Mistake #2 - Alright, so cheap saws were out of the question - i needed a quality, name brand tool. I've quickly searched CraigsList and picked up a used Bosch sliding miter saw. After driving about 20 miles each way and returning home,  I've discovered a serious crack in the rail support block.  I was so mad, I couldn't think about anything else. Next day I've returned the old, broken saw to the seller.

Mistake #3 (almost) - this time I've almost made a mistake by buying a single bevel miter saw. The difference between single and double bevel saws is that in single bevel one you can rotate the saw only left or only right. While in dual bevel, it can be tilted left or right. This makes a huge difference when doing a lot of cutting of baseboard or crown molding. Otherwise you will need to flip the boards constantly and hope that your saw cuts cleanly not only on the top surface, but also on the bottom one.

So it was clear - I needed a new saw that wasn't broken, had warranty and from a reputable seller. I went to Home Depot and saw that their selection, while good, was overpriced. I could get the same tools from Amazon.com for about 75-85% of the cost, not pay tax and get free shipping.

After reading various message boards, review sites, blogs and comments I've realized that there are only 4 companies that make dual bevel miter saws of good quality at reasonable price - Bosch, Makita, Ridgid and DeWalt. All the rest were either expensive, lower quality or major design flaws. I've spent a week talking to contractors, sales people, do-it-yourselfers and random people who knew something on the subject. So trust me - I've done a lot of research about miter saws.

At the end I've bought a Bosch 4410 10 sliding, dual bevel miter saw that I'm extremely happy with. This is the kind of tool that will last you a lifetime.

Between the Bosch, Makita, DeWalt and Ridgid you should really only look at one of the three kind of saws: 12 dual bevel stationary, 10 dual bevel sliding or 12 dual bevel sliding. Only these three kinds will cut through 99% of all things that are meant to be cut with a miter saw. Others either won't have enough capacity to cut some of the bigger pieces like the tall baseboard and tall crown molding nested against the fence.

Here are a few notes about each brand:

I've recently discovered the wonderful world of Vintage Audio. It started with my search of old Klipsch speakers which are known for their rather unusual speaker design - a horn loaded compression driver accompanying regular woofers and tweeters.

Some find the sound of the speakers with horn drivers to bee "harsh" or "bright". And they do sound different from the speakers with more conventional design. On the other hand, paired with the right material and the right amplifier - they can sound great. Not surprisingly, they do not sound very well with modern AV receivers and low/mid-level amplifiers. If you want to hear Klipsch do its best - you need to pair them up with either a good quality vintage stereo receiver/amp or a new high-end amp. It is hard to explain, but for some strange reason modern sound processors and amps sound very flat and un-engaging. At the same time old Marantz, Pioneer SX, Kenwood KR, McIntosh, Sansui, Fisher gear can sound very rich and full and full.

I'm always on the look out for the older (60s-80s) speakers made by Klipsch, as long as they are in good working condition. If the cabinets are somewhat beat-up, that's not a problem as I enjoy refinishing and fixing old gear. I find the whole retro-look and design very appealing and a lot more pleasing than the modern trends. The look of unfinished wood speaker cabinets (or even cherry veneered ones) brings a smile to the face and desire to turn off the TV and simply sit and enjoy some music. Because of this effect I've been listing to music that I haven't listened in years and have "rediscovered" several of the forgotten performers.

If you have any of the following for sale - please let me know as I'm always interested in buying and adding to my collection:

Klipsch Belle

Klipsch Cornwall

Klipsch LaScalla

Klipsch Khorn (klipsch horn, corner horn)

Klipsch Forte

Klipsch Heresy I, II

Klipsch Legend (KLF)

Just ran into a small issue while trying to export JPEG files made from RAW files provuded by 25 megapixel Sony Alpha 900. Every time I've tried to save or export the JPEG, Picasa would say that there is a disk error or it's full. After trying a few things here and there the solution finally materialized - you need to run Picasa as an "Administrator".

To make this a permanent fix - right click on the Picasa icon, go to properties, go to Advanced and put a checkmark to always run the program as Administrator. Now you should have no problems exporting or saving files from Picasa!

I had a package that needed to go from California to Illinois. Being frugal, I wanted to pay as little as possible and yet get the insurance and signature confirmation for the shipment.  So as an experiment I've stopped by USPS, UPS, FedEx and PostalAnnex.
Everyone's rates for these services vary slightly, and I expected all of them to be very close. Indeed all of them were except for one. USPS wanted $39, UPS $42, FedEx $37 while PostalAnnex gave me the quote for their cheapest shipping method (FedEx) at $54! At $20 extra for each package (they actually get discount form the shippers due to volume, which accounts for the $3) , it's no wonder that PostalAnnex is a profitable business when all they need to do is put a label and have shipping company pick it up. But it does make me wonder - who in their right mind would ever use PostalAnnex to ship anything? $20 difference will easily cover the gas which one may use going to closest UPS or FedEx.
You may have different view on the topic, but to me $20 in a price of a shipping service determines the location I will go to.

I've resisted harmony for a while. I was determined to make one of my multi-function universal remotes work with all devices, but everyone of them could not duplicate functions of at least one of my devices. So I caved in to the other side and spent the $98 at Costco for a Harmony 880 advanced universal remote control. Let me tell you - I have achieved harmony and home entertainment system control nirvana!

To all of those still on the fence, let me explain why all the rage about Harmony remote controls: