Some of today's DVD and Blu-ray soundtracks are so densely mixed that dialogue can be hard to understand.
When actors' lines are obscured by onscreen mayhem, you may miss important plot details. The dialogue intelligibility problem is even worse for people who are hard of hearing.
Here's a simple fix to improve intelligibility that also works like a charm for quiet, late-night movie watching.
Onkyo's TX-SR805's remote offers direct access to center channel volume.
(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)Turn up the center channel volume level. Please understand, that's not the same thing as cranking up your receiver's volume control. Raising the center channel volume relative to the left/right and surround channels makes dialogue louder than the music and sound effects, so it's easier to understand what the actors are saying.
The easiest way to make the adjustment is with your receiver or home theater-in-a-box system's remote control. Check and see if your remote has a button marked "Channel Select." My Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver's remote has such a control, marked "CH SEL". It toggles through left, right, center, etc., and once I got to the center I used the "Level -" and "Level +" buttons to adjust the center channel volume.
Experiment to figure out how much louder you want the center channel speaker to be, but start with turning it up by three decibels. That might be enough, but don't hesitate to turn it up higher if that's what you need.
Of course, you can also use the CH SEL feature to boost subwoofer volume to taste whenever you switch movies or CDs. Or adjust the surround channels volume.
... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blogAce reporter Caroline McCarthy joins the show today to give us a little preview of South by Southwest, while we ream Justin Yu for totally being a pushover on our competing podcast "Bore Out Loud." Caroline says there isn't really much scheduled that will be ground-breaking this year, but that's because The 404 isn't there.
Ace reporter Caroline McCarthy.
(Credit: Wilson G. Tang/CNET)McCarthyism says that she's got the connection to get us on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." We think we can get on if Diggnation can get on. Letterman ain't having us after a week with U2.
Jeff and Caroline have a pale-off. It's pretty damn close, but we've got to say Jeff wins this one. He temporarily blinded Wilson yesterday when he sat underneath a light when shooting the brand new Nintendo DSi. Speaking of which, CNET gets an exclusive first look at the device, and we think Jeff is a believer now. It only took 100 million Nintendo DSs to get it done. Also, check out Jeff on Loaded today, where he gives his first impressions of the new Resident Evil 5.
Finally, we end the show on a classy note. A man has managed to get a USB flash drive installed on his prosthetic finger. The jokes ensue when Justin comments that he'd love to get a USB drive attached to a certain peripheral on his body. This is truly the home of the "Nerdy dirty."
Our contest is still going on. Send in your suggestions to the show. We love hearing them, especially the international ones. Much praise goes to brisebanelistener for quite possibly one of the funniest voice mails ever!
EPISODE 297
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... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
(Credit:
Asus)
This is an ideal accessory for those unfortunate enough to still be lugging around a laptop that doesn't have a built-in Wi-Fi card. If you're tired of hiding that embarrassing protrusion from the slot of your notebook at Starbucks, now you can get something that will give you wireless access and make you look like a cutting-edge geek at the same time.
Asus has come up with what it calls "the world's smallest 802.11n USB 2.0 card," which comes with its own cradle that plugs into your computer and proudly sits upright in full view like an announcer's microphone. Not only that, but it really is on the forefront because the company says it works with the latest version of 802.11n Wi-Fi (100 Mpbs) as well as the older "b/g" speeds, according to Slippery Brick. So take heart: That Pentium dinosaur of a laptop may still have some life in it yet.
(Credit:
TriNow Fitness)
We're not sure if we believe all its marketing claims but, if half of them are true, this watch is well worth the $179 it's going for.
As its name implies, the "SleepTracker Pro," monitors your nocturnal patterns so it can sync up with your sleep cycle, according to ProductDose. Then, when you program it to awaken you within a particular 90-minute window (or less), it will gently rouse you with its vibrating mechanism.
This last feature is an important distinction from the previously released standard version, which offered only a rude ringing alarm, as well as a shorter window. But if you really need noise to get out of bed, there's always the "Sonic Bomb." Either way, at least it doesn't talk.
(Credit:
ClicZune)
It's become standard practice in the consumer electronics industry: When it doubt, paint it pink. But strategies like that usually work best when a color is still hot, or at least lukewarm.
Perhaps that explains why Microsoft--rarely accused of setting trends these days--is coming out with a pink Zune now. Cliczune says EBgames.com has confirmed that the pastel version of the media player will be available May 1 for $250 with the standard 30GB storage capacity.
We doubt that the new hue will propel the Zune over the iPod anytime soon, but there was a fair amount of buzz over a few special pink versions in circulation back in November. And then there was that eBay auction where a pink Zune went for $960.
Our take: Almost anything is better than brown.
LG blew it. Weeks ago, we showed you some leaked photos of its Prada touch-screen phone, which appeared to have some groundbreaking features, but the company remained mum. Now, as the obsession with the iPhone continues to dwarf any other product in the entire communications industry, LG has decided to make it official with a relative whimper.
The Prada phone will also debut in Europe and Asia long before it hits U.S. shores--like so many of the fashion house's clothing lines. (At least it's being consistent.) Engadget says it has a 3-inch display and a 2-megapixel camera but "there's no mention of multi-touch capabilities, an on-screen keyboard, or the accelerometer and proximity sensors found on the iPhone." Not to mention a white-on-black color scheme.
Clearly, any top-shelf handset from now on will be measured against Apple's specs. That would have happened eventually anyway, but LG could have at least had a moment in the sun if it acted sooner when the Prada phone was obviously ready. And with a price of nearly $800, it may need all the help it can get if it expects any significant mainstream consumption.
Like many Japanese and European parties that Americans have arrived woefully late to, (see also: soccer; 3G networks; Law, Jude), the personal navigation device is just now going mainstream.
(Credit:
JR.com)
Though it's obviously not the only to do so, ViaMichelin released its first personal navigation device for the North American market this week after ignoring us for six years in favor of our apparently more direction-challenged European counterparts.
Using SiRFstarIII GPS receiver technology and NAVTEQ digital map data, the X-930 model can give voice and text directions for driving in the car and walking down the street.
Weighing in at under 5 ounces with a 3.5-inch touch screen, the unit comes loaded with 1.5 million points of interest (POIs), 32MB of RAM and a 312-megahertz processor.
JR.com is selling it as of this posting for $250, though it's normally $299.
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