All Articles Tagged Gary Merson

Julie Jacobson | 04/22 10:57 AM, 30 Comments

HD Guru Gary Merson reports that "a number of" home systems integrators aim “to get consumers to pay the most money possible for the job and get out as quickly as possible maximizing profits.” No doubt, some custom integrators work that way, as do some home builders and some doctors and some (OK maybe most) attorneys. But geez, the article makes CE pros out to be a bunch of money-grubbing shysters in his latest article, “Custom Installer Tricks of the Trade – How Dealers Maximize Profits While Minimizing Your System.”… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/01 04:47 AM, 3 Comments

What’s the difference between Hulu, Netflix, Google TV and all of the other streaming content services now flooding the market, and how can you get them? HD Guru Gary Merson provides a handy overview of the most popular online music and movie services, and links them to the connected TVs that provide them. Merson only glosses over Hulu Plus, CinemaNow, Blockbuster on Demand, Netflix, YouTube, Vudu, as well as some music services (Pandora, Rhapsody) and popular apps (Skype, Flickr). So you won’t use this pocket guide to select your services.… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 10/14 05:25 AM, 5 Comments

Sony forgot to run its new TV edumercial by HD Guru Gary Merson. Thankfully, Merson reviewed the short video post-production to set the record straight. Merson says the video, “How to Chose [sic] the Right HDTV,” is filled with “partial facts and fiction that may mislead folks into buying the ‘wrong’ HDTV.” Among the offenses: Sony says the proper TV viewing distance is approximately two times the size of the screen. Wrong! Sony and its on-air spokesperson Veronica Belmont fail to take screen resolution into account. Merson explains: We have… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/26 06:34 AM, 19 Comments

As we all love to do, HD Guru Gary Merson recently took aim at HDMI cable manufacturers who mislead with their product labeling. The gist of his article is this: Have you seen HDMI cables online or in stores labeled “120 Hz,” “240Hz” and “480 Hz”? It’s easy enough to slap such labels on HDMI cables but it’s a sham. … The same HDTV signal flows through all HDMI cables, whether labeled “120Hz” or “480Hz.” … Clearly the intent of the refresh rate labeling is simply to confuse you into… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/12 02:13 PM, 9 Comments

The headline reads: HDMI Cable Makers and Dealers Use Misleading Labels to Push Needless Expensive Upgrades. Say it isn’t so! Cable manufacturers misleading consumers? HD Guru Gary Merson names names – including Monster Cable, AudioQuest and Best Buy (Rocketfish and Dynex house brands) – for their questionable marketing tactics when it comes to pricey cables, especially of the HDMI variety. The controversy over high-priced cables is nothing new, but Merson highlights one of the latest practices – labeling HDMI cables for their “support” of refresh rates up to 600 Hz.… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 07/12 06:44 AM, 0 Comments

3D sports producers are starting to get the hang of it, judging by the recent cable and satellite broadcast of the Yankees vs. Mariners game, brought to you from Seattle. Yesterday, DirecTV, Cox, Verizon, FiOS, Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable and some regional services brought the first major league 3D baseball game to HD subscribers in the N.Y. and Seattle areas. HD Guru Gary Merson gives the broadcast a qualified thumbs up: The telecast gave a new perspective to the game, highlighting the physical space and interaction of the fielders… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 07/06 07:17 AM, 2 Comments

Last week, DirecTV flipped the switch on 3D, via the first ever 24/7 3D channel and 3D video-on-demand -- giving some consumers their first-ever look at three-dimensional video. Alas, they were probably disappointed. HD Guru Gary Merson checked out the 3D fare using two DirecTV DVRs and a 50-inch 3D plasma TV from Panasonic. He reviewed four programs from the exclusive N3D channel, a joint effort between DirecTV and Panasonic. Sadly, not all of the video was delivered in 1080p/24. Some of it was a wimpy 1080i -- that's so… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/22 10:12 AM, 2 Comments

Details are just trickling in, but it appears that Monster Cable is launching a line of 3D glasses that require no line of sight and work with virtually any 3D TV on the market. Through Twitter, Monster posted the image below, with the comment, "New MonsterVISION Max3D glasses just introduced.. no need for line of sight, they work using RF!" During CEPro Live! last week, Sony had discussed issues with today's IR-based 3D setups that require a clear line of sight for synchronization. The sun, CFL bulbs and other factors… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/09 05:51 AM, 0 Comments

If you want to view 3D channels through DirecTV, you’ll have to pay for it: $100 to lease a 21 Series (or higher) receiver and $200 for a new DVR. Unless you know the magic word. HD Guru Gary Merson reports that if you call DirecTV (800-513-5000) and ask for an upgrade to a 3D-compatible tuner, they will quote you the above prices. Just ask your friendly customer service rep if there are any special offers. If you’re a good customer, they’ll offer you a discount of up to 100%.… View this story