I agree with everything except the new uncompressed codecs of Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA are truly worthy of upgrading your system to, they are such a huge step up from DD and plain DTS that it is amazing!!!

I for one am sick of the ever changing HDMI issue and consider it the unsung format war (Is it truly a war if it is only perpetuated by one side against consumers??) and this is only further hurting the HT market now as the more people know of it, the longer they will wait to buy something new.

HDMI 1.3 does all I will need, allowing me to transfer bitstream of the new codecs, Deep Color (should that ever come to fruition!) and for the most part I can make it work with minimal pauses (often none) for HDCP handshake issues.

Please stop the perpetual upgrade of HDMI guys!!! I have bought entirely new systems several times in the last few years (first for DVI, then HDMI and often several for each) it is insane to think I would do it again!!!

Personally, with the right source and material, a component video feed trumps that of an HDMI signal. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a component video feed, nothing, na-da, zilch. Component video wasn't able to showcase it's true powers to the consumer before it was bitch slapped by the single cable solution known as HDMI. The professional world/ post production world still uses component video for the mastering of your source material which you'll watch via an HDMI cable. Why not use what they use, it was good enough to master with it should be good enough to watch it with don't you think? Component cables are rock solid and can pass signals in excess of 4K, including 3D.

I'll admit, it's sexy to have an all in one solution, but imagine what could've been accomplished if it was given more time to shine before we got all digital signal happy.

Also, copy protection doesn't work. It never did and it never will. You tell a kid NO and the first thing he/she is going to do is... Within days of Blu-ray's release there was some nine year old in Europe who figured out how to hack it. (okay, he may not have been nine, but someone hacked the format within a calendar month of it's release). We need to stop fearing what is going to happen and figure out ways to use it to our benefit.

Not only is the HDMI spec being altered to the point of absurdity, but the planned deletion of analog connections is in the works according to Blu-Ray.com, ( http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2849 ).

I'm sure Barack Obama and Michael Moore will get it all worked out. I know they can come up with a government "format" that Jerry will endorse. Then we can all read about it on the Huffington Post.

I'm sure Barack Obama and Michael Moore will get it all worked out. I know they can come up with a government "format" that Jerry will endorse. Then we can all read about it on the Huffington Post.

I'm sure Barack Obama and Michael Moore will get it all worked out. I know they can come up with a government "format" that Jerry will endorse. Then we can all read about it on the Huffington Post.

Reminds me of the barely out of the box Sony AVR's that cannot support the digital audio content of Blu-ray players and must be connected via analog to get any sound at all.

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=C549452&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KNOWLEDGEARTICLES_1_1&dialogID=104210876&stateId=0%200%20104220900

Dear Jake,

How much is the Dow and S&P up since Barack Obama took over for "W"?

Just checking....

No question the Huff Post (Arianna and Arnold S. are both my neighbors) is left leaning but the site covers some good news from some interesting people. Michael Moore SINGLEHANDEDLY cost the Dems beating "W" so don't bash him too hard. F-911 wasn't a help but its hard to say Moore didn't earn an I-Told-You-So with Roger and Me from 20 years ago when talking about GM.

Forgive me, but I thought all the car companies were having trouble and not just GM.

I noticed you didn't make comment on how much the S&P and Dow were up since Obama took over.

Many car companies have troubles.

Imagine you bought Ford on 3/16/09 the day I paid my taxes for selling AVRev.com and ModernHomeTheater.com - how would you be today.....

PLEASE comment Jake....

j

My comment about Moore was that he is not a genius for calling GM's woes if that's what he said in the first place. GM's problems are many and some can be laid at the feet of the unions. Healthcare, retirement, paying people who aren't working are just some of those. As I said, all car companies, including the foreigns are having problems although not to the extent of Chrysler and GM.

As far as the Dow is concerned, it's been pretty flat for the last couple of weeks. Still a long way to go to get back to 14,000.

Judging from your comments though, I don't think the Dow will ever reach the heights of your inflated ego.

Dear Jake,

My ego aside let talk about my money. I bought GE, Dicks Sporting Goods, JP Morgan Chase, Exxon Mobil and others on 3/16. Now beat my results. Call your country club republican friends who love Jesus more than me and lets compare scorecards.

You will lose. Egos aside. Barack Obama is the best thing to happen to the American economy since Bill Clinton. Facts are facts. If you don't like facts - tune in to some more Fox News because your argument is WEAK.

Want to get destroyed some more. Here is another fact - the S&P is up historically 48% in the 360 days from the bottom of any recession. Wanna bet this bounce back is even better. Bet me like my beat-off-to-Sarah-Palin stock broker and YOU TOO can buy me a $1000 glass of scotch at the 21 Club in NYC because the numbers are NOT on your side my friend.

NOW allow me to be a CAPITALIST (and not so much of a liberal) for a second.... The UNIONS who the DEMS LIVE off of - are nearly 100% to blame to the ills of companies like GM. Yes, they aren't immaginitive but the health care and other cost of legacy employees is PUNISHING. GM NEEDED to go bankrupt. Its good thing. Its going to save social security in the long run like like the TARP banks paying back their loans WITH THEIR VIG.

Things are better than people will admit. If you have balls - BUY IN NOW. I did as best I could (Thank you Internet Brands once again). This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wish I bought Citibank and AIG when I looked at them. The returns are better than ANYTHING I ended up buying.

Thanks for agreeing with me about GM. As for putting your ego aside Jerry, I think it's just too big.

My ego is like an Escalade. That's not news!!! :)

One thing I learned from my Dad teaching the Dale Carnegie Course was admit your mistakes "quickly and enthusiastically". I am wrong about things all the time but who cares? There is room to grow and learn.

The dems supported the unions with GM. Its their base but they had to go back and REALLY fix some big issues. Perhaps they should have done that earlier but I give Obama BIG props for taking on the challenge.

On the other hand - think back to the Kerry/Bush debates. I think it was Paul Moyer who asked the question "what Mr. President do you regret most from your first 4 years" How about the tax credit on "farm vehicles" that made selling Escalades, Suburbans and other gas hogs a worthy reason to borrow out of our home's equity because you could write off ALL of the interest in that first year if you were a small business owner? I know it kissed Saudi butt and kept the car companies going but going where? Toyota had already zagged to GM's zig.

If it were me and Moyer asked me that question - its an easy answer.... "My only regret is that I don't have Osama Bin Laden's head on a stick. We blew it in Tora Bora but we will get him if its the last thing I EVER DO." With all due respect - I don't hear that out of Obama either.

Maybe I should run for president.... I would pick a stripper for my VP candidate, I think. At least Howard Stern would have me on. I don't know about the cable channels.

I was sick to my stomach when I read Steve Stone's blog when he announced the 1.4 standard. I wrote to him and will stick my two cents here as well. I have have retailed high-end audio since 1982 and I have never seen a worse fiasco than HDMI. Consumers, manufactuers, installers, retailers, cable companies, et al, have paid a huge price, both in time and money trying to cope with HDMI. We've all heard the horror stories so I won't reinterate them here. I think there is cause for a class action suit against the HDMI group. At the very least, the industry can take a stand as Steve Stone and Jerry Del Colliano have done. Manufacturers can refuse to implement 1.4, retailers can refuse to sell it, reviewers can refuse to review it or if they do actively point out the problems and the fact that the horrible jitter levels on an HDMI audio digital bitstream that takes it out of the realm of high performance, finally, consumers can refuse to buy it.

We can just say no.

Jack,

I understand your point but we likely CAN'T fight HDMI 1.4 and that's not really what I am suggesting.

The fact is: HDMI is here and Hollywood supports it. If it worked we would have had a value proposition that said OK consumers you get one cable connectivity and HD audio and video content - we get copy protection. EVERYONE would have been OK with it.

What we have gotten is a system that doesn't work and that isn't very backwards compatible. Once again - component would work for video but that's a moot point because the studios aren't selling us 1080p that way so HDMI it is.

I feel bad for cable companies and high end AV companies that get beat up over HDMI connectivity when its not really their fault.

In the end - rich people can buy a jet card or a Brioni suit or take a trip overseas with their money instead of investing in AV. Its not the old days of Levinson vs. Krell. Home theaters are luxury goods and they need to work effectively. When was the last time a woman who bought a $7,000 Hemes "Kelly Bag" had connectivity issues. If a car had these kinds of issues - it would be a lemon and there are laws for this.

Steven Stone is a VERY nice guy BTW. I have met him a few times. Very smart. Very nice.

Please don't run for President Jerry. Obama's big ego is already enough. With all do respect, I think you should stick to the business you know best....technology. When you talk politics, you're all over the place. I don't think anyone can relate to that rather arcane tax of which you speak of above either. And I think it's Bill Moyers that you were referring to.

I am considering a run.

Can you imagine the press conference when I declare my run. I will come clean with all of the bad stuff that I have ever done. It would go on forever. At least it would be honest...

Then again, I would never get elected.

Moreover the gig doesn't pay that well....

As Prince said in one of his B-side hits "You can be the president. I'd rather be the Pope" Although I do like to fly private and having my own 747 could be cool.

Hello Jerry,

Thanks for the reply. I like your comment that if HDMI were a car, lemon laws would protect us. I wouldn't suggest national or state legislation, but this situation is approaching untenability and I think it is time for the industry to self-police. Comments like yours and Steves are a good start. I'm hoping that David Pogue of the Times throws his two cents in as well. What I'm afraid of is that the mainstream press is automatically going to tell everyone they've just got to buy HDMI 1.4.

You and I both know that the reason most magazines and online review organizations exist is not to sell magazines but to sell advertising. The reviews and essays, while sometimes very good and useful, are also sometimes simply promoting the magazine owner's interests. Ok, I shouldn't say "you and I both know," but I've been doing this a long time and have seen too many cases where the review is nothing more than another outlet for espousing a manufacturers or vested industry agenda.

FYI, I briefly met Steve many years ago at a CES. I agree, he is a guy who really knows his stuff and I regard him as a bright light in the industry.

Best regards.

I don't care how bright Steve is, I have spent a small fortune 'keeping current' in the AV world.

Yep, I fought all those joyous handshake issues early on in HDMI, have had my fair share of firmware updates and the like... I have been through so many AV preamps I can't hardly remember them all now, first for DVI, the HDMI 1.1, now HDMI 1.3, often making several stops for each.

I for one am done. I bet 3-D would be cool, but am I going to scrap my AV preamp again for this, and buy a new TV, players, and cables? DAMN! The only think left will be my CD/SACD player, amps and speakers, of maybe they can find a way for HDMI 1.5 to make all these obsolete as well!

I think I will live with my 1.3 set up for a while, I am regrettably getting sick of the battle to remain current!!

Some of the new changes (like bi-directional capabilities) should have been added initially. I hate that I can't send sound from my TV back to my AV receiver. So I applaud the effort. Much to my dismay (now that I no longer make a living selling electronics)... For the last 15 years planned obsolescence has been the norm in CE. In computers, it had been every 6 months that an upgrade left state-of-the-art technology in the dust. Now that same speed in innovation has happened to home entertainment.

We all have to bite the bullet and jump in somewhere. 3D will soon be omnipresent and that will really put a kink in simple HD.

Technology is ever-advancing. We just have to deal with it and enjoy the equipment we have until we can afford to move to the next level.

Gasp! You said it out loud, in the open, for everyone to see!

Analog can pass 1080p Video! The HDMI police are going to GET YOU!

Do you think Fiber Optics can pass it too?

Hmmm.... One piece fo glass could have done all of the heavy lifting a long time ago!

First off,I must admit and fully agree that HDMI is no better than the DVI or even the RGB component cables. Connection wise,HDMI offers the worst connection hold down as compared to the plain RGB or DVI which has a secured locking screw system.Some highend brand RCAs comes with a locking mechanism.(WBT-for example).Secondly,RGB cables are more widely available and comes in "exotic" brands which we consumers will know what we have paid for.And most importantly where it was made in.

As for the issues of preventing piracy,let me first explained.Let's take a close look at most of the DVDs and BDs manufacturing location.Recently,I had just picked up a copy of the movie in BD format (ANGELS AND DEMONS).The BD was made for used with players for Region A.However,upon closer inspection,I have discovered that the BD disc was manufactured in China.From my understanding of the region assignment,Region coding was implemented to prevent copying.As we all know,China falls under Region C category.This boils us down to a question of what is the purpose of having region assignment.Will region coding stop piracy?Asked any pirate hunters and most likely he or she will be able to get a copied dvd with picture perfect quality.There isn't anyway possible to prevent and stop it completely.

I must agree that I am utterly sick and tired of chasing.It is not the chased that we are in but the indirect forced of having to adopt this newer technology.As for some consumers who does not want to accept this newer technology,he/she can always turn to those pirates for help.