There's no way that this could be a true 100 watt class A amplifier. The amount of heatsinking that would be needed to disperse the heat generated by a 100 watt class A amplifier is much more than the size of this amplifier. Not to mention all that heat would probably cook the electronics needed to run the CD player, tuner, etc.

Looking at the manufacturer's site, it says that this unit has a "100 watt Cool Class A amplifier". I have no idea what that means.

I got this up and running, and it is cool, but I found it much easier to set an appointment in iCal with an alarm. Is there an advantage to using Quicksilver for this purpose that I'm missing?

This poll should really be titled, "Which resolution HDTV would you buy?" As long as you have more than 720 vertical lines of resolution, it's an HDTV. Horizontal resolution does not come into play at all as far as the definition of HDTV goes. It does come into play in my buying decision.

As one of those who was doing the "kicking around" in your "Truth in Advertising" post, I think I can clarify things.

In the referenced blog, Mr. Henning says, "So let�s just call it as it is and say that an HDTV has to have a resolution of at least 1280 x 720, in both dimensions." He can say this, but he's wrong.

The document describing the ATSC standards regarding HDTV, and DTV in general can be found at http://www.atsc.org/standards/A53D.pdf

The 1920x1080 and 1280x720 standards for HDTV are set by SMPTE, which is a TRADE organization. Being a trade organization, they ultimately have NO regulatory power. The ATSC has regulatory authority, being part of the federal government.

Now, in Section 9 of the ATSC standards, it says:

"9. POSSIBLE VIDEO INPUTS
While not required by this standard, there are certain television production standards, shown in Table A1, that define video formats that relate to compression formats specified by this standard.

The compression formats may be derived from one or more appropriate video input formats. It may be anticipated that additional video production standards will be developed in the future that extend the number of possible input formats."

Table 1 shows three standards. Two are from SMPTE -- the aforementioned 1920x1080 and 1280x720 standards. The third is ITU-R BT.601-4, which is a 720x483 DTV format.

Notice that this section specifically says "not required by this standard". By this, the ATSC is saying that the ONLY requirement for HDTV is that the display meets the vertical resolution requirements for 720p or 1080i. A 1024x768 display meets this criteria.

Now, one can argue as to whether the video quality is worse on a 1024x768 display compared to a 1280x720 display, but both are HDTVs regardless.

Personally, I'm waiting for the 37-40" 1920x1080 LCDs to come to market, but I will acknowledge that a 1024x768 42" plasma is an HDTV.

Um, if we are going to get on our high horse about spreading misinformation, you�re also going to have to drop your �1024x768 isn�t real HDTV� campaign. Nowhere on the ATSC website nor on the federal government's DTV website is there a regulation regarding horizontal resolution in the HDTV standard. Now, for a 16:9 screen it's easy to do the math and come up with 1280x720 or 1920x1080 assuming square pixels, but, again, nowhere on the government's website can I find a reference to this. I can't find any reference to square pixels, either. The only reference I've found so far is defining vertical resolution. The feds ONLY define HDTV by vertical lines of resolution, with 720 being the minimum. Therefore, 42" plasmas with 1024x768 resolution can be said to fit the HDTV standard, even though one could argue that a 42" screen with 1280x720 resolution might give you a superior picture. I am not arguing as to whether higher pixel density or square pixels are advantageous for a good picture -- I've been an advocate of square pixels since the first Macintosh computer came out, and I do believe that higher pixel densities=better picture. SMPTE does refer to resolutions of 1280x720 and 1920x1080 in their standard. However, this is not echoed in the ATSC standard. The reason this is significant is because SMPTE is a trade organization. They can set standards, but they are not legally binding. If the feds set a standard, then that is legally binding. In fact, the ATSC standard, there is a reference to SMPTE and other trade standards that explicitly states that they are not required by the ATSC standard. In Section 9, Possible Video Inputs, it says: ======== 9. POSSIBLE VIDEO INPUTS While not required by this standard, there are certain television production standards, shown in Table A1, that define video formats that relate to compression formats specified by this standard. Table A1 Standardized Video Input Formats Video Standard Active Lines Active Samples/ Line SMPTE 274M 1080 1920 SMPTE 296M 720 1280 ITU-R BT.601-4 483 720 The compression formats may be derived from one or more appropriate video input formats. It may be anticipated that additional video production standards will be developed in the future that extend the number of possible input formats. ======== This section acknowledges the presence of external standards that are not required by the feds at this point in time. I think this is the loophole that allows an HDTV with a resolution of 1024x768 to be sold as an HDTV. Whether you think that is an HDTV worth buying is a separate issue.

For your reading pleasure: Average income per capita of residents of Beijing, 2004 Professionals: 18,500 yuan (US$2,230) Government employees: 18,400 yuan (US$2,220) Management staff: 16,800 yuan (US$2,000) Production and transportation workers: 12,300 yuan (US$1,500) Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/22/content_418101.htm

The most likely reason for the relative lack of analog-only TV's that need replacing in China is that the average Chinese citizen could not afford a TV until fairly recently, when TV's became capable of receiving digital signals. Even today, a TV is a fairly significant purchase for the average Chinese citizen.

I think I've found where the issue is regarding whether 1024x768 displays meet the HDTV standard. The document describing the ATSC standards regarding HDTV, and DTV in general can be found at http://www.atsc.org/standards/A53D.pdf The 1920x1080 and 1280x720 standards for HDTV are set by SMPTE, which is a trade organization. Being a trade organization, they ultimately have no regulatory power. Only the ATSC has regulatory authority, being part of the federal government. In Section 9 of the ATSC standards, it says: "9. POSSIBLE VIDEO INPUTS While not required by this standard, there are certain television production standards, shown in Table A1, that define video formats that relate to compression formats specified by this standard. The compression formats may be derived from one or more appropriate video input formats. It may be anticipated that additional video production standards will be developed in the future that extend the number of possible input formats." Table 1 shows three standards. Two are from SMPTE -- the aforementioned 1920x1080 and 1280x720 standards. The third is ITU-R BT.601-4, which is a 720x483 DTV format. Notice that this section specifically says "not required by this standard". By this, the ATSC is saying that the ONLY requirement for HDTV is that the display meets the vertical resolution requirements for 720p or 1080i. A 1024x768 display meets this criteria. One can argue as to whether the picture is worse on a 1024x768 display compared to a 1280x720 display, but both are HDTVs regardless.

This is a copy of a comment I made on the "Truth in HDTV advertising" article: I may be stupid here, but I've been combing over the ATSC website as well as the federal government's DTV website, and nowhere can I find any regulation regarding horizontal resolution in the HDTV standard. Now, for a 16:9 screen it's easy to do the math and come up with 1280x720 or 1920x1080 assuming square pixels, but, again, nowhere on the government's website can I find a reference to this. I can't findany reference to square pixels, either. The only reference I've found so far is defining vertical resolution. Can anyone point to where horizontal resolution is specified for HDTV by the feds? Thanks.

I may be stupid here, but I've been combing over the ATSC website as well as the fed. government's DTV website, and nowhere can I find any regulation regarding horizontal resolution in the HDTV standard. Now for a 16:9 screen it's easy to do the math and come up with 1280x720 or 1920x1080 assuming square pixels, but, again, nowhere on the government's website can I find reference to this. The only reference I've found so far is defining vertical resolution.