Many, if not most, of the readers of this blog can't make an informed judgement of sound quality vs video quality, because they haven't heard an audio system better than what's available at big box retailers. The highest quality audio system purchased from the Magnolia Section of Best Buy is considered Mid-Fi by the standards of equipment reviewed in A/V magazines.

I agree that the format war was good for consumers. Unfortunately, consumers chose the format that was created and promoted by a content provider, and they get the baggage associated with that fact.

@Ben

While everyone admits that the format war is dead, the disemination of lies about each format is far from it. " if Toshiba would've just joined the BDA to begin with then they would not have been in such a rush to bring it to market." What evidence is there that HD-DVD was rushed to the market? What evidence is there that HD-DVD being first out of the gate had anything to do with its ultimate demise? Without playing "Monday morning quarterback", what benefit was there for Toshiba to join the BDA?

The bulk of what we are seeing is the loss of contrast due to the anti-glare coating, while in a room with ambient light. Its the reason why EVERY LCD that is considered to have good black levels, has a glossy/reflective screen. Consumers just have to pick their poison.

Can you say Toxic Asset? You not only have to worry about the panel dying, you have to worry about a cheap BD drive as well.

http://hdguru.com/is-the-hdtv-you-buy-really-a-toxic-asset/418/

Floyd Toole of Infinity (Harmon Intl) helped develop Canada's NRC.

Movie disc sales are up inspite of piracy, yet the hollywood is slow to do away with film distribution to local cinemas. The cost of producing film stock and distributing it internationally is significantly higher than revenues lost by piracy. If the movie Waterworld had been digitally distributed to theaters, it wouldn't have been a lost to Universal. It probably would have produced a small profit.

Audio reviews are all but paid for with Advertising, so reviews say very little. The asian market for used audio gear extends far beyond McIntosh, Vintage Marantz gear is by far more coveted than McIntosh. No one buys vintage sports cars for performance, and the same can be said for vintage audio. I've posted twice that they have a storied past and classic looks, yet no can post any other explanation why consumers would purchase their products over the competition.
McIntosh made products that were purchased 40-50 years ago solely by the wealthy due to its outstanding fit and finish. It was never a brand for audiophiles. Newer brands have been considered better because they use things like "New Circuit Designs". Heck, why does McIntosh still use Autoformers, Which are only needed on poorly designed tube amps, with their solid state amplifiers? Why are McIntosh still selling poorly designed line-array loudspeakers that they produced over 20 years ago? They force dealers to sell their loudspeakers by giving them away with the order of electronics. Now that says quality.

I have been an audiophile since the late 80s and have worked in the industry for some time now. McIntosh makes better products than Sony or Denon, but compared with the likes of Krell, Conrad Johnson, VTL, Plinius, Pass labs, Chord, etc, their products are underwhelming. Don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourselves. Compare McIntosh products to any of the other mentioned products and let your ears be the proof.

The burden of proof is on McIntosh, not me. It is up to them to prove that they make high performance products. The fact that they are a company that has been passed around by companies who haven't been in the HiFi market should say enough.

Dude, its called reality. McIntosh is currently owned by D&M Holdings (Bain Capitol), and previously owned by Clarion (Yep, the Car amp company). The McIntosh of folklore has been long dead. They still incorporate Autoformers on some of their amplifiers, build the same old tired, psuedo line-array speakers, and rebadged Denon source components. They have classic looks, and a storied history, but no real engineering. "Welcome to the world of the REAL"