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ACCESSORIES
Use Your Electronics The Way That YOU Want To
By: Kevin Hayes, Staff Writer
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Make the most of your entertainment experience, by choosing the right accessories. In some instances, accessories are necessary (think recording media for your camera) and in others they help customize your entertainment experience, such as finding the right way to connect your iPod to your car.
When browsing through the products on our site, you’ll notice that many are offered with bundles, which include the accessories we recommend to make the most of your entertainment experience. Take moment to learn about some of today’s newest accessories, as well as those we consider a vital
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HOME THEATER/AUDIO
Ditch the mess of wires - HDMI cable is the revolutionary solution to your HD video and audio confusion. This handy wire replaces the rainbow of connections from DVD players or cable boxes into one compact, high quality digital cable. This purely digital connection transfers signal much faster than your old cluster of wires, eliminating pixilation during HD broadcasts and clearing up any artifacts. HDMI is the next wave of home theater digital connectivity.
Speaker brackets and stands - Placement of your speakers is an important factor when setting up your home theater system. Ideally, you want your speakers to be at even distances and at equal heights. One of the best ways to achieve this is by placing them on stands or mounting them to the wall. You may also want to consider a stand that will allow you to route the wire through it, resulting in a sleek appearance and eliminating the distraction often caused my messy wiring.
Speaker brackets are a great addition to almost any home theater system and are surprisingly easy to install. Most even come with a kit that includes all of the tools you will need to complete your installation.
TV/VIDEO
Wall mounting - Of course your flat panel LCD or plasma will look great on a stand and leave a minimal footprint. With such slim TVs, however, why not take advantage of their ability to be easily mounted on your wall? There are two different kinds of brackets that are ideal for wall mounting your flat panel television:
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Fixed mounts: These brackets come in straight or tilt models. A fixed mount is ideal for commercial applications, or home use when the television is placed in such a way that you won’t need to alter the viewing angle. The only difference between a fixed mount and a tilt mount is the vertical angle at which the television will be placed. |
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Cantilever/Swing arm mounts: A swing arm bracket allows a more versatile installation of a flat panel display. It can be planted flush against the wall so that it appears just as a fixed mount would, or it can be moved on a horizontal axis for ideal viewing. Another benefit is that you can fit a flat panel closer to a corner if that meets your needs, since the arm extends from the wall. |
What DVD player do you need? - We currently offer HD and Blue-Ray DVD players to accompany our high definition televisions. Before you make the jump to these more expensive units, you may want to look at the TV you have or are going to buy. When looking at the features of HD televisions, you’ll notice that they may feature 1080i or 1080p resolution. They look similar, but there is a notable difference. 1080i, or interlace, displays 540 lines of resolution alternately to produce an image. 1080p, the ‘p’ standing for progressive, provides all lines of resolution at once resulting in a crisper picture. The beauty of new high definition DVD formats is their ability to transmit video in 1080p, but if your TV’s resolution maxes out at 1080i you may want to think of getting a progressive scan DVD player or upgrading your set.
Warranties - Plasma, LCD, and DLP televisions are fragile and expensive. Our personal warranty will make sure that the unit is in working order when you receive it, but defects after a certain period can only be covered by an extended warranty. We provide a variety of warranties to suit your needs and recommend taking advantage of this service especially when making a major purchase.
CAMCORDERS
Modern Recording Media - While Mini-DV is still very common in camcorders, a tape-free revolution is occurring. The major companies are shifting towards the use of DVDs for portable video cameras. Recording directly onto a DVD enables you to view your home movies in most tray loading DVD players right out of the camera. You can also load your movies onto your computer, and if you’re using a DVD-RW, erase the disc afterwards and reuse it. The benefits are as clear as the digital image you’ll be viewing.
Replacement batteries - With all the extra recording time you’ll be afforded using your DVD or Hard-Drive camcorders, you’ll need to be prepared to switch out batteries. 6ave.com offers an extensive selection of replacement batteries to suit any of our cameras. If you need any help finding one for your specific model, give us a ring at 1-887-684-2831.
Professional results - A tripod serves multiple purposes, some for the benefit of the viewer, and some for the benefit of the cameraperson. Even a compact video camera can become a burden after holding it for an extended period of time, and muscle fatigue can cause discomfort and a shaky video. We offer a variety of tripods and monopods to make sure you get professional results without the suffering.
DIGITAL CAMERAS
More pictures for less - Most digital cameras come with a limited memory card and a small amount of storage imbedded in the camera. As the amount of megapixels in cameras increase, so does the amount of memory that they take up. If you haven’t purchased a memory card in a few years fear not, because they have decreased in price by a large margin. Even a high quality camera will have a tough time filling up a 1GB SD card, which we regularly feature for very low prices.
Prefab kits - Along with our custom bundles for digital cameras that include common accessories, we provide Sakar Starter kits to make sure your investment is protected. These include a tripod for steady shooting, a case for safety, and a cleaning kit to make sure the shots are as sharp as they can possibly be.
Digital Photo Frames - Without the cost of film, pictures seem to accrue exponentially. So many memories, if only there were a way to put them all into one picture frame. . .Wait! You can put all of your memories into a picture frame, and for a reasonable cost. Our digital photo frames are affordable, and take the same memory-cards that your camera uses. You can even view compatible movie files and listen to MP3s All it takes is a USB connection to your computer.
CAR AUDIO/VIDEO
iPod/MP3 integration - It may have seemed like there was no way to listen to your portable music player in your car, but enough alternatives have arisen in the past few years to conquer almost any obstacle.
Specialized adapters - Some companies make a device for compatible head units to fully integrate an iPod into your car. Using this makes songs, albums, and artists searchable on the head unit’s face, while keeping your iPod concealed. This is the ultimate in full digital fidelity and usability, but does requires an aftermarket receiver.
Wired FM adapters - Next to a fully digital connection, this is one of the next best alternatives. A device like this allows you to plug any MP3 player straight into your FM line. When there is no audio coming from your MP3 player, the radio will come in normally.
FM transmitters - This is the easiest way to listen to your iPod in your car without any installation. It’s very simple. An adapter plugs into your car’s power outlet, and the other end plugs into the iPod. Built into the wire is a transmitter, which takes the signal from your iPod and sends it over the radio waves to specified frequencies that your car stereo can pick up.
Tape adapters - Not everyone has a fancy CD player in their car, but that leaves a new easy alternative for listening to your portable music device on the go. Tape adapters are a simple, tried, and true solution that provide good audio quality and no special installation. Simply plug the adapter into the headphone jack of your iPod/MP3 player, and insert the other end into the tape deck. Voila!
Auxiliary Inputs - Becoming increasingly common on aftermarket head units, are auxiliary connections that allow you to plug in an iPod/MP3 player directly, without interfering with any of its functions. With these head units, all you need is a compatible cable.
SATELLITE RADIO
Both XM and SIRIUS offer solutions that allow you to cost effectively listen to satellite radio wherever you are. XM and SIRIUS subscriptions can be used to their maximum potential on the road, off the road, and in the home. Learn more about Satellite Radio.
MP3/PORTABLE
The main accessories to consider when it comes to maximizing your listening experience are headphones and portable loudspeakers. Headphones and speaker systems come in all shapes and sizes.
Earbud vs Conventional headphones - Earbud headphones are extremely compact, making them the perfect pair for portable MP3 players. Earbuds have now advanced to using multiple drivers in each ear to articulate audio with the force and clarity of their larger counterparts and both types of headphones offer models that feature noise cancellation as well, narrowing the gap between them further. Some people still prefer conventional headphones, and today it has really become a matter of personal preference
Portable audio systems - Using battery, AC, or DC power, you can amplify your audio on the go. It may seem like most or all of the portable speaker systems you see these days are made specifically for the iPod, but if you check the product details you’ll usually see that there is an auxiliary 3.5” (the size of a headphone jack) input on the unit. This means that you can plug any MP3 player into it, and still get great sound. The only downside is that since iPod is the only dockable MP3 player, it is the only unit that can be charged while being used.
TELEPHONES
Multiple handsets - Choose your phone wisely. We offer expandable phone systems that rely on a base station and separately purchased handset units. This means that you only have one answering machine to worry about, and you can charge any of the phones at various points throughout the house.
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