Category Archives: Testing

Testing the tools

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I had this clever idea, or so I thought, in which I’d test some CDs and compare them to each other. Of course, CDs aren’t comparable — unless they are of the same music. The idea was: when a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, CD, Testing | Leave a comment

Twinkles in the picture, but from where?

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

If you’ve been reading this Blog lately you will know that I’ve been using some inexpensive HDMI cables lately, marvelling at how well they work (ie. just like expensive ones). But then, last night, I was watching ABC’s ‘Media Watch‘ … Continue reading →

Posted in Cables, DTV, Testing, Video | 4 Comments

Guest comment on Warner Bros disc policy

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

This is in regard to the previous post, in which I’ve disclosed Warner Bros’ rather strange actions on disc reviews. I passed this on to my editors, as well as to the local head of Warner Bros here in Australia. … Continue reading →

Posted in BD-Live, CD, DVD, Testing | 2 Comments

Corporate madness

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

I have kind of heard this before, but only today have I gotten around to confirming it. Warner Bros Home Entertainment no longer supplies review discs—Blu-ray or DVD. Instead it has some kind of online facility which reviewers are supposed … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Giveaway, Testing | 4 Comments

A Primer on Scientific Testing

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Stephen Dawson

In comments recently there has been a discussion about such things as double blind testing. I’ve recently been listening to back issues of the Skeptoid podcast, and as it happens, Episode 13 is entitled ‘A Primer on Scientific Testing’. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Mysticism, Testing | 6 Comments

Subtracting colours

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

Yesterday I got my hands on a sample of a projector that will soon be released. It worked beautifully yesterday but, as is often the case with samples, it developed a problem which appeared in fits and starts today, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment, Testing, Video | Leave a comment

Perhaps I’m just fooling myself

Posted on September 26, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

I’m reviewing a bunch of home theatre receivers for Sound and Image and as I go I fill in a ‘feature table’. This is a continually evolving thing in which new features make it onto the table and old ones … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Codecs, Testing | Leave a comment

Stuck

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

Over the years, and two or three thousand product reviews, I’ve occasionally dealt with some physically difficult devices. But this is the first time I’ve been completely stuck. Last night I dragooned one of my daughters’ boyfriends — a fine … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment, Testing | 2 Comments

Another TV arrives

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

An email I sent this morning to a certain large company: Well, DHL turned up today with a large carton almost held together by just two pieces of sticky tape. The DHL guy said that his boss back at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Testing | Leave a comment

Finding solutions

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

One of the fun bits of this job is inventing protocols to unambiguously determine different aspects of performance. While this is now largely a thing of the past (since most Blu-ray players now feature full audio decoding for all codecs), … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Blu-ray, Codecs, Giveaway, Testing | 2 Comments