LATEST ADDITIONS

The Big Picture
Content Theater
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 11, 2011
Today, I attended a couple of sessions on 3D in what is called the Content Theater. The material was displayed from a Sony 4K digital-cinema projector using a dual-lens RealD polarization system projecting different 2K sections of the imager for the left and right eyes. The polarization-preserving, perforated screen was from Harkness and measured 24x13 feet.
The Big Picture
Panasonic 152-inch 4K Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 11, 2011
Panasonic's 152-inch 4K plasma is nothing new, but it never fails to impress, especially when seen next to a person, in this case PR rep Courtnee Coburn. CTO Eisuke Tsuyuzaki told me some people have actually built a house around this monster!
Audio Video News
International Louie Louie Day
Michael Berk  |  Apr 11, 2011

Don't forget: April 11-today-is International Louie Louie Day.

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Audio Video News
JBL goes On Air with AirPlay
Michael Berk  |  Apr 11, 2011

 

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AV Receiver Reviews
Sherwood R-904N A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 11, 2011
Price: $600 At A Glance: Slim A/V receiver with energy-saving Class D amplification • Variety of streaming content via VuNow and PlayOn • Dolby Volume low-volume listening mode

Internet in a Boxx

As networked media features steadily infiltrate HDTVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and other audio/video products, streaming may be upstaging 3D as the must-have technology. The question is how to get streaming into your system. Do you want your choice of HDTV to hinge on streaming features—as opposed to, say, picture quality? While that may be the ideal solution for some, others will seek ways of smuggling streaming into their racks via smaller purchases such as Blu-ray players, set-top boxes—or A/V receivers, like the Sherwood R-904N NetBoxx. At $650, it delivers a huge array of networked media features for a nice price.

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Curtain Call
One Step Beyond
Michael J. Nelson  |  Apr 11, 2011
The ancient Greek ruler Phalaris wasn’t an easy man to work for. He was known as Phalaris the Tyrant of Agrigentum (and no one ever says of people with Tyrant in their name, “Great guy! I’m always better off for having seen him.”). He wasn’t content with the state of the art of torture and execution, e.g., boiling, flaying, burning, sawing in half—you know, the classics. It was good technology that got the job done, but Phalaris was a man who pushed his employees, constantly asking the question, “What’s next?” Under his firm and visionary leadership, the brass worker Perilaus of Athens developed what would become the next big thing in execution—and entertainment—for a decade or more. Known as the Brazen Bull, it was a large, hollow brass chamber in the form of, as you might guess, a bull (think the Wall Street bull, only without the tourists posing next to its metal genitalia) with a lockable access door. Horrible to be trapped inside, of course. Even more horrible should someone light a fire underneath it, which, this being the rule of Phalaris the Tyrant, they did without fail.
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Rush: Live Pictures
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 11, 2011

“We’ve got about 6,000 songs to play for you tonight,” Geddy Lee said to raucous cheers during the first set break at Rush’s return to Madison Square Garden last night. Well, give or take some 5,974 other choices, the Canadian trio powered through 26 tracks at the NYC stop of the Time Machine 2011 tour. The set has remained the same since the two shows I saw last summer (Jones Beach in July, PNC Bank Arts Center in September), but hold your fire—the musicianship and vigor never waned.

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Audio Video News
TWC and Viacom Tussle Over iPad App
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 11, 2011
Time Warner Cable and Viacom are in court over TWC's recently announced iPad app. Viacom, owner of CBS and other TV networks, says the cable operator has violated their licensing agreements. TWC sued back, asking the federal court to declare the iPad app legal once and for all.

Viacom isn't the only content power to oppose the TWC app. News Corp., Scripps Networks, and Discovery Communications have also objected. But Viacom has the sharpest teeth, demanding millions in damages.

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The Big Picture
Greetings from NAB
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 11, 2011
This week, I'm in Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention. (It seems like only yesterday that I was here for CES, but it was actually three months ago!) Many have questioned my reasons for attending this trade show, which is aimed at broadcasting and content professionals rather than consumers. It's quite simple, really—I'm here to answer one basic question: How is the consumer experience impacted and improved by what is we see at NAB?
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Incredibles (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 11, 2011
Once one of the world's top crime fighters, Bob Parr (a.k.a. Mr. Incredible) fought evil and saved lives on a daily basis. But 15 years later, he and his wife Helen (the former Elastigirl) have been forced to take on civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs. Itching for action, Mr. Incredible gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top-secret assignment.

Pixar has quite a track record with its films, and this is one of their best. I love how they take something from our society (rampant personal injury lawsuits) and weave it into a story about superheroes that can no longer practice their craft because someone gets a sore neck when being saved from certain death! The cast is brilliant here with Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter as the husband and wife crime fighting team along with Samuel L. Jackson as Lucius Best/Frozone.

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