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Audio Video News
Microsoft's HD DVD Sidecar For The Xbox 360 Due For 2006 Holiday Season
 |  May 18, 2006  |  0 comments

The amount of news relevant to home theater enthusiasts that came from last week's E3 gaming trade show is striking evidence that whether we want it or not, some form of convergence is happening. As <I>UAV</I> <A HREF="http://ultimateavmag.com/news/051406ps3">reported earlier</A> , Sony announced pricing and availability for its eagerly anticipated PlayStation3 gaming console, and Microsoft followed suit in its own way by announcing that its HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will be available in time for Christmas this year. Although no pricing or dates are yet established, the rumors are flying.

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Ears On
Zen Patent Bites Apple
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 18, 2006  |  1 comments
Creative Labs has sued Apple Computer alleging that the iPod violates a patent granted for the Creative Zen player. Patent number 6,928,433 describes itself as "a method, performed by software executing on the processor of a portable music playback device, that automatically files tracks according to hierarchical structure of categories to organize tracks in a logical order. A user interface is utilized to change the hierarchy, view track names, and select tracks for playback or other operations." To iPod fans, that is tantamount to patenting the human body. You've got two arms and two legs? Busted! The patent was filed on January 5, 2001 but not granted until August 9, 2005. The first-generation iPod made its debut on October 23, 2001, a few months after the filing. "We will pursue all manufacturers that use the same navigation system," vows Creative's CEO Sim Wong Hoo.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Jarhead-HD DVD
Tom Norton  |  May 17, 2006  |  0 comments

Start with a look at Marine boot camp not much different than what we've seen in countless war movies. Move on to a boring look at bored Marines killing time in the desert in the buildup to the 1991 Gulf War. They're depicted as dumb, disorganized, rowdy, and undisciplined. The promotional copy for the movie, included in the cover art, says that the troops are "in a country they don't understand, against an enemy they can't see, for a cause they don't fully grasp. Believe me, the troops in the first Gulf War were fully briefed on the country they were going to, could usually see the enemy (his back, typically), and understood that they were fighting to free a country occupied by the forces of an expansionist dictator. That promotional copy was clearly written as a not-too-subtle analogy to the <I>current</I> Iraq war.

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A/V Veteran
Show Time II
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 17, 2006  |  2 comments

The pieces are rapidly falling onto place for Home Entertainment 2006, to be held from June 2 to June 4 at the Sheraton Gateway hotel in Los Angeles. It's the first time that this annual event has been held in the City of Angels since 1998—far too long a wait for those living here. If you're coming from out of town and plan to fly in, the hotel is located just a short shuttle ride from the airport. Even short enough to walk, if you aren't weighed down with baggage.

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Audio Video News
A New Angle on LCD Viewing
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 17, 2006  |  0 comments
Limited viewing angles have always been the Achilles' heel of LCD flat panels when used as a TV or other video-viewing device. Gradually move off-center while looking at an LCD TV and, at some point, you'll begin to notice changes in the brightness and color of the image on the screen. Although there have been significant improvements over the years, Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation ("Sanyo Epson") thinks they've figured out a way to say "sayonara" to the problem once and for all.
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Ears On
Mack's Plugs Spare Your Ears
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 17, 2006  |  2 comments
Doesn't the world sometimes seem unbearably noisy? The best advice I can give you is this: Stick it in your ear! I'm talking about Mack's Pillow Soft Earplugs. Made of silicon gel, they mold themselves to the shape of your outer ear canal and cut noise by 22 decibels. That's better than any model of noise-canceling headphones. With a few days of practice you'll get used to gently pushing them into the ear just enough to cover the opening. Getting used to the sound of your footsteps traveling up your spine (BONK, BONK, BONK) takes longer. And I must admit that eating while wearing plugs sounds like a horror movie. But I am no longer willing to walk out on the road-rage-possessed streets of New York City without them. I also find them comforting on buses, subways, planes, and even in airports—a siren at the Newark Airport security checkpoint once practically brought me to my knees. What will other people think when they see you with plugs in your ears? Who cares? Give up a little dignity and baby your ears. They're the most irreplacable components in your system.
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Other Tech
10 Questions for Mike Mettler
 |  May 16, 2006  |  0 comments

Soundandvisionmag.com has a dedicated, active and growing community. Nowhere is that passion demonstrated more than our forums. Recently, user "Matthew B." posed 10 questions to Sound & Vision Editor-in-Chief Mike Mettler. Mike enjoyed this so much that there's been talk about getting more editors involved to answer questions from our readers.

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Ears On
BART Teams Up with iPod
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 16, 2006  |  2 comments
Are you about to bring your iPod to San Francisco, Oakland, or the Bay Area? Then don't forget to download Bay Area Rapid Transit information before you leave home. In addition to the BART system map, you'll also get schedules, station information, and email warnings whenever the system changes. The map will work only on iPods with color displays and iTunes 4.7 or later. For skeds and stations you'll need a display (color or B&W) plus the Notes feature. BART also offers a PDA QuickPlanner for the Palm OS and Pocket PC and a Wireless QuickPlanner for web-enabled mobile devices. For other cities, check out isubwaymaps.com (formerly ipodsubwaymaps.com before Apple's lawyers sent a nastygram). The enthusiast-fueled site has maps of Berlin, Bilbao, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, LA, Lyon, Melbourne, Milan, Montreal, NYC, Paris, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington DC. Paypal donations appreciated but not compulsory.
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Audio Video News
Special Events & Giveaways at HE 2006
Ultimate AV Staff  |  May 15, 2006  |  0 comments

<I>The Home Entertainment Show 2006, running June 1&ndash;4 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles, is only weeks away. Here is a sampling of some of the giveaways and special events that will take place at the Show. Several of these should be of particular interest to home theater enthusiasts.</I>

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Projector ReviewsTower Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grand Speaker System, REL R-305 Subwoofer, and Optoma HD72 DLP Projector
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 15, 2006  |  0 comments
Where there's a will, there's a way.

Say your Great-Aunt Edna died and left you $10,000 or so in her will with the stipulation that you had to spend it on a home theater system (that's why she always was your favorite great-aunt). You and I could while away the better part of an evening arguing the particulars of what gear to buy—and especially how the money should be divided between the audio and video parts of the system.

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