L<A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?42">ast week</A> we predicted the skid of Divx, the plod of HDTV, and the advance of the home-theater computer. This week we add three more prognostications to the list:
Enough DVD movies have been sold this year to compile a top-ten list. <I>VideoScan</I> reports that <i>Twister</i>, the big-budget thriller in which no-name actors chase tornadoes and get chased in turn by tumbling barns and flying cows, was the best-selling DVD through November 30. The film, on disc, is hugely popular; a surplus of spectacular visual effects apparently compensates for its mediocre acting, clunky dialog, and almost total lack of story.
Pre-show publicity for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show indicates that most major manufacturers will be making a big push with High-Definition Television. If all goes according to the FCC's plan, by this time next year most large urban areas will have at least one digital transmitter in operation. By the turn of the century, most broadcasters will be equipped to send digital signals alongside their analog counterparts. Signal sources---terrestrial broadcasting, satellite transmission, cable feeds---will proliferate.
On December 4, Intel executives announced plans for future digital television products. Noting that, as we move toward a digital TV broadcast model, there will be 230 million TVs to replace, Intel has targeted the heart of nearly 100% of American homes.
This is the year that the computer industry and the home-theater companies start to seriously rub edges, and the sparks are set to fly. But fear not---we have seen the future, and it looks (and sounds) pretty good for the folks at home. At least, it will be fun to watch.
The last few years have witnessed a revolution in how we watch movies at home. Likewise, the Internet has forever changed the way we track down information around the world. Because <I>SGHT</I> covers the former, it only makes sense that to do it well, we should use the latter.
Have you found yourself playing back movie soundtracks lower than the "calibrated" level? Do you instinctively try to cover your ears during previews at the theater? If so, you're not alone.
All of the major consumer-electronics "convergence" companies were in attendance at this year's computer panoply: Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Hitachi, Sharp, Samsung, and on and on. Expanding upon a trend begun last year, each of the majors was displaying roughly equal parts computer goods and home/consumer gear.
I, like almost every movie lover, can think of at least two more trilogies that I would like to see on Blu-ray before I would ever even think of asking for X-men. But, on April 21st you'll be able to recapture all of the, um, inconsistency...
A Japanese business journal has just reported that the Pioneer Corporation will be pulling the plug on the TV business. Almost as shocking, the report in the Nikkei Japanese paper stated that Pioneer will be moving its DVD business to a new...
Cassette tapes have been dead and gone for a while now, but if you're missing the boxy look of a cassette, we have the desk accessory you've been longing for. This tape is a tape dispenser. Get it? Tape, from a tape.Don't tell the...
Hooked on Slacker? Who isn't? If you've been lusting for a portable Slacker player, now's the time to pick one up here. For a limited time, you can pick up a 8GB Slacker WiFi Internet Radio for $69.99. With just a few ads, you...
If a Tree Camera MP3 player falls in the forest, does it make a noise? Well, yeah. It sounds like an MP3 player hitting the dirt. This little wooden camera-like device isn't a camera at all. It's a cute little MP3 player, disguised as a...
Would you spend more on a remote than many people would spend on their entire home theater? The Logitech Harmony 1100 touchscreen universal remote is quite an amazing remote. It features a customizable touchscreen, anodized black aluminum body,...