Plasma was once the upcoming star of flat screen technology, but it has fallen on hard times. Both Vizio and, sadly, Pioneer announced their exits from the business within weeks of one another, and an ever-growing number of consumers are choosing the more familiar LCD to hang on their walls. Why?
A voice booms from the ether of the home theater like a female Jehovah. "Pick up Line 2," it commands. "Meryl wants to talk to Natasha." I'm alone in the room and, tech-savvy guy that I am, can't figure out if I should shout a response back into the void as I fumble around looking for a handset to pick up or a button to press.
So after 6 or 7 years of work, Christmas on Mars(Warner Bros.) is finally here. And it isn't "just" a holiday film, it's what I'm calling a fable for the sci-fi generation. It's a fable of hope for the sci-fi generation, yes. Is there a sci-fi generation?
The first thing I noticed about the new Blackberry Bold ($300 with a 2-year AT&T contract and rebate; blackberry.com, att.com) when I took it out of the box was how good-looking it is.
Sure, you can make a ballad with a sexy sax solo the first thing people hear on your new record…but why? Here are 25 bands that know how to make a first impression-with thunderous guitar riffs, plane crashes and cathedral bells that signal sonic apocalypse.
In terms of means and level of accomplishment, the two theaters featured this month couldn't be more different. One is the work of a professional custom installer for an apparently well-off client, and it actually involved the services of an architect.
For years, I've heard about a magical convention - a convention where people like me can go to see the latest, coolest, most cutting-edge electronics that are slated to be "coming soon." We all know it, of course, as the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, and lucky for me the Sound & Vision fairy tapped me with his wand and sent me to the big event in Las Vegas this past Janua
By now, you've heard about the sudden death of actress Natasha Richardson. I wrote about her and husband Liam Neeson's home theater for the January '09 issue ("A Class Act"), and wanted to share a few thoughts about her:
Each year, people like me attend the Consumer Electronics Show hoping to see indications of a forthcoming display technology that will make current TV tech - LCD and plasma, mostly - seem as outdated as the tube TVs piling up in landfills around the world (or not - see "Tech Goes Green" on page 56 for more on that story).
In a wintry scene on a certain Blu-ray Disc I'm watching, I can see subtle shadings in the whites of the snow-covered yards. All around, contrast is crisp, and color is stunning - such as the perfect-hued skin tones of the leading man's face. Not to mention the brilliant shade of azure in his matching scarf and hat. (Has such a tint ever appeared onscreen before?)
AI has launched some big musical careers, but what would Simon and Co. have said if these bonafide talents had stepped on stage with a number pinned on their shirt?
Okay. Let's begin by taking a deep breath. Breathe in and then out. Again. Good! Now, let me explain that it might be time for another paradigm shift. Remember the first time you drove a car? Or kissed your sweetheart? Or chugged an entire spray can of cheese? Yes, your life was never the same afterward.
When 7.1-channel surround sound came out a few years ago, no one knew if people would buy it. And no one knew if Hollywood would produce 7.1-channel soundtracks. But there's one thing everyone knew: Someday, somebody would come up with even more channels.
