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Audio Video News
Mitsubishi Strutts Its High Definition Stuff
user  |  Apr 16, 2005  | 
As is their practice this time of every year, Mitsubishi recently invited dealers to a secret location (actually it was in Orlando, Florida) where, amidst much hoopla, wining and dining, and the all-important dealer/sales representative bonding (courtesy of the wining and dining), the company unveiled the HDTVs which will be available for delivery to home theaters later this year. Mitsubishi's introduction brought to light 17 new models and involved several of the world's most sought after display technologies.
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Audio Video News
Wireless Home Theater...with an Asterisk
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 16, 2005  | 
Normally the disclaimer* comes at the end, but why hide uncomfortable news? When it comes to home entertainment equipment and someone starts talking about a piece of gear being "wireless", they don't mean "wireless" - they mean "nearly wireless". Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about Panasonic's new rear-speaker wireless-ready home theater systems. Oh, by the way, "wireless-ready" means you'll need an optional piece of gear to make the system nearly wireless. (But don't let that put a barbed-wire fence around your lofty goal of having free-range wireless chickens. There ain't no totally wireless lunch from any company in this neck of the woods, pardner, but that don't mean you can't dream...)
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Audio Video News
Doom and Gloom at Voom
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 14, 2005  | 

It seems that Voom is finally nearing the end of the line, despite Herculean (some would say Machiavellian) efforts to keep it alive by Cablevision founder Charles Dolan. In what can only be described as a real-life soap opera, Dolan's attempts to resurrect the HD satellite service have raised more than a few eyebrows and divided his own family squarely down the middle. (If you haven't been following the saga, you can get up to speed by <A href="http://ultimateavmag.com/news/030105voom/">starting here</A> and following the links.)

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Audio Video News
Digital Rights Management
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 13, 2005  |  First Published: Apr 14, 2005  | 

Digital rights management (DRM) was one of the hottest topics to be discussed at the recent Digital Hollywood conference, held March 31, 2005, at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in (where else?) Santa Monica, California. DRM is a key issue holding up the finalization of the specifications for both HD DVD and Blu-ray, the two competing contenders to become the next-generation optical-disc format.

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Audio Video News
Coming Attractions
HT Staff  |  Apr 11, 2005  | 
Optoma
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Audio Video News
Latest Software Reviews
HT Staff  |  Apr 11, 2005  | 
DVD: The Forgotten—Columbia/TriStar
A twisting, turning, supernatural story, The Forgotten stars Julianne Moore as Telly, a woman grieving the loss of her 8-year-old son. The only problem is, everyone around her insists that the boy she misses so desperately never actually existed. As she continues to cling to her memories, she finds herself sinking further into a nightmare. Although the heart of the film is about the unbreakable bond between parent and child, the story offers enough government conspiracy and X-Files-type intrigue to give it wider appeal.
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Audio Video News
HE2005 Concerts Announced
HT Staff  |  Apr 11, 2005  | 
The Home Entertainment Show, scheduled to take place in NYC April 28–May 1, is only weeks away! Throughout the Show, ticket holders can experience the finest consumer electronics and convergence products on the planet—PLUS enjoy a variety of live music performances by popular jazz, folk, rap, blues, and classical music recording artists.
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Audio Video News
HE2005 Concerts Announced
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Apr 11, 2005  | 

The <A HREF="http://www.he2005.com">Home Entertainment Show</A>, scheduled to take place in NYC April 28&ndash;May 1, is almost upon us! Throughout the Show, ticket holders can experience the finest consumer electronics and convergence products on the planet&mdash;PLUS enjoy a variety of live music performances by popular jazz, folk, rap, blues, and classical music recording artists.

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Audio Video News
A Titanic Announcement
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 10, 2005  | 

It's no secret that the original DVD release of <I>Titanic</I>&mdash;about a zillion years ago in DVD time&mdash;was a technical dud. Oh, it looked okay, and the excitement of actually being able to put it on your very own shelf to watch whenever you wanted kept the disappointment to a low simmer. But it was released during the period when studios were just beginning to adopt the anamorphic or "enhanced for widescreen" format. Unfortunately, <I>Titanic</I> was not a beneficiary of that superior technology. As ordinary letterbox transfers go, it was among the better ones. But it wasn't what it should have been.

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Audio Video News
Coda: Irving M. Fried
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 07, 2005  | 

Speaker-industry pioneer Irving M. ("Bud") Fried passed away on March 31 at his home in Philadelphia. A lifelong resident of that city, his first exposure to audio was listening to the sound of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1928. But it wasn't live. Though he was to become a fixture at Philadelphia Orchestra concerts, he first heard the ensemble's music emerging from the theater horns of his father's movie theaters in 1928. That was not only the year movies learned to talk, but also the year young Fried became a confirmed music lover and audiophile&mdash;decades before high fidelity even had a name.

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Audio Video News
HDTV Gets Racy (Again)
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 06, 2005  | 
After a short pit stop, HDNet and NASCAR are once again putting the pedal to the metal. Both organizations jointly revealed the schedule for the second season of NASCAR's HDTV package to be telecast by HDNet. The pioneering HD network will feature a total of 20 live HD telecasts from NASCAR Grand National Division races. The NASCAR Grand National Division (for those living in blue states who have no earthly idea what we're talking about) includes two independent NASCAR series, the Busch North Series and the West Series (the West Coast's oldest stock car racing circuit), which feature drivers competing using identical race cars. (Well, they're not exactly identical or we wouldn't be able to tell them apart.) HDNet will provide additional coverage of some races from NASCAR's AutoZone Division. With each car in the race powered by a 350 to 358 cubic-inch V-8 engine and weighing a minimum of 3,300 pounds, the series of telecasts will be a high-definition orgy of minimum miles per gallon and maximum emissions. (Oh, what the heck. We all need something to keep our minds off the ever escalating price of gasoline.)
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Audio Video News
Hide, Side, or on the Bottom
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 06, 2005  | 
In a market that's rapidly becoming crowded with LCD TV suppliers, manufacturers need to do something to differentiate themselves - preferably something other than simply lowering the price. (Although, all other things being equal, a lower price sure gets our attention.)
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Audio Video News
HE2005 Seminars Announced
HT Staff  |  Apr 03, 2005  | 
The Home Entertainment 2005 Show is coming to New York City April 28 to May 1, at the New York Hilton hotel. A ticket to the Show not only gives attendees entrée to previews of the latest in home audio, home theater, and convergence products—it also includes free educational seminars on a variety of subjects, moderated by top industry editors.
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Audio Video News
HE2005 Seminars Announced
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Apr 03, 2005  | 

The Home Entertainment 2005 Show is coming to New York City April 28 to May 1, at the New York Hilton hotel. A ticket to the Show not only gives attendees entr&#233;e to previews of the latest in home audio, home theater, and convergence products&mdash;it also includes free educational seminars on a variety of subjects, moderated by top industry editors.

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Audio Video News
DVD: Not Dead Yet
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 30, 2005  |  First Published: Mar 31, 2005  | 

According to market research and analysis firm <A href="http://www.in-stat.com">In-Stat</A>, the future of DVD looks bright despite the emergence of new digital delivery services, such as video-on-demand (VOD) and online downloading. The company's latest market-research report predicts that the worldwide value of all published DVD products will increase with a compound annual growth rate of 18.2%, from about $33 billion during 2004 to $76.5 billion by 2009.

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