Audio Video News

HT Staff | Apr 12, 2004 |

DVD: The Cat in the Hat—Universal
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 2
It's always dangerous to remake a classic, yet director Bo Welch and company evidently had little fear of (or much respect for) the original Dr. Seuss tale in which a mischievous cat with a mysterious-but-colorful hat magically enters the lives of a brother and sister who need a lesson about balance in their lives. Although the DVD case claims that "the Classic Book Comes to Life," sadly, the childlike wonder and simple beauty of Suess' well-hewn prose and intriguingly alluring drawings are regularly shortchanged in favor of Mike Myers' antics and strangely out-of-place, off-color humor.

Audio Video News

Industry Roundup

Barry Willis | Apr 05, 2004 |

Retailers on the rise: Best Buy and Circuit City, North America's largest and second-largest electronics chains, both reported surges in profits for the fourth fiscal quarter ended February 28. Best Buy's profits rose 51% to $469 million on strong sales of flat-panel TVs, digital cameras, and computers, while Circuit City posted a net income of $89.6 million, a 26% increase in profits over last year's fourth-quarter $70.9 million, after making cost-cutting efforts.

Audio Video News

New Products. Price Drops

| Apr 05, 2004 |

This month, <A HREF="http://www.integraresearch.com">Integra Research</A> should begin delivering the RDV-1.1, a high-performance universal disc player announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The THX Ultra-certified RDV-1.1 not only plays every current optical disc format, including DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD, and SACD, but includes a video scaler that upconverts ordinary DVDs to 720p or 1080i. The internal "O-Plus FlexScale" video scaler also works with external video sources connected to the RDV-1.1's unit's rear-panel component, composite, and S-video inputs.

Audio Video News

Added to the Archives This Week

| Apr 05, 2004 |

Back in 1997, Scott Wilkinson put a two-part article together on color and vision as they pertain to video displays. Video display technology has changed radically since then, and so we've updated <A HREF="/features/204eye">An Eye for Color, Part 1</A> for 2004. Part 2 of this updated article is now available in the May 2004 issue of Stereophile Guide to Home Theater.

Audio Video News

Coming Attractions

HT Staff | Apr 05, 2004 |

Intrigue
The newest addition to Intrigue's line of Harmony remote controls is designed with your basic TiVo needs in mind. The Harmony SST-688 provides extra navigation buttons specifically for use with digital video recorders. Like the rest of its Harmony brethren, the SST-688 is PC- and Mac-compatible, and it features designated activity buttons like "Play DVD" and "Watch TV," which make the remote a breeze to operate. You configure the SST-688 online; simply answer a series of questions about your A/V equipment and then download the necessary programming into the remote via the included USB cable. The $225 remote control can operate all infrared devices, such as A/V components, gaming consoles, MP3 music servers, and lighting control.
Intrigue Technologies
(866) 291-1505
www.harmony-remote.com

Audio Video News

Latest Software Reviews

HT Staff | Apr 05, 2004 |

DVD: Good Boy!—MGM/UA
Video: 2
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
What if dogs really came from another world and were sent on a mission to Earth to domesticate humans and assert their superiority? That's the premise of this fetching family film, whose writers never met a canine joke they didn't like. The gimmick of talking dogs—especially when the voice talent includes Carl Reiner and Cheech Marin—carries the movie up to a point, but it runs out of steam about the time the Greater Dane arrives from the planet Sirius to inspect her minions. Still, the visual jokes and awwww-inspiring moments will engage most young viewers and their parents.

Audio Video News

SGHT Editor Hosts Conference

| Mar 31, 2004 |

The audio, video and home theater reference magazine in Quebec, Quebec Audio & Video, is very proud to present a Canadian first during its Annual Rendez-Vous —two conferences by Thomas J. Norton, editor of the American magazine, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater.

Audio Video News

Sharp Aquos LC-45GX6U

HT Staff | Mar 31, 2004 |

Sharp has introduced what it claims is the largest LCD high-definition flat-panel now available. The company is the market leader in LCD televisions, according to a 2003 report from DisplaySearch, an Austin, Texas-based market research firm.

Audio Video News

Outlaw Audio LFM-1

HT Staff | Mar 30, 2004 | First Published: Mar 31, 2004 |

Outlaw Audio is now shipping its affordable high-performance subwoofer, the LFM-1. The $579 powered sub won high praise at introduction late last year, causing an unexpected demand. The Easton, MA-based manufacturer has completed production runs and should be able to fulfill all orders, according to a recent news posting.

Audio Video News

Connected Guide to the Digital Home Launched

HT Staff | Mar 30, 2004 |

Primedia, the leading targeted media company, announced March 30 the newsstand arrival of its recently launched Connected Guide To The Digital Home. Part of Primedia's Home Technology & Photography (HT&P) Group, Connected is the first consumer magazine dedicated entirely to adopting and integrating audio, video, information, telecommunications, security and other personal and home technologies.

Audio Video News

Connected Guide to the Digital Home Launched

| Mar 30, 2004 |

Primedia, the leading targeted media company, announced March 30 the newsstand arrival of its recently launched <A HREF="http://www.connectedguide.com">Connected Guide To The Digital Home</A>. Part of Primedia's Home Technology & Photography (HT&P) Group, Connected is the first consumer magazine dedicated entirely to adopting and integrating audio, video, information, telecommunications, security and other personal and home technologies.

Audio Video News

Industry Roundup

| Mar 29, 2004 |

High-density DVDs—which would almost double the capacity of today's standard 4.7Gbyte discs—could become commonplace with the advent of dual-layer DVD burners. Such devices are being introduced by several manufacturers and should begin to arrive at retailers in May.

Audio Video News

Cable News

| Mar 29, 2004 |

Allen unloads TechTV: Comcast Corporation will expand its reach with the purchase of TechTV, the geeky startup founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. According to reports on March 26, Comcast will pay approximately $300 million for TechTV, whose "Robot Wars" and other productions are available in more than 43 million homes.

Audio Video News

Latest Software Reviews

HT Staff | Mar 29, 2004 |

DVD: The Final Countdown—Blue Underground
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
This B-grade time-travel yarn about a modern aircraft carrier thrust back in time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor has earned a devoted following. However, aside from a rush job on DVD last year from Pacific Family Entertainment, it has never seen a disc worthy of fans' attention. Blue Underground has rectified this, affectionately producing a limited edition (100,000 copies), two-disc set after picking up the floundering rights.

Audio Video News

Coming Attractions

HT Staff | Mar 29, 2004 |

Motorola
Motorola has unveiled their new home entertainment product, the DCP601. This all-in-one box holds a 6.1-channel A/V processor, a digital-cable-ready receiver, HDTV and AM/FM tuners, and a progressive-scan DVD-Video/-Audio player that also supports the MP3, WMA, and JPEG formats. Connect the DCP601 to your HD monitor via the DVI (with HDCP) output; the HDTV tuner supports 18 ATSC off-air video formats, so you can tune in any HDTV channels that your cable system doesn't offer. The DCP601's internal amp is rated at 100 watts times six, and the processor includes Dolby EX, DTS ES, and SRS Labs' Circle Surround II technology, which lets you enjoy 6.1 surround sound from virtually any stereo content, including CD, MP3, and television broadcasts. The DCP601's suggested retail price is $1,199.
Motorola
(866) 668-2271
www.motorola.com

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