Audio Video News

Computer geeks and sci-fi action thrillers go together like peanut butter and jelly. It's therefore no accident that the first-ever high definition DVD will feature Arnold Swarzenegger's monosyllabic cyborg on a disc playable on computers only.

"Stunning artifact-free picture quality" is the sort of promotional hype that always accompanies the release of any new video product. In the case of <A HREF="http://www.vinc.com">V Inc.</A>'s new Bravo D1, it may be more than hot air. On May 9, the Fountain Valley, CA technology company announced the D1, described as the first DVD player equipped with MPEG-4 playback capability and a digital video interface. The D1 outputs both interlaced and progressive signals, and can scale its output to 480p/720p/1080i.

Steven Stone sets up the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?113">Vienna Acoustics Strauss surround speaker system</A> and puts them to the test. Stone emerges with a smile on his face, declaring, "I'll miss them when they're gone."

The key to growth for digital television is a broad array of readily available content, according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Michael Powell.

EchoStar Communications Corporation will soon up the ante on its competitors. This summer, the company's <A HREF="http://www.dishnetwork.com">DISH Network</A> service will add two new high definition TV networks, HDNet and HDNet Movies, to its expanding roster of high-def programming.