Audio Video News

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Audio Video News
James In-wall Speakers Offer Constant Performance, Tunable Frequency Response
HT Staff  |  Jun 12, 2001  | 
Many home theater fans use in-wall speakers for rear/side channels. Some even use them for the front channels as well. It's a space saving strategy, but one fraught with acoustic problems, the most prominent being the unpredictable nature of the "bay" into which the in-wall speaker is installed. Is it big or small, empty or stuffed with insulation? These factors make a huge difference in the performance of typical open-back in-walls.
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Audio Video News
Princeton Graphics Debuts 32" Flatscreen HDTV
HT Staff  |  Jun 12, 2001  | 
Convergence has taken another step forward with the newest offering from Princeton Graphics Systems. On June 13, the display and monitor maker introduced its Ai3.2HD, a 32" flatscreen CRT with HDTV compatibility and interactive television features.
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Audio Video News
Hello Operator, Give Me HDTV
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 10, 2001  | 

There may be more than one way to skin the HDTV cat. Last week, <A HREF="http://www.viagate.com">ViaGate Technologies</A> announced what the company is terming "a major breakthrough" with what it says is the successful delivery of High Definition Television (HDTV) over an existing fiber network through its ViaGate 4160 Access Switch utilizing standard copper telephone wires. ViaGate, in conjunction with CompleteTV and <A HREF="http://www.artel.tv">Artel Video Systems</A>, says that it has introduced this potential service to complement a host of broadband entertainment and connectivity services that are being field tested in Tennessee.

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Audio Video News
AT&T Scales Back ITV Plans, Yahoo! Makes TV Move
Barry Willis  |  Jun 10, 2001  | 

Microsoft must still be smarting from a blow delivered by AT&T Broadband. On June 6, the telecommunications giant announced that it was scaling back its plans to implement Microsoft's interactive television software in its next generation of digital set-top boxes (STBs).

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Audio Video News
Dare to Be Dumb
Wes Phillips  |  Jun 10, 2001  | 

<I>The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!<BR> Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, O.J. Simpson, Ricardo Montalban. Directed by Jerry Zucker. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). 84 minutes. 1988. Paramount Home Video 32100. PG-13. $29.99.</I>

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Audio Video News
John Waters to Kick Off DVD Entertainment 2001
 |  Jun 10, 2001  | 

Film director John Waters will lead off the <A HREF="http://www.dvdconference.com">DVD Entertainment 2001 Conference & Showcase</A>, to be held August 22 & 23, 2001 at the Hilton Universal City & Towers, in Universal City, CA. Conference organizers announced on June 5 that Waters would give a keynote presentation entitled "From the Lens to Plastic: A Typically Unorthodox View of DVD," detailing how the format has brought his work to a new audience.

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Audio Video News
Aperion Audio Announces Compact, Affordable Subwoofer
HT Staff  |  Jun 09, 2001  | 
Passive radiators fell out of favor with loudspeaker manufacturers in the early 1980's, but the technology always showed promise for extending the low-end response from small cabinets. Tigard, OR-based Aperion Audio, formerly known as EdgeAudio, has revived the design with the introduction of a new 150-watt powered subwoofer selling for just under $400.
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Audio Video News
No Need for TiVo in the Future?
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 03, 2001  | 

If companies like <A HREF="http://www.nCUBE.com">nCUBE</A> have their way, hard-disc-based PVR manufacturers such as TiVo are going to have a tough time finding customers. nCUBE announced last week that it will demonstrate its scalable "network-based" personal video recorder (nPVR) systems at Cable 2001, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's (NCTA) Convention in Chicago, June 10&ndash;13.

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Audio Video News
Making the World Safe for Digital Files
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 03, 2001  | 

In the wake of Napster, movie studios are even more gun-shy about releasing new content without a digital chastity belt in place. Responding to calls for additional copy protection security from content owners and content providers concerned about the potential unlimited distribution of digital files over the Internet, <A HREF="http://www.thomson-multimedia.com">Thomson multimedia</A> says it is re-introducing its SmartRight system, which the company describes as a method of "robust content protection that could possibly operate as a secure layer to supplement less complete current approaches."

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Audio Video News
From Russia with Love: Special Edition
Dan Yakir  |  Jun 03, 2001  | 

<I>Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Lotte Lenya, Robert Shaw. Directed by Terence Young. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (widescreen). Dolby Digital mono. 115 minutes. 1963. MGM Home Entertainment 1001093. PG. $26.98.</I>

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Audio Video News
No "Integrated HDTVs" in New Hitachi Lineup
 |  Jun 03, 2001  | 

Lack of HDTV programming and uncertainties about interface standards have caused Hitachi to hold off on introducing any new fully integrated HDTV sets. In late May, <A HREF="www.hitachi.com">Hitachi Home Electronics America</A> announced its new UltraVision Digital line of television products, including 9 new rear-projection HDTV monitors, but there are no fully integrated sets or set-top boxes (STBs) among them.

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Audio Video News
Multifacted Struggle for DBS Market, Spectrum
Barry Willis  |  Jun 03, 2001  | 

There's a curious three-way war being fought over Direct Broadcast Satellite television. Further court action has been put off until June 12 in the antitrust suit brought by DBSer EchoStar and its parent company Hughes Electronics Corporation against competitor DirecTV. The lawsuit alleges that DirecTV has conspired with retailers to shut EchoStar out of the expanding market for satellite TV. DirecTV has approximately twice the number of subscribers as its smaller rival; in all, there are approximately 40 million DBS subscribers in North America.

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Audio Video News
NHT Revamping Product Line
HT Staff  |  Jun 02, 2001  | 
Loudspeaker manufacturer NHT is slimming down its offerings in more ways than one. The Benicia, CA-based company has announced that its new lineup will be reduced from the current 30 models to only 18. The new speakers themselves will be smaller than their predecessors, according to vice president and general manager Chris Byrne, thanks to advances in woofer technology that allow deeper bass to be generated from smaller cabinets with narrower front baffles.
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Audio Video News
Coming This Fall: 2nd Generation DVD Recorder from Panasonic
HT Staff  |  May 30, 2001  | 
On May 31, Panasonic announced the DMR-E20, its second-generation DVD video recorder. Carrying a suggested retail price of $1499.95, less than half the price of last year's DMR-E10, the new machine will hit the streets in October.
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Audio Video News
Polk Audio Ups Price:Performance Ante with DS 7660 System
HT Staff  |  May 29, 2001  | 
Not everyone wants or needs a cost-no-object home theater. Many movie fans are completely content with affordable systems, and companies like Polk Audio are working hard to keep them happy.
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