LATEST ADDITIONS

Premiere Design
Red Wine Audio Isabellina HPA LFP-V Edition Headphone Amp/DAC
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 18, 2011
A couple of months ago, Steve Guttenberg wrote a short review of the Isabellina HPA LFP-V Edition headphone amp from Red Wine Audio in his Audiophiliac blog, implying that it could be the world's best. With the recent launch of InnerFidelity, our new sibling site devoted to headphones and other personal-audio products, I thought it especially fitting to profile this little gem here.
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Audio Video News
Happy birthday, Klipsch
Michael Berk  |  Apr 18, 2011

Klipsch turns 65 this year. The venerable US manufacturer (based in Indianapolis since 1989 but still turning out speakers in its Hope, Arkansas plant today) has posted a retrospective video (with some nifty vintage ad images) today tracing the company's evolution from its humble beginnings in ham enthusiast Paul W.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Kings Speech (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 18, 2011
After the death of his father and the scandalous abdication of his brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth), who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all of his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually forge a genuine friendship.

Taking home the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler), I had extremely high expectations of this film and they were mostly met. That being said, I don't think this was the best picture of 2010, my pick would be The Social Network, but I can see why the Academy chose this film due to the lavish sets, decadent costumes, and historically significant story.

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Audio Video News
CE Recycling to Triple by 2016
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 18, 2011
Recycling of electronic products will triple by 2016 thanks to the eCycling Leadership Initiative. The aim is to recycle one billion pounds per year by 2016, three times the amount recycled in 2010. That's enough to fill 88.9 billion cubic feet, the equivalent of a 71,000-seat NFL stadium.

How will this be accomplished? By improving consumer awareness of the existing 5000 industry-sponsored collection sites, increasing collection opportunities, and providing transparent metrics.

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The Big Picture
Pawn Stars
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 15, 2011
On my way out of Vegas, I had to stop by the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop where the History Channel series Pawn Stars is shot. Unfortunately, Rick, Old Man, Big Hoss, and Chumlee weren't there at the time, but it was cool to be in the store seen on the show, which is one of my favorites these days. Awesome!
The Big Picture
TWiT Skybox
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 15, 2011
Here's a shot of the TWiT skybox overlooking the lower South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, from which Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Kirk Harnack, and I provided about 20 hours of coverage of the 2011 NAB show, supported by 10 hard-working members of Team TWiT. Design by Roger Ambrose, lighting by Brent Bye. To watch video of all the coverage, go to twit.tv/specials, and go here for a special episode of my Home Theater Geeks podcast from the show floor.
The Big Picture
3DFusion Glasses-Free 3D
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 15, 2011
I received an e-mail on the last day of NAB announcing a demonstration of a new glasses-free 3D display technology from a company called 3DFusion, so I had to check it out before heading back to L.A. The company has licensed some 800 related patents from Philips and developed its own algorithms to solve the problems of limited viewing cones and crosstalk while using a lenticular filter on a flat-panel screen.
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Audio Video News
The Summer of YouTube
Michael Berk  |  Apr 15, 2011

Google's revamp of YouTube as a platform for live events has generated plenty of excitement already, if mainly for its potential to dominate the rapidly expanding streaming market.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 61: Live from NAB 2011
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 15, 2011

In this special episode of Home Theater Geeks, Leo Laporte and I visit the Panasonic, JVC, and Sony booths at NAB 2011 to talk about what they're up to in the professional realm and how that impacts the consumer experience.

Run time: 1:14:25

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The Big Picture
DIY 3D
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 15, 2011
One of the clearest trends at NAB was the dramatic drop in the cost of creating 3D content, bringing this capability within reach of hobbyists and wannabe stereographers. Sony showed two inexpensive 3D camcorders, the HXR-NX3D1 ($3400, available this Summer, shown above) and HDR-TD10 ($1500, available end of April). Both record 1920x1080 in AVCHD format to internal memory (96GB in the NX3D1, 64GB in the TD10), and they have a dual-format slot that can accept Memory Stick or SD memory cards. They can also copy files directly to a hard-disk drive from a USB port with no need for a computer. The TD10 records at 60i (60fps interlaced), while the NX3D1 can record at 60i or 24p. The only other difference is that the NX3D1 provides XLR audio inputs and generates time code.
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