LATEST ADDITIONS

Expectant father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is flying home from Atlanta in order to bear witness to the birth of his first child. When he encounters Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), a socially retarded wannabe actor at the airport, things get off on the wrong foot when they inadvertently exchange bags and Peter gets stopped in security for carrying drug paraphernalia. Sadly, that's the highlight of his trip because he's soon kicked off the plane, put on the no-fly list, and is forced to take a cross-country car trip with the man responsible for his troubles.

My expectations were pretty low going into this, and for good reason. The trailers made it look like a complete rip-off of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and unfortunately it isn't as funny as the classic John Candy/Steve Martin movie. The first act sets up the scenario pretty well, but then it quickly falls apart when the two protagonists hit the road.

Carbon fiber seems to be the cabinet material of choice for many speaker makers these days, including Austrian Carboton, whose designs are described as "a sensual experience for your eyes, too."

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Expectant first-time father Peter Highman looks forward to his new child's due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife's side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter's last nerve.

Price: $2,500 At A Glance: Deep, powerful bass • Sweet, extended treble and uncolored midrange • Can be unforgiving at high levels

H-PAS the Bass

For the past two years, Atlantic Technology has been working on a new speaker designed around what the company claims is a revolutionary bass-loading technique. Invented by Philip Clements of Solus/Clements Loudspeakers, H-PAS (for Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System) has intrigued trade-show goers since Atlantic started sneak-peeking it in late 2009. The speaker, the Atlantic Technology AT-1, is now in full production.

For a company known for its dedication to producing outstanding home theater speaker systems (its 8200e system won a 2008 Home Theater Award), launching what is, at present, essentially a standalone two-channel model might seem a bit odd. But Atlantic is so pumped about the potential of this design approach that the effort to get the AT-1 to market has been highly focused.