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Audio Video News
3net Debuts Sunday 2/13/11
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 11, 2011
The long-anticipated debut of 3net, a 24/7 3D network co-founded by Discovery Communications, Sony, and Imax, is set for Sunday, February 13, 2011, at 8:00 PM ET, when it will be carried on DirecTV's channel 107. Those who tune in that evening will see China Revealed, followed by Into the Deep, which took the Imax 3D camera underwater for the first time, and Forgotten Planet, a look at the "strangest places on Earth."
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When Will 4K Become Available At Home?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 11, 2011
As you no doubt know, the biggest buzz in consumer electronics these days is 3D. But every time I talk about it, the most common question is, "Yeah, but when will we see 4K?" While the debate continues about whether or not 3D is worthwhile, everyone seems to agree that 4K—a picture with 4096x2160 resolution, four times the number of pixels in current HD images—would be awesome.

Unfortunately, there are some impediments to the immediate widespread availability of 4K. For example, it costs much more to make a 4K display, which must be very large to take full advantage of the extra resolution, so such products would be a lot more expensive in an era of rapidly falling prices and a weak economy. And even if 4K displays were available and affordable, what about content? Studios routinely scan and archive their movies at 4K or higher, and some now shoot with 4K digital cameras, but there's no delivery system for that much data to the home. A physical medium would need much more capacity and much higher bitrate than Blu-ray currently offers, and online streaming is impossible without a major upgrade to consumer broadband services.

The big question is how long will it take to resolve these issues so consumers can watch 4K content on 4K displays in their homes? When do you think this will happen?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

When Will 4K Become Available At Home?
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Paranormal Activity 2 (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Feb 11, 2011
When a young couple bring a newborn baby home, someone or something begins terrorizing the family. In order to gain some piece of mind, the father (Brian Boland) installs some security cameras in and around the house in order to catch the hooligans in the act but the "real life" footage shows there's much more going on than meets the eye.

This isn't a genre of film that I particularly enjoy, so I never caught the first Paranormal Activity but I knew the general premise due to its popularity. My expectations weren't high and while I've seen far worse, I felt the screenplay took too long to introduce the characters and build up the tension (or lack thereof).

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Audio Video News
Ad Board Nixes Time Warner's Fiber Claims
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 11, 2011
The National Advertising Review Board says Time Warner Cable can no longer run ads touting its supposedly "advanced fiber optic network." The ruling is a victory for Verizon, which makes a big deal over its FiOS fiber optic network.

Compliance with the ad-industry watchdog's recommendations is voluntary. However, most major advertisers belong to the National Advertising Review Council, and toe the line when its Review Board issues a ruling.

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Subwoofer Reviews
Test Report: Hsu Research VTF-15H Subwoofer
Brent Butterworth  |  Feb 10, 2011

I have a confession to make: I've been a woofer wuss for most of my career as an audio journalist. When I started 21 years ago, there weren't many good subwoofers, and the little ones were usually less bad than the big ones, so I stuck mostly with smaller subs for my personal systems.

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Explorer
 |  Feb 10, 2011

Premiere Design
Zanden 9600 Monoblock Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 10, 2011
The Japanese know a thing or two about tube-based amplifiers, as demonstrated by Zanden Audio Systems, which recently released its new flagship monoblock, the 9600. This beauty joins a stable of phono and linestage preamps, a DAC, several other power amps, and a CD transport, offering everything you need for 2-channel bliss except for the speakers and cables—and a turntable if you're into vinyl.
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Audio Video News
Sony Bravias Have 500GB Drives in Japan
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 10, 2011
Sony has introduced three Bravia TVs equipped with 500 gigabyte hard drives. The catch is that, at least for now, these models are for the Japanese market.

With that kind of storage on board, you can record 65 hours of HD programming. The system can also accept additional external drives.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
It's Kind of a Funny Story (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Feb 09, 2011
Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is a stressed-out teenager who checks himself into a mental health clinic after having fantasies of committing suicide. What he finds on the inside is an unlikely mentor in Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), a potential girlfriend in Noel (Emma Roberts), and the opportunity to discover who he truly is.

Sometimes seeing a film you have never heard of can be a blessing, and such is the case here. This is a human interest story about the stresses of being a teenager and fitting into the tidy little boxes from the perspective of your friends and parents, despite what you own wishes and dreams. Gilchrist does an outstanding job in the lead role, but it's Galifianakis who steals the show as the quirky mentor.

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The Custom Installer: Three DIY Projects You Can Handle
John Sciacca  |  Feb 09, 2011

People often ask me, “John, how hard is that? Could I do it myself?” And the answer is often, “It depends.” A walk in the park for one person might be a Grand Master Sudoku puzzle for another. Take my friend Jon. He’s like Rain Man when it comes to working with engines or motors or pretty much anything mechanical. But when it comes to installing a new A/V component or programming his Harmony, he’s all thumbs, so he calls me.

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