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Tower Speaker Reviews
Focal Electra 1028 Be Speaker System
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 24, 2011

Performance
Value
Build Quality
Price: $23,247 (updated 3/16/15)
At A Glance: Highs to die for, uncolored midrange, tight bass • Cinematic soundstage • Flawless build quality

Going for the Beryllium

Focal first became a household audio name in the 1980s. Located in Saint-Etienne, France, the company furnished driver units for a number of well-known speaker manufacturers, among them Wilson Audio Specialties. Wilson continues to use an exclusive version of a Focal inverted titanium-dome tweeter. With that exception, Focal has long since kept all of its driver production in-house for its own complete lineup of loudspeakers for the consumer, professional, automotive, and multimedia markets.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Secretariat (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 24, 2011
Behind every legend lies and impossible dream. Witness the spectacular journey of an incredible horse named Secretariat and the moving story of his unlikely owner (Diane Lane), a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion.

Disney is never one to shy away from an inspirational sports story and while this doesn't live up to the magic of Miracle, it has a lot of heart and explains the struggles Penny Chenery had to endure to be a woman in a male dominate world. I'm sure there were some liberties taken with some of the facts to liven-up the story, but that's not uncommon in Hollywood. Regardless, the performances are very good, especially by Lane and John Malkovich, who plays the eccentric Canadian horse trainer.

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Audio Video News
Sony Makes Its Browser Move
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 24, 2011
Sony Bravia TVs and other broadband-connected products are getting a new feature: the Opera web browser.

Of course there's hardly a higher-end TV left that doesn't have some kind of IPTV capability. But most IPTVs depend on apps, guided by the philosophy that a computer-centric approach is not right for television. By adopting a little-known but fully developed browser, while also offering apps, Sony is taking more of a belt-and-suspenders approach.

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Vote
Do You Suffer From 3D Sickness?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 21, 2011

Aside from the high cost of active-shutter glasses, one of the biggest complaints about 3D TV is that watching it can make some people physically sick with eye strain, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or even convulsions. This phenomenon has prompted manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony to issue warnings about watching 3D content if you're drunk, pregnant—hopefully not at the same time!—tired, elderly, or prone to seizures. One possible explanation is that stereoscopic 3D is not the same as what we see in the real world, and the human brain responds differently.

I have never experienced any related symptoms while watching 3D TVs, and I realize that such warnings are mostly to cover the company's legal ass. Also, I suspect the incidence of these problems is greater with active-shutter glasses, which alternately open and close 60 times per second, than with passive glasses that are used in most commercial cinemas.

Still, I don't know how common "3D sickness" really is, so I ask you: Have you ever experienced any of the symptoms listed above while watching 3D content, and if so, under what circumstances?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice, especially if it depends on the program or where you sit. What programs or locations are best and worst?

Do You Suffer From 3D Sickness?
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Premiere Design
Devialet D-Premier Integrated Amp/DAC
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 21, 2011
Among the standout gems at CES this year was the D-Premier integrated amp/DAC from French newcomer Devialet. Distributed in the US by Audio Plus Services, the D-Premier serves as the stylish hub of a high-performance 2-channel audio system.
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Custom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
Basement DIY Theater
Tom Kern  |  Jan 21, 2011

In 2008, I started to design and build the home theater my wife, Allison, and I always wanted. I spent months pouring over home theater magazines and DIY theater websites learning what to do, and more importantly, what not to do. Having toyed around with home and car stereo in the past, I decided that there was no need to hire someone to install and calibrate my system. Taking a “hands on” approach helped me understand every aspect of the project and in the long run it should be easier to integrate new components in the future.

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3D Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Polar Express 3D (Blu-ray 3D)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 21, 2011
A boy (Daryl Sabara) has lost the Christmas spirit and doesn't believe in Santa Claus. He awakes on Christmas Eve to the sound of a train arriving in his front yard. Invited to join the Polar Express on its journey to the North Pole by the train conductor (Tom Hanks), a magical world opens his eyes to the spirit of Christmas.

I'm the only one in my family that isn't in love with this picture and I can't say the 3D experience improved it for me that much, if at all. The story is somewhat tedious and forced, so I was paying more attention to the technical details of the presentation and while the audio is outstanding, the Blu-ray 3D presentation wasn't as good as other titles I've watched the past couple of weeks.

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Audio Video News
UltraViolet to Arrive This Summer
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 21, 2011
Buy it once, play it on any device: That's the promise of UltraViolet, a cloud-based computing scheme. While the Consumer Electronics Show was in full swing this month, it was reported that UltraViolet is launching this summer.

As we've previously reported, this is a big deal. UltraViolet will let you access content you've paid for once across multiple platforms including TVs, PCs, gaming consoles, smart phones, and any kind of computer.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Open Season 3—Sony Pictures Entertainment
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Boog, Elliot and all their forest friends return with an all-new adventure that is their fastest and furriest yet - this time in a big top circus! When Boog's buddies can't make their annual guys-only getaway, he decides to take a trip by himself. Stumbling across a visiting circus, Boog switches places with a look-alike circus grizzly and takes over his part in the act. But when the circus decides to go back to Russia, it's a race against time for Elliot, McSquizzy, Mr. Weenie and the gang to rescue Boog before it's too late.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsAudio Video News
Star Wars Trilogy Hitting Blu-ray September 27th According to Amazon
Stan Horaczek  |  Jan 20, 2011

We managed to catch the trailer for the upcoming release of the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray out at CES. During the presentation, which was put on by Panasonic, they marched out an Amazon exec to announce that pre-orders were going live, but there was still no release date to be had.

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