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AV Receiver Reviews
Test Report: Sony STR-DA4600ES A/V Receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Nov 10, 2010

A generation ago, Sony ruled the consumer electronics world, establishing new market segments with every innovation and instantly owning whatever existing ones it chose to enter. Today, although it’s still a consumer electronics force to be reckoned with, Sony has to step into the cage and compete like everybody else.

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Ask S&V
Calibration, Sub Crossover, Separates vs. AVRs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 10, 2010
Calibration Challenge
I've been listening to you on Leo Laporte's radio show for years. One of your pet subjects is the correct calibration of HDTVs. I would like to challenge you on this. I have previously accepted your advice, but now with multiple media sources running into my TV, I find that one setting doesn't suit all of them. I'm sure that accurate calibration is fine in a perfect world, but because media quality often changes, I have to change the picture settings to suit the media in order to fully appreciate the viewing experience.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
V: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 10, 2010
Massive mother ships arrive over 29 major cities throughout the world carrying the Visitors, human-like beings who know our languages and promise to provide gifts of technology and healing. Some consider them saviors but others aren't so trusting and form a resistance movement determined to find the true meaning of their appearance.

I was a fan of the 1980s miniseries and eagerly anticipated the release of this show on Blu-ray. The first four episodes are quite intriguing introducing the various characters although the show loses steam over the last eight as the narrative becomes rushed to get to the full-scale invasion that's on the horizon. The second season has been picked up by ABC due to good ratings among Adults 18-49, but if the writers don't get their act together I can see a Heroes-like loss of its audience.

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Review: LG 47LE8500 LCD HDTV
Rob Sabin  |  Nov 09, 2010
Key Features
$1,850 ($2,700 list) Sonystyle.com
• Full-array LED backlight with local dimming
• TruMotion 240-Hz processing
• NetCast Entertainment Network access, including Netflix, Vudu, Picasa, YouTube, and Yahoo! Widgets
• Backlit remote
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Premiere Design
Antelope Zodiac Gold 24/384 DAC
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 09, 2010
Another interesting professional/consumer crossover product introduced at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention last week was a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) from Antelope Audio. The Zodiac Gold can handle digital audio at resolutions up to 24 bits and sample rates up to 384kHz, a far higher rate than any commercially available content currently uses.
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A/V Veteran
3D Fits and Starts
Thomas J. Norton  |  Nov 09, 2010
3D at home can be fun, but in my reviews of 3D displays from most major manufacturers (Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, and Panasonic), I've come across a problem that has been little noted. This problem is not with the displays themselves, all of which do a good job with the 3D effect, apart from occasional ghosting or crosstalk (double images when one eye sees the image meant for the other eye).
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Review: Sony XBR-52LX900 3D LCD HDTV
Al Griffin  |  Nov 08, 2010
Key Features
$3,600 Sonystyle.com
• Edge-lit LED backlight
• 3D-capable (comes with two sets of active-shutter eyewear)t
• 3D conversion of 2D content
• Motionflow Pro 240 Hz display modes
• Streaming options include Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker, and Picasa
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Premiere Design
Ultrasone Edition 10 Headphones
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 08, 2010
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) convention isn't concerned with consumer products, but there's always a bit of crossover with the pro-audio items on display. For example, at last week's annual conclave in San Francisco, I found a new top-of-the-line headphone from Germany's Ultrasone. The Edition 10 is the company's first model in the Edition lineup to feature an open-back design, which took the company two years to develop. Also new to the Edition 10 is an oxygen-free copper (OFC), silver-plated, Kevlar-reinforced cable that can be easily configured for balanced or unbalanced connectors.
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Custom Installation How-To
Review Round Up: $250 3D Blu-ray Players
Al Griffin  |  Nov 08, 2010

Although 3D TV has grabbed its share of headlines over the past year, it appears that many consumers are still wary of the format. To cite one example, more than 70% of respondents in a recent survey sponsored by the cable TV industry said they wouldn’t consider buying a 3D TV in the next 12 months. Wouldn’t consider it! To these folks, plain old 2D movies at home look just fine, thanks. Watching 3D is something that you do while sitting in a squishy movie theater seat holding a bin of buttered popcorn and a 54-ounce Coke.

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Custom Installation How-To
Review Round Up: $250 3D Blu-ray Players Page 2
Al Griffin  |  Nov 08, 2010

Although 3D TV has grabbed its share of headlines over the past year, it appears that many consumers are still wary of the format. To cite one example, more than 70% of respondents in a recent survey sponsored by the cable TV industry said they wouldn't consider buying a 3D TV in the next 12 months. Wouldn't consider it! To these folks, plain old 2D movies at home look just fine, thanks. Watching 3D is something that you do while sitting in a squishy movie theater seat holding a bin of buttered popcorn and a 54-ounce Coke.

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