LATEST ADDITIONS

Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 20, 2010
Teenager Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is asked to help his friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) conduct a scientific experiment involving a time machine made out of a DeLorean. Before he knows it, he finds himself transported to 1955 and sets off a time-shattering chain reaction that can wipe out his future. Searching out the 1955 version of Doc, the pair has to figure out a way to fix the space-time continuum and get the teenager back to the future.

In Part II, Marty and Doc travel 30 years into the future in order to stop Marty's son from setting off a chain of events that will ruin the family's reputation. In the process of fixing the future, the pair inadvertently disrupts the space-time continuum (again) and need to travel back to 1955 in order to set things right.

Continue Reading »
The MettleShop Interview: Richard Thompson, Dream Weaver
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 20, 2010

So we’re here to dissect the Dream Attic, as it were…

Dissect the Attic? Okay, sounds dangerous.

I really like the decision you made to cut this album live while you were on tour earlier this year in the western US. Was that always the intent? How long ago had you decided that route when you were working on this material?

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Netflix Adopts DD+ for Streaming
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 20, 2010
The audio part of Netflix streaming video rentals is about to get a lot better with the adoption of Dolby Digital Plus surround.
Continue Reading »
Premiere Design
Horo WJE168 Turntable
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 19, 2010
And now for something completely different—a turntable shaped like a piano with a tonearm made from a violin bow. Italian maker Horo calls the WJE168—named in honor of jazz legend William J. (Bill) Evans—a "tunable turntable."
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
NY Viewers Bruised in Carriage Smash
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 19, 2010
To the consternation of New York area viewers, two major broadcast channels went dark on a local cable system over the weekend.
Continue Reading »
Sweepstakes
Logitech Harmony One Sweepstakes
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 18, 2010

If you're like most home theater geeks, you have a gaggle of remotes cluttering your coffee table. Of course, you can get a universal remote, but most are a pain to program for your particular system. Fortunately, all is not lost—the Harmony One from Logitech is easy to set up, and the button layout is among the best I've ever seen. In fact, it's the remote I use in my own home theater, and it could be yours as well if you win our latest sweepstakes.

[This sweepstakes is now closed.]

Continue Reading »
TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
LG Infinia 47LX9500 LCD 3D HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 18, 2010
Price: $4,300 At A Glance: Dark blacks with good shadow detail • Crisp resolution and accurate color • Best-in-class off-axis performance • No 2D-to-3d conversion

Life’s Good in 3D

We were mighty impressed by LG’s 47LE8500 HDTV in a recent review. That set had effective local-dimming LED technology and went farther than any set we’d seen in mitigating LCD’s remaining Achilles heel—the 47LE8500 had the strongest off-axis performance we’ve seen from that technology. The new LG LX9500 series is a twin of the 8500 series in many ways, with largely similar features and comparable 2D performance. But the addition of 3D puts these new sets—the 47-inch model reviewed here and the larger, 55-inch 55LX9500—into an entirely different category.

Continue Reading »
Premiere Design
Alef Power Amps
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 18, 2010
Among the many high-end audio products demonstrated at last weekend's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest were several amplifiers from Alef (formerly Delta Sigma) and distributed in the US by TMH Audio. Submitted for your consideration here are the Duet SE 2-channel power amp, Solist monoblock, and Orchestra integrated amp.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Netflix now disc-free on the PS3 and Wii
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2010
It's a one-two punch today for Netflix-loving gamers. No longer do Wii and PS3 owners need to swap out discs to watch videos over Netflix. Downloadable apps are now available on both game systems that allow users to watch Netflix's Watch Instantly...
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Psycho: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 18, 2010
A wayward traveler (Janet Leigh) comes upon the Bates Motel and makes the fatal decision of stopping for the evening and partaking in a shower. In one of the most memorable scenes in Hollywood history, she's sliced and diced by a mysterious psychopath (Anthony Perkins).

The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, lulls his audience into a state of comfort throughout the first act of the film only to shock them with the famous shower scene and then slowly unwind the mystery over the last hour. I'm generally not a fan of horror films, but I've seen Psycho countless times over the years and Norman Bates still sends a chill down my spine. One thing's for sure, Hitchcock certainly knew how to keep an audience on the edge of their seat.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X