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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
True Romance—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.75/5
Runaway lovers Clarence and Alabama play a dangerous game when they come to possess a suitcase of mob contraband. They head for Los Angeles, where they'll sell the goods and begin a new life. But both sides of the law have other ideas.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Sky Crawlers—Sony Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
A group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds. With his only childhood memory consisting of intense flight training, the fearless teenage pilot Yuichi's dogfights coexist with his struggle to find his missing past. When his beautiful, young female commander Suito is reluctant to discuss the fate of the pilot that Yuichi is replacing - or the strangely perfect condition of that pilot's former aircraft - Yuichi's curiosity becomes heightened.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Grease—Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.75/5
John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play "Grease." Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy, Travolta's naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a "who's who" in this quintessential musical about the fabulous '50s.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Powder Blue—Image Entertainment (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
On the gritty streets of LA, the destinies of four people desperate for connection and redemption are about to collide. Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Eddie Redmayne lead a top-notch cast in this powerful thriller about an overwhelmed erotic dancer, a grieving husband who has lost his will to live, a terminally ill ex-con and a pathologically shy mortician. With Kris Kristofferson, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze in unforgettable supporting roles, this film movingly chronicles the imperfect lives of people teetering on the edge of despair and the miracles that bring them back.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
A Bug’s Life—Walt Disney/Pixar (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 4/5
Embark on an incredible journey with one little ant as he searches for a brave band of warriors to help him battle the bullying grasshoppers who threaten his home. When he stumbles on a bumbling troupe of circus bugs instead, their only hope for victory is the bond of friendship and the awesome power of imagination.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Notorious—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 16, 2009
Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5
Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, "Notorious" follows the young rapper from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid chaos and controversy, Biggie's remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop's greatest MCs.
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The Big Picture
Ultimate Demos Debuts
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 15, 2009

In <I>UAV</I>'s never-ending quest to bring you the ultimate in audio and video, we are proud to introduce a new feature on the site&#151;<A href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-demos/">Ultimate Demos</A>. Each week, movie reviewer David Vaughn will identify a reference-quality Blu-ray title, complete with the chapter number and time code of specific scenes that exemplify different video and audio performance parameters, such as detail, color, blacks, shadow detail, audio dynamics, frequency range, and surround imaging. He'll also point out what to look and listen for in each case.

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Ask S&V
AT&T U-verse, HTPC Audio, Sound Color
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 15, 2009
Unhappy U-verse
I've had AT&T U-verse service since 12/08, and I have an issue with audio dropouts on HD channels. I have the set-top box connected to my A/V receiver via optical digital cable. On HD channels with 5.1 audio, I get sporadic dropouts every five minutes or so. I called AT&T and was told it's a firmware issue to be resolved later. I've seen many others mention this problem online.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Trek: Season One
David Vaughn  |  May 15, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/TOS1.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Even older films and TV shows can look great on Blu-ray, and Season One of <i>Star Trek</i> is a perfect example. Of course, the series was broadcast in standard definition, but it was shot on 35mm film, which has far more resolution than even HDTV. Paramount remastered the Blu-ray discs from the film prints, allowing them to reveal the cheesy sets and props in excruciating detail. By contrast, the audio wasn't all that great to begin with, and there's not much that can be done about it, so these discs are video demos only.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
A Bug's Life
David Vaughn  |  May 15, 2009
Every Pixar release so far has looked outstanding on Blu-ray, and A Bug's Life is the perfect movie to debut our new Ultimate Demo series. The image has impeccable detail in both foregrounds and backgrounds to show off your display's capabilities, and the audio is just as impressive in both scenes highlighted below.

Early in the film, the grasshoppers, led by Hopper, arrive at the ant hill for their food offering. When they can't find it, they invade the hill to confront the queen.

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