After the parade of international system mates that we've had in every other installment of this column recently, we finally settle into a system whose parts share their nation of origin. Don't be too quick to assume that it is the United States or Japan I speak of—this month's system hails entirely from merry old England. This isn't terribly surprising, but it does give me an opportunity to say a few things to our friends across the pond that I've been meaning to say for a while, such as: Sorry about that whole revolution thing (although I don't really mean that sincerely), and thanks for the Rolling Stones, Lord Stanley (who gave us the Stanley Cup), and Elizabeth Hurley—in no particular order, of course.
I think it's time we revived the old maxim that speakers are the most important part of an audio system. Yes, DVD players, A/V receivers, pre/pros, and power amps all play crucial roles, but speakers give you a bigger shot at personalizing your sound. Some speakers deliver exacting resolution, while others effortlessly unleash a wide range of dynamics or shake the foundation of your abode. Dynaudio speakers excel on every front and remain loyal to the sound embedded in your DVDs and CDs. So don't let the Dynaudio Focus speaker series' understated demeanor throw you off track; these speakers can get down and boogie.
Remember the day when plasma televisions were unadorned monitors? You had to connect it to a VCR to watch conventional television, and of course HDTV required another outboard tuner box. Any sound would have to come from your own sound system. Plasmas had no speakers or amplification of any kind. Just a screen and a picture. With no features to speak of, these plasmas had remote controls that offered four or five buttons, and that's all. And for that you paid $8,000 or more.
The next generation disc format probably can't happen soon enough for Hollywood. Worldwide movie sales on DVD are likely to be reaching their peak, according to a recent report by In-Stat. Online rentals, computer downloads, video-on-demand services and even HDTV were cited as factors.
Looking for home theater on the cheap? The 1280x720 <A HREF="http://www.infocushome.com/amer/eng/products/screenplay/sp5000.asp" TARGET="NEW"> <b> InFocus ScreenPlay 5000 </b></A> LCD projector can be had at Costco for $999. Follow the directions glued to the box and they’ll mail you a 72” screen as well. Not that the guy in front of me in the checkout line was going to bother with a screen. Last year he bought his first projector and just painted his basement wall white. This second InFocus projector was for his kid (click <u>here</u> to download adoption papers).
That’s right, don’t buy an Xbox 360, especially if you live in Connecticut. This just out – the models being distributed in Connecticut are defective <i>and</i> Microsoft’s warranty has a special Connecticut exclusion clause which invokes double secret arbitration as the consumer’s only remedy in the case of a defect, odds of which are, I’m told off the record, in the very high 90th percentile.
Alfred HitchcockThe Masterpiece Collection (Universal, 15 DVDs, $120) Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, Family P
Most of us would have our hands full just getting a whole-house audio/video system installed. Imagine taking on that task while starring in a Broadway play, directing your first feature film, and supervising the renovation of a 3,000-square-foot apartment.