LATEST ADDITIONS

Sony KZ-42TS1 42-Inch Plasma TV
Ron Williams  |  Jul 11, 2002  |  First Published: Jul 12, 2002
An all-in-one plasma television.

There's a new wave in consumer plasma panels, and Sony's KZ-42TS1 is riding it. What makes this model different from all of the other plasma panels we've reviewed? The KZ-42TS1 is a self-contained unit with a built-in NTSC tuner and two stereo speakers incorporated into the bottom of the frame. This HD-ready WEGA model has a 1,024-by-1,024 resolution, is mounted in a panel measuring 30.125 inches high by 41.625 inches wide by 5 inches thick, and is framed by a 2-inch brushed-silver border.

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Other Source Component Reviews
MP3 Via DVD
HT Staff  |  Jul 11, 2002  |  First Published: Jul 12, 2002
Play compressed audio files on your DVD player.

Not content merely to conquer the world, the DVD player is rapidly becoming the Swiss army knife of consumer electronics. The list of formats it supports is already swollen: DVD-Video, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, DTS, the videoCD format that's so popular in Asia, and (of course) the CD, not to mention CD-Rs and CD-RWs. Gourmet formats like DVD-Audio, SACD, and even the obscure 24/96 stereo Digital Audio Disc are finding their way into affordable DVD players, as is a decidedly nongourmet format: MP3 compressed audio is coming to a DVD player near you.

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Custom Installation How-To
Speaking of Wire . . .
Mark Elson  |  Jul 11, 2002  |  First Published: Jul 12, 2002
Inside tips from the pros can save you hundreds of dollars in speaker-wire installation costs.

When you build a home theater, one of the biggest expenses is the labor for installing the speaker wire. The greater the obstacles, the more time and expense involved. However, you can conquer the majority of wiring situations with a little know-how and ingenuity. Here's how:

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Other Tech
Satellite Radio A to Z
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 09, 2002
Photos by Brian Payne The temperature was chilly - at least to two southerners - but even the coldest day in Rocky Mountain National Park is sweltering compared to the frigid -450° void of outer space.
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Other Tech
Mighty Cam
Michael Antonoff  |  Jul 09, 2002
Photos by Tony Cordoza The launch of a new cassette format in 2002 made me wonder whether those who invented the Walkman were back in charge at Sony. The payoff is that the tape cassettes, so tiny they could be mistaken for audio microcassettes, are for high-quality video recording in Sony's new MicroMV camcorders.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Easter Egg Hunter
John Devore  |  Jul 09, 2002

What do pastel-colored eggs have to do with Easter? And what exactly do Easter eggs have to do with DVDs? To answer the first question: I have no idea. Maybe it's just another greeting-card industry conspiracy.

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New Products
New Products - July-August 2002
SV Staff  |  Jul 09, 2002
Sharp Flat-panel LCDs are starting to light up the TV world, and Sharp's 30-inch Aquos LC-30HV2U is one of the largest so far. With its wide 16:9 screen and 1,280 x 768-pixel (WXGA) resolution, the set is a respectable HDTV monitor, and its 3 1/2-inch depth makes it suitable for wall mounting.
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Audio Video News
The DVD Bootstrap
Jon Iverson  |  Jul 07, 2002

They say a rising tide lifts all boats. It appears that the popularity of the DVD format is having a tremendous impact on sales of home theater components, according to the latest sales figures released by <A HREF="http://www.npdtechworld.com">NPDTechworld</A>.

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Audio Video News
John Frankenheimer, 1930–2002
Barry Willis  |  Jul 07, 2002

John Frankenheimer, director of <I>The Manchurian Candidate</I> and <I>Birdman of Alcatraz</I>, died Saturday, July 6, of a stroke following spinal surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 72.

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Audio Video News
Echostar's Ka-band Clipped
Jon Iverson  |  Jul 07, 2002

<A HREF="http://www.echostar.com">Echostar Communications</A> has been planning to merge its popular Ku-band TV satellite service with Ka-band spectra that could add two-way broadbrand and interactive satellite Internet services, just like its competitors DirecTV and <A HREF="http://www.Direcpc.com/">DirecPC</A>have done. Operating on the 17.7 GHz, 21.2 GHz, 27.5 GHz and 31 GHz spectra, the KA-band slots would enable EchoStar's satellite to cover large areas with broadband service.

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