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Soundbar Reviews
Review: Definitive Technology Mythos XTR-SSA3 Soundbar, XTR-20BP Surround Speaker, and Supercube 4000 Subwoofer
Brent Butterworth  |  Dec 28, 2011

“It looks like a car ran over it,” a visiting friend said. But I doubt Definitive Technology employed that technique in the creation of the Mythos XTR-SSA3 soundbar.

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Review: Panasonic TC-L42D30 LCD HDTV
Al Griffin  |  Dec 28, 2011

Much of the R&D effort for Panasonic’s TVs gets funneled into plasma technology — with excellent results. (Check out the TC-P55VT30 in our Editors’ Choice Awards here.) But as we found out this time last year upon reviewing the company’s TC-L42D2, it also makes sets of the LCD persuasion. Quite a few of them, in fact.

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New ProductsStreaming Device ReviewsCustom Installation How-To
Review: Autonomic Controls MMS-2 Mirage Media Server
John Sciacca  |  Dec 28, 2011

Most new Blu-ray players are capable of streaming both movies and music, so why would you ever consider buying a dedicated music-streaming device? I mean, if you learned nothing else from your mother, you’re probably at least squared away on the concept of not buying the cow if you’re already getting the milk for free.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Review: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2010 A/V Receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Dec 28, 2011

The company that makes most everything (and makes most everything it makes pretty damned well), Yamaha has been tuning up its forks, and the result seems to be ever more feature-packed, value-focused designs.

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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
Review: Optoma HD8300 3D HD Projector
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Dec 28, 2011

Optoma made a name for itself early on by making high-quality, low-cost DLP projectors. But with the HD8300, Optoma isn’t going after the budget end of the projector spectrum. Instead, the company is aiming right at its new heart: $5k-ish 3D.

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Ask S&V
1080p vs. 720p Displays
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 28, 2011
I've long heard the argument that you cannot tell the difference between 720p and 1080p displays unless you have a large screen and/or you sit very close to the TV. That sounds reasonable enough. But there's one thing I've never heard addressed as part of this debate—the issue of scaling. If most high-definition channels are broadcast at 1080i, aren't there scaling issues if you're viewing it on a 720p TV? Obviously, the real-world impact depends on the incoming signal and where the scaling occurs (TV, receiver, cable box). What do you think? Is this a noticeable issue?

Chris Keczkemethy

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Turntable Reviews
Spin Doctors: Ten Turntables Under $500
James K. Willcox  |  Dec 28, 2011

I’d had my AR ES-1 turntable for about 20 years when a tenant burned my house — and the turntable and about 3,000 records — to the ground the one time I decided to rent it. If this sad story has a silver lining, it’s that it sent me back into the world of vinyl and turntables.

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Tech2
Bye, Bye, Microsoft
Brent Butterworth  |  Dec 27, 2011

When I attended my first Consumer Electronics Show in 1990, Microsoft was a relatively small company that had had one real hit (MS-DOS) and was struggling to gain traction with its other applications. I don’t think the company even exhibited at CES back then.

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Ask S&V
Screen Size and Seating Distance
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 27, 2011
Is there a site that can help determine the right screen size for a given seating distance? In my case, the distance from my couch to the TV is 7 feet.

Emery Walker

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Streaming Device Reviews
Hauppauge Broadway and PlayLater: Cutting the Cord is Just a Click Away
Leslie Shapiro  |  Dec 27, 2011

Long gone are the days when the kids sat with their parents, gathered around a single television set in the living room, all watching the same broadcast show. Today, TV is a whole different deal. There are a lot more ways to watch it. It seems you only have to wish for a cool new way to view TV, and BAM! - it magically appears. Here's a peek at two of these new products.

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