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Tech2
The Home Theater PC: A Source to End All Sources
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Aug 07, 2011

I'm writing this from my sofa. In my lap is a keyboard. MS Word is part of a 50-inch tall image that also includes Netflix playing an episode of Sports Night, and Steam downloading Portal 2.

That, and much more, is the promise of a home theater PC. But in this age of ultra-cheap everything, is the complexity of an HTPC worth it? Well, I'm about to find out. Again.

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Music Reviews
CD Review: Perahia Plays Bach
Robert Ripps  |  Aug 07, 2011

Murray Perahia’s recordings of Bach’s Keyboard Concertos, originally released from 2001 to 2003, have now been reissued in this specially priced Limited Edition three-CD set (with a new essay by Jeremy Siepmann) — and if you missed them the first time around, do not make that mistake again.

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Vote
What Device Do You Mostly Use to Stream Video?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 05, 2011
Last week, I asked, What is your favorite video-streaming source? Now, I'd like to know what type of device you use to watch most of your streaming. Until recently, there was one choice—a computer. But most modern TVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles now offer apps to stream content from providers such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, YouTube, and many others. Then there are dedicated set-top boxes from the likes of Roku and Boxee.

So what device do you mostly use to stream video? As before, if you select "Other," please leave a comment telling us what type of device you use. And in any case, I'd love to know why you use a particular device as opposed to something else.

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

What Device Do You Mostly Use to Stream Video?
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Ask S&V
Circumventing HDCP
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 05, 2011
I have an older 61-inch NEC plasma (built before Blu-ray became a standard), which has a stunningly beautiful picture and an incredible remote control. I have bought three Blu-ray players, and in each case, I can't get beyond the error message: "Illegal operation: device is non-HDCP compliant." Is there any way around this?

Jon Yinger

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Tech2
Cloud Denied
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Aug 04, 2011

I recently took a bit of a road trip for my summer vacation. All told, it was about 1,000 miles, starting in rural New Hampshire (is there any other kind?), down through New York into rural-ish Pennsylvania, and back again.

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Grace Notes
Ford and the CD player: Heading to Divorce Court
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 04, 2011

It's a tragic end to a lengthy love story: Ford Motors and the CD player are breaking up after years of happy matrimony. Ford just announced that, moving forward, they will not be installing CD players in the new Ford Focus, with the rest of their models following suit over the next few years.

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Signals
King of the Road
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 04, 2011

From far away, you hear it coming. The sky clouds up and you notice that birds are flying away as fast as possible. Your glasses begin to fog up, and then tiny cracks appear in the lenses. Slower birds fall from the sky like rocks. The sheet metal on your hood buckles under the intense sound-pressure wave front. Women faint.

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Audio Video News
Sharp Resurrects Elite TV Brand
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 04, 2011
The Pioneer Elite TV brand is becoming Sharp Elite for a new line of LED-backlit LCD TVs. Sharp took the wraps off the first two models, 70 and 60 inches, today at a New York press event. At first glimpse they were dazzling.

Some background: The Pioneer Elite Kuro plasmas were widely regarded as among the best HDTVs ever made. They were a high-end, premium-priced product. But though they wowed critics, they didn't sell enough for the line to survive. Two years ago Pioneer exited the TV business, though it continues to use the Elite brand for its higher-end audio components. Earlier this year Pioneer licensed the Elite name to Sharp for use as a TV brand, a logical move given that Sharp is Pioneer's largest shareholder. And so the LCD phoenix rises from the plasma ashes.

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New ProductsLCD TV Reviews
Sharp Resurrects the Elite Brand
Michael Berk  |  Aug 04, 2011

There's little question that Pioneer's Elite-branded Kuro plasmas were among the best - if not the best - televisions ever produced, with black levels still unmatched, in the opinion of most.

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New ProductsPower Amplifier ReviewsHeadphone Amp/DAC Reviews
NuForce's Midas Touch
Michael Berk  |  Aug 03, 2011

In a sure sign that the low-cost DAC is finding its place as an object of mass consumer desire, NuForce has released a 24-karat gold plated version of their uDAC-2 converter-and-headphone-amp combo unit

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