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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 55: JJ Johnston
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 02, 2011
JJ Johnston, Chief Scientist at DTS, talks about acoustics and audio perception, how audio codecs work, his emphasis on increasing audio quality rather than decreasing bitrates as codecs improve, the tendency in commercial music toward increasing loudness while decreasing dynamic range, how audio production differs between commercial cinema and the home, 3D audio, the latest DTS codec called Neo:X, the Neural downmixing algorithm, some hints about future developments from DTS, and answers to chat-room questions.

Run Time: 57:05

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Audio Video News
It's here: Bambi 2
SV Staff  |  Mar 02, 2011
That's "2" as in Disney's Second Screen technology, introduced on the 1942 animated classic's Blu-ray debut, which was unveiled yesterday in a Diamond Edition. Yes, confusingly, there are...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bambi (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 02, 2011
A morning light breaks across the meadow; a young deer named Bambi is born and hailed as "Prince of the Forest." Soon Bambi emerges from the thicket on wobbly legs, much to the delight of his new friends, Thumper, the playful rabbit, and Flower, the bashful skunk. Exploring his new world, Bambi learns valuable life lessons with every adventure.

Bambi was Walt Disney's fifth full-length animated classic and was released in 1942. With disposable income in short supply due to the war, the masses didn't flock to the film as Walt had expected and it took many re-releases in order for the movie to turn a profit. It currently resides at No. 3 on the American Film Institute's Top 10 Animated Films of All Time and is certainly worthy of its place.

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Audio Video News
Netflix to Expand Use of Subtitles
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 02, 2011
Movie subtitles are a must for the elderly, the hard of hearing, and those for whom English is a second language. They're a universal part of Blu-ray and DVD releases but rarer in video streaming. Netflix aims to fill that need by expanding the use of subtitles in the majority of its online offerings.

Specifically, Netflix aims to have subtitles in 80 percent of its streaming programming by the end of 2011, up from 30 percent now.

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Premiere Design
Magnum Dynalab MD 109 FM Tuner
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 01, 2011
With the rise of satellite and Internet radio, you might think that terrestrial radio tuners are a thing of the past—but you'd be wrong. Magnum Dynalab has been making FM tuners of distinction for over 25 years, culminating in the flagship MD 109.
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A/V Veteran
Yes, We Have No Bananas
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 01, 2011
Actually, I do have bananas. A whole bunch of them, in fact. Not the edible variety, but rather banana plugs, those handy little devices for connecting your speakers to you’re A/V receiver or amplifier(s).
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Audio Video News
7.1 From Day 1
Brent Butterworth  |  Mar 01, 2011

Home theater enthusiasts have had seven speakers in their systems for a decade now, but only now is Hollywood finally catching up. Last Saturday, Dolby Laboratories feted the release of the Megamind Blu-ray Disc, which it says is the first movie released in 7.1-channel sound in theaters and on Blu-ray. A screening of the Blu-ray Disc in the company's technically unassailable theater was preceded by a discussion with Erik Aadahl, one of the movie's two supervising sound editors.

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Audio Video News
Pssst, Mac, Wanna Buy a Video Rental Chain?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 01, 2011
Blockbuster Inc. is looking for a buyer. The chain has already been in bankruptcy since last fall. Selling itself to the highest bidder is the only way to avoid liquidation.

Not that the rot hasn't started already. The news comes as Blockbuster has been shedding brick-and-mortar stores, closing 609 of 3400 last month.

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Subwoofer Reviews
Subwoofers: 4, 2, or 1?
Brent Butterworth  |  Feb 28, 2011

I can tell you in one paragraph how to set up a pair of small speakers, but I could write a book about setting up subwoofers. It’s the most challenging aspect of home audio because the resonances in a room tend to stress certain bass frequencies and strangle others.

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Music Reviews
My Chemical Romance: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
Billy Altman  |  Feb 28, 2011
 
Reprise
Music •••• Sound ••••

 

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