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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Devil (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 15, 2010
A group of five strangers are stranded in an elevator high above Philadelphia. When the lights go out, something bad is bound to happen and in one particular case, someone dies. The building's security guards call the police and Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) comes to investigate the murder but is the Devil the culprit?

This is the first in a series of thrillers dubbed "The Night Chronicles" produced by M. Night Shyamalen based upon his stories. Overall, this is a middling affair that feels more like a TV episode than a feature film and I didn't find the story scary or very thrilling. Then again, I've said the same thing about most of Shyamalen's films since The Sixth Sense.

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Audio Video News
Avatar Stays Exclusive Till 2012
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 15, 2010
Panasonic will retain its special arrangement with Avatar, providing the much sought after 3D Blu-ray title to purchasers of its products through February 2012.

James Cameron's masterwork has done much to convince consumers that 3DTV is a worthy investment. And folks can enjoy it at home if they buy a Panasonic 3DTV or Blu-ray player on which to view it. But those who use non-Panasonic gear are still out in the cold for another year. Of course Panasonic provided a lot of production support during the making of the hit movie, so if anyone is going to have a special relationship with Avatar and its producers, it's going to be Panasonic.

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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
Review Round Up: iPod Docks
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 14, 2010

What is there left to say about iPods and iPhones that hasn't already been said? These are truly iconic products that exemplify what modern music listening is all about. If the compact disc launched digital audio, then the iPod raised the sails and navigated that boat to every faraway place in the world.

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Audio Video NewsThe Big Picture
New 3D Programming from Discovery, Imax, Sony
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2010
Sony, Imax, and the Discovery Channel have announced new 3D programming for 2011, with three new series, two specials, and the broadcast debut of Open Season in 3D, the first feature-length animated movie from Sony Pictures Animation. The specials include Imax's Space Station narrated by Tom Cruise and a 3D episode of Discovery's Ghost Lab.
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Premiere Design
Audeze LCD-2 Headphones
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2010
When Steve Guttenberg, occasional Stereophile contributor and author of the excellent Audiophiliac blog on cnet.com, told me about the LCD-2 headphones from Las Vegas-based Audeze, I was intrigued. Could these cans rival the incredible Stax SR-007 MKII I reviewed last August?
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Audio Video News
Digitally Stored Music Vanishes
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 14, 2010
The music industry is quietly grappling with a digital audio storage crisis that threatens to sweep away many of the musical achievements of the past few decades. The lack of usable masters or other elements is also throwing a spanner into the works of lucrative remasterings and reissues.
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Premiere Design
Kaleidescape Modular Disc Vault
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 13, 2010
Last May, I profiled the new M-Class Blu-ray movie server from Kaleidescape, which lets you rip Blu-rays to a server's hard disk and stream their high-def content to any M-Class player connected to your home's Ethernet network. There was only one problem—the physical disc had to be inserted in an M500 player in order to satisfy Blu-ray's copy-protection requirements, which defeats the purpose of a movie server. Today, the company announces a solution to that problem—the Modular Disc Vault.
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Home Theater Systems Reviews
Onkyo HT-S9300THX Integrated System
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 13, 2010
Price: $1,099 At A Glance: World’s first 3D THX I/S Plus–certified integrated system • Audyssey 2EQ, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume

Certified to the Max

Once a year, I pack several Gucci suitcases with cash and FedEx them to the folks who develop licensed technologies for surround systems. Without these fine people, products would be festooned with fewer logos, toy critics like myself would have less to write about, and that in turn would hasten my journey down the slippery slope toward obsolescence, incontinence, and death. Each new licensed technology is a further stay of execution. It is in this spirit, much like a dog whose owner has been out all day, that I greet the Onkyo HT-S9300THX compact home theater system with THX I/S Plus, as well as auto setup, room correction, and low-volume listening modes licensed from Audyssey. This isn’t the first THX I/S Plus system, but it is the first one to combine I/S Plus and 3D capability.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Rush Hour (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 13, 2010
LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) likes to work alone and vows to never have a partner but he must join forces with Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong police department when the daughter of a visiting Hong Kong official is kidnapped in the United States.

Chan became a household name in America when this film debuted in 1998, although he was already a star in China. His amazing stunts wowed audiences and showed impressive comedic timing when paired with Tucker. The action-comedy spawned two additional sequels but this is the best of the three.

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Audio Video News
CEA Says Bring a Buddy
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 13, 2010
Were you thinking of joining the Consumer Electronics Association's Consumer Tech Enthusiast program? Act now, pay the $49 fee, bring a friend, and the friend gets in free.
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