| Page 1197 | Sound & Vision

New Products Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews

Elite's Lunette Projection Screen Pulls Off an Acoustic Disappearing Act

Michael Berk | Aug 23, 2011

Elite Screens' new Lunette isn't your everyday curved projection surface.

Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Das Boot

Joshua Zyber | Aug 23, 2011

Is it OK to sympathize with Nazis? That’s a thorny question, and not just for American viewers who’ve been raised on a diet of rah-rah patriotic war films about freedom-loving Yanks kicking the butts of dastardly Nazi scum. Germany itself has a very complicated and uncomfortable relationship with its past and rarely broaches the topic on film. Wolfgang Petersen’s superlative submarine thriller Das Boot takes us inside a World War II U-boat patrolling the Atlantic in 1941. Technically, its crew members are Nazis. Yet few are ideologues, and none are jackbooted villains. Mostly, they’re young boys who know nothing of politics but hunger for the adventure of war and believe themselves to be serving their country.

The film depicts the camaraderie of these men, their conflicts, their boredom, their excitement, their terror, and their growing disillusionment. In its most profound scene, the crew cheers at having destroyed a British cargo ship and then watches in horror as the sailors from that ship leap off its flaming deck and desperately try to swim to the submarine for help they will not get. It’s a sobering moment, both beautiful and haunting.

Grace Notes

Conan the Barbarian: Bulging Pecs, Beheadings, and Bloodbaths

Leslie Shapiro | Aug 23, 2011

Sometimes you go into a movie not knowing how it's going to end. Sometimes, you know exactly how it's going to end. Conan the Barbarian definitely falls into the latter category, but getting there is still worth the ride.

Tech2

Five Vintage Amps and Preamps to Add to Your eBay Watch List

Brent Butterworth | Aug 22, 2011

A five-year-old surround-sound receiver has all the appeal of a five-year-old banana. But a five-year-old (or even 25-year-old) stereo amplifier might sound and perform every bit as good as one built last month.

The S&V Interview

Video Exclusive: Levin Torn White

Mike Mettler | Aug 22, 2011

Good news, friends — we have another exclusive video treat for the S+V faithful.

Audio Video News

Introducing Top Picks

Scott Wilkinson | Aug 19, 2011

Here at HomeTheater.com, our primary mission is to help you choose the best audio/video gear for your needs and budget, and then get the most out of it when you set it up at home. The first step in that process is deciding which product to buy from among the myriad options available, which is where our product reviews come in. Of course, we review a lot of products, far more than any shopper would be willing to wade through to find the gemsso we've done it for you in our new section called Top Picks.

Vote

What Is Your Favorite Music-Download Source?

Scott Wilkinson | Aug 19, 2011

Lately, I've been asking about your media-streaming preferences, and the results have been very interesting. Now, I'd like to ask about downloading music files to your own media server. Of course, there are many sources for downloadable music, and I can't possibly list them all here. Also, some provide low-resolution MP3s, while others offer high-rez uncompressed files.

Do you download music files? If so, what is your favorite source? Do you download mostly MP3s or high-rez files? As always, I'm especially interested in learning what service you use if you select "Other."

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

What Is Your Favorite Music-Download Source?

Choices

Amazon

B&W Society of Sound

eMusic

HDTracks

iTrax

iTunes

Linn Records

Naim Label

Napster

Rhapsody

Other

I don't download music

Leave this field blank

Tech2

Review: Space Pirates and Zombies

Geoffrey Morrison | Aug 19, 2011

I was up till 3AM again last night playing this game. A brilliant mix of humor, progression, and addictive gameplay guarantees the "just one more mission" mentality of epic late-night gaming sessions.

Power Amplifier Reviews Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews

Totally Tubular

James K. Willcox | Aug 19, 2011

When it comes to tubes, I guess you could say I'm, well, biased. I like the way tube amps look, I like the way they sound, I like being able to swap tubes to get different sounds, and I especially like hearing my British friends call tubes valves.

Ask S&V

VHS-to-DVD Conversion

Scott Wilkinson | Aug 19, 2011

I have priceless VHS tapes of my kids growing up over the last 25 years. I was going to take them to a company that converts VHS to DVD, but I read that the quality of these conversion services isn't that good. I also read that the USB conversion programs like Roxio don't do the job either. I cannot find a PCI card solution with software. Is there a solution that you recommend? Can you shed some light on this?

Keith Brown

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