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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Forbidden Planet (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Sep 09, 2010
Captain John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) leads a crew of 18 to the planet Altair to investigate the mysterious disappearance of some settlers. Upon arrival, the crew is warned not to land (which they ignore) and are greeted by Robby the Robot. The only two survivors left on the planet are Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his beautiful daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), but what happened to the rest?

While the special effects are nothing special and the pacing is on the slow side, I found the story is entertaining. You can see how Gene Roddenberry was influenced by this and many other 1950s sci-fi films for Star Trek. While the human actors do an admirable job, Robby the Robot steals the show and went on to become one of the most famous robots in movie history appearing in an additional 20 movies and TV shows over the past 50 years.

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Audio Video News
Amazon Out-Streams Apple
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2010
In the wake of the second-generation Apple TV's introduction, Amazon has one-upped Steve Jobs with a new TV-streaming scheme. Your 99 cents per show will buy not just limited-time streaming rights, but permanent ones. Apple charges 99 cents to rent, Amazon 99 cents to own (for both HD and SD). Amazon's previous price was $2.99.
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Audio Video News
Are 3D TVs here to stay?
SV Staff  |  Sep 08, 2010
CrunchGear's Devin Coldewey put up an interesting piece Tuesday on the state of 3D TVs. His main point is best summed up in the headline: "Get Used To "3D" TVs – They're Here To Stay." The reasoning is that adding 3D compatibility is trivial, and...
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Other Source Component Reviews
TiVo Premiere DVR
David Vaughn  |  Sep 08, 2010
Price: $299 At A Glance: New user interface • Multiple streaming services from Netflix, Amazon, and Blockbuster • Enhanced Internet-driven search capabilities

Has TiVo Reinvented TV Again?

What started as Jim Barton and Mike Ramsay’s idea in 1997 became a reality in 1999 when TiVo burst on the scene and changed the way people watch TV. While time-shifting programs had been around for years via VCR, you couldn’t pause live TV, watch one program while recording another, or view a comprehensive program guide at the push of a button. The cable and satellite companies took their sweet time entering the DVR market, and TiVo’s only other competitor—ReplayTV—was absorbed by DIRECTV. TiVo became so popular, its brand name became a verb.

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AV GlossaryOther Tech
HDMI to Infinity and Beyond
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 08, 2010
All for 1.4, and 1.4 for All?

In 2002, the video world was just getting comfortable with component analog video. HDTV and DVD were only starting to acquire mass-market status. We were using three separate video cables to connect our shiny new HDTVs to our best sources. Add to that up to six audio cables to our A/V receivers. This forest of cables wasn’t heaven (except to cable vendors), but it worked, and it provided most viewers with their first real taste of high-quality video. We also had DVI, a standard for digital video borrowed from the computer world. But because its clunky connector only carried video and not audio as well, it never achieved critical mass.

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Premiere Design
Nagra Pyramid Power Amps
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2010
I've known the name Nagra for decades, but only in the realm of professional audio, especially field recorders. Recently, I learned that the Swiss stalwart also offers a line of high-end consumer electronics, such as the Pyramid Monoblock Amplifier (PMA) and Pyramid Stereo Amplifier (PSA).
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Ask S&V
HDMI Handshaking, Soap-Opera Effect, Cal Without Tools
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2010
Secret Handshake
I have an LG 50PK750 plasma TV connected to a Sony Blu-ray player via HDMI. When i switch inputs from the cable box to the BD player, I may or may not get sound. It seems to work more often if I switch the input and then power up the player. No one I've talked to, including an LG tech, has any knowledge or advice about this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Audio Video News
LG Chooses Netcast Partner
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 08, 2010
LG has chosen Plex to provide the media platform for its broadband-connected Netcast TVs and Blu-ray players.
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Audio Video News
Meet the DUAL, Philips' new QWERTY remote
SV Staff  |  Sep 07, 2010
Philips has announced a new universal remote, that combines a minimalist navigation design with a full QWERTY keyboard. The Philips Dual remote features a simple direction-pad, handful of basic controls, and an optical trackpad on one side of the...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Matrix Reloaded (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Sep 07, 2010
After The Matrix had a huge box office and became the first title to sell over 1 million DVDs, the brothers Wachowski and Warner decided it was time to cash in on the franchise and create a trilogy (it's the Hollywood thing to do). The second of the three films debuted on May 15, 2003 and went on to earn over $280 million at the box office.

The first film is a classic due to its impeccably shot action sequences and philosophical dialog. Unfortunately, the second is filled with senseless ramblings from Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) although like its predecessor the stunts are fabulous, especially the highway chase scene that runs for over 15 minutes.

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