LATEST ADDITIONS

Blu-ray Movie Reviews
W.—Lionsgate (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Feb 17, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
The stimulating true life story about the life of President George W. Bush. Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that George W. Bush is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory. In an unprecedented undertaking, acclaimed director Oliver Stone is bringing the life of our 43rd President to the big screen as only he can. "W." takes viewers through Bush's eventful life - his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush's decision to invade Iraq.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Quarantine—Screen Gems (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Feb 17, 2009
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.75/5
Extras: 3/5
Television reporter Angela Vidal and her cameraman are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles Fire Station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been viciously attacked by something unknown. After a few of the residents are also attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut-off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew's videotape.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Changeling—Universal (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Feb 17, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Los Angeles, 1928: On a Saturday morning in a working class suburb, Christine said goodbye to her son Walter, and left for work. When she came home, she discovered he had vanished. A fruitless search ensues, and months later, a boy claiming to be the nine year old is returned. Dazed by the swirl of cops, reporters and her conflicted emotions, Christine allows him to stay overnight. But in her heart, she knows he is not Walter. As she pushes authorities to keep looking, she learns that in Prohibition-era L.A., women don't challenge the system and live to tell their story. Slandered as delusional and unfit, Christine finds an ally in activist Reverend Briegleb, who helps her fight the city to look for her missing boy.
Continue Reading »
The Big Picture
Alec in Huluwood
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 17, 2009

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm not what you'd call a sports fan. The only sports I watch at all are some of the Olympics, and then mostly for the great high-def images. The closest I've come to football was as the drum major of my high-school band, when I had to ask a clarinet player what was happening on the field so I could call up the appropriate music ("Yay, something good happened!" or "Boo, something bad happened!").

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
DTV Day, Sort Of . . .
SV Staff  |  Feb 17, 2009
The hot mess that was the transition to digital TV was supposed to happen today. At midnight. Some stations went ahead and pulled the plug - it was their option, and for many stations, it was too expensive to keep both analog and digital...
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Sirius XM Saved by the Bell
SV Staff  |  Feb 17, 2009
Howard Stern can sigh with relief. His home on Sirius XM satellite radio is safe, at least for now. Liberty Media Corp., parent company of DirecTV, has stepped up to the plate to save the floundering radio service.  In a corporate game of...
Continue Reading »
LCD TV Reviews
Sony BRAVIA KDL-55XBR8 LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2009
This review is part of a four-way Face Off. Read the introduction and conclusions of the Face Off here.

Despite the market penetration of LCD flat panels—they significantly outsell plasmas—LCD technology has two serious shortcomings. Off-axis viewing is one—we’ll get to that a bit later. The other is how they handle blacks and deep shadow detail. But a new design technique, LED backlighting with local dimming, promises to change all that. (See sidebar on page 37.) Both the Sony and the Samsung use it.

Continue Reading »
LCD TV Reviews
Samsung LN55A950 LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2009
This review is part of a four-way Face Off. Read the introduction and conclusions of the Face Off here.

Two of the LCD sets in this Face Off, including the Samsung, produce black levels that were unheard of in LCD flat panels until recently. Like the Sony in this group, the Samsung LN55A950 uses clusters of multicolored LEDs as a backlight, together with local dimming of the individual clusters as required by the program material. The LN55A950 is the larger of Samsung’s second generation of LED local-dimming sets.

Continue Reading »
Pioneer Elite KURO PRO-111FD Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2009
This review is part of a four-way Face Off. Read the introduction and conclusions of the Face Off here.

Manufacturers of flat-panel plasma televisions have been refining the technology for years. But Pioneer has been particularly successful at it. In the past, the company made some of the world’s best rear-projection CRT sets, and it knew that great black levels are the foundation of a great picture. That philosophy has paid off over the years, particularly in recent-generation KURO sets.

Continue Reading »
Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ800U Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2009
This review is part of a four-way Face Off. Read the introduction and conclusions of the Face Off here.

The Panasonic TH-50PZ800U is one of the first HDTVs to earn THX certification. But you might ask, “Isn’t THX mainly into audio?” I can see where you’re coming from, but THX isn’t exactly new to the home video business. It has certified video software for years and has begun to do the same for projectors and flat-panel displays.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X