LATEST ADDITIONS

E3 opened this morning, and it was the usual jumble of people and wonder of video gaming. Surprisingly, though, the show itself seems to have been toned down. It is still loud and garish, but there seemed to be more room to move in the aisles, and it was at least 30 dB quieter than before. You could actually talk to the person next to you in a normal voice, something not possible in previous years. Here's the PS3 in black. According to the latest specs, the $500 PS3 will not have the card readers, wi-fi, or, get this, HDMI. My guess is that it will output component at 1080i. Even the $600 version has gone from 2 HDMI jacks to just one. Perhaps most amusing is that they will play SACDs. It well go on sale November 17. From reports I’ve heard, lines have already formed for one of the 2,000,000 available on that date. Two-mil more will ship at the end of December (after Christmas).

Bang & Olufsen - the Danish maker of fabulous audio and video gear seen in movies, TV shows,and magazines but rarely seen in homes such as yours and mine - now has a multi-room wireless audio system. B&O says the new BeoLink Wireless 1 system offers "unrivalled performance and superior sound quality", and the audio can be distributed to as many as 21 rooms simultaneously with zero delay and no echoes (well, except for the ones you'll hear in acoustically dreadful rooms...)

Ubisoft (Xbox 360; also PS2, Xbox) Game ••••• Graphics/Sound •••••

In gaming, the line between reality and fantasy is really beginning to blur.

Anniversary Edition Paramount Movie ••••½Picture/Sound •••• Extras •••½

The 2001 DVD