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Audio Video News
James Bond in High Def
Darryl Wilkinson  |  May 08, 2006
In June, FILMFEST HD, one of the VOOM HD Networks, will begin a month-long Bond-fest showing high-definition world premieres of 17 classic James Bond flicks. While the very thought of seeing so many Bond movies in High Definition ought to send orgasmic shivers of delight through the remote controls of any James Bond devotee, the news gets even better. The movies will be uncut and commercial-free. David Hasselhoff will serve as the on-air host.
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Ears On
Will France Surrender to DRM?
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 08, 2006
Contrary to an earlier report, it looks as though France won't become the first nation to demand interoperability in music downloads and portable devices. A laudable copyright law revision has been not only watered down but totally negated. Among the key changes, the words translatable as "open standard" have been changed to "protected copy." If you're an attorney fluent in French, take a look at the proposed amendments from the Commission des Affaires culturelles. The committee's handiwork is already being cited as a victory for Apple, which had bitterly condemned the bill's original wording as "state-sponsored piracy" and a mortal threat to iTunes. The resistance is still resisting—see eucd.info and stopdrm.info—but the prospects for consumer-friendly legislation have deteriorated. The French senate is expected to vote by mid-month.
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Shootout: Eight Budget HDTV Projectors
David Katzmaier  |  May 07, 2006

•Read all the test benches •Watch the video

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New Products
New Product: Samsung HL-5679W LED DLP HDTV
 |  May 07, 2006

Samsung's HL-S5679W HDTV ($4,199), coming in August, is the first rear-projection set to use LED (light-emitting diode) light sources instead of a conventional lamp. Among the reasons you should care: a 20,000-hour lamp life (more than double typical lamps), a shorter turn-on time (7 seconds), and being able to rattle off one more abbreviation when blabbing about your rig.

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Other Tech
First Take: Jay Mohr
 |  May 07, 2006

To borrow a line from your days on Saturday Night Live, how much ya bench, buddy? [exhales] Not much these days. Not my weight, that's for sure. My arms are too long; I've convinced myself that's why. If I was some short guy with sharp, muscle-y arms, I could just toss around 225.

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Video Projector Shootout: 8 Budget HDTV Models Compared
 |  May 07, 2006

Soundandvisionmag.com Video Projector Shootout: 8 Budget HDTV Models Compared

If you long for a really big picture, and have a room where you can keep the lighting dim, a good video projector may be the way to go.

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Samsung SP-H710AE
 |  May 07, 2006

Sound & Vision Rated - Top Performing Projector Samsung SP-H710AE

The Short Form
$3,500 ($4,000 LIST) / 15.1 x 7 x 16.8 IN / 19.9 LBS /
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Panasonic AE900U
 |  May 07, 2006

Sound & Vision Rated - Top Value Projector Panasonic AE900U

The Short Form
$1,800 ($3,200 list) / 13.3 x 4.1 x 10.6 IN / 8 LBS / pan
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Power Amplifier Reviews
Rotel RMB-1077 Amplifier
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 07, 2006

When we think of a power amp today, we think of that large, heavy, hot-running, often ugly block of metal we hide away so we don't have to look at it. Or, if it's impressively large or expensive we proudly display it on the floor—an amp that's large, impressive, and expensive enough to show off is too heavy to put anywhere else! There, we willingly subject our ankles and shins to its sharp heat sinks on the sacrificial altar of great sound.

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Other Tech
Top 10 Questions About HD DVD and Blu-ray
James K. Willcox  |  May 06, 2006
1. I'm happy with DVD. Why should I care about high-definition discs?

While both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc offer a number of improvements over DVD, the most obvious one is picture quality. DVD was a huge leap in both convenience and performance over VHS, but its 480i resolution is well below the 720p, 1080i, and 1080p images both high-def disc formats can produce.

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