LATEST ADDITIONS

The Big Picture
Tron: Legacy Ultimate Preview
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 16, 2010
It's nice to have connected friends. Last night, I got to attend a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) screening of Tron: Legacy, which opens in theatrical release tomorrow, as a guest of member Nina Goldin, a talented voice actress and singer/songwriter. The screening was held at the Main Theater on Disney Studios' backlot in Burbank, CA, where security was pretty tight—metal-detector wands to prevent any cell phones or cameras (or sound-level meters) in the theater.
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Audio Video News
Comcast STB Combines TV and Net
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 16, 2010
Another day, another Comcast story. While the cable giant has been attracting headlines over its controversial net-neutrality stance, it's also quietly trying out new things, one of which is a set-top box that handles both television and internet content.

The Xcalibur box can search live TV, on demand, and recorded material including web material. No, it doesn't offer the same broad selection of web video that you'd get on a PC or other browser-equipped device. But Comcast people say the selection will broaden over time as the device moves from the current testing stage to more widespread use.

The Wall Street Journal describes the interface as "fluid and graphical. A menu displays a strip of images representing recently watched channels and programs, which expand when selected. A redesigned 'guide' displays a cleaner grid of programs by network and airtime so that it's possible to watch TV on part of the screen while browsing."

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Custom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
French-Influenced Theater
Kim Wilson Photography by Robert Fox  |  Dec 15, 2010

When the client didn’t have anything specific in mind, while providing the directive of something unique, stylish and cutting edge, Mike Fox of Fox Audio Video in Springfield, IL. Immediately suggested a column design he’d seen in Paris in the Montparnasse Tower’s observatory floor (56th) in Paris, France.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 46: Kevin Wines
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 15, 2010
Kevin Wines, Image Technology Director for THX, talks about the history of THX and its commitment to preserving the content creators' artistic intent, what's involved in THX certification of 2D and 3D displays, the variability of measurements in THX mode, 3D technology at home and in the commercial cinema, how to optimize the 3D experience at home, THX Optimizer on discs and in set-top boxes, and answers to chat-room questions.

Run Time: 58:22

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Shane Buettner Blog
Extended Surround Sound: To Boldly Go Beyond 5.1?
Shane Buettner  |  Dec 15, 2010
Extended surround sound is nothing new. The staple surround sound configuration for movie theaters and home theaters is digitally delivered, discrete 5.1-channel surround sound. But in both arenas there have also been numerous pushes to move beyond that paradigm. In the DVD era we were given a number of options for expanding our surround sound experience toward the back of the room, from the base 5.1-channel paradigm to 6.1- and 7.1-channels. Although only select DVD titles were encoded with extended surround, within a few years virtually every AV receiver and surround processor in existence offered tool sets that would decode these soundtracks- or any 5.1-channel soundtrack- to 6.1- or 7.1-channels on playback. And just about any AVR you look at today will include seven channels of amplification.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-2311CI A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 15, 2010
Price: $899 At A Glance: 3D and HDMI 1.4a • Audyssey MultEQ, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume • DPLIIz height enhancement with seven channels • Built-in digital HD Radio tuner

Installer’s Pet

It’s not every day that I get to review a product from a 100-year-old brand name. But Denon is indeed celebrating its centenary in 2010.

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Ask S&V
UPS, MEMC, HTG
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 15, 2010
Power to the People
I'm buying a new HDTV for my girlfriend for Christmas, but her neighborhood has more then a few power outages a year. What kind of protection do you recommend?

Ron

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Devil (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 15, 2010
A group of five strangers are stranded in an elevator high above Philadelphia. When the lights go out, something bad is bound to happen and in one particular case, someone dies. The building's security guards call the police and Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) comes to investigate the murder but is the Devil the culprit?

This is the first in a series of thrillers dubbed "The Night Chronicles" produced by M. Night Shyamalen based upon his stories. Overall, this is a middling affair that feels more like a TV episode than a feature film and I didn't find the story scary or very thrilling. Then again, I've said the same thing about most of Shyamalen's films since The Sixth Sense.

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Audio Video News
Avatar Stays Exclusive Till 2012
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 15, 2010
Panasonic will retain its special arrangement with Avatar, providing the much sought after 3D Blu-ray title to purchasers of its products through February 2012.

James Cameron's masterwork has done much to convince consumers that 3DTV is a worthy investment. And folks can enjoy it at home if they buy a Panasonic 3DTV or Blu-ray player on which to view it. But those who use non-Panasonic gear are still out in the cold for another year. Of course Panasonic provided a lot of production support during the making of the hit movie, so if anyone is going to have a special relationship with Avatar and its producers, it's going to be Panasonic.

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Headphone Amp/DAC Reviews
Review Round Up: iPod Docks
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 14, 2010

What is there left to say about iPods and iPhones that hasn't already been said? These are truly iconic products that exemplify what modern music listening is all about. If the compact disc launched digital audio, then the iPod raised the sails and navigated that boat to every faraway place in the world.

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