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Custom Installation Equipment ReviewsCustom Installation How-To
Lighten Up
Mark Elson  |  Jun 03, 2010
One of the myths about lighting control systems is that you can only install them if you’re building a new house, where the walls aren’t built yet, or if you’re performing a major remodel, where all of the walls are torn down. This myth perpetuates on the assumption that you need to run lots of wire while the framing is exposed. It’s true that once the drywall is up, pulling wire becomes prohibitively expensive because of the labor required. But I’m here to bust the myth that you can’t have fun with your lighting in a finished home. In the case of lighting dimming control, you can enjoy many of the features you’d find in a whole-house wired system, without the wire and the accompanying labor expense.
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3D Tech
Springing Toward 3D
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 03, 2010
Comes the spring and a young person's fancy turns to thoughts of…3D?
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Audio Video News
Cable Cleans Up Its Act
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 03, 2010
Cord cutting is all the rage, with cable subscribers ditching their cable operators in favor of other video providers or even plain old over-the-air TV (newly spruced up following the DTV transition). But some major cable operators are responding by improving their customer service.
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Audio Video News
Steve Jobs: "No one wants to buy a [set-top] box"
SV Staff  |  Jun 02, 2010
There's a bit of a hitch in the previously reported rumor that a new Apple TV is coming. It turns out that Steve Jobs himself isn't very big on set-top boxes, and doesn't see much of a future in them because of the prevalence of digital cable and...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
War of the Worlds
David Vaughn  |  Jun 02, 2010
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) races to keep his family safe from an invading army of aliens who have come to conquer the Earth. Based on the classic novel by H.G. Wells, superstar director Steven Spielberg takes the 19th-century story and contemporizes it with some success.

While the special effects are well done, the over-the-top action gets a bit tiresome after nearly two hours. The video encode is serviceable with adequate depth and detail, but it's the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that is the star of the show. It features very intense bass, a plethora of discrete effects, and reference-quality dynamics.

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Ask S&V
Panny Troubles, D/A Conversion, LED Illumination
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 02, 2010
WTF?
I just bought a Panasonic TC-P58V10 plasma to replace a Panasonic TH-42PA20 that I've had for about six years. I was expecting an even better, crisper picture with more detail, but it's not even close to being as sharp and detailed as my old TV! Both DirecTV HD and my library of more than 600 DVDs look awful in comparison. What's wrong?
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Audio Video News
iPad Rebellion Breaks Out
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 02, 2010
Two major content producers refuse to throw out their Adobe Flash-based video libraries to suit Apple's iPad.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Wolfman (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 01, 2010

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/wolfman.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) is an aristocratic Englishman who returns to his family estate after the mysterious death of his brother (Simon Merrells). Once home he is attacked by a werewolf under the light of a full moon and is cursed with a fate worse than death.

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Audio Video News
Blu-ray Tuesday: The Highlights of 6/1/10
SV Staff  |  Jun 01, 2010
Vampires, drug trips, and Romans, oh my! This week sees the release of Alice in Wonderland on Blu-ray Disc, along with the 50th anniversary edition of Spartacus. For fans of the excellent HBO series True Blood, which will soon be returning to...
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Premiere Design
Pivetta Opera One Multichannel Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 01, 2010

There are power amps, and there are power amps&#151;and then there's the Pivetta Opera One. Standing six feet tall and weighing over half a ton, this monster is designed by Pivetta Andrea (pictured here with his creation), built by the Italian company bearing his given name, and distributed worldwide exclusively by <A href="http://www.higherfi.com">HigherFi</A>.

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