LATEST ADDITIONS

Hands on with "Dead Island"
Timothy J. Seppala  |  Jun 26, 2011

Dead Island came out of nowhere earlier this year; its announcement trailer - the scariest set of reverse-chronology vacation snapshots you've seen in a while - went viral and now has more than 4.7 million hits on YouTube. And then for months we heard nothing. What was it, exactly?

Well, I played it the other week at E3 and can tell you exactly what it is: A first-person action-RPG with a focus on melee combat and weapon crafting. Oh, and you can play it online with three buddies, with drop-in/drop-out co-op.

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Vote
Can Digital Audio Ever Be Indistinguishable From Analog?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 24, 2011
As digital-audio resolutions increase from 44.1kHz/16 bits to 96kHz/24 bits to perhaps even 384kHz/32 bits, I wonder if there's a point at which digital becomes indistinguishable from analog. After all, the human hearing system is not infinite in its discrimination, so there must be a digital resolution beyond which we can't hear the effect of increasing it further. If that's the case, is digital audio at that resolution indistinguishable from top-notch analog, or is there some quality that will always allow us to identify it as digital?

Those who prefer the sound of analog will probably vote that digital will always be distinguishable from high-quality analog, no matter how high the resolution is, and I'd really like to know why you believe that. What is it about digital audio that will always allow humans—at least those with trained ears—to identify it as digital?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Can Digital Audio Ever Be Indistinguishable From Analog?
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Ask S&V
Flat Panel Break In
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 24, 2011
I heard you recommend "breaking in" a plasma TV for around 100 hours before calibrating it. Do you also recommend something similar for LED-illuminated LCD TVs?

Ronnie Klejka

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Ears On
Leon Trithon Voted Best Dressed TV
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 24, 2011
The most dressed-up flat-panel TV in the universe has to be the Trithon REYN, displayed in the Leon Speakers booth at this week's CEA Line Shows in New York City.

Take a close look at the edge of the set. That's python skin.

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New Products
Cue Acoustics PS1 aims to rock your bookshelf
Michael Berk  |  Jun 23, 2011

Cue Acoustics, whose r1 iPod dock we thought highly of back in 2009, has an interesting new set of bookshelf speakers in the works.

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Audio Video News
AppRadio: Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the touchscreen
Michael Berk  |  Jun 23, 2011

Pioneer launched its AppRadio yesterday at the CE Week, with the long-awaited iOS-integrated device coming in at an intriguingly low price of $399.99.

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Sony Bravia KDL-55EX720 3D LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 23, 2011
Price: $2,400 At A Glance: Solid 2D performance • 2D-to-3D conversion • Visible ghosting in 3D • Extensive Internet features

Order of LEDs on the Side

The movement to replace the traditional fluorescent (CCFL) backlighting for LCD displays with LEDs has become a flood. Sony’s 2011 lineup is dominated by LED-lit LCDs. While the line-topping XBR-HX929 sets have full-array LED backlighting with local dimming, the remainder position their LEDs just beyond the edges of the screen. Aside from lower power consumption compared with CCFL blacklights, LED backlights of either type offer another benefit: They can adjust rapidly in accordance with the changing signal. Edge-lit LED backlights have two primary advantages to manufacturers over the full-array approach that has made them the more widely used. One is lower cost; the other is the ability, at least in some HDTVs, to shrink the depth of the panel to something that seems to approach that of a credit card.

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
LG 55LW5600 3D LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 23, 2011
Price: $2,400 At A Glance: Crisp resolution and accurate color • 2-step and 10-step calibration controls • Bright, vivid 3D

Living on the Edge

So far, three manufacturers have released 3D HDTVs that use passive polarized glasses rather than active shutter glasses: VIZIO, Toshiba, and LG. All three use technology developed by LG. In our June issue, we took a close look at VIZIO’s 65-inch entry, so this month, it’s perhaps appropriate that we go straight to the source and dive into LG’s first passive-glasses 3D HDTV.

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Ask S&V
TV Recommendation, In-Ceiling Speakers, Panasonic or Samsung Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 23, 2011
Which 46-inch non-plasma, non-3D TV do you recommend? Can I get in-ceiling speakers individually instead of in pairs? Should I get a Panasonic VT30 or Samsung D8000 plasma?
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Ask S&V
TV Recommendation, In-Ceiling Speakers, Panasonic or Samsung Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 23, 2011
Which 46-inch non-plasma, non-3D TV do you recommend? Can I get in-ceiling speakers individually instead of in pairs? Should I get a Panasonic VT30 or Samsung D8000 plasma?
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