LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2009
Micromega AP180
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 02, 2009

Here's an interesting item—a 3-channel, class-D integrated amp from a French company called Micromega and US distributor Audio Plus Services. The AP180 provides full HDMI audio decoding and 180Wpc for three speakers in a home-theater setup, all for $2500. To complete a 5-channel system, Audio Plus Services recommends pairing the AP180 with the PW400 ($2800), which provides 400Wpc of class-D power for the front right and left speakers while the AP180 powers the center and surrounds.

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CEDIA 2009
Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 02, 2009

Long known for high-quality audio products, Cambridge Audio is introducing the Azur 650BD Blu-ray player, which joins the growing ranks of so-called universal players that can play DVD-Audio and SACD in addition to Blu-ray, DVD, and CD. In addition, it provides BD-Live functionality and 7.1-channel analog-audio outputs, and it can decode all the audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, all for $750.

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CEDIA 2009
Panasonic TH-85PF12U
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 02, 2009

If 65 inches isn't big enough for you but 103 inches is too big—or too expensive—how about an 85-inch plasma? At CEDIA, the Panasonic Professional division is introducing the TH-85PF12U, which is equivalent in screen size to four 42-inchers, though the total resolution is still 1920x1080. It incorporates the company's new NeoPDP plasma panel that is said to exhibit a native contrast of 40,000:1. How much, you ask? Only $30,000, I reply.

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Audio Video News
HD Deals: Sony BRAVIA 52-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
SV Staff  |  Sep 01, 2009
In the market for a new HDTV, well then check out this Sony BRAVIA 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV for $2,159.00 (normally $3,199.99). Plus more HD and gadget deals* after the jump. Panasonic SC-BT300 1250W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater...
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Audio Video News
Panasonic previews its 3D technology
SV Staff  |  Sep 01, 2009
I just got back from Panasonic's corporate headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey, where the company was giving previews of its upcoming 3D technology. Yes, I know 3D video has been around for decades, and over the last few years it's seen a...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Fighting—Unrated
David Vaughn  |  Sep 01, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/fighting.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>This is a gritty story of a small town boy, Shawn MacArthur (Channing Tatum), who becomes a street-fighting star in New York City's underground circuit thanks to the help of scam artist Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard). The first act showed some promise, but ultimately, continuity issues and poor plot choices knock out what could have been an interesting story. What kept me intrigued was the excellent VC-1 encode, with deep blacks, amazing dimensionality, and revealing shadow detail.

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Audio Video News
10 Movie Scenes We Want To See On Yoostar
SV Staff  |  Sep 01, 2009
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/movies/Bitstream_10_Movie_Scenes_We_Want_To_See_On_Yoostar'; There was no shortage of wannabe actors trying to recreate their favorite movie scene on the internet before. But, now that YooStar has made its way to...
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Audio Video News
Court Knocks FCC Cable Limit
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 01, 2009
Until recently, no single cable operator was allowed to dominate more than 30 percent of the U.S. market. But a court has thrown out the Federal Communications Commission's market cap, eliminating a rule that's been the law of the land since 1992.
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CEDIA 2009
Vizio Turns Blu
Tom Norton  |  Aug 31, 2009
Vizio is showing its first Blu-ray player, the VBR100, at $199 MSRP. It is BD Live (Profile 2.0) compatible (requires a separate, user-provided memory card). Multichannel audio formats are output over HDMI only (the player does not have multichannel analog outputs). The player can decode Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS to LPCM and output them over HDMI (plus native LPCM, of course). It cannot decode DTS-HD Master Audio (or DTS High Resolution) to LPCM; advanced DTS formats are decoded to the DTS "core" track only (generally DTS 5.1 48kHz). The Vizio VBR100 can, however, output all supported Blu-ray Disc audio formats over HDMI in bitstream form (including all DTS high resolution formats), where they may be decoded in a compatible A/V receiver or pre-pro.
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CEDIA 2009
Screen Research Supreme 2
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 31, 2009

Famous for its use of woven material instead of perforations in acoustically transparent screens, Screen Research will be debuting its new Supreme 2 motorized screen system at CEDIA. The system can be mounted on or in the ceiling with or without a trap door, and it can accommodate screen sizes from 70 to 160 inches and aspect ratios from 4:3 to 2.78:1, complete with horizontal and vertical masking. Pricing ranges from just over $3000 to more than $25,000, depending on screen size and options.

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