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Audio Video News
Sharp Resurrects Elite TV Brand
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 04, 2011
The Pioneer Elite TV brand is becoming Sharp Elite for a new line of LED-backlit LCD TVs. Sharp took the wraps off the first two models, 70 and 60 inches, today at a New York press event. At first glimpse they were dazzling.

Some background: The Pioneer Elite Kuro plasmas were widely regarded as among the best HDTVs ever made. They were a high-end, premium-priced product. But though they wowed critics, they didn't sell enough for the line to survive. Two years ago Pioneer exited the TV business, though it continues to use the Elite brand for its higher-end audio components. Earlier this year Pioneer licensed the Elite name to Sharp for use as a TV brand, a logical move given that Sharp is Pioneer's largest shareholder. And so the LCD phoenix rises from the plasma ashes.

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New ProductsLCD TV Reviews
Sharp Resurrects the Elite Brand
Michael Berk  |  Aug 04, 2011

There's little question that Pioneer's Elite-branded Kuro plasmas were among the best - if not the best - televisions ever produced, with black levels still unmatched, in the opinion of most.

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New ProductsPower Amplifier ReviewsHeadphone Amp/DAC Reviews
NuForce's Midas Touch
Michael Berk  |  Aug 03, 2011

In a sure sign that the low-cost DAC is finding its place as an object of mass consumer desire, NuForce has released a 24-karat gold plated version of their uDAC-2 converter-and-headphone-amp combo unit

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Ask S&V
Non-3D Plasma
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 03, 2011
I'm looking for a 50-to-55-inch non-3D plasma TV. My son actually gets headaches from the 3D experience, and I think it's a fad that will die off with 4K if not sooner. Which plasma do you prefer?

Mark Davis

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TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Panasonic Viera TC-L42E30 LED LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 03, 2011
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,100 At A Glance: Bright, pleasing picture • Crisp detail • Poor contrast • Highly reflective screen

We’re reasonably certain that most folks looking for a budget HDTV probably aren’t poring through the pages of enthusiast publications like Home Theater for advice. If they’re researching at all, they’re studying the easy-to-digest bubble ratings in Consumer Reports or Which Video, or Googling generic consumer-help Websites.

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Grace Notes
Walmart.com and VUDU, online BFFs
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 02, 2011

It's been well over a year since Walmart purchased movie streaming giant VUDU, and until now, the corporate take-over was hardly noticeable. Nothing on VUDU's site mentioned Walmart, and nothing on Walmart's mentioned VUDU.

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Tech2
Sony's Slide
Brent Butterworth  |  Aug 02, 2011

In the late 1990s, a product manager from Zenith brought me the company's first HDTV set for review. After an afternoon spent checking out the TV - an engineering marvel for its time - I told him how impressed I was with it. "Yeah, we'd sell a ton of them if it said 'Sony' on the front," he wisecracked.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 75: Gene Dolgoff, Part 2
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 02, 2011
In Part 2 of my discussion with 3D maven Gene Dolgoff, he talks about how 2D is normally converted to 3D, how his company, 3-DVision, does it differently (and better!), and the limitations of all stereoscopic 3D, including lenticular glasses-free techniques. He then explains a bit of the history and technology of holography, venturing into the mind-bending realm of four spatial dimensions, and talks about his technique for creating a truly holographic, full-color, full-motion 3D display for the home and commercial cinema.

Run Time: 57:17

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Audio Video News
Noisy Summer
Dan Bracaglia  |  Aug 02, 2011

With the Brooklyn Bridge in the distance, the Raveonettes took the stage at Beekman Beer Garden this past Sunday, performing a free show to a packed house at the outdoor venue and drinking establishment located at Manhattan’s South Street Seaport.

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TV Reviews
Panasonic TC-P50ST30 3D Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 01, 2011

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,500 At A Glance: Crisp, detailed images • Odd gammas in Custom mode • Little to complain about • Exceptional value

Panasonic means plasma. Yes, the company now offers a line of LCD displays, but only in smaller sizes. If you want a 50-inch or larger Panasonic, it will be a plasma. And that's not a bad thing. The TC-P50ST30 is Panasonic's latest, budget-priced, 50-inch 3D model. Only a few short years ago, you couldn't touch this level of quality in a 2D-only flat panel for five times the price—or more.

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