LATEST ADDITIONS

Given that Spider-Man has been spinning his webs in comic books for almost 40 years, it's about time the wall-crawler made the leap to the big screen. Besides starring in his own flick this spring, Spidey has his sticky fingers into - appropriately enough - the World Wide Web.

When I reviewed Toshiba's TW40X81, the smallest (40-inch) RPTV in Toshiba's first full line of HDTV-ready sets, I raved about its picture quality (SGHT, March/April 2000). I was so taken with it, in fact, that I bought the review sample. I still use it, but a lot of video displays have bobbed under the bridge since then, and Toshiba is now two generations beyond that earlier design. The company's smallest rear-projection set is now the 42-inch-diagonal 42H81. But the 50H81, at 50 diagonal inches, is only slightly more expensive, and has the advantage of a significantly larger picture in a still (relatively) manageable cabinet. Like all HDTV-ready sets, it can display hi-def broadcasts, but only with an optional, outboard HD tuner.

<I>Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aim&#233;e, Sandra Milo, Barbara Steele, Guido Alberti. Directed by Federico Fellini. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1. Dolby Digital mono (Italian, English subtitles). Two DVDs. 138 minutes. 1963. The Criterion Collection 140. NR. $39.95.</I>

While the music business is experiencing harrowing declines in CD sales (12% down in the first quarter of 2002, compared with last year), DVD movie sales are growing at a fantastic pace. According to figures released by the <A HREF="http://www.dvdinformation.com">DVD Entertainment Group</A> (DEG), more than 120 million DVD movies and music videos shipped in the first three months of 2002, which represents an impressive 74% increase over the same quarter last year.