LATEST ADDITIONS

Al Griffin  |  Jan 23, 2013

Our main take-away from the 2013 CES was that this is going to be the year when OLED and 4K-rez “Ultra HD” TVs finally arrive. And by “arrive” I mean sitting in the store, waiting for you to buy ‘em. While this development is no doubt promising, you can also count on the advanced sets scheduled to hit stores later this year being expensive.

Fred Kaplan  |  Jan 23, 2013
Picture
Sound
Extras
Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion remains, 75 years on, one of the greatest films ever made. To some, it may seem a bit clichéd, but that’s only because so many movies since have cribbed from its plot lines. It takes place in German POW camps during the First World War and was shot on what many recognized at the time as the eve of a Second World War. One of the things it’s about is the world that vanished, for better and for worse, in the two decades between the two wars. There has been much debate over just which “great illusion” Renoir was referring to in his title. Some have assumed it’s war. But this is not a simple anti-war movie; at the end, our French heroes, who have escaped from the camp, can’t wait to get home so they can reenlist in the fighting.
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 22, 2013
If you’re used to plugging your unencrypted basic-cable feed directly into your TV’s QAM tuner, you might want to sit down. We’ve got some bad news: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has caved in to decades of cable-industry lobbying and will now allow cable operators to encrypt basic-cable service—the bottom tier consisting mostly of broadcast channels—in digital cable systems. In-the-clear cable service, mandated 20 years ago by an act of Congress, is all but dead.
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 22, 2013
Amazon has added Compact Discs to an existing trade-in program that already embraces Blu-ray, DVD, games, books, and electronics. There are two categories: Like New, for unscratched discs with original packaging and artwork in mint condition; and Good, for playable discs with light scratches and other disc or packaging blemishes. Send your stuff to Amazon, with free shipping, and a virtual gift card will be credited to your account. Trade-in lucre might be anything from $1.40 for Adele’s 21 to $5.30 for the Special Edition of Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick 2 to $35 for the 13-disc Rolling Stones box set. Of course, some people like having physical media in their libraries, and others may want to keep their audio-codec options open for future reconversions. But if you really hate all that plastic—so much that you want it gone now—here’s your chance to get rid of it and get paid. Amazon will gladly let you consume the credit as new downloads. Search eligible items on amazon.com.
Josef Krebs  |  Jan 22, 2013

Ivan's Childhood

Many big-budget movies are actually radio serials with special effects. Many dramas are just theatrical productions that have leaked off the stage. And then there are real films of which this is one. Mood and meaning are created by the visuals and cinematic language, not just the music.

Brent Butterworth  |  Jan 22, 2013

With so many mainstream companies getting into the soundbar biz, much of the action in that category seems to have shifted over to the CEDIA Expo. Still, CES 2013 did reveal a few new soundbar models. Some, like the Vizios shown above, blew away showgoers with their sound quality.

HT Staff  |  Jan 22, 2013
Next-generation TV technology was the talk of CES 2013. Here are some highlights…

OLED vs. 4K Ultra HD: Which Technology Do You Prefer?
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jan 21, 2013

The town of Baker sits like a wart on the side of the I-15, somewhere in the desolation between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. A bizarre bastion of fast-food consumerism and price-gouged gasoline, it exists only as a way station for those optimistically heading to the City of Sin, or disillusioned, returning to the City of Angles.

Most years, it's my one and only stop, a quick tank top-off before the final push. This year, it's my third. One of the stops was a nap. I am not well.

Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 19, 2013
An unlikely autobiography, an under-the-radar Cronenberg flick and an unsettling drama ripped from today's paranoia-fueled headlines make for offbeat Blu-ray viewing.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 18, 2013
From a sea of new earbuds and headphones to a jaw-dropping virtual surround demo, HT's resident comedian Darryl Wilkinson takes one last look at some of CES 2013's coolest things...

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