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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Falling Down (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 27, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/fallingdown.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>D-FENS (Michael Douglas) is a recently laid-off defense worker who's having a bad day. Stuck in the mother of all traffic jams, he abandons his car and sets out on foot to his daughter's birthday party. When a Korean store owner charges an insane price for a can of Coke, he snaps and trashes the store with a newly confiscated baseball bat. Now armed and dangerous, he sets out toward Venice, California with a severe case of road rage and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Valkyrie (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 27, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/valkyrie.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is one of many men who want to see the end of the Third Reich. He gets his opportunity when he's maimed in an attack in Africa and transferred back to the fatherland, earning a place in Hitler's inner circle. With the crazed leader's blessing, he changes an emergency plan, Operation Valkyrie, in order to gain control of Berlin once the F&#252;hrer meets his maker.

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Ask S&V
ISF, Speakers, TVs
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 27, 2009
ISF SOS
Is it wise to evaluate ISF technicians when it comes to the calibration of a mid-priced plasma or LCD? I live in downtown Denver, and there are so many techs listed on the ISF site, I cannot find much insight there.
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Audio Video News
NEC debuts new 2K 3-D projector for Pixar's "Up"
SV Staff  |  May 27, 2009
If you're in the NYC area this weekend, it might be worth the trip over to the Ziegfeld Theatre to see the new Pixar film on NEC's latest and greatest projector, the NC2500S-A. It uses a 1.2" DMD from Texas Instruments as well triple...
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Audio Video News
Pioneer's new receivers play nice with iPod and iPhone
SV Staff  |  May 27, 2009
 Pioneer just announced the VSX-819AH, VSX-919AH and VSX-1019AH A/V receivers designed to help users integrate their Apple portables into their home theaters. After plugging in a player, you navigate your media using a specially designed...
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Projector Reviews
Marantz VP-11S2 DLP Projector
Kris Deering  |  May 27, 2009
When most people hear the name Marantz, they probably think of high-quality audio components—after all, the company has been in that business for 60 years. But videophiles know that Marantz is also a highly respected name in front projectors, such as the flagship VP-11S2. Like all the company's models, this one is based on DLP technology with 1920x1080 resolution. How does it stack up against its progenitors? Let's find out...
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Premiere Design
$3000 Boombox
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 27, 2009

At the 2007 CEDIA Expo, I attended Meridian's press conference, during which the company unveiled its <A href="http://www.thef80.com">F80</A> table-top clock radio/CD/DVD player. I was a bit late, and the demo was already underway as I walked into the large concrete room with high ceilings. I clearly remember my first impression of what I heard—"Wow, that sounds great!" When I learned it was essentially a boombox, I was flabbergasted.

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Audio Video News
Analog-Shutoff Test Hits a Nerve
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 27, 2009
A single-day record of 55,000 calls flooded help lines staffed by the Federal Communications Commission last Thursday, May 21, after TV stations across the nation broadcast a series of warnings about the shutoff of analog television signals scheduled for June 12.
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Other Tech
The High-Def Arcade
Will Greenwald  |  May 26, 2009

Classic games don't always age very well. While they mighty still play great, their low resolution and blocky sprites make the experience on an HDTV into a chore. Even if you grew up on games like Street Fighter II and Pac-Man, if you played them today on your nice, big HDTV you're more likely to get sharp, stabby, headachey feelings than warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feelings.

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Surround Processor Reviews
Integra DHC-9.9 Surround Processor
Kris Deering  |  May 26, 2009
Price: $2,000 At A Glance: Outstanding video processing • All of the latest audio flavors • Dynamic EQ offers exciting experiences at lower volumes

More Bang, Less Buck

Last year, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Integra DTC-9.8 surround processor (HT, May 2008). The DTC-9.8 was one of the first processors to offer full decoding abilities for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and it included state-of-the-art video processing. But one of the DTC-9.8’s best features was its price. Seldom do we see a feature-rich processor that’s south of the $2,000 price point.

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