Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5 Chronicling the extraordinary life of Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, "Notorious" follows the young rapper from the tough streets of Brooklyn to the heights of superstardom as he juggles the increasing demands of fatherhood, marriage and a music career. Amid chaos and controversy, Biggie's remarkable talent and fierce determination help to solidify his legacy as one of hip-hop's greatest MCs.
In <I>UAV</I>'s never-ending quest to bring you the ultimate in audio and video, we are proud to introduce a new feature on the site—<A href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-demos/">Ultimate Demos</A>. Each week, movie reviewer David Vaughn will identify a reference-quality Blu-ray title, complete with the chapter number and time code of specific scenes that exemplify different video and audio performance parameters, such as detail, color, blacks, shadow detail, audio dynamics, frequency range, and surround imaging. He'll also point out what to look and listen for in each case.
Unhappy U-verse I've had AT&T U-verse service since 12/08, and I have an issue with audio dropouts on HD channels. I have the set-top box connected to my A/V receiver via optical digital cable. On HD channels with 5.1 audio, I get sporadic dropouts every five minutes or so. I called AT&T and was told it's a firmware issue to be resolved later. I've seen many others mention this problem online.
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/TOS1.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Even older films and TV shows can look great on Blu-ray, and Season One of <i>Star Trek</i> is a perfect example. Of course, the series was broadcast in standard definition, but it was shot on 35mm film, which has far more resolution than even HDTV. Paramount remastered the Blu-ray discs from the film prints, allowing them to reveal the cheesy sets and props in excruciating detail. By contrast, the audio wasn't all that great to begin with, and there's not much that can be done about it, so these discs are video demos only.
Every Pixar release so far has looked outstanding on Blu-ray, and A Bug's Life is the perfect movie to debut our new Ultimate Demo series. The image has impeccable detail in both foregrounds and backgrounds to show off your display's capabilities, and the audio is just as impressive in both scenes highlighted below.
Early in the film, the grasshoppers, led by Hopper, arrive at the ant hill for their food offering. When they can't find it, they invade the hill to confront the queen.
Sometimes it takes the combined talents of two professional organizations to come up with a striking, one-of-a-kind home theater. Such was the case with this Florida home. Cinema Design Group is a leading designer, manufacturer, and installer of home theater seating, acoustic panels, and custom home theater environments. Along with Boca Theater and Automation, a premier provider of turn-key, custom-built integration systems and home theaters, these two specialists created a home theater that bears the resemblance of the familiar geometric Art Deco designs of the early 20's, yet, it reveals a distinctive 21st century edge.
When we broke ground on our new home in upstate New York my wife Kristie and I each had our goals for this space. I desired a place where I could listen to music, and where the family could come together for a great movie experience. Kristie's priority was for the space to feel like an extension of our home.
Some of us fantasize about being on Mystery Science Theater. A few of us, perhaps, may see ourselves as Beavis or Butthead. But all of us will get a new way to hobnob with other viewers when the Blu-ray version of Warner's Watchmen hits the streets. This BD-Live release will sync with Facebook, letting users of the social networking site commune with one another while they watch the movie.
In Greek mythology, the Titans were the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). Similarly, the flagship Titan Reference video projector from <A href="http://www.digitalprojection.com">Digital Projection International</A> (DPI) was born from the union of heavenly images and earthly concerns about service accessibility and recyclability.
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/paycheck.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a genius engineer who has his memory erased after every project to keep the clandestine projects he works on secret. When an old friend offers him a huge paycheck in exchange for three years of his life, Michael reluctantly agrees. But when he's finished with the project, instead of the $90 million promised, he's left with a group of unrelated objects as clues to discover the truth about the previous three years.