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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken
David Vaughn  |  May 25, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/taken.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>One of the best action movies I've seen in a long time offers a great picture and kick-ass audio. The AVC encode reveals phenomenal shadow detail and offers a razor-sharp image. The audio is just as impressive with an enveloping surround stage, first-rate frequency response, and pervasive ambience.

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Ask S&V
Legacy Connections, Power Strips, Bit Rate
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 22, 2009
Living Legacy
Why is it that most A/V receivers still have 2-channel RCA inputs? Why doesn't a company make a receiver that has only HDMI, maybe with a few component-video and digital-audio ins and outs? Why the need to include legacy stuff?
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Audio Video News
FCC Girds for Analog Armageddon
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 22, 2009
With just three weeks to go before the end of analog broadcasting, scheduled for June 12, the Federal Communications Commission is going into high gear to ensure that the final stage of the DTV transition goes smoothly.
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Audio Video News
Pandora One: well worth $36 a year
SV Staff  |  May 21, 2009
By now, you're almost certainly familiar with internet radio service Pandora. If you're not, you should definitely give it a shot. Basically, it uses your musical tastes to suggest other songs and artists, much like Apple's Genius,...
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Custom Installation Equipment ReviewsCustom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
All-in-One TV Rack Solution
Kim Wilson  |  May 21, 2009

A perfect solution for a secondary AV system or for tight quarters, the Modena Series from Omnimount offers a convenient and inexpensive solution for mounting flat panel TV's and holding AV equipment. The three models (37FP, 47FP and 55FP) range in price from $199.95 to $329.95, depending on the size of your TV. The Modena series offers clean lines, smoky black glass shelves and a striking high gloss finish. OmniMount's Lift n Lock system allows for easy attachment of a flat panel TV and locks it securely in place. The supporting back post doubles as a cable management system, to neatly route and organize cables.

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Custom Installation Equipment ReviewsCustom Installation How-ToHome Movie Theaters
The Ultimate Plasma with a Price to Match
Kim Wilson  |  May 21, 2009

Bang & Olufsen (B&O), known for their killer designs, makes their 103" plasma TV available in the United States. The Beovision 4-103 is one of the largest TVs on the market. What makes the Beovision 4 stand out from all the others is that special B&O touch. The motorized floor stand lifts the TV from it's position near the ground, when you are ready to view movies or TV. By resting the TV inches from the floor, it becomes less prominent in the room when not in use, according to the B&O press materials. However, I'm not sure how a 103-inch TV is not prominent, no matter where in the room it is located.

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Premiere Design
Phoenix Rising
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 21, 2009

When I first heard about the BeoVision 4-103 from Danish design king <A href="http://www.bang-olufsen.com">Bang & Olufsen</A>, I thought I knew the story&#151;a 103-inch 1080p plasma, undoubtedly sourced from Panasonic, with B&O's unique stylistic treatment. That's all true, but there's much more to it, as I discovered at a recent press demo held at the Aston Martin dealership in Beverly Hills, California.

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Audio Video News
Discs Still Preferred to Downloads
user  |  May 21, 2009
Physical media like DVD and Blu-ray still dominate U.S. household spending for buying or renting movies. Discs attract 88 percent of spending. For all the hooplah over downloads, they still have only three percent of the movies-on-video market.
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Other Tech
Does BD Live Deliver?
Kevin James  |  May 20, 2009

Like a baseball prospect whose performance hasn't lived up to expectations, Blu-ray Disc's BD-Live feature-which offers access to refreshable online content not contained on the disc-has been a slow starter.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 20, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/taken.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is an ex-CIA agent trying to reestablish a relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Against his better judgment, he bows to pressure from his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and signs a release enabling her to spend the summer in France. She's not even in country for 24 hours when she's kidnapped and sold into a slavery/prostitution ring. Utilizing his special skills, he tracks down her kidnappers and metes out justice in order to rescue his daughter.

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