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Audio Video News
LEDs light Sharp's newest line of HDTVs
SV Staff  |  Jul 08, 2009
Yesterday, Sharp announced its newest HDTV line, the Aquos LED series. As its name implies, the Aquos LED HDTVs use LED backlighting instead of conventional CCFL. Because LEDs lack the toxic chemicals of CCFL backlights, use far less energy, and...
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Ask S&V
240Hz, High-End Projectors, Plasma Calibration
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 07, 2009
Twice as Sharp
I intend to buy an LED-illuminated LCD TV. Since I like action sports, should I get a 240Hz set rather than a 120Hz?
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Audio Video News
File Sharing Court Brawl Continues
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 07, 2009
The long-running legal battle between a single mom and the recording industry's trade group continues with the defendant's latest motion.
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Audio Video News
Yamaha announces newest A/V receiver
SV Staff  |  Jul 06, 2009
Yamaha announced today a new A/V receiver with an impressive feature set and a price tag just shy of a grand. The RX-V1065 is a slightly more powerful version of the RX-V665 receiver. It retains all the features of its little brother, including...
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Premiere Design
Long Time Coming
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 06, 2009

I've been waiting a long time for the SSP-800 surround preamp/processor from <A href="http://www.classeaudio.com">Class&#233;</A>. Originally announced in May 2008 and scheduled for delivery in July of that year, this Canadian company's statement pre/pro is finally about to ship.

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Projector Reviews
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB LCD Projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 06, 2009
Price: $2,999 At A Glance: Excellent video processing • Superior color and color adjustability • Near state-of-the-art black level • Natural detail

Epson is one of the major players in the business projector business, and it’s now making inroads into the home theater market as well. Its Ensemble HD Home Cinema System, which includes a projector, screen, speakers, and electronics, is priced to tempt consumers who would not have otherwise considered a projection setup. The company’s UltraBlack (UB) projectors have also made a big splash at recent electronics trade shows.

The PowerLite Home Cinema 6500 UB is one step down in the Epson lineup from the top-of-the-line PowerLite Pro Cinema 7500 UB. The latter is $1,200 more expensive. However, apart from some added features (an anamorphic aspect ratio option and ISFccc Day and Night modes), a black case, a year longer on its warranty, and a spare lamp ($300 if bought separately), it does not appear to add anything that would enhance its basic performance relative to the 6500 UB. The 6500 UB is clearly the bargain buy.

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Projector Reviews
Sharp XV-Z15000 DLP Projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 06, 2009
Price: $2,500 At A Glance: Outstanding video processing • Deep blacks (with auto iris) • Brightness to spare for a big screen

Sharp has a long history in the home theater projector business. It began with a successful run of LCD models. But the company soon shifted its projectors to Texas Instruments’ DLP technology, which appeared to be ready to dominate the projection business for a time.

However, with the development of new and vastly improved LCD chips and designs in the recent past, all that has changed. LCD (and its second cousin, LCOS—a variation on liquid crystal technology) now dominates the projection market. Sharp is sticking to DLP, and its new XV-Z15000 is one of the first DLP designs to sport a new 0.65-inch digital micromirror device (DMD) from Texas Instruments. The DMD is the imaging chip at the heart of the DLP system.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Spaceballs—MGM (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4.5/5
When the evil Dark Helmet attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess, a clueless rogue and a half-man/half-dog creature who's his own best friend set out to stop him! But with the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they'll need the help of a wise imp named Yogurt and the mystical power of "The Schwartz" to bring peace and merchandising rights to the entire galaxy.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Knowing—Summit (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule's contents and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it's Caleb's father, professor John Koestler, who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document's chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events - the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Push—Summit (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Hang on tight as a gang of super-powered paranormal operatives takes you on a white-knuckle thrill ride. The excitement starts when a future-seeing Watcher convinces a telekinetic Mover to help steal a briefcase that holds a billion-dollar secret. But to outrun government agents, they must enlist a mind controlling Pusher who could be their salvation - or their doom.
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