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Fred Manteghian Blog
Future Sonics Atrio Earphones
Fred Manteghian  |  Apr 19, 2009

I spend a lot of time in earphones, or should I say, they spend a lot of time in me. I've been on a lose-weight-slash-get-healthy kick for about nine months now. The dead of winter found me hardwired to what would otherwise be the mindless machinations of an elliptical machine that even a hamster would eventually find boring were it not for an iPod (for me, not sure how the hamster would feel). Now that the New England spring has sprung, I can get back to the more exhilarating activity of running America's roadways while under the influence of endorphins and my own personal soundtrack. I know running under the influence (of music) sounds dangerous as you forge ahead against traffic, but I've only been car tagged five times in hundreds of miles of jogging, and to be fair, two of those incidents were probably my fault.

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Fred Manteghian Blog
What's Spinning This Week?
Fred Manteghian  |  Apr 19, 2009

The Black Crowes, <I>$hake Your Money Maker</I> (LP, DEF American Records, 1990), picked up during my first trip to Las Vegas in a used record store on Sahara. Even 20 years ago, The Black Crowes were doing what bands like the Rolling Stones seemed incapable of anymore. This hard-driving rock has no missteps and no end to the catchy tunes. Singer Chris Robinson's distinctive gravelly voice, a cross between Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger, gets stellar backup from the two guitars, bass and drum line-up that's as tight as it is raw.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Last Kiss (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 18, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/lastkiss.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Michael (Zach Braff) is immature and dreads both his 30th birthday and marrying Jenna (Jacinda Barrett), who's carrying his unborn child. When he meets Kim (Rachel Bilson) at a wedding, she makes him feel 10 years younger, and he questions whether he should be taking himself off the market.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sin City (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 18, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/sincity.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Based on Frank Miller's popular series of graphic novels, <i>Sin City</i> is a tale of killers, cops, hookers, and hit men, all inhabiting one very dangerous, very sexy city. The three interwoven stories star Bruce Willis as a cop who'll do anything to protect the girl (Jessica Alba); Mickey Rourke, hell-bent on revenge; and Benicio del Toro as a human Pez dispenser.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Arctic Tale (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 17, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/arctic.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>This documentary chronicles the real-life adventures of two arctic creatures struggling to survive in one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Queen Latifah narrates the tale of Nanu the polar bear cub and Seela the walrus pup with their mothers close by to offer protection and guidance.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Last Word (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 17, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/lastword.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Evan Merck (We Bentley) is one weird dude who makes a living writing suicide notes for people planning their own demise. His world turns topsy-turvy when he meets Charlotte (Winona Ryder), the sister of a former client, and he's forced to lie about his relationship with her now-departed brother in order to pursue a relationship.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Frost Nixon (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 17, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/frostnixon.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the summer of 1977, disgraced former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) agreed to sit down for a series of interviews with British commentator David Frost (Michael Sheen) to answer questions about his time in office and the Watergate scandal. Would Frost be able to match wits with one of the most astute politicians of the mid-20th century? Or would Nixon be able to dictate the outcome and restore his image with the American people?

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Ask S&V
B&K Upgrade, Video Degradation, Improving Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 17, 2009
Generous Offer?
I currently have a B&K AVR507 S2 receiver. It is a great receiver, but it does not have HDMI, DTS-HD, or Dolby TrueHD. When I purchased this receiver, I was told I could upgrade when possible. Now, B&K says this is not possible and is willing to give me a $1000 credit toward a new B&K. What can I do to get these features or do I have to buy a new receiver?
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Audio Video News
200-disc Blu-ray changer coming from Crestron
SV Staff  |  Apr 17, 2009
What's better than one Blu-ray disc? Two hundred of them, all stacked in a neat little carousel for you to load and play at your leisure. Crestron is making that dream a reality with the ADC-200BR, a 200-disc Blu-ray super-changer that, combined...
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Audio Video News
HDMI Mechanically Improved
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 17, 2009
The HDMI interface is great for video and audio signal transfer, at least now that it's grown up a bit. But in a mechanical sense, it's no better today than it was at the outset. That's about to change.
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