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3D Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Tangled 3D (Blu-ray 3D)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 28, 2011
Pursued by the King's troops, Flynn Rider (voice by Zachary Levi) takes refuge in a mysterious tower, but he's not alone. Before he knows it, he's tied to a chair by Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a spirited teen with 70 feet of magical golden hair. Looking for her ticket out of the tower she's been trapped in for years, she strikes a deal with the handsome thief, and the duo set off on an adventure pursued by a determined horse, a pair of thugs, and an evil woman who doesn't want to lose her fountain of youth.

This is Disney's 50th full-length animated feature, and while I wouldn't consider it to the level of The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, it's very entertaining. There are a lot of laughs, especially from the horse and overprotective chameleon, but the musical numbers are a mixed bag.

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Audio Video News
Radiohead's Universal "King of Limbs"
Michael Berk  |  Mar 28, 2011

Today's the day Radiohead's The King of Limbs (which has managed to generate a pretty complex release history in its short life) finally hits stores.

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Audio Video News
Best Buy May Shrink Stores
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 28, 2011
In a rough economic climate where many of its competitors are closing stores, Best Buy may downsize some of its stores, redirecting attention to online retailing.

That doesn't mean Best Buy is giving up on its brick-and-mortar stores, which allow consumers such niceties as salespeople and the ability to pick up items purchased online. But the store is reconsidering its square-footage requirements and "redefining the optimal big-box store size," CEO Brian Dunn said in a phone conference with analysts.

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Audio Video News
Three opinions on the iPad at SXSW
Ken Richardson  |  Mar 27, 2011

The iPad is cool for a lot of things, but does it work for music? Various opinions came from the SXSW Music Festival, and together they're an interesting follow-up to Michael Berk's earlier post here on the concept of the iPad Album.

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Projector Reviews
Digital Projection M-Vision Cine 230 DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 25, 2011

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $6995 At a Glance: Gorgeous color • Exquisite detail • Excellent shadow detail • So-so blacks • Exceptional video processing • Stellar optics

Digital Projection International (DPI) might not be a familiar projector company to many home-theater enthusiasts—at least, not as familiar as Epson, JVC, Optoma, and Sony. But commercial users know the name well, because DPI has been supplying high-end, high-priced DLP projectors for broadcast, theatrical, simulation, medical, education, and corporate applications since 1997. In fact, DPI was Texas Instruments' first DLP partner and the original innovator of the 3-chip DLP projector.

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Projector Reviews
Digital Projection M-Vision Cine 230 DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 25, 2011
Price: $6995 At a Glance: Gorgeous color • Exquisite detail • Excellent shadow detail • So-so blacks • Exceptional video processing • Stellar optics

Digital Projection International (DPI) might not be a familiar projector company to many home-theater enthusiasts—at least, not as familiar as Epson, JVC, Optoma, and Sony. But commercial users know the name well, because DPI has been supplying high-end, high-priced DLP projectors for broadcast, theatrical, simulation, medical, education, and corporate applications since 1997. In fact, DPI was Texas Instruments' first DLP partner and the original innovator of the 3-chip DLP projector.

Over the last few years, DPI has been directing more of its efforts toward home-theater applications and now offers seven series of products for that market. The most affordable home-theater model is the M-Vision Cine 230, a single-chip design that offers many of the same features found in the company's more expensive offerings for less than $7000.

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Vote
What A/V Electronics Do You Use?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 25, 2011
In my continuing quest to learn about the audio/video systems our readers have in their homes, I now turn my attention to the A/V electronics—specifically, the components that perform the preamp, source-switching, and power-amp duties. An A/V receiver or integrated amp combines all these functions in one unit, while many systems include a dedicated preamp/processor (pre/pro) and one or more separate power amps.

Last November, I asked if you prefer an A/V receiver or separate components, but now I'm asking which you actually use in your main system. Select the item below that most closely reflects your system, and then please leave a comment with the make(s) and model(s) of your A/V electronics and why you chose them.

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

What A/V Electronics Do You Use?
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Audio Video News
SXSW Music: The Good, the Bands, the Ugly
Ken Richardson  |  Mar 25, 2011

Back in NYC - after 9 days and nights of SXSW Music, Film, and Interactive in Austin, Texas - I finally have time to mull over the 21 acts I managed to see during the music portion of the festival.

That perfect 21 might suggest that I had a lucky hand at SXSW this year. But as is the case every year, I heard much that was good and some that was . . . not.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Skyline (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 25, 2011
A birthday weekend in Southern California goes off the tracks when sunrise arrives two hours early while a mysterious light source draws unsuspecting humans outdoors and are swept into massive alien ships that have appeared over the Los Angeles skyline.

There are a lot of bad movies that come out of Hollywood, but Skyline may be the worst I've seen in years. Character development is non-existent, the dialog is cringe-inducing, and the ridiculous twist ending is the cherry on top of a steaming pile—yes, it's that bad.

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Audio Video News
Apple AirPlay May Stream Video
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 25, 2011
Apple's AirPlay wireless audio streaming technology is finding its way into an increasing number and variety of products. What next? Possibly video streaming.

An unconfirmed report in the business press says Apple is in talks to license AirPlay to consumer electronics manufacturers for video streaming. AirPlay is already capable of video streaming but so far has been licensed only for audio streaming.

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