If you're like me, with a large library of DVDs (I think I'm over 1000, but I haven't counted them lately), just finding the one you want is a chore. Try as I might to keep them in some sort of order, it never works for long. I pull out a few to watch, and before you know it there are little piles scattered all around the house.
Bass is like salt. Really, it is. Salt is a seasoning, a treat that we add to good food to make it taste even better. Bass is the same way. A sound system without it lacks the last little element that transforms an ordinary activity like listening to music or watching a movie into an extraordinary, emotionally charged experience.
DVD: Be Cool:
I am a big Get Shorty fan. The dialogue, the acting, and the plot all just exude a coolness that is never struggled for, just achieved. The thought of a sequel seemed a little odd, but knowing that it is based on the Elmore Leonard sequel novel, I had high hopes. The end result was admittedly funny but nowhere near the quality of the original. The story takes place a few years after Get Shorty, and Chili Palmer is deciding to get out of the movie business. After a friend gets murdered, he decides to get into the music business instead. Far too many jokes are rehashed, but that in itself isn't the problem. Whereas the original was an effortless cool, this movie tries too hard to be cool—and rarely succeeds. Far too much time is spent on the (admittedly excellent) secondary characters, with Chili himself just kind of showing up to drive the plot along. The effect, though, highlights two of the best aspects of this movie: the Rock and André 3000. These two absolutely steal the movie, and this disc is worth a rental just for them. There are many musician cameos, but, unlike in Get Shorty, where actor cameos are natural (as in, they can act), the musician cameos are often awkward and distracting.
Lions Gate Home Entertainment (LGHE), a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, announced last Wednesday that it will release content on the Blu-ray Disc format. As part of its cooperation with the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), LGHE will begin releasing new films, TV programming, and other titles from the company's vast library when Blu-ray hardware launches in North America.
In a move to protect against illegal copying and large-scale piracy while allowing consumers the flexibility to manage and enjoy copies of their legally purchased content, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has adopted the most comprehensive content-management system (CMS) ever employed on an optical-disc format. The Blu-ray CMS includes three primary components: Advanced Access Content System (AACS), ROM Mark, and BD+.
The new 50PY2DR plasma HDTV from LG comes with a bright yellow insert explaining in all caps that the set's CableCARD and TV Guide On Screen electronic program guide eliminate the need to rent an outboard box from your cable company.
Welcome to the List, where Sound & Vision's editors share their recommendations on the best home-entertainment gear. Everything appearing on The List has been reviewed by our expert staff and has stood out for performance or value. Watch our test reports for the "S&V Approved" icon (above) designating that a product has been added to The List.
Who do you think benefits most from corporate investments in technological research and development: so-called "early adopters" or average consumers? After I reviewed Infinity's top-of-the-line, high-performance Prelude MTS speakers a few years ago for <I>Stereophile</I> (Joel Brinkley reviewed the 5.1 version in <I>The Stereophile Guide to Home Theater</I>), I would have concluded "early adopters." But after spending a few months with the relatively inexpensive Beta ensemble, which is based on the driver technology developed for the Prelude MTS, I think mainstream consumers gain the most and they get it at near Wal-Mart prices.