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Audio Video News
Coming Attractions
HT Staff  |  Oct 11, 2004
Panasonic
Panasonic has recognized their customers' desire for high-quality performance with easy setup, and the result is their new home theater receiver, the SA-XR70 ($400). This fully digital receiver features HDMI connectivity, which simplifies the connection to other sources and allows for high-quality playback. It supports high-definition images up to 1080p and the DVD-Audio multichannel audio format. The SA-XR70 has built-in decoders for DTS, DTS ES, Dolby EX, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx. Connections include optical inputs and outputs, component video, and S-video.
Panasonic
(800) 211-7262
www.panasonic.com
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Audio Video News
Latest Software Reviews
HT Staff  |  Oct 11, 2004
DVD: Raising Helen—Buena Vista
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 2
In the breezy comedy Raising Helen, Kate Hudson's fast track to agenting in the modeling business gets sidetracked when her sister's three kids move in with her after a fatal accident kills their mom. With the exception of a couple of surprisingly touching moments and the mega-talents of Joan Cusack, no feathers are ruffled too much, leading to the predictable conclusion with lots of smiles and hugs.
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Audio Video News
"DarkChip" DLP Projectors
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Oct 11, 2004

Texas Instruments continues to push the envelope of projector technology, and high-end manufacturers continue to adopt TI devices into ever-better projectors. TI's latest Digital Light Processing (DLP) devices are known as "DarkChips" for their improved contrast, a result of narrower gaps between mirror elements, smaller mirror hinges, higher reflectivity, and in a seeming paradox, better light absorption thanks to a new coating. DarkChips are said to offer better color uniformity and much lower dithering effects than their predecessors.

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Audio Video News
"DTV: Get It!"
Barry Willis  |  Oct 11, 2004

Better late than never. Years after mandating a changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting, the Federal Communications Commission (<A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov">FCC</A>) has launched a campaign to inform consumers about the benefits of the new format.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Without a Trace: The Complete First Season On DVD
Corrina Y. Jones  |  Oct 11, 2004
Anthony La Paglia, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Enrique Murciano, Poppy Montgomery, Eric Close. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Four discs. 992 minutes. 2003. Warner Bros. Home Video 33703. NR. $59.98.
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The Custom Installer: Punk'd
John Sciacca  |  Oct 08, 2004

After returning from our honeymoon, my parents took my wife and me to dinner at one of San Francisco's swanky restaurants. To commemorate the event, I brought a prized bottle of wine - a 1982 Sterling Private Reserve cabernet. Instead of being offended that I had my own bottle, the sommelier asked if he might have a taste. But the restaurant still added a $20 corkage fee to our bill.

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Audio Video News
The 3 D's of T3
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 08, 2004
The latest videogame based specifically on the most recent Arnold Schwarzenegger (who apparently recorded only a portion of his in-game dialogue) action sequel, Terminator 3: Redemption, is the first I've ever seen (and heard) to offer such a distinct hierarchy of audio formats across each of the three major consoles. (I'm a Home Theater guy, sadly this is one of the first details I look for on the package.)
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Subwoofer Reviews
Bass Is Big. Bass is Good.
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Oct 08, 2004  |  First Published: Sep 08, 2006
From the car next to you at the stoplight to the rattle of your neighbor's dishes on movie night, bass is everywhere.
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Other Tech
Working the Room
B Y Doug Newcomb  |  Oct 05, 2004
You've got your big-screen HDTV, super-sharp progressive-scan DVD player, and the rest of your A/V gear set up to squeeze the nth degree of performance from your system. But look around. Is something missing? Not from your equipment but the room itself.
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Audio Video News
"MODS" Discs
Barry Willis  |  Oct 04, 2004  |  First Published: Oct 05, 2004

Each step in the evolution of the optical disc has been astounding. With its 750-megabyte storage capacity, the Compact Disc revolutionized the way music was recorded and played back. The DVD's 4.7 gigabyte capacity&mdash;twice that for a dual-layered disc&mdash;made possible the archiving of high-quality feature films on a durable, affordable medium. DVD is the first format that made building a film library a reality for ordinary movie fans. It's not a vast overstatement to say that DVD revived the film industry, creating unanticipated revenue streams.

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