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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The House Bunny—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Shelley is living a carefree life until a rival gets her tossed out of the Playboy Mansion. With nowhere to go, fate delivers her to the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. Unless they can sign a new pledge class, the seven socially clueless women will lose their house to the scheming girls of Phi Iota Mu. In order to accomplish their goal, they need Shelley to teach them the ways of makeup and men; at the same time, Shelley needs some of what the Zetas have - a sense of individuality. The combination leads all the girls to learn how to stop pretending and start being themselves.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.75/5
Extras: 4/5
A playful pachyderm named Horton becomes a reluctant hero when he discovers the microscopic city of Who-ville on a floating speck of dust and embarks on a hilarious adventure to save the town from the dangers of the jungle.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Home Alone—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 3.25/5
Audio: 3.75/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister has become the man of the house, overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly. Two bumbling burglars are trying to break in, and Kevin's rigging a bewildering battery of booby traps to welcome them.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Heartbreak Kid—Dreamworks (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 3/5
When the single and indecisive Eddie meets the sexy and beautiful Lila, the guy who could never pull the trigger jumps the gun. While honeymooning in Mexico, Eddie discovers he's made a really big mistake. He soon meets Miranda, his real soul mate. But when the love of your life isn't your wife, things can get quickly out of control. Now it will take some desperate measures to turn his honeymoon from hell into the perfect romantic getaway.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Dead Space: Downfall—Anchor Bay (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.25/5
On a deep space mining mission to a remote planet, an ancient religious relic - thought to be proof of the existence of God - is unearthed and brought aboard. When the unholy artifact unleashes a long-dormant alien race, its glimpse of Heaven transforms the ship into a living Hell. Prepare yourself for the disturbing opening chapters of the new EA game that takes adult animation to graphic new levels of bloodshed and terror.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Austin Powers Collection—New Line Cinema (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 4.5/5
"Austin Powers Collection: Shagadelic Edition Loaded With Extra Mojo" includes: "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"; "The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Goldmember".
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The X-Files: I Want To Believe—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 4/5
When a group of women are mysteriously abducted, it becomes a case right out of "The X-Files". The best team for the job is ex-agents Fox Mulder and Dr. Dana Scully, who have no desire to revisit their dark past. Still, the truth of these horrific crimes is out there somewhere...and it will take Mulder and Scully to find it.
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Audio Video News
Digeo's Moxi HD DVR - We're Not Dead Yet
SV Staff  |  Dec 15, 2008
We haven't heard much from Moxi since its financial woes almost a year ago. But . . . they're back! They just released a new HD DVR that lets you grab content from your TV, PC and even the Internet. The Moxi HD DVR has a 500GB hard drive...
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Audio Video News
Global Standard for Home Wiring
SV Staff  |  Dec 15, 2008
Looking to make sure your new home theater is up to spec? The International Telecommunication Union, an agency within the United Nations, has finalized a standard - a global standard - for wiring that covers cable, phone, power, and all your home...
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Panasonic DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 Blu-ray Players
Kris Deering  |  Dec 15, 2008
Price: $299, $399 At A Glance: Full complement of onboard audio decoding • Exceptional video processing • Bonus View and BD-Live compliant • Plays back DVD at 1080p/24

Hot on the heels of the DMP-BD50 (HT, September 2008), Panasonic has debuted two new players, the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55. Despite the DMP-BD50’s recent release, these two players replace the current DMP-BD30 and DMP-BD50 models. These new players are identical except for their analog audio outputs. The DMP-BD35 only has a two-channel analog output, while the more expensive DMP-BD55 supports 7.1 channels of analog audio. All the other features are the same, so for this roundup, I’ll fuse these two players together in regards to performance unless otherwise noted.

Panasonic slimmed down its players this time around, and the new lineup reminded me a bit of the Sony BDP-S350 in form and stature. The chassis is slightly shorter than the last generation and isn’t quite as deep. The disc tray is now located in the center, and there’s a small flip-down panel on the bottom right with Play, Stop, and Pause buttons, along with the SD card slot. Aesthetically, the new player has the same design cues as the previous line, with a tinted front-display readout and a hidden disc tray. It still retains that bright blue LED right below the tray, but you can turn it off through the Setup menu’s display options.

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