LATEST ADDITIONS

The Pinnacle Of Easy Video Transfer
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 07, 2008
Analog video capture as we know it is fading away, as almost everything under the sun already exists in digital format, at least on our PCs. But what if we could go straight from the composite or S-video output of a source (VHS, camcorder, maybe even DVD…?) and push a digital version of that video via USB onto, say, a portable player such as a video iPod or a PlayStation Portable? Mere days from now, Pinnacle Systems will begin selling the Pinnacle Video Transfer device which does precisely that, an all-in-one solution for one-touch analog-to-digital recording WITHOUT A PC. Clear red and blue lights indicate ready and recording status, and we can also toggle between good, better, and best Mode (quality/file size) settings. Encode takes place in real time and the digital videos can be watched immediately, and later renamed as desired. AC power is required, but the Pinnacle Video Transfer will also charge your iPod while it works.
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Audio Video News
A Kinder, Gentler Sony
SV Staff  |  Jan 07, 2008
Back in the day, Sony had a reputation for being, um, independent minded. The company was notorious for its stubborn nonpartisanship when it came to developing products. Its partnership with Philips famously succeeded with the invention of the CD....
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Blu-ray Sails On
Shane Buettner  |  Jan 07, 2008
Sometimes a picture says a thousand words... or more. As you can imagine there's a lot of energy and warm, fuzzy feelings in the Blu-ray camp right about now. And, pirate ships!
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CES 2009
Which Part of "Organize" Don't the Show Organizers Get!
Fred Manteghian  |  Jan 07, 2008

Not to complain too loudly, because in the old days we had typewriters, but whoever is responsible for making sure the 4th estate can do their job should be fired. The press room is full of hardwired Dell laptops (I mean, I'm a Windows guy and even <I>I</I> won't use a Dell, for Lord's sake) and there are precious few empty tables for people who brung their own. On top of that, there's no "supported," a.k.a. working, wireless connections. Granted, wireless introduces problems too, but hardwired Dells and brown shirts walking around making sure you don't unplug the Ethernet cable and put it into your laptop isn't helping anyone get their job done.

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CES 2009
"Roger, Niner Niner, I've got you on my radar!"
Fred Manteghian  |  Jan 07, 2008

The Sherwood Newcastle R-972 won't be out until April '08, but I sat down for a demo of their new receiver. What sets it apart from other 4 HMDI in (1 out) AVRs is their Trinnov Optimizer. The fuzzy shot above shows green speakers along the peripheral of the coincentric circles that describe the speaker placement positions used during soundtrack mastering. The smaller red speaker positions show where people normally put them. By generating tones, I was told, the Sherwood receiver will figure out where you've placed speakers in your room, and compensate for it. I asked if you'd get that great on-screen display with the R-972's implementation, but alas, no. However, you can interface your laptop to the receiver and work with the setup that way.

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Saw IV Delivers BD Live Features January 22nd! (1/13 Update!)
Shane Buettner  |  Jan 07, 2008
The future of Blu-ray Disc interactivity is now. At a BD interactivity showcase hosted by Sony and led by film critic Leonard Maltin, Lion's Gate demonstrated what I believe is an industry first BD Live enhanced Blu-ray title, Saw IV. The content was as grisly as one would expect, but we saw the film's director add blogger style comments on screen courtesy of Lion's Gate's MoLog Movie Log feature.
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Audio Video News
A Sony Blu-ray With an ES Upgrade
SV Staff  |  Jan 07, 2008
Details were sparse to nonexistent, but at its press conference, Sony verified that an ES branded Blu-ray player is in the works. ES is the emblem Sony reserves for its best components, and if history is a guide, the ES BD player will be...
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Audio Video News
Sony Rollys Along
SV Staff  |  Jan 07, 2008
If you can, try to imagine a football having sexual relations with a hard-boiled egg. Their offspring might be a Rolly — making its Sony CES debut this year. Robotics meets boombox, Rolly is a playback device like none other. Its 2GB flash memory...
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Altec's Rex Is Potentially Tyrannosauric
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 07, 2008
In development at Altec Lansing is Rex, a compact system that establishes its own network, "moving music from anywhere to anywhere," says my former boss Robert Heiblum. It can "see" your PC or another Rex and performs this miracle every time you turn it on. Plug in your iPod or USB device. Enjoy Internet radio, AM, or FM radio. I predict this one will indeed be a monster. Look it for later in the year.
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Sherwood Refines Auto-Setup Smarts
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 07, 2008
Trinnov is the name of the new auto setup and calibration system just added to the year-old Sherwood R-972 receiver ($1799). The SMPTE cinema standard is built into it. You can even transfer the SMPTE settings from receiver to USB to PC, log onto the SMPTE website, and analyze the settings. Sherwood also showed a surround-savvy stereo receiver, the RX-4203 ($199) with Dolby Virtual Speaker, Dolby Headphone, and an input that accepts a Bluetooth receiver, just in case you get the impulse to play music from your cell phone.
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