LATEST ADDITIONS

CinemaStyle
A Prop To Top It Off
Jamie Sorcher  |  Apr 25, 2012
You’ve picked out your flat panel, sound system, and universal remote, but what about the other important details that make a home theater your own? By adding some well-appointed extras, you can transform your space from staid to standout in just moments. One way to make over a media room is to take the movie poster idea up a notch by including props or replicas from movies, TV, and video games. There are quite a few options for finding these items, but keep in mind that part of the process—and the fun—is in the hunt.
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Ask S&V
Projector Behind the Screen
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 25, 2012
I have designed and framed out a dedicated home theater with a separate room for a projector to project the image onto a translucent screen to be viewed in the theater room. I spoke with both projector and screen manufacturers before construction, and I asked them which would produce a better image—traditional front projection or rear projection such as I have in mind. The answer was unanimous: rear projection would produce a better image. I realize that the market for this type of setup is much smaller than traditional front-projection because of the obvious design considerations. But there are many advantages over front-projection, primarily and most importantly a better picture as well as no projector noise or heat in the viewing area. I would love to see some discussion on this type of projection in the magazine.

Duane Clemens

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Review: NAD Viso 1 Wireless Digital Music System Page 2
Brent Butterworth  |  Apr 25, 2012

I don't want to call Paul Barton a brilliant speaker designer, because that might imply that he lucks into occasional flashes of inspiration. No, Barton - founder and chief engineer of PSB Speakers - succeeds because he does the complicated and time-consuming work of building his products using the best science and engineering available. He doesn't base his design decisions on pet theories, casual observations, or the latest line of B.S. circulating among online audio forums. And to my knowledge, he's never allowed market trends, cosmetics, or form factors to ruin the sound of his products.

This is why I was so excited to find out last year that Barton was designing a new iPhone/iPod Touch dock for NAD, PSB's sister brand.

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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsWireless Multiroom Speaker Reviews
Review: NAD Viso 1 Wireless Digital Music System
Brent Butterworth  |  Apr 25, 2012

I don’t want to call Paul Barton a brilliant speaker designer, because that might imply that he lucks into occasional flashes of inspiration. No, Barton — founder and chief engineer of PSB Speakers — succeeds because he does the complicated and time-consuming work of building his products using the best science and engineering available. He doesn’t base his design decisions on pet theories, casual observations, or the latest line of B.S. circulating among online audio forums. And to my knowledge, he’s never allowed market trends, cosmetics, or form factors to ruin the sound of his products.

This is why I was so excited to find out last year that Barton was designing a new iPhone/iPod Touch dock for NAD, PSB’s sister brand.

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Tech2
The Sound at Speed: Behind the Wheel of The Porsche Panamera Turbo, Part 2
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 25, 2012

Burbling quietly as it rolls down the back of the flatbed truck, the Panamera appears an expansive stretch of undulating blue sheet metal. With nary a paper to sign, the delivery driver hands me the keys and says, “have fun” with a wry smirk.

Because it amuses me (and probably my neighbors), I park it next to my 1975 Porsche 914, which cost me a hair north of 1% of the sticker price of its great-great-grand sibling.

It’s going to be a good week.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 108: Lon Bender
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 24, 2012
Academy Award-winning sound editor Lon Bender explains the process of adding sound to a movie, how the process has evolved over the years, and how a home-theater mix differs from a commercial-cinema mix. He also shares some anecdotes from several projects he's worked on, including The Hunger Games and Drive, talks about the problem of not enough sound isolation between theaters in a multiplex, answers chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:06:32

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A/V Veteran
Beyond 7.1
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 24, 2012
Movie theaters are always eager to find new ways to drag consumers off their living-room sofas and into the multiplex. In recent years, this has become more difficult as big-screen HDTV and home surround sound can often exceed the movie-going experience. Apart from sheer screen size, consumers have less and less incentive to spend $12 a head, or more, just for the seat—never mind the cost of refreshments.
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Grace Notes
Everything Big is Small Again: Nyne's New Docks
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 24, 2012

For years, TV manufacturers have been striving to make the biggest and best TV displays. Every year in Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show has been a competition to see who could show off the most ridiculously humongous TV screen.

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Music ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
This Week in Blu-rays and Music, April 24, 2012
Josef Krebs  |  Apr 24, 2012

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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K SXRD 3D Projector: Take 2
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 24, 2012

2D Performance
3D Performance
(92-inch high-gain screen)
3D Performance
(118-inch standard screen)
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $25,000 At A Glance: Superb 4K resolution • Excellent blacks and shadow detail • High-gain screen recommended for 3D

Editor's note: This is an addendum to our earlier review of the Sony VPL-VW1000 4K 3D projector, covering only its 3D picture quality. Click here for the orignal review.

In our February 2012 issue, we published an exclusive first look at Sony’s new top-of-the-line projector. In addition to stunning performance with conventional, high-defintion, consumer material, the VPL-VW1000 employs 4K imaging chips, offering four times the resolution of standard high-definition video.

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