LATEST ADDITIONS

Audio Video News
Cinram to Offer Hybrid Discs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 24, 2005

In a move that brings to mind the multi compatibility of hybrid SACD and DualDisc, media manufacturer <A href="http://www.cinram.com">Cinram</A> has introduced a hybrid disc format called HD/DVD 9. The new format will include single-layer HD DVD-ROM (15GB) on one side and dual-layer DVD 9 (8.5GB) on the other side. This will allow studios to release titles on one disc that is compatible with current DVD players and the upcoming HD DVD players. Retailers will not be hampered by having to carry separate DVD and HD DVD inventories. And consumers can enjoy movies in their DVD players now while waiting to reap the benefits of high-def playback when they upgrade to HD DVD without having to buy the titles again. (Whether or not the studios will be uncharacteristically generous enough to use the hybrid format in this manner remains to be seen.)

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
FCC Chief Steps Down
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 24, 2005

Last Friday, Michael Powell announced that he will resign as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission after four years of often-controversial leadership. Son of outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell, the FCC chief yanked more than a few chains with his policies and attitudes toward the media under his jurisdiction.

Continue Reading »
The Big Picture
Driving in Style
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 24, 2005
Boston Acoustics' OEM sound system kicks some serious bun boy in the Chrysler 300C Hemi.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Atlantic Technology's System 4200e - New Woofer, New Look
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 24, 2005
Not content to rest on their laurels (laurels can be so uncomfortable at times), Atlantic Technology has upgraded their well-regarded System 4200 THX Select home theater speaker system by adding an "e" to the model number. Well, in all honesty, Atlantic Technology has done more than simply reprint brochures with the new nomenclature. (Although it is a great, money-saving idea...) The new improvements include permanently attached finishing panels on the front- and center-channel speakers and a couple of improvements to the system's subwoofer.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
VOOM and Gloom
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 24, 2005
Cablevision's recent announcement of the pending sale of the VOOM satellite (along with other assets related to VOOM) to Echostar Communications Corp. (DISH Network) should cause a twinge of sadness in the hearts of all HDTV lovers. Whether you admired VOOM's pluck in attempting to go against the two established satellite services (DISH Network and DIRECTV) or thought that Cablevison Chairman Charles Dolan must have been smoking something beyond cigars when he came up with the idea for an HD-centric satellite service, the virtually certain discontinuation of VOOM (Echostar will most likely use the satellite to expand its own channel offerings) is no happy event. During its brief existence, VOOM brought more high-definition content into the homes of its approximately 26,000 subscribers than all other providers put together (cable, satellite, and over-the-air terrestrial broadcast). As many a pair of eyeballs with HDTVs sitting in front of them know, HD content is an addiction that continually demands to be satisfied. Where, oh where, will we now go to get our daily HD fix?
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Winter Game Roundup
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 24, 2005
One of the most realistic World War II videogames ever created, Call of Duty: Finest Hour (Activision) presents an often frantic, unsettling true-to-life series of exploits on the frontlines at the peak of WWII. We are among half a dozen soldiers on Russian, British, and American campaigns that take us to Russia, North Africa, and Germany on both vehicle- and infantry-based missions. T-rated for its graphic imagery, the story unfolds movie-style with a musical score by The Incredibles’s Michael Giacchino; single player or up to 16 online. The PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions offer Dolby Pro-Logic II audio while GameCube and Xbox deliver progressive scan video, and Xbox alone packs Dolby Digital 5.1-channel sound.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 24, 2005

<I>Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie. Directed by Kerry Conran. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1(anamorphic). 106 minutes. 2004. Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (French). Paramount Home Entertainment 34341. PG. $29.99.</I>

Continue Reading »
Other Tech
HDTV Over the Air
Michael Riggs  |  Jan 20, 2005

When I got satellite TV installed at my house a few years ago, I had a regular VHF/UHF antenna put in at the same time so that I could receive high-definition TV broadcasts. Over-the-air was the only game in town for HD back then. Now, with the major cable companies embracing high-def, and with satellite-TV services offering more and more high-def channels, HDTV is easier to come by.

Continue Reading »
Toshiba 34HF84 CRT HD Monitor
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jan 18, 2005  |  First Published: Jan 19, 2005
Perfect color and an amazing black level—in other words, everything you'd expect from a CRT.

It's hard to talk about CRTs these days. Sure, they still make up the majority of the display market, but they're just not sexy. It's like a Toyota Camry—it does everything it's supposed to do, and it does it well, but no one really lusts after it. That analogy is probably too harsh for the Toshiba 34HF84, which has more-accurate colors and a darker black level than any display I've reviewed in recent memory.

Continue Reading »
In-Wall Speaker Reviews
Polk LC265i In-Wall Speaker System
Chris Lewis  |  Jan 18, 2005  |  First Published: Jan 19, 2005
Polk's LSi Series in an out-of-sight, out -of-mind variety.

I've come to look at home theater's many worlds much like various animals of the same species—common bonds clearly exist, but, at the same time, differences abound. Home theater works the same way. You've got high end and entry level, hobbyist and mass market, retail and custom install, and so on. They're all similar but distinctly different—particularly custom-install components. Anyone familiar with custom A/V systems will tell you that, if you'll allow me a bad pun, they're a very different animal.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X