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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Casino Royale Collector’s Edition—MGM/Sony Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 20, 2008  |  First Published: Oct 21, 2008
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
"Casino Royale" introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M", head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Journey to the Center of the Earth—New Line (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 20, 2008  |  First Published: Oct 21, 2008
Video: 2.75/5
Audio: 3.25/5
Extras: 3/5
No one believes that Trevor Anderson is on to something. The science professor's unconventional hypotheses have put him on the fringe of the academic community. But during an expedition in Iceland, Trevor and his teenage nephew, Sean, accompanied by their beautiful local guide, Hannah, make a breakthrough discovery that launches them on a thrilling adventure into the unknown. As their journey takes them deep beneath the Earth's surface, they travel through never-before-seen worlds that bring them face-to-face with surreal and unimaginable creatures, stretching the bounds of the visionary scientist's own imagination.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sweeney Todd—Dreamworks (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 20, 2008  |  First Published: Oct 21, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5
Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies.
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Audio Video News
Bowl, or Bowl Not...Star Wars Bowling Balls
SV Staff  |  Oct 20, 2008
Star Wars fans get ready. A new way to show your allegiance has been developed by Viz-A-Ball Bowling Balls. An entire series of bowling balls with stunning images ranging from Darth Vader, Yoda, and C3PO are ready to roll. The Phantom Menace...
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-SR706 A/V receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Oct 20, 2008
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Other Tech
Dress-Your-Gear Contest! Win 007 Blu-rays!
Rob Medich  |  Oct 20, 2008

If we can do it, anyone can! We created Sarah Palin (right) by employing an mStation 2.1 stereo orb (top left) and a Boston Acoustics tower speaker (bottom left).

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Audio Video News
iPhone's DVRPics for TiVo
SV Staff  |  Oct 20, 2008
So, you've got great photos stored on your iPhone. A whole series, perhaps. But, how well can you really see them on that tiny screen, no matter how good that screen is? Wouldn't it be great to see it quickly and easily on your TV? ...
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Audio Video News
Circuit City; Trimming the Fat
SV Staff  |  Oct 20, 2008
Circuit City is getting lean and mean. Cutting the fat, drastically, so to speak. In perhaps a last ditch effort to stay afloat, the second biggest consumer electronics brick-and-mortar retailer is closing at least 150 stores.  That's huge -...
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LG 50PG60 Plasma TV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 20, 2008

As most home-theater enthusiasts know, THX has a long history of certifying audio products to conform to certain standards of performance in order to reliably replicate the content producers' intended experience at home. This was a natural outgrowth of the company's original mandate to do the same thing for mixing stages and commercial cinemas.

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Projector Reviews
BenQ W20000 DLP Projector
Kris Deering  |  Oct 20, 2008
Price: $7,999 Highlights: Excellent HD video processing • Impressive calibration options and color management • Middling dynamic-iris implementation • Inconvenient onscreen menus for calibration.

BenQ’s New Flagship Arrives

I had the chance to review and live with BenQ’s spectacular 1080p DLP projector, the W10000. I became a big fan of that design. It was sharp, provided excellent contrast, and the design was quiet and simple to use. I still consider it to be one of the most underrated 1080p values on the market today. I was excited when I saw that BenQ was quietly showing its follow-up, the W20000, at the 2007 CEDIA Expo. BenQ said it would include some significant improvements, such as a new menu system, a dynamic iris, and a video processor from Silicon Optix. The W20000 has now arrived.

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