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Media Server Reviews
SanDisk Sansa TakeTV Video Player
Chris Chiarella  |  May 04, 2008
Move your TV programs from computer to home theater at the speed of walking.

One of my favorite (to make fun of) bits of business-speak is the phrase “leveraging our core competency.” Not content to say, “We’re doing what we do best,” guys in suits spout this lofty verbiage to inspire confidence as they draw upon their unique strength and experience. As the creators of flash memory cards, SanDisk’s core competency has long been those tiny, solid-state wafers in ever-expanding capacities, manufactured in form factors to fit just about every digital device imaginable. They pushed their products in interesting new directions, with dedicated living-room devices that read from and even record to various cards (the SanDisk V-Mate, May 2007 HT). That’s in addition to their broad and popular line of portable MP3 players, with and without video. But with Apple ruling the roost in video-software downloads, and consumers clamoring to watch their digital videos in the comfort of the home theater, what’s next?

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Audio Video News
Universal to Embrace DTS-HD Master Audio
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 02, 2008
Universal will support lossless DTS-HD Master Audio in many of its initial Blu-ray releases.
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Audio Video News
Spend That Rebate - NOW!
SV Staff  |  May 02, 2008
No sooner than the government gives you a break from the doom and gloom of the dismal economy, Circuit City has great news! Come in before Saturday, and spend your tax rebate! Now, of course, the government wanted the rebates to be an economic...
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Audio Video News
Putting the Squeeze to Sirius
SV Staff  |  May 02, 2008
Squeezebox just got bigger! One of the easiest ways to listen to streaming media throughout your house just got better. Sirius is going to make over 80 of its channels available to all versions of Squeezebox. These channels will include their...
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Audio Video News
Big Screen to the Extreme
SV Staff  |  May 02, 2008
Think you've got the biggest TV on the block? In the neighborhood? Not so fast there, buddy. Big Moving Pictures (BMP) is announcing a plan to produce the world's first mobile LED screen that's going to dwarf anything currently out there. Working...
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Audio Video News
DTS-HD Master Audio Sets the Standard
SV Staff  |  May 02, 2008
Universal Studios has leaked news that's music to the ears of anyone with, well, ears. Following their commitment to Blu-ray, they're also making a commitment to use one of the best audio formats available for home consumers. Their first Blu-ray...
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LCD TV Reviews
NuVision NVU52DCM LCD TV
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 01, 2008

When you think of LCD TVs, NuVision is probably not the first name that comes to mind. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company is aiming its Lucidium line at the custom-installation market with high-end displays at high-end prices. How does this 52-inch model measure up? Let's see...

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Youth Without Youth—Sony Pictures Classics (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 01, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Hollywood confuses me sometimes. When I was growing up names like Coppola, Forman, Lean, Spielberg, and Kubrick meant a lot to moviegoers. These days it doesn't seem to matter any more. I've seen picture after picture relocated to small venues and limited releases despite heavyweight directors and storytellers attached. Take a look at last year's Best Picture nominees for example. How many of those films were even opened wide upon initial release? But how many films that probably lower your IQ at an alarming rate are opened wide every week. I guess the mighty dollar is still king and art and great storytelling is something now reserved for straight to video fare. I remember when the opposite was true.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Orphanage—New Line (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 01, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
It is honestly a RARE treat when Hollywood delivers a solid, mature horror film. It could be one of the rarest things we see on film today. New Line has delivered just that with The Orphanage. This movie just seems to do everything right. Mood, tension, terror, production, acting, script; all of the elements are just dead on. They didn't rely on gore or gimmicks to create an underlying tension that keeps you locked on from start to finish and the eerie photography and stunning sound design will have you at an unease that I find a rare commodity in this genre today. Why can't all ghost stories be half as good as this?
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Audio Video News
Apple's iTunes: Movies The Same Day as DVD
SV Staff  |  May 01, 2008
iTune's users rejoice! No longer will you have to wait to download movies to your iPod! Just announced:  Apple has signed agreements with many major studios to allow simultaneous availability of their movies on the same day that the DVDs hit...
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