LATEST ADDITIONS

Sounds like Chevy, Runs like a BMW
Fred Manteghian  |  Jun 01, 2006

But you guys, yeah, you know who you are, you want your big screen rear projectors. The Sony SXRD Grand Wega TVs are available in up to a 70" size. That's a big picture that might just satisfy a front projector snob like me. For comparison purposes, I've placed Stereophile reviewer Kal Rubinson next to the KDS-R70XBR2 70" set in place of the ruler I did not have handy. Thanks Kal. The set is just what you'd expect from SXRD; three chips, no color wheels (and hence no rainbow effects), 1920 x 1080p resolution and glorious pictures (albeit set to slightly cartoonish extremes on a few of the sets, par for show conditions). Other features include the same upgraded release of the DRC (Digital Reality Creation engine), 2.5, used with the Sony Bravia LCD panels, and unique to digital projectors, Sony's Cinema Pro Black, a variable iris technology that adjust the iris stops up or down based on available light content in the movie to yield up to 10,000:1 contrast ratios. The 70" KDS-R70XBR2 (est. $7,800) and 60" KDS-R60XBR2 (est. $5,300) units won't ship until the fall.

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A Bravia New World
Fred Manteghian  |  Jun 01, 2006

Sony also announced new Bravia LCD flat panel televisions. The new Bravia V-series LCD panels come in 40" and 46" sizes, with full 1920 x 1080p resolution. The more upscale Bravia XBR3 series, featuring the same screen sizes and resolutions as the V-Series, incorporates Sony's new Digital Reality Engine version 2.5 with increased computational power. The XBR3 Bravia line also feature an ATSC tuner for over the air high definition reception. Both the standard and XBR3 Bravias feature a new BRAVIA Engine Pro video processing system especially designed for high-definition signals. Approximate pricing for the upscale KDL-46XBR3 and KDL-40XBR3 models which ship in September will be $5,300 and $4,300, respectively. A nearly identical XBR2 line is available for $300 less in each respective model. It offers the same features but with replacable color bezels, seeming designed for the custom installation market.

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The Magic Number
Fred Manteghian  |  Jun 01, 2006

When you walk into a Sony press event and all you see are a bunch of chairs, two teleprompters and a podium (well, that is after you see the table laid out with free food to attract reporters), you know Sony has <i>another</i> room somewhere nearby with the real goodies. And that's just the way it was this morning at the show.

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Ears On
Freebies Settle Rootkit Fiasco
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 31, 2006  |  First Published: Jun 01, 2006
Under a court settlement, Sony BMG has agreed to compensate consumers for exposing their computers to CD-borne security hazards. If you bought a title with the now infamous XCP rootkit, you get a replacement disc, $7.50 in cash, and a free download (or no cash and three downloads). Not too shabby! Wish I'd bought a few myself. Purchasers of titles contaminated with Suncomm MediaMax get only the downloads. You've got to hand it to Sony BMG. The label has done an awful lot to atone for its error. Details here.
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Other Tech
Alan Parsons on 5.1 Music Mixing, Live and Studio
Mike Mettler  |  May 31, 2006

In our previous installment, S&V traveled to Washington, DC, to sit in on the recording of Alan Parsons' groundbreaking installment of Artist Confidential in 5.1 for XM Satellite Radio back in March.

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Other Tech
Harmony 520 Universal Remote
John Sciacca  |  May 31, 2006

Ed. Note: This remote was also featured in our Ultimate Gift Guide

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Other Tech
Kameleon 6 Hybrid Remote
John Sciacca  |  May 31, 2006

Ed. Note: This remote was also featured in our Ultimate Gift Guide

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Other Tech
Kameleon 8 Remote
John Sciacca  |  May 31, 2006

Ed. Note: This remote was also featured in our Ultimate Gift Guide

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Other Tech
Feedback: Reader Letters, Extended Remix
 |  May 31, 2006

Format War Is Hell

After all the hype and hoopla over the last year or so about hi-def discs, I finally got to see a Toshiba HD DVD player for a couple of hours on both a 50-inch Pioneer plasma TV and a 72-inch Toshiba DLP set. The image on the supplied demo disc and The Last Samurai was incrementally better than a first-class upconversion of a high-quality standard DVD.

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Other Tech
Tommy Shaw's Summertime Playlist
Mike Mettler  |  May 31, 2006

Like the Rolling Stones, Styx continues to gather no moss. Singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw has been a member of these perennially successful road warriors - perhaps best known for enduring rock hits like "Renegade," "Come Sail Away," and "Too Much Time on My Hands" - for 30 years and counting.

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