My how times have changed in video over the past few years! I remember reviewing the first Samsung DLP projection TV for another publication several years back and being stunned at just how dreadful it could look—grass athletic fields that looked like millions of squirming worms, dreadful eye-assaulting greens, terrible blacks, and on and on. But Samsung clearly listens to dealers, customers, consultants, and maybe even reviewers, because with this 1080p HL-S series, nearly every previous point of criticism has been addressed, making this set a clear contender for best RPTV. This 56" model has been widely acclaimed by the press (rated #1 by our sister publication, <I>Home Theater</I>), but in this review you'll learn some details that nobody has told you yet about how the set looks right out-of-the-box and what's <I>really</I>involved for the end user to get that award winning picture. If you're considering Samsung based on raves elsewhere, this is a review you'll really need to read.
Before you get déjà vu all over again, I'll beat you to it and note right up front that we reviewed an <A
HREF="http://ultimateavmag.com/speakersystems/1205aperion/
">Aperion Audio Intimus 633-T</A> system back in December 2005. But the Intimus 633-T ($499/ea.) has been redesigned, and Aperion chose not to change the model number. The parenthetical "II" in the heading of this article, which will be carried through the rest of the review to avoid confusion, is strictly my invention. You won't find it in any of Aperion's promotional material. The system reviewed here also includes the Aperion 634-VAC ($495) center channel speaker, which <I>is</I> entirely new.
Warner slipped a tantalyzing insert into the <I>The Ultimate Matrix Collection</I> box set released earlier this week, a two-sided affair offically announcing that <I>Blade Runner</I> will hit HD DVD this October on one side and touting a "Kubrick Collection" as coming soon to both HD DVD and Blu-ray on the other.
It's not that your AVR doesn't love you. It's just misunderstood.
So you just bought your first AV receiver (AVR), and now you're staring in fright at the back panel and what looks to be several thousand connectors jammed together tighter than the squares on a New York Times sukodu puzzle – and just about as incomprehensible. Don't feel bad. Rocket scientists have been known to suffer heart palpitations in the same situation.
You're a newbie to this audio game, and are just putting together your first home theater. Or perhaps you're making your first major upgrade. You're pouring over the spec sheets, looking for the best AV receiver for the cheapest price.
Introduction
Shopping for an AVR you're going to be confronted with sheer tonnage of surround sound decoding options. You don't really have to pick and choose among them since they're all included, but we thought that you might want to know what you're buying in all those little logos that appear on your AVR's front panel, and also get a basic primer on surround sound in general.
The 2007 TVs and HDMI 1.3 devices are showing up to market, and the hype machine is running full tilt. New TVs with wider color gamuts and far greater bit depths, and the ability to display as many as 68 billion colors! And if you can name all those colors, I'll buy you a cigar.
Members of the Consumer Electronics Association will support the transition to digital television with timely delivery of digital-to-analog set-top convertors, the head of the organization says in response to a public challenge from the National Association of Broadcasters.
By chance last night I downloaded firmware version 1.8 for the Sony PlayStation3 and took some time to see if any new significant video features were added (a gamer I'm not). Lo and behold, two very significant updates were indeed found in the menus: the PS3 can now upconvert DVDs, and it offers 24p output.