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New TV for Super Bowl XLVI
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 01, 2012
I need a new big-screen TV for the big game. I can afford between $2000 and $2500. I was told that plasma is way better than LCD, so I have spent about three weeks researching my options. I finally narrowed it down to either the Samsung PN64D7000 or Panasonic TC-P65ST30.

I promptly went to BrandsMart just to look at the two and finally decide which one. Of course, BrandsMart had neither model, but then the salesman tried to sell me on LED, which I had not researched before. He said plasma technology is on its way out and LED was the wave of the future, and that the Sharp LC-70LE735U was what I needed. What's your take on this?

Also, does it make sense to buy the same brand of TV, sound system, and Blu-ray player? Lastly, not being a techie, is it really hard to connect all three?

Rich Mickiewicz

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Headphone Reviews
Review: House of Marley TTR Destiny Noise-Canceling Headphone
Brent Butterworth  |  Feb 01, 2012

When I first encountered the Exodus from House of Marley, during our test last fall of celebrity-branded headphones, I didn’t expect much. I assumed the company had put all its effort into the Exodus’ stunning styling, and little into sound quality.

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Tech2
Review: House of Marley TTR Destiny Noise-Canceling Headphone Page 2
Brent Butterworth  |  Feb 01, 2012

When I first encountered the Exodus from House of Marley, during our test last fall of celebrity-branded headphones, I didn't expect much. I assumed the company had put all its effort into the Exodus' stunning styling, and little into sound quality.

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Audio Video News
Web-Friendly "Social Bowl" Breaks New Ground
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 31, 2012
It is the most high-tech pigskin playoff yet, and it might be the event that truly marks the debut of social TV.

This year’s SuperBowl is the first to be streamed live online and wirelessly to select mobile phones, so no matter where you are (maybe you've been sent for more beer or ice!), you can stream the game to your PC, tablet, or smartphone and not miss a moment of the action.

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HDTV Buying TipsHDTV SetupHDTV Tech
Super Bowl TV Tips: How To Buy Right for the Big Game
Rob Sabin  |  Jan 31, 2012
If you've got your heart set on a new big-screen for the big game, you're in luck. The days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday are the traditional last, best chance for retailers to dump their remaining inventory before new models hit shelves in the spring. The competition is as fierce among stores this week as it will be on the field this weekend. But your primary TV shouldn't be an impulse purchase, and jumping on the first hyper-bright picture or low pricetag that catches your eye is a recipe for long-term remorse. So, slow down, take a deep breath, and tackle these tips to guard against the dreaded Monday morning quaterbacking.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 97: Diego Stocco
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 31, 2012
Sound designer Diego Stocco reveals how he makes almost any common object into a musical instrument, how he developed the Experibass (which Hans Zimmer hired him to play on the score for the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes), the benefits of mixing to multichannel rather than 2-channel, the importance of high-quality audio, answers to chat-room questions, and more. We also get to watch and hear clips of some of Stocco's amazing music.

Run Time: 1:03:28

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Music ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
This Week in Music and Blu-rays, Jan. 31, 2012
Josef Krebs  |  Jan 31, 2012

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Trek The Next Generation: The Next Level
David Vaughn  |  Jan 30, 2012

The video quality of Star Trek The Next Generation has never been very impressive, either during its original broadcast days, in syndicated reruns, or on DVD. High-definition displays only make things worse, but all is not lost. Like the original series, The Next Generation was shot on film, and that means its conversion to high-definition has always been possible as long as the studio was willing to recompose the standard-definition visual effects into HD. Thankfully, Paramount and CBS have decided to move forward on this project to bring Picard and company into the 21st century with outstanding results.

This teaser disc includes three episodes, Encounter at Farpoint, Sins of the Father, and one of my personal favorites, The Inner Light, and the results are magnificent. The multi-colored Star Fleet uniforms leap off the screen, and the detail is out of this world, especially on the exterior shots of the Enterprise. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio tracks are an improvement over the original stereo tracks (also included), but they aren't quite as demo-worthy as the video. If you're a fan of the series, this will certainly wet your appetite for the upcoming release of season one sometime later this year.

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Custom Installation How-ToThe Connected Life
Multiroom Audio Made Simple
John Sciacca  |  Jan 30, 2012

Many people love the idea of a house-wide audio system, but they may not love the idea of paying to have one installed. Plus, the fancy features that come with dedicated multiroom audio systems — such as keypad controllers with metadata feedback, and the ability to divide a home into numerous listening zones — might be more than what many people actually need.

In fact, for the way many people actually live, two listening zones may be the perfect amount: a “main” zone linked to the TV/surround system and a secondary zone for playing music, radio, or something else in a different room. Think one person watching Oprah’s Life Lessons, while a second seeks refuge on the patio with ESPN radio and a beer. If a two-zone audio system sounds like it would fit your bill, chances are that you’ve actually got most of the components for it already on hand.

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Gadget Gary
Drobo Cop
Gary Dell'Abate  |  Jan 30, 2012

I recently mentioned how much I really dig my network-attached storage (NAS) hard drive and how I like to keep all of my music, photos, and videos on it so I can feed the whole house with media via Apple TV or Roku. Since I have a huge investment of both time and personal memories stored on this drive, I really need to protect it properly — and that’s why I’ve recently moved to a RAID drive.

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