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Audio Video News
Best Buy Stuffs Restocking Fee
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 20, 2010
Attention, stocking stuffers: Best Buy is stuffing its restocking fee. The elimination of the 15 percent fee for returned merchandise is a small victory for consumers as well as a boon to holiday shoppers who might be more willing to take chances.
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Vote
How Do You Mostly Receive Network TV?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 17, 2010

It used to be that all television was delivered wirelessly over the air for free—well, you have to wait through commercials, but you don't pay any money for it. Then cable companies started offering a much wider palette of programming via wires, charging a monthly subscription—and on many channels, the commercials are still there. Satellite service returned to wireless broadcasting but retained the subscription fee and commercials on many channels.

Now, a fourth delivery system is gaining significant ground. More and more viewers, especially younger viewers, are receiving their TV programming from the Internet. This approach frees you from the strictures of a broadcast schedule—no more Must See Thursday, though DVRs like TiVo remove this limitation from over-the-air, cable, and satellite as well (plus, they let you skip commercials). Even better, some content is free (for example, basic Hulu in standard definition) while premium programming typically requires a subscription fee ($8/month for Hulu Plus in 720p, $9/month for Netflix).

So I wonder: When you watch network TV—and I mean all networks, not just ABC, CBS, NBC, WB, and Fox—do you receive it mostly via terrestrial over-the-air, cable, satellite, or the Internet? Or do you eschew network TV altogether?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

How Do You Mostly Receive Network TV?
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The Big Picture
Must See IPTV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 17, 2010
Apropos of this week's Vote question, I recently came across an item from TVB.org (formerly the Television Bureau of Advertising), which analyzed the November Nielsen data and found that wired-cable service to American TV households has hit a 21-year low, though it's still the dominant TV delivery system at 60.7 percent. Meanwhile, what that group calls "alternate delivery systems" (ADS)—which in this case means only satellite and microwave broadcasting, not over-the-air or online—has hit an all-time high of 30.5 percent.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The A-Team (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 17, 2010
Convicted by a military court for a crime they didn't commit, a daring team of former Special Forces soldiers must utilize their unique talents to break out of prison and tackle their toughest mission yet—clearing their name.

Oh the 1980s and its wonderful TV shows. The A-Team was one of the more popular of the decade and I have to admit I was a fan and watched it weekly as a teenager. The story in this modern remake explores how the men got together and how they ended up before a military court for the crime they didn't commit. The acting is passable and there's tons of action, but the story is weak with cringe-inducing dialog.

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Audio Video News
BBC Radio 3 Goes HD Online
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 17, 2010
Of course the BBC is Britain's version of public radio. Its Radio 3 channel is strong in classical, jazz, world music, new music, and spoken-word drama.

According to Andrew Clements of The Guardian, "toggling between the HD service and the usual Radio 3 website broadcasts revealed greater definition and the more spacious, warmer sound of the new format. There was far more bloom on the tone of the instruments in the Brahms horn trio, and a real depth to the orchestral 'picture' for the Tchaikovsky, all of which really did seem comparable to Radio 3 FM, though still worlds away from what CDs or old-fashioned vinyl LPs can offer." Since we don't have access to Radio 3's FM or HD signals, we'll take his word for it.

A BBC press release says: "Initially, the stream will only be available for live programmes (not on demand) for UK listeners only." BOO! "It will be available through pages on radio networks' websites and special event sites, although the ambition is to integrate HD Sound into iPlayer and Radioplayer as the technology develops."

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Premiere Design
Cabasse Pacific 3SA LF-Powered Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 16, 2010
Departing from the spherical-enclosure paradigm as embodied in its La Sphère and L'Océan powered speakers, Cabasse this week announced the availability of a new floorstanding design, the Pacific 3SA. However, this speaker does incorporate the SCS (Spatially Coherent System) coaxial-driver design found in those models.
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Vizio Introduces 65-Inch Theater Razor 3D TV With Passive Glasses
Stan Horaczek  |  Dec 16, 2010

Try having a conversation with someone about 3DTV without hearing how much they hate wearing the required glasses. Go ahead. We'll wait. Whle Vizio hasn't been able to completely solve the eyewear problem, they have made the whole ordeal somewhat cheaper. Unlike most of its competitors, the XVT3D650SV uses uses passive, polarized glasses instead of the pricier and often more cumbersome active shutter specs.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Town—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 16, 2010
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And a one-square-mile neighborhood in Boston, called Charlestown, has produced more bank and armored car robbers than anywhere else in the U.S. One of them is Doug MacRay, but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. Unlike them, Doug had a chance at success, a chance to escape following in his father's criminal footsteps. Instead he became the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers, who pride themselves on taking what they want and getting out clean. The only family Doug has are his partners in crime, especially Jem, who, despite his dangerous, hair-trigger temper, is the closest thing Doug ever had to a brother. Everything changes on the gang's last job when Jem briefly took a hostage: bank manager Claire Keesey. When they discover she lives in Charlestown, Jem gets nervous and wants to check out what she might have seen. Doug takes charge and seeks out Claire, who has no idea that their encounter is not by chance or that this charming stranger is one of the men who terrorized her only days before. As his relationship with Claire deepens into a passionate romance, Doug wants out of this life and the town. But with the Feds, led by Agent Frawley, closing in and Jem questioning his loyalty, Doug realizes that getting out will not be easy, and worse, may put Claire in the line of fire. Any choices he once had have boiled down to one: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Salt—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 16, 2010
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Before becoming a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. She will prove loyal to these when a defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The American—Universal (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 16, 2010
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
As an assassin, Jack is constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town. While there, Jack takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde. Savoring the peaceful quietude he finds in the mountains of Abruzzo, Jack accepts the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues a torrid liaison with a beautiful woman, Clara. Jack and Clara's time together evolves into a romance, one seemingly free of danger. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.
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