LATEST ADDITIONS

The first step in overcoming any problem is admitting that you have one, so I'll admit that I don't normally like LCD projectors. There's no point in hiding the fact—it was bound to come out. Of course, I'm ashamed to admit that I'm prejudiced against an entire class of display devices. This is America, after all, where products should be judged on merit and not the composition of their pixels. But, you know, they're fine for other people. It's just not the kind of projector I'd have in my living room . . . . So, I was fully prepared not to like Sharp's XV-DW100U LCD projector. Sure, it can accept input signals from an analog NTSC tuner all the way up to 720p and 1080i from an outboard DTV tuner. So what if it easily connects to your computer, too? All right, it is amazingly easy to set up. OK, it works as a front or rear, floor or ceiling projector. I'll even give you the fact that it's a blast to watch. But, hey, it's still an LCD projector, remember?

Scientists at the Department of Energy's <A HREF="http://www.lanl.gov/worldview/">Los Alamos National Laboratory</A> say they have developed a technology that could make the coming transition from current analog television to high-definition television a whole lot easier. The scientists describe the technology as a new transmission algorithm capable of compressing a HDTV data stream to the point where the HDTV and analog TV signals can be broadcast over the same channel.

M<I>ichael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, Hal Holbrook, John C. McGinley, James Spader, Terence Stamp, Sean Young. Directed by Oliver Stone. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 126 minutes. 1987. 20th Century Fox 2000633. R. $24.99.</I>