LATEST ADDITIONS

HT Staff  |  Sep 06, 2004  |  0 comments
DVD: Soul Plane Mile-High Edition—MGM/UA
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
If the Zucker brothers had made Airplane with bling, this comedy about the maiden voyage of a black-owned airline might have been the result. But don't confuse Soul Plane with that 1980 classic. While some of the visual jokes score, most of the humor is of the raunchy, make-you-wince variety. Nonetheless, the cast members, including Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Kevin Hart, and Tom Arnold as the token white guy, all got game; as a result, the film reaches a steady cruising altitude, even if it doesn't quite earn its wings.
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Sep 06, 2004  |  0 comments

Fred Manteghian goes flat out to review the <A HREF="/speakersystems/704magnepan">Magnepan MG 3.6, MG 1.6, and CC3 surround speaker system</A>. FM ponders, "A long-gone pair of Maggies was my first true audio love. But could these new Maggies sustain me?"

uavKrissy Rushing  |  Sep 02, 2004  |  0 comments

<I>Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern. Directed by Patty Jenkins. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1. 108 minutes. 2004. Columbia TriStar 05552 R. $26.96.</I>

Fred Manteghian  |  Sep 02, 2004  |  0 comments

I keep hearing that thin is in. While my goal of joining the slender set has always been a struggle between food and evil, I'm at least beginning to surround myself with the trappings of that lifestyle. Gone is my bulky 36-inch direct-view CRT, replaced by a Belgian-waffle-thin plasma. Now comes this quintet of speakers from the original manufacturer of thin-is-in speakers, Magnepan. This was not my first experience with planar-magnetic speakers&mdash;a long-gone pair of Maggies was my first true audiophile love. But love is no substitute for food. Could these new Maggies sustain me?

Aimee Giron  |  Sep 02, 2004  |  0 comments

<I>Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, Hilary Duff. Directed by Shawn Levy. Aspect ratios: 1.85:1 (widescreen), 4:3 (full-screen). Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English, French, Spanish). 106 minutes. 2004. Fox Home Entertainment 2221608. PG. $29.98.</I>

Rich Warren  |  Aug 31, 2004  |  0 comments

Looking for a good test DVD for Definitive Technology's BP7002 system, I settled on the swashbuckling Master and Commander. The commander, Jack Aubrey, portrayed by Russell Crowe, set sail in 1805 in this adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's historically accurate novel, but the special effects and sound quality are definitely 21st century.

Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 30, 2004  |  0 comments

Of the several good test DVDs available for optimizing the audio and video performance of a home theater system, the best known are <I>Digital Video Essentials</I> and the <I>Avia Guide to Home Theater</I>. Either will guide a consumer, step by step if necessary, to get the most from his or her equipment, particularly the video. In fact, most serious videophiles probably own both DVDs, along with a copy of DVE's predecessor, <I>Video Essentials</I>.

HT Staff  |  Aug 30, 2004  |  0 comments
AViC
Now that everyone's jumping aboard the DVD and high-definition bandwagons, it's time to start thinking about the necessary cables for your system. At the top of your short list are component video cables, no doubt. AViC has what you need with their CV3002 RCA-to-RCA component video cable. The company says that upgrading to this cable will give you brighter colors and more-vivid detail from your DVD player or HDTV receiver. The color-coded connectors make installation trouble-free, and the 3.3-gigahertz bandwidth capacity supports all ATSC signals with room to spare. Two meters are available now for $130.
AviC
(215) 825-5310
www.aviccables.com
HT Staff  |  Aug 30, 2004  |  0 comments
DVD: Dallas: The Complete First and Second Seasons—Warner Brothers
Video: 3
Audio: 2
Extras: 2
Dallas' premiere in 1978 helped to usher in a new television genre: the prime-time soap opera. It had been tried before, but the amazing success of Dallas spawned an instant wave of imitators. Flamingo Road, Falcon Crest, and Dynasty all soon hit the airwaves in an attempt to cash in on the craze. The attentive viewer will notice something similar about these shows: All of the characters are filthy rich. Yes, it seems that America loves to watch shows about miserable wealthy people. They say that money can't buy happiness, but I bet you'll have some trouble convincing Aaron Spelling of that fact.

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