LATEST ADDITIONS

The Sony VPL-VW12HT is the latest version of Sony's flagship consumer LCD projector. In appearance it's a twin of its pre-decessor, the VPL-VW11HT (reviewed in the July/August 2002 <I>Guide</I>). Its 16:9 LCD panels have the same specifications. It will accept all of the most common source resolutions&mdash;480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i component or RGB&mdash;and scale them to the panels' 1366x768 native resolution. The user can select any of the most common aspect ratios: widescreen (anamorphic or letterbox), 4:3, and several others, including two that pass the source through without scaling. There are six programmable video memories to store different setups, including picture adjustments, color temperature, and aspect ratio.

The cable industry is under fire in Washington over its reluctance to embrace digital television, as well as over rate hikes that exceed the rate of inflation. Both problems have attracted the attention of legislators.

<A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) president Gary Shapiro has pronounced 2003 as "the beginning of the end" for the transition from analog television to its digital successor.

Joel Brinkley continues his never-ending quest for the latest in digital reception with his review of the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?98">Samsung SIR-TS160 DTV/DirecTV receiver & SIR-T151 DTV receiver</A>. JB notes that, while the SIR-T151 is the least expensive digital receiver currently available, it still has plenty to offer.