Audio Video News

As we reported earlier, Wilmington, North Carolina was the first city to test the switch to digital as their analog signal went black. While for the most part, it was a success, there were some interesting lessons to learn. When the switch was...

One of the primary obstacles to getting high-bandwidth video such as HDTV to the home via cable is the limited signal-carrying capacity of what is termed "the last mile." Currently, cable modem users share a data pipe with TV channels that can carry about 30 megabits-per-second (mbps) into their homes.

When Larry Hornbeck stepped up to the podium to accept an Oscar for inventing the digital micromirror device—the core technology behind DLP video projection—he held up a postage-stamp-sized DMD chip and said: “It’s hard to believe that there are more than 8 million digital micromirrors on this device. Who would ever have believed that [this invention] would change the way the world views cinema.” A couple decades later I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of 8 million microsopic mirrors tilting at precise angles and reflecting light to create stunning images at home and in movie theaters. So I reached out to Dr. Hornbeck, holder of 38 U.S. patents and winner of numerous awards and honors, to learn more about his crazy invention.

Any self-respecting gear-hound has tried his hand at haggling at least once, but, depending on the merchant, the product (sheep, for instance - see photo), the state of the economy or the persistence of the haggler, it may not have worked. Give it...

Yet another esteemed audio brand has found its way into the automotive market. In a press event staged Tuesday at Harman International headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, pro/consumer audio company Lexicon teamed up with its...

Lexicon did a bad thing. According to Audioholics, the company's $3,500 BD-30 is little more than a rebadged $500 Oppo BD-83. The site says that Lexicon's Blu-ray player is literally just an Oppo BD-83 in an aluminum Lexicon wrapper. This isn't...