Audio Video News

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Audio Video News
Apple Goes Hollywood- And Streams It To Your Living Room
 |  Sep 21, 2006  |  First Published: Sep 22, 2006  | 

OK, I know this is remedial reading, but Apple's introduction of movie downloads through the iTunes Store and the coincident unveiling of its iTV player is clearly the biggest news that happened last week outside of the <a href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/cedia2006/">CEDIA Expo</a> in Denver.

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Audio Video News
New 1080p LCDs From Sharp!
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 10, 2006  |  First Published: Sep 11, 2006  | 

Sharp Electronics introduced two new 1080p AQUOS HDTVs on August 31st at a press event held in NBC’s famed Rockefeller Center Studio 8H, home to Saturday Night Live since it’s debut on October 11th, 1975.

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Audio Video News
Serious In-Ceiling Sound
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 11, 2006  | 
Two new Architectural Speaker Series (otherwise known as in-wall and in-ceiling speakers) models are coming from Definitive Technology this fall. The Reference Ceiling Speaker UIW RCS II is designed for use as in-ceiling front main left, center, and right speakers or as rear or side speakers. Built like a brick house, the RSC II uses a non-resonant, sealed, medite enclosure. The sealed enclosure helps the speaker to provide nearly identical performance regardless of the available air space above the ceiling. The new model is a serious in-ceiling offering. With outer dimensions of 15.5 inches by 15.5 inches (and 5 7/8 inches deep), the RCS II is large enough to hold a forward-angled D'Appolito driver array using two 5.25-inch bass/midrange drivers and a one-inch pure aluminum tweeter plus a pair of 6.5-inch pressure-coupled planar low-bass radiators.
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Audio Video News
3-Chip 1080i-Want Camcorder
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 07, 2006  | 
Sony put a little more "pro" and a little less "sumer" in its latest high-definition camcorder, the HDR-FX7. The new $3,500 model is the first 1080i HDV camcorder to include Sony's three-chip ClearVID CMOS sensor technology, of which Sony claims the primary benefits are high-speed data transfer rates and lower power consumption. The three-chip configuration along with Sony's "Enhanced Imaging Processor" is said to provide higher video resolution, greater light sensitivity with minimal amounts of picture noise, and more accurate color reproduction than previous Sony models.
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Audio Video News
Universal Announces King Kong On HD DVD
 |  Sep 07, 2006  | 

<B>The Big Monkey Of High-Def</B><BR>

HD DVD player owners (and the format itself) are getting an early Christmas present on November 14th when Universal will release Peter Jackson's smash remake of <I>King Kong</I> on the fledgling HD disc format. The suggested list price is $29.98. Few details on the release are available, and it's not known if Peter Jackson's extended cut, scheduled for release on DVD on the same day, will be included on the HD DVD.

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Audio Video News
Warner To Release 10 HD Discs On Same Day
 |  Sep 03, 2006  | 

Warner is behind HD on disc in a big way. On September 26th it will release a total of ten titles from the Warner catalog to the Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, including the recent <I>Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride</I> on Blu-ray.

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Audio Video News
Small but Stylish LCD
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 01, 2006  | 
Bang & Olufsen has come out with another electronics-with-style product - this time in the form of a 23-inch LCD TV. The Danish manufacturer says the new BeoCenter 6-23 incorporates a 23-inch 16:9 TFT LCD panel with an "anti-reflection coated and high-glare" screen that is designed to improve contrast and brightness - especially in day lit rooms. The new screen also offers a wider viewing angle, a feature that B&O says is especially important in a TV placed in a kitchen or hallway, which are typical locations for a home owner's secondary television.
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Audio Video News
Multichannel Gets Jazzed Up
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Aug 31, 2006  | 
Jazz fans will have something to sing about on October 24th when Giving' It Up, a collaboration of singer/guitarist/songwriter George Benson and vocalist/songwriter Al Jarreau - both multiple GRAMMY winners, will be released as a Monster Music SuperDisc.
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Audio Video News
Fox Announces First Blu-ray Titles
 |  Aug 31, 2006  | 

Fox has announced its first wave of titles on the burgeoning Blu-ray Disc format, with an initial slate of catalog titles that "targets the early adopter" and a significant day-and-date release. November 14th will see the release of <I>Behind Enemy Lines</I>, <I>Fantastic Four</I>, <I>Kingdom of Heaven</I> (Director's Cut), <I>The Omen (666)</I>, <I>The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen</I>, <I>Speed</I>, and <I>The Transporter</I>. This wave will be followed on November 21st by the day-and-date Blu-ray and DVD release of <I>Ice Age: The Meltdown</I>.

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Audio Video News
Firmware Update 2.0 Available For Toshiba HD DVD Players
 |  Aug 27, 2006  | 

Toshiba has made available Firmware Update Version 2.0 for its first-gen HD DVD players. In addition to enabling "anticipated network delivered content in future HD DVD discs" the new firmware version expands Dolby TrueHD support from 2.0-channels to full 5.1-channels. The update can be downloaded directly from the "Suport" link at Toshiba's HD DVD <a href="http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/hddvd/">web site</a>, or upon request Toshiba will ship a CD to registered HD DVD player owners.

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Audio Video News
Keep It Quiet
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Aug 25, 2006  | 
Auralex Acoustics will be introducing a complete do-it-yourself home-theater room treatment system at the upcoming Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Denver, Colorado.
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Audio Video News
EchoStar, Warner Sign HD VOD Deal; AOL Video Portal To Offer Movies, TV Shows
 |  Aug 24, 2006  | 

<B>DISH Network to offer Warner movies on-demand and in HD</B><BR>
The ever changing face of video distribution continues to evolve. EchoStar and Warner have signed off on deal that will allow DISH Network customers to access to Warner's new releases and catalog titles via its "Dish On Demand" and pay-per-view services in standard and high-definition.

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Audio Video News
The State Of HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 20, 2006  | 

In mid-2005 the average selling price of a 50" plasma display began its yearlong plunge from over $5,000 to a June 2006 average of just above $3,000. The number of sets sold at the new prices more than tripled, even accounting for the traditionally hot fall (2005) selling season.

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Audio Video News
TiVo Wins Major Court Victory Over EchoStar; Japanese Blu-ray players To Be Region-Code Free.
 |  Aug 20, 2006  | 

<B>EchoStar Infringed On TiVo's Patents, Court Rules</B><BR>
EchoStar, which operates DISH Network's satellite TV service, was ruled by a federal district in Texas to have infringed on several patents held by TiVo, and ordered to halt the use of the bulk of the DVRs its subscribers use. A subsequent injunction blocked the order, which would have affected millions of EchoStar's subscribers.

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Audio Video News
More Blu-ray and HD DVD Titles Announced; CEDIA Sneak Peak From Runco
 |  Aug 17, 2006  |  First Published: Aug 18, 2006  | 

<B>Big Fourth Quarter For Blu-ray And HD DVD</B><BR>
The number of Blu-ray and HD DVD releases scheduled in the last quarter of this calendar year is growing rapidly. Warner's second wave of Blu-ray titles will hit stores on September 5th, followed by four more catalog titles from the Warner library on September 12th. Universal has announced four more catalog titles for HD DVD in late October.

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