Audio Video News

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HT Staff  |  Oct 04, 2004
AudioControl Imagine finally being able to have a high-end product in your home for a non-high-end price tag. AudioControl is set to make that happen with their new Architect Model 735 multiroom amp. The Model 735 delivers a rated 35 watts into all 12 channels simultaneously and allows for channel bridging. The amp can play into low impedances and runs very cool, the company reports. With AudioControl's room-correction equalization controls for each channel, you or your installer can maximize your in-wall or in-ceiling speakers' performance. Available in the company's Cool Blue style, the Model 735 is available now for $1,699.
AudioControl
(425) 775-8461
www.audiocontrol.com
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 04, 2004
While we can't vouch for the scientific nature of a recent survey conducted by Quixel Research at Best Buy stores in three different USA locations, the results do fill our hearts with gladness that the average consumer-type person (or at least the average Best Buy visitor) can tell quality when he or she sees it. At least that's how we interpret the results. Sponsored by "several major CE and component manufacturers", Quixel's survey team had "TV purchase intenders" compare Plasma TVs, LCD TVs, front projectors, and MicroDisplay rear-pro sets side-by-side. After careful evaluation in the retail store environment, the consumers then told the Quixel Research scribes what they wanted in a new TV and how much they were willing to pay for it. Quixel claims that the study "is the first of its kind to compare all the products side by side in a retail environment across the USA."
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 04, 2004
We have heard the soundtrack of the High Definition future on DVD, and it's compatible with the jillion1 or so digital surround sound receivers currently delighting home theater owners around the globe - or so says Dolby Laboratories and DTS. In separate recent announcements, each company proudly touted the fact that their audio technologies have been selected as a mandatory part of both the High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD DVD) and the Blu-ray Disc high-definition video disc formats. The two rival disc formats are locked in a good-versus-evil, battle-to-the-death struggle to convince studios, manufacturers, consumers, and anyone else who will listen that their format makes the most sense (and cents) for the future of packaged optical media. Although most people immediately think video when they hear about High Definition on disc, the announcement of mandatory audio standards is an excellent reminder to all concerned that audio quality is just as important as video clarity.
Barry Willis  |  Oct 04, 2004

The rumors were true. TiVo, Inc. and Netflix, Inc. are teaming up to deliver movies on demand over the Internet beginning next year, according to announcements made September 30.

Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 01, 2004
Those who know me are aware that a chat with Mark Hamill, the star of The Best Damned Movie Ever Made, was the fulfillment of a boyhood dream. I even chose "Mark" as my Confirmation name years ago, my parents thinking it was in honor of one of the four Disciples. ("Luke" is in there too, come to think.) After countless fanboy discussions, I suddenly found myself shifting pronouns, from "When he made Empire. . ." to "When you made Empire. . ." and it felt good. The experience was all the more fun for the fact that Hamill himself is a hardcore fan, passionate about his work—including directing his first feature film, Comic Book: The Movie—and remarkably candid and generous.
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Sep 27, 2004

Robert Deutsch sets up the <A HREF="/videoprojectors/704marantz">Marantz VP-12S3 DLP projector</A> and asks, "Does the new projector represent a significant improvement over the excellent VP-12S2? If so, what is the nature of the improvement?"

Barry Willis  |  Sep 27, 2004

The long-discussed and often-postponed changeover from analog television broadcasting to a purely digital format is still somewhere over the rainbow, thanks to a September 23 vote by the Senate Commerce Committee (SCC).

Ultimate AV Staff  |  Sep 27, 2004

Sony Electronics has launched its <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/QUALIA ">first US store</A> dedicated to its new Qualia line of upscale electronics.

Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 27, 2004
Wireless audio/video senders are nothing new, but until now such accessory devices were limited to the composite video outputs of your DVD player, cable box, VCR, or discretely positioned X10 camera. Belkin Corporation's new PureAV RemoteTV not only lets you send analog audio and video from composite or S-video sources wirelessly, Belkin claims it's the first to incorporate component-video connectivity.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 27, 2004
It used to be that truly high-quality video, the pristine jaw-dropping images previously available only to the "Golden Eyes" of Hollywood post production and broadcast facilities (and anyone else with a spare $60,000 to spend), was simply beyond the bounds of the typical home theater. But Silicon Optix intends on changing all that with the introduction of their new Realta with HQV single-chip video processor.
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Sep 27, 2004

<A HREF="http://www.dolby.com">Dolby Laboratories</A>'s audio technologies have been selected as mandatory formats for both High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD DVD) and Blu-ray Disc, according to a recent announcement. The DVD Forum chose Dolby Digital Plus and MLP Lossless as mandatory audio formats for HD DVD; while the Blu-ray Disc Association announced that Dolby Digital would be a mandatory technology on its new format, the Blu-ray Disc. Both formats are designed to deliver high-definition picture quality.

Chris Chiarella  |  Sep 23, 2004
The size of a deck of cards, Verbatim's new 2.1-gigabyte Store 'n' Go HD Drive offers the blazing speed of a USB 2.0 connection (which also powers the little guy), meaning that even enormous MPEG video files can be transferred fast. The vast capacity of the one-inch, 4,200RPM hard disk puts it in a class above the popular flash memory drives, to hold almost half a DVD's worth of video... or music or photos or any other files you care to drag and drop. The Store 'n' Go is plug-and-play for Windows ME or better--Win98SE users, keep that driver CD handy--and is also Mac- and Linux-ready. The built-in USB cable means you never need to search for it, although an extension cable is also included, and at under two ounces this drive is light enough to carry around your neck, with a lanyard and protective carrying pouch supplied for that very purpose.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 20, 2004
Seeing as how we tend to focus on "home" theater gear - hence the name "Home Theater Magazine" - it's not likely that you've ever heard us mention a twenty-some-year-old company called JL Audio. Although JL Audio has certainly a bigwig of boom for quite a while, they've existed pretty much under our radar because their main focus has been on car audio. (Unfortunately, the powers that be who write our checks won't let us cover events such as the Funkmaster Flex 2004 Celebrity Car Tour of which JL Audio is an official sponsor.) But all that is about to change.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 20, 2004
Is it the seductively cool blueness of the analog-style wattmeters on the amplifiers or the allure of the full-front impervious-to-wear glass panels? Maybe it's the classic, great sound quality. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for gear from American-born-and-bred McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. So it's no surprise that the unveiling of a trio of new home theater components from the Binghamton, NY-based company would cause the drool to start forming at the edges of my mouth.

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