Thomas J. Norton

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A/V Veteran
Hidden Treasures: Anonymous
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 05, 2016
Yes, I do have an odd taste in movies. But there must be others who can equally enjoy science fiction and action films, animated features, and well-done historical dramas. Only recently I revisited the DVDs of Zulu (the 1964 film with a very young Michael Caine in his first major role), and the first episodes of Shaka Zulu (a late ‘80s mini-series with a riveting performance by Henry Cele as Shaka). The technical quality on Zulu was very good for a DVD (there is a Blu-ray release that has received mixed reports, but I haven’t seen it). The picture quality on Shaka Zulu (1.33:1) is poor, but watchable. Both have mediocre audio at best, but despite their technical limitations are superb.

Anonymous is a much more recent effort (2011)...

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CES 2015
HiFiMan Prototype Phones Sound Spectacular
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2015
As much as I was impressed by HiFiMan’s HE-400i headphones and EF100 tube headphone combination (see my previous post), the company’s HE1000 prototype, open back cans blew me away...
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CES 2015
HiFiMan's Phones and Amps Impress
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2015
To date I haven’t been much of a headphone person, but I still recognize their importance and appeal in today’s market. Headphones, in short, are now a very big deal for many consumers...
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A/V Veteran
High Definition Wish List
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2007

We've all complained about some of the marginal films coming out on HD DVD and Blu-ray. The situation <I>is</I> improving, though not fast enough for most of us. But as I look through my growing HD DVD and Blu-ray collection, I do see more great titles than I imagined.

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A/V Veteran
High Dynamic Range Tests Are Coming Soon
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 07, 2016
We’ve been fortunate in the 1080p world in having a variety of test discs available. While a full calibration requires special test tools, such discs can tell you a lot about how your set performs and help get the basic picture settings right. One of the most popular of such discs, and one of the first, is Digital Video Essentials, shown in the photo here.

But while 4K with high dynamic range (HDR) is now here, there’s still a lack of test materials for this format, particularly the high dynamic range end of the equation...

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AV GlossaryOther Tech
High Resolution Audio and HDMI 1.3
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 12, 2007
An important feature of HDMI is its ability to carry both video and audio. If it passes this information in bitstream form, the receiver or pre-pro, rather than the player, decodes the various versions of Dolby Digital and DTS.
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A/V Veteran
High, Low, or Middle Dynamic Range?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 14, 2021
As any serious photographer can tell you, color is a complex subject. There are researchers devoting their careers to it. It's also central to properly setting up a television in a process we call calibration.
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Audio Video News
High-End Audio Makes the CES Scene
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 16, 2005

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the organization that runs the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), 140,000 people attended this year’s annual confab in Las Vegas, NV. In past years, attendance has typically hovered around 100,000. But with the shrinkage of the normally even larger computer show, COMDEX, in 2003, followed by its cancellation this past November, the Intels, IBMs, Apples, Hewlett Packards, and other assorted bits-and-bytes vendors, and their customers, descended on CES with a vengeance.

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A/V Veteran
Highlights and Personal Faves from CEDIA 2015
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 27, 2015
My first CEDIA was in Dallas in 1995, and it was held there for the next year or two. But unless my memory deceives me, 2015 was its first time back in the Big D. As I rode the Super Shuttle into the city from the airport, the building that housed that 1995 event was clearly visible next to the expressway. I went to a boatload of classes and seminars that year. There was plenty of time for them. You could cover the main exhibit floor in less than an hour—if you lingered. Calling them exhibits that year was a little grandiose; they were simply tables occupied by many new, unknown manufacturers hoping to grab a foothold in the growing but still small home theater custom installation market.
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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Hisense 65H8G Quantum LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 15, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Effective local dimming
Precise HDR tracking
Low price
Minus
Poor off-center viewing
Minor banding artifacts

THE VERDICT
The Hisense 65H8G proves that even budget TVs now offer features enabling a high level of performance that was previously the domain of much pricier sets.

Hisense has joined the ranks of LCD TV makers using quantum dots, a technology that enables sets to more closely approach the wider color gamut promised by Ultra HDTV. (Quantum dots generate red and green light when energized by a blue LED, with the sum total providing the backlighting that LCD TVs require.) Along with the 65-inch 65H8G reviewed here, Hisense's H8G series also includes a 75-inch model, the largest flat-panel the company offers. For larger screen sizes, the company offers a range of ultra short throw laser projectors.

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