Thomas J. Norton

If Ethernet conversion isn’t your thing, nor are fiber optics (another work-around on the traditional weaknesses of HDMI over long lengths), a few companies are now offering either passive or a combination of passive/active HDMI cables that can extend far enough for the needs of most consumers.

We first met the Minions in the Despicable Me films. They were the henchmen of Gru, desperate to be seen as The Greatest Villain of All Time. But the Minions movie begins at the dawn of time when these funny, goggle-wearing creatures, babbling in their unique humina-humina-humina language, emerge from the primordial sea. They’re immediately driven to seek out the greatest villain they can find. But no sooner do they find one than they bumble into eliminating him.

Until the introduction of the Mirage M-1 a decade or so ago, all audiophiles knew what dipolar radiation meant. It was an inherent characteristic of flat, planar, enclosure-free speakers in which the rear radiation was 180° out of phase with the front, producing a null at the sides. This null made the spacing from the sidewalls less critical. Beyond this, open-baffle dipole designs attracted a strong following for their unique spatial characteristics and a sound free of cabinet colorations.

Last week Mitsubishi launched its 2006-2007 line of big screen televisions. The broad lineup consists of no fewer than fifteen models using a variety of technologies, including DLP rear projectors and LCDs in both flat panel and rear projection configurations.