Thomas J. Norton

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Projector Reviews
Optoma HD81 1080p DLP Projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 17, 2006  |  1 comments

I've only been living with the new Optoma HD81 DLP projector for a little over a week, but it's already becoming obvious that new 1080p projectors selling for more than the Optoma's $7,000 price are likely to have a difficult time in the market. Even the sub-$7,000 price category is destined to be a battleground. There have already been announcements from Sony (SXRD), Mitsubishi (LCD), Panasonic (LCD), Sanyo (LCD), and BenQ (DLP) of new 1080p projectors priced lower, and in some cases considerably lower, than the Optoma. We expect to see more, and perhaps a lot more, such models at the 2006 CEDIA Expo in Denver later this week. We'll be reporting on them, and other new developments, in daily reports from the show floor. Stay tuned.

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Projector Reviews
Optoma UHD65 4K DLP Projector Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Nov 15, 2017  |  1 comments
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb resolution in HD and UHD
Effective HDR for a projector
Affordable price
Minus
Poor contrast and black level
HDR color banding

THE VERDICT
If pure picture quality with 1080p standard dynamic range will dominate your viewing there are better options out there at this price and lower. But none of them will do what the Optoma can: accept a 4K input, provide a reasonable facsimile of high dynamic range, and offer picture detail challenged only by native 4K projectors costing many times its price.

Optoma has been in the projector business for years. Go to the company’s website, and you’ll see a bewildering array of models. But the UHD65 is one of the first models to make use of a new 4K DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), the core of Texas Instruments’ Digital Light Processing technology. And along with its sister model, the UHD60, it’s one of the cheapest.

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CES 2017A/V Veteran
Outlaw Audio Previews THX-Certified Monster Sub
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 10, 2017  |  0 comments
Snuggled into a corner of a THX hospitality suite was this jumbo subwoofer, soon to be available as Outlaw Audio's flagship. The ported design employs a newly developed 13-inch driver and is said to extend to below 20Hz and meet all THX specifications. With a shipping weight of around 130 lbs, it's projected to sell for around $1,500, give or take.
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Power Amplifier Reviews
Outlaw Model 7125 Amplifier
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 05, 2006  |  23 comments

Power amps get little respect in the home theater world. They're the heavy, black (or silver) boxes that sit somewhere in the dark, serving your speakers with a generous supply of power.

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CEDIA 2015
Over the Fireplace
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015  |  0 comments
I’ve long preached against mounting a flat screen over the fireplace, but the concept is so beloved by interior designers that the trend continues unabated. There have been several motorized HDTV wall mounts on the market that move out and down to position the set into a more comfortable position for viewing, but they have ranged from pricey to higher than the cost of the set itself.

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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Pacific Rim
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 30, 2014  |  0 comments
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Kaiju is a Japanese word meaning, monster—typically a big monster and a very bad hombre with anger issues. Kaiju are hard to miss, and the founder of the Kaiju feast was, of course, Godzilla the Great.

In Pacific Rim, Kaiju (gesundheit) are popping up all over, emerging from a rift in the ocean floor and stomping all over the biggest cities around the Pacific. To counter the looming apocalypse, mankind has built mechanical monsters of its own, mechas known as Jaegers. Jaeger means hunter in German, but while my first encounter with a Jaeger was a schnitzel, these Jaegers are huge machines, matching the size and strength of the Kaiju.

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Audio Video News
Panasonic 2010 Product Preview
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 26, 2010  |  0 comments
Panasonic's traveling road show for its new 2010 product line came to Los Angeles this week, and we were there. Most of the products shown or described at the event were first announced at last January's CES, where the featured attraction was 3D, with other new products taking second billing—if not in Panasonic's eyes, then in the eyes of most attendees. It was not that the new products were uninteresting; far from it. But 3D was king of the video mountain at CES 2010.
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CES 2011
Panasonic Air Mouse
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 07, 2011  |  Published: Jan 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Panasonic demonstrated a prototype air-mouse type control, which can move the cursor on the screen by a simple movement of the remote control through the air. But it won't be available this year.
Audio Video News
Panasonic Debuts New Blu-ray Players That Open With a Wave
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 10, 2011  |  0 comments
Panasonic's name may evoke sound, but its reputation is built on video. Nevertheless, the company does produce audio products, though its U.S. offerings in that space differ from those of many Asian manufacturers. It has never been a major player here in AV receivers or stand-alone speaker systems, but instead puts most of its efforts into home theaters in a box (HTiBs), compact one-piece stereo systems, and related all-in-one packages. Panasonic's new 2011 introductions in these categories include a single sound bar (the fully-powered, $400 SC-HTB520, which includes a wireless subwoofer), four compact stereo systems, and three new Blu-ray HTiBs with 3D capability. Four new stand-alone Blu-ray players were also launched.
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 11, 2006  |  0 comments

We've waited what seems like an eternity for a top performing Blu-ray Disc player to challenge the head start HD DVD seized when it hit stores this past spring. Blu-ray's launch was dampened by the format's first player being the underperforming and poorly reviewed Samsung BD-P1000, which shipped with an incorrect noise reduction chip setting that caused soft imagery but that has since been corrected by a firmware update (a <I>UAV</I> follow-up is pending).

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