Scott Wilkinson

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The Big Picture
By Any Other Name
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 29, 2011
A few months ago, Netflix separated the subscription plans—and fees—for its disc-by-mail and streaming services, essentially doubling the cost for those who want both. This caused the company to lose as many as a million customers, and its stock price plummeted. So how did Netflix try to salvage the situation? It renamed the disc-rental business, which is now called Qwikster. If you subscribe to both streaming and disc-by-mail, you'll have to go to two different websites, and you'll pay two different bills.

This move has most folks scratching their head, and it further fuels the anger of those who objected to the original rate hike, which could certainly lead to more customer defections. What was Netflix thinking?

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By the Grace of Gracenote
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 14, 2011

Three new additions to Gracenote's portfolio of music- and video-recognition technologies are elucidated by Graham McKenna, Director of Marketing, Michael Jeffrey, Director of Mobile Technologies, and Ty Roberts, Chief Technical Officer.

The Big Picture
BYO3DG—Bring Your Own 3D Glasses
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 13, 2011
When you go to your local cineplex to catch a 3D movie, you are provided with glasses that isolate the left and right images for the corresponding eyes. I always assumed that the theater bought these glasses, resulting in higher ticket prices and an admonition to toss them into a bin on the way out so they can be reused. But Sony Pictures' announcement two weeks ago that, in May 2012, it will stop providing theaters with RealD glasses—which are used in the majority of commercial 3D presentations—belied that assumption.
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Premiere Design
Cabasse L'Océan Powered Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 29, 2010
Last year, I profiled the incredible—and incredibly expensive—La Sphère speaker from French maker Cabasse. Utilizing and updating much of the same technology found in that model, the company will soon release L'Océan with a price tag only slightly less than its progenitor.
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Premiere Design
Cabasse Pacific 3SA LF-Powered Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Dec 16, 2010
Departing from the spherical-enclosure paradigm as embodied in its La Sphère and L'Océan powered speakers, Cabasse this week announced the availability of a new floorstanding design, the Pacific 3SA. However, this speaker does incorporate the SCS (Spatially Coherent System) coaxial-driver design found in those models.
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Ask S&V
Cable Box Output Resolution
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 07, 2011
I have two plasma TVs, an older Philips 1080i/720p and a newer Panasonic 1080p. I have Verizon FiOS with HD DVR that lets me choose 720p or 1080i output. Which should I choose for the best picture for watching sports? I seem to remember reading somewhere that 720p is best for sports and 1080i is better for movies, but I'm not sure if that still holds true.

Also, I'm considering getting a new 1080p set, and I see you have the Panasonic TC-P50ST30 rated as one of your Top Picks. I can get a good deal on the 60-inch version of this TV and was wondering if your review holds true for that size. I see you review a lot of 50-inch TVs, but not the 60-inch versions. Do the 60-inch versions lose picture quality because the screen is 10 inches bigger with the same number of pixels? Do they just make the pixels bigger?

Jay P.

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Audio Video News
Cable Networks Sue FCC
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 05, 2008

When analog over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting shuts down on February 17, 2009, analog cable subscribers probably won't notice thanks in part to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is requiring cable operators to carry local stations in both analog and digital format for three years after the OTA cutoff date. This has many major cable networks, such as C-SPAN, Discovery Communications, A&E, and The Weather Channel concerned that they will be pushed off cable systems to make room for the dual carriage. As a result, these and other cable programmers are suing to block the FCC from implementing the mandate.

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The Big Picture
CableCARD Query
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 30, 2008

Here's an interesting question from Ernie Booth in Raleigh, NC:

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Ask S&V
Cables, Keystone, Lossless
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 24, 2009
Cash Grab
I have long heard and read that "high-end" HDMI cables are a cash grab and offer minimal if any benefit when compared with bargain brands. Are there real gains in "high-end" HDMI cables? If so, which companies would you suggest looking into?
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Calibration Training, AVR Connections, Frame Rates
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 01, 2010
Job Training
In looking for a good part-time job (hopefully working into full time), I ran into a guy who advised that I take a video-calibration technician course. Who is best to teach this? I heard that an ISF course is available through a school in Colorado. I have also heard you and Leo Laporte chat about THX in glowing tones, and I see online they hold courses in Las Vegas and Dallas.
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