Tom Norton

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CES 2010
Here Comes the Sun
Tom Norton  |  Jan 07, 2010  |  Published: Jan 08, 2010
This Tokai Challenger, using Sharp solar cells, won the 2009 Global Green Challenge, an 1864 mile race across Australia. The weather was clear and sunny throughout, which was probably why they chose to race in the Australian Outback instead of from Juno to Seattle. The single seat, three wheeled car comes in any color as long as the underside is white and the top is plastered with 2176 black solar cells.
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A/V Veteran
Hi-Fi in La La Land
Tom Norton  |  Jun 06, 2017
Live (well, almost) from the Los Angeles Audio Show…
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Higgh h SEAS
Tom Norton  |  Jan 11, 2007

I may be the only reporter to take pictures of raw loudspeaker drivers at this year's CES. But I've always been fascinated not only by the products we buy, but by the parts that go into them. And SEAS of Norway is one the biggest suppliers of high quality loudspeaker drivers. These new DXT tweeters offer controlled wide dispersion. Note the rings molded into the front plates of both versions. These rings produce diffraction, thereby widening the radiation pattern above 7kHz&mdash;the first time to my knowledge that this audiophile boogie-man has been deliberately generated to <I>enhance</I> speaker performance!

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A/V Veteran
Hints for Better Viewing
Tom Norton  |  Mar 12, 2015  |  Published: Mar 10, 2015
Mark Fleischmann’s recent blog on ways to improve your system’s audio inspired me to do something similar for video. Of course you, the loyal readers of Sound & Vision already know much of this. But for those who don’t, or for (welcome) newbies, those who are helping friends avoid common mistakes, it’s useful to periodically emphasize that there’s more to getting you money’s worth from a flat screen set than merely plunking it down in what may at first appear to be the best location and turning it on. Getting your HDTV to sing is serious business. Here, of course, I’m referring primarily to flat screen sets; a projector with a screen is, in many ways, a different topic.
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4K TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Hisense 65" 65U8K mini-LED 4K TV Review: The Price is Right
Tom Norton  |  Feb 07, 2024

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $900

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Wide Range of Features
Affordable Price
Impressive Picture Quality
Comprehensive Connectivity
High Refresh Rate for Gaming
Minus
Limited Off-Center Viewing Angles
Calibration and Ergonomic Challenges
Intrusive Pop-up Ads on Smart Platform

THE VERDICT
I wouldn't choose the U8K for a video mastering suite. But for the consumer looking for a TV that punches far above its price, the Hisense generated more OMG moments from me on the best source material than I can recall from any TV I've previously reviewed. The only thing keeping it from earning an even higher performance rating is its limited off-center viewing—an issue with most LCD-based televisions.

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CES 2009
Hitachi Does Black Too
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2008  |  Published: Jan 10, 2008

There is no way a picture can show how a set like this looks, so I don't have one. But a prototype Hitachi flat panel was claiming a peak (I assume) contrast ratio that's beyond hype. In fact, it's hard to accurately measure (peak) contrast levels even one tenth this high.

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CES 2009
Hitachi Super Resolution
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009
Both Hitachi and Toshiba were showing technology designed to upgrade the quality of program material. Toshiba's (Resolution+) is coming soon in some of its new sets and is being promoted as an upgrade for SD programming. Hitachi's Super Resolution is still in the prototype stage, but is designed to work with both HD and SD material. The effect was stunning and quite obvious in the photo, where the image on the left side is straight, unprocessed SD and the image on the right side has been processed by Super Resolution. We'll be anxious to give this technology a try when it comes with Hitachi sets.
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CES 2009
Hitachi Super Thin
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009
Hitachi offered this prototype of an upcoming thin LCD. But wasn't their watchword last year, "1.5 is coming?"
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CES 2009
Hitting the Heights
Tom Norton  |  Jan 11, 2009
This diminutive speaker (about as high as the water bottle sitting beside it), uses two 3.5", full-range drivers. While it may be used as a surround, its real purpose is as the first speaker specifically designed for use in the new Dolby height format, Pro Logic IIz (discussed in an early blog). No price as yet; this was an early prototype.
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HK Flagship
Tom Norton  |  Sep 05, 2008  |  Published: Sep 06, 2008
In addition to its ability to decode all the new high resolution audio formats, 110W of power into each of its 7 output channels, and a Faroudja DCDI video processing, the Harman Kardon AVR-7550HD is one of the first AV receivers to offer Dolby volume. (under $3000, early 2009)
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