Mark Fleischmann

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AV Receiver Reviews
Integra DTR-50.2 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 11, 2011

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,400 At A Glance: THX Select2 Plus certified for medium-size rooms • Audyssey MultEQ, DSX, Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume • Loaded with networked audio features

Like My Tattoo?

Once, tattoos were restricted to dock workers and people in dubious professions. Now they’re mainstream: You practically can’t be a musician, actor, or accountant without one. Why? Scientists are baffled. Maybe the bodyart lobby put something in the drinking water. In any case, the Integra DTR-50.2 is as tattooed as any rock star. I counted 11 logos on the front panel, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Just as many people add more tattoos on, um, intimate parts of the body, this AVR’s Webpage boasts a total of 27. True, some of them are small change: Do we really need logos for USB and Zone 3? But this AVR’s cornucopia is fairly bursting with meaningful logos from THX, Audyssey, and—my new favorite—Slacker.

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Audio Video News
Sony Enhances iTunes Movie Downloads
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 10, 2011
Though disc releases are festooned with special features, movies sold as downloads tend to be unadorned. However, Sony Pictures is beginning to add features to movies sold as downloads through iTunes.

You'll be able to search for actors and dialogue, choose clips to share on social networking sites, and find songs embedded in soundtracks. Not surprisingly, the latter will be linked for purchase in the iTunes music store.

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Audio Video News
Warner Movies to Hit Facebook
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 09, 2011
Warner Bros. will distribute movies through Facebook, the studio revealed this week. The first movie to hit the social networking site will be The Dark Knight.

The move is experimental. It comes on the heels of another unorthodox movie-distribution move, in which the studio offered two movies as Apple Store apps for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.

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Audio Video News
iTunes Now Does Home Sharing
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 08, 2011
Apple has a new trick, one all but overlooked in its recent announcement of the second-generation iPad. Devices running iOS 4.3 now do Home Sharing of iTunes 10.2 library content via wi-fi.

So if you have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch running iOS 4.3, you can stream movies, music, and other stuff from your PC or Mac running iTunes 10.2. This does not include the streaming and transfer of movie rentals.

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Audio Video News
Apple Seeks to Offer Cloud Access
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 07, 2011
Don't you hate it when you've paid for a download but can't enjoy it—because it's on a device that's either unauthorized, lost, or dead? Apple is proposing a solution to the music industry in the form of cloud-based content access.

The proposal under discussion would "give users more flexibility in how they access purchased music," says Bloomberg News, which broke the story. "A deal would provide iTunes customers with a permanent backup of music purchases if the originals are damaged or lost."

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Audio Video News
Win the Polk F/X Wireless Surround
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 04, 2011
Polk Audio is staging a contest that will put F/X Wireless Surround speakers into the hands of happy surround buffs. You can enter every day between now and March 31, 2011. No purchase is required.

The F/X Wireless Surround looks more like a squat subwoofer than a surround speaker. This unorthodox product is designed to be placed behind the main seating area, providing surround effects without intruding into the room.

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Audio Video News
Roku Embraces Amazon Prime Video
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 03, 2011
Roku is adding another feather to its cap. Its set-top box will stream Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Amazon Prime Instant Video is itself fairly new. Its initial purpose was to give free two-day shipping. Now it also includes Instant Video streaming of 5000 movie and TV show titles.

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Audio Video News
Netflix to Expand Use of Subtitles
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 02, 2011
Movie subtitles are a must for the elderly, the hard of hearing, and those for whom English is a second language. They're a universal part of Blu-ray and DVD releases but rarer in video streaming. Netflix aims to fill that need by expanding the use of subtitles in the majority of its online offerings.

Specifically, Netflix aims to have subtitles in 80 percent of its streaming programming by the end of 2011, up from 30 percent now.

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Audio Video News
Pssst, Mac, Wanna Buy a Video Rental Chain?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 01, 2011
Blockbuster Inc. is looking for a buyer. The chain has already been in bankruptcy since last fall. Selling itself to the highest bidder is the only way to avoid liquidation.

Not that the rot hasn't started already. The news comes as Blockbuster has been shedding brick-and-mortar stores, closing 609 of 3400 last month.

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Audio Video News
There's an App for That Movie
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 28, 2011
Warner is trying a new approach to movie sales. It's simple and logical: Just download the movie as an app.

There's only one problem. Apple may kill the idea.

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