HT Staff

Nordost
When only the best will do, use Nordost's new line of A/V power cords, specifically their flagship product, the Valhalla. This power cord is designed for use with just about all of your components: preamps, power amps, CD players, SACD and DVD players, video projectors, and other display devices. According to the company, its line of power cables offers improved signal speed, better power transfer, and increased thermal efficiency. The Valhalla boasts a propagation speed of 90 percent. Like the company's other models, the Valhalla power cords use 99.9 percent oxygen-free copper conductors for better power transfer and performance. The Valhalla also uses 70 microns of extruded silver over the conductors. Two meters will cost you $2,500, and additional 1-meter increments are $500.
Nordost Corporation
(508) 881-1116
www.nordost.com

Echostar Communications and Viacom Inc. have settled their rate hike dispute. The two adversaries reached an agreement late Wednesday, March 10. Within twenty minutes of signing the deal, Viacom programming returned to the Echostar lineup.

Harman/Kardon
If you've been waiting for the perfect unit to come along before replacing that obsolete DVD player you're currently using, look no further. Harman/Kardon's DVD 31 is a progressive-scan player that can chew up almost any alphabetic combination you can think up: DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, WMA, CD, MP3, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD-DA, CD-R/-RW, CD-ROM multisession, 24/96 audio discs, and videoCD. Pixel-by-pixel processing upconverts images to progressive-scan component video output. The player also features digital-video circuitry to reconstruct the 3:2-pulldown process, so you get the full 60-frame playback with progressive-scan image quality for your DVD-Video. A long list of connections rounds out the package: component video, S-video, composite video, coaxial and optical digital audio, and multichannel and stereo analog audio. One last surprise for you: All of this retails for just $349.
Harman/Kardon
(800) 422-8027
www.harmankardon.com

DVD: Time Bandits DiViMax Special Edition—Anchor Bay
Audio: 2
Video: 3
Extras: 4
This is the third DVD release of Terry Gilliam's 1981 fantasy about a British schoolboy and his adventures with a motley band of time-traveling thieves, assorted historical figures (including John Cleese as Robin Hood and Sean Connery as Agamemnon), a tech-obsessed Evil, and a not-so-wrathful Supreme Being. Anchor Bay's release includes several special features not previously available on disc. There's a funny and revealing interview with Gilliam and co-writer Michael Palin about the production of the film, an AFI-produced documentary on Gilliam's filmography (up to 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), and a DVD-ROM copy of the screenplay. The specials are well done, but a commentary track would have been a welcome addition. A 1999 Criterion release includes such a track from Gilliam, Palin, Cleese, and others.