Scott Wilkinson

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Premiere Design
Smyth Research Realiser A8 Headphone Surround Simulator
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 05, 2010

Many have tried, but few have succeeded in simulating a convincing surround soundfield with conventional headphones. Several years ago, I heard a demo of one such system from UK-based Smyth Research, and it really knocked my socks off. That was a prototype, but the technology, known as Smyth Virtual Surround (SVS), is now available in a commercial product called the Realiser A8.

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Ask S&V
Panasonic Frustration, Lossless Analog, Upgrade Blues
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 04, 2010
Can't Get No Satisfaction
Love your blog at HomeTheaterMag.com. It is very informative and has helped me in many ways.
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Premiere Design
Stewart Projection Screens
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 03, 2010

Photo courtesy Surround Sounds, Perth, Australia

If you've been reading about home theater for any length of time, you've probably heard of Stewart Filmscreen, a family-owned company that represents the lion's share of the consumer and commercial projection-screen market. Its product range is vast, so I'll focus on three high-end home-oriented offerings—CineCurve, Director's Choice 2.0, and StarGlas.

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Premiere Design
Runco Signature Cinema Projectors
Scott Wilkinson  |  Aug 02, 2010

Anyone who knows high-end video knows Runco, which is now the high-end home-cinema division of Oregon-based Planar. Among Runco's many well-regarded projectors, the premier line is undoubtedly the Signature Cinema series, which now includes two brand new models.

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Home Theater Geeks Podcast
Podcast 28: Paul Heitlinger
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 30, 2010  |  Published: Jul 31, 2010
S1Digital founder Paul Heitlinger talks about computers as media sources; cable, over-the-air, and satellite TV on a media-center PC; multizone streaming and using the Xbox 360 as a client device; Blu-ray and media-center PCs; what you need to build your own MCPC, and answers to chat-room questions.

Run Time: 53:52

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The Big Picture
Despicable 3D
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 30, 2010

I know, I know—I'm a little late to the party. I just saw Despicable Me, even though it's been in theaters for three weeks. I rarely see a movie on its opening weekend—I really hate waiting in line only to get a lousy seat right in front of a fidgety kid—but I don't normally wait this long for such a hyped 3D title. So how was it?

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Premiere Design
Continuum Caliburn Turntable
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 29, 2010

During Michael Fremer's recent appearance on my podcast, he told the story about how he fell in love with a turntable he had reviewed for Stereophile—and how his wife had wholeheartedly approved of buying it, even though it cost as much as a high-end luxury car. That turntable is the Caliburn with Cobra tonearm from Continuum Audio Labs in Australia.

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Ask S&V
Picture Presets, AVR Shopping, Soundbar Center
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 28, 2010
Black Hole Mode
You often talk about the advantages of professional calibration, but why couldn't TV makers include a mode for a blacked-out room? Or am I missing something? I have a ninth-gen, 50-inch Pioneer Kuro and a PS3. I set the TV's picture mode to Movie for standard-def TV and Standard for Blu-ray (with film mode set to Advance).
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Premiere Design
Wilson Audio Sasha W/P Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2010

Few speakers are more highly regarded than the venerable WATT/Puppy from Wilson Audio. After eight model revisions, Wilson decided to implement some upgrades that warranted a new name—and the Sasha W/P was born.

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Premiere Design
Marantz UD9004, UD7005, & UD5005 Universal Disc Players
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2010

D&M Holdings is the corporate umbrella under which both Denon and Marantz live, so it's no surprise that the flagship Denon DVD-A1UDCI (reviewed by Shane Buettner for Home Theater) and Marantz UD9004 universal disc players are both based on a common platform. So why is the Marantz $1500 more than the already very-expensive Denon?

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