Scott Wilkinson

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The Big Picture
Tripping the Light Fantastic
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 16, 2009

With all the hoopla surrounding President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, the other 2009 Nobel Prizes have gotten a bit lost in the shuffle. In particular, I want to acknowledge the winners of the Physics Prize, which was awarded to three scientists for their work in fiber optics and digital imaging. But whereas the Peace Prize seems to have been awarded based on potential, the Physics Prize honors work done four decades ago that has had a fundamental impact on our lives today.

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Bias Lighting, Best Blu-rays, Fixer-Upper
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2009  |  Published: Oct 15, 2009
On The Bias
I recall some Philips TVs having a built-in ambient light—some type of glow from behind the TV. This was supposed to help with dark-room viewing. Since then, few if any manufacturers have followed suit, but I continue to see occasional articles that say this is a good idea because it helps make viewing less stressful on the eyes.
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Premiere Design
Max Klimax
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 14, 2009

I've always had a certain fondness for <A href="http://www.linn.co.uk">Linn</A>, a high-end audio company based in Glasgow, Scotland. Perhaps it's because the company is located in my namesake country, or maybe it's the clever, Ikea-like product names. More likely, it's because Linn has been making exceptional audiophile products for over 35 years, starting in 1972 with the Sondek LP12 turntable, which is now the longest-lived hi-fi component still in production. Of more recent vintage is the flagship Klimax speaker system presented here.

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LCD TV Reviews
LG 47LH90 LCD HDTV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 12, 2009
Price: $2,400 at A Glance: Excellent color, detail, blacks, and frame interpolation • Mediocre shadow detail • THX mode not as close to correct as it should be

Black Is Back

As you no doubt know by now, LCD HDTVs command the lion’s share of the flat-panel market, outpacing plasma by a wide margin. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that LCDs are generally brighter than plasmas, which draws more attention on the showroom floor. They also consume less power, which makes them the greener choice.

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Premiere Design
Body of Evidence
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 09, 2009

Danish speaker maker <A href="http://www.dynaudio.com">Dynaudio</A> has earned a stellar reputation among audiophiles since its founding in 1977. The current flagship line, known as Evidence, is not new&#151;the Master model was selected as one of <I>Stereophile</I>'s products of the year in 2000&#151;but that doesn't mean it can't still kick some serious butt. I wanted to see what the ultimate Evidence home-theater system would consist of&#151;and how much it would cost.

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Old Speakers, Up or Down, Improved Sound
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 07, 2009
How Old is Too Old?
I have been considering buying a pair of B&W Matrix 801 Series 3 speakers. Sonically, I am impressed, but the speakers were produced in 1990, and I am not sure if $2000/pair is a good investment, age-wise. I just don't know how much life is left in them. The current owner says he mostly plays music at a low level. Is anything I could check on my own, apart from auditioning, that can give me a clue in terms of how the speakers have aged and what's to come?
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Premiere Design
Magnum Opus
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 06, 2009

I'm on a quest to find the most expensive audio cables in the world&#151;not to buy, mind you, but just to see what the market will bear. From what I've learned so far, the leading candidates come from <A href="http://transparentcable.com">Transparent Audio</A>, whose Opus MM2 cables cost more than most automobiles, especially if you're buying enough to outfit an entire multichannel system.

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Premiere Design
The Cat's Meow
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 02, 2009

Normally in this blog, I profile a specific product or product line that can be considered "ultimate" in one way or another. But when it comes to a California company called <A href="http://www.catmbx.com">CAT MBX</A>, this approach doesn't work so well. An offshoot of California Audio Technology, CAT MBX designs and builds ultimate home theaters from scratch, customizing the speakers, electronics, and projection system for each venue. The company's "product" is the entire theater, which is unique for each client.

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BD Burner, Poor Vision, Ambient Light
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 30, 2009
Burning Desire
I have a pretty fancy home-theater system, and I use DirecTV as my broadcast source. I would love to be able to burn widescreen HDTV shows to a DVD. My first choice is to burn DVDs in widescreen high def. My second choice would be to burn DVDs in widescreen, even if not high def. At this time, is there a good high-def DVD burner I could buy? Price is not an issue.
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Audio Video News
Panasonic 3D Plasma TV
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 29, 2009

At the CEDIA Expo earlier this month, we saw a demo of Panasonic's 3D Blu-ray system on a 103-inch plasma. It was mighty impressive, but few consumers are going to buy that behemoth, even at it's recently reduced price of $50,000. Fortunately, they won't have to.

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