Al Griffin

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The Wonderful World of Wi-Fi
Al Griffin  |  Oct 20, 2003
Most new A/V trends are slow out of the gate. It seemed like forever before high-definition TV got off the ground, and audio formats like DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD are still struggling for recognition. By contrast, radical advances in computer technology seem to take the world by storm at least once a year. First there was the Web, which bleary-eyed users accessed via sluggish dial-up modems.
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Bringing the Theater Home
Al Griffin  |  Oct 26, 2003

Photos by John Wilkes

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Other Tech
A Camcorder Christmas
Al Griffin  |  Nov 23, 2003
Photos by John Wilkes Viewscreen images by Al Griffin The holidays are a time for giving, but they're also very much a time for receiving. And if you ask me, there's no better gift to get than a digital camcorder, especially when it's delivered to your office by a Santa-type figure dressed in a FedEx uniform.
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Klipsch Cinema 10 Home Theater Speaker System
Al Griffin  |  Dec 08, 2003

Photos by Tony Cordoza Up against the wall! That's the marching order being given to speaker designers by companies that want to offer systems to complement flat-screen TVs. With cabinets barely exceeding the 3- to 4-inch average depth of most plasma or LCD sets, some new speakers incorporate this directive literally.

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Speaker, Speaker on the Wall
Al Griffin  |  Jan 05, 2004

Photos by Tony Cordoza The next time you go to the movies, take a look around for the speakers. Where'd they go? Pull back the screen and you'll find the front left, center, and right speakers stashed behind it, while the side and rear arrays are mounted high up on the walls. The idea is to make the audio system unobtrusive, and it works.

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Other Tech
CES04 Live: Off-the-hook TV
Al Griffin  |  Jan 09, 2004

Will your next TV be wire-free? To judge from the sets on display at this year's CES, models that wirelessly pull in programs using the Wi-Fi standard are the next hot thing in TV tech. Most of the Wi-Fi-enabled sets here, including models from Sony, Sharp, and Philips, are LCD TVs in the 12- to 23-inch size range.

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HDTV Bargains
Al Griffin  |  Feb 10, 2004
Equipment photos by Tony Cordoza Once upon a time, HDTVs were really, really expensive.
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Video
Al Griffin  |  Apr 14, 2004

It wasn't long ago that you'd hear old-school audiophiles at CES bemoaning the disappearance of tubes - the vacuum tubes in audio gear, that is. But the latest technology to beat a quick retreat from the mega-electronics show is the picture tube, or CRT, used in traditional TVs.

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Other Tech
Silicon Optix Image AnyPlace Video Processor
Al Griffin  |  May 11, 2004

There are two ways to go about setting up a home theater. The first option is to rope off a room in your house, seal the windows, and then make any and all necessary modifications to turn it into a dedicated movie palace. The second, more common option is to take a space your family actually lives, works, and plays in and adapt it so that it can easily go from sitting to screening room.

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Pioneer PDP-4340HD 43-inch Plasma HDTV
Al Griffin  |  May 11, 2004

Plasma TVs are hardly new, but for me it didn't register that the technology had "arrived" until I starting seeing ads for them on TV. Yes, thanks to companies like Pioneer, when you sit down to channel-surf there's a chance you'll see new flat-panel sets that make your current model seem old, fat, and downright sad in comparison.

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