<I>Voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Barry Humphries, Austin Pendleton, John Ratzenberger. Directed by Andrew Stanton. Aspect ratio: 1.78:1 (anamorphic), 4:3. Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX (English, French, Spanish), THX. Two discs. 100 minutes. 2003. Buena Vista Home Entertainment 3007803. G. $29.99.</I>
<I>Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Surround (French), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1 Surround (English). Two discs. Miramax Home Entertainment 24017. R. $29.99.</I>
It's easy to visualize the operation of a CRT projector: three tubes, each operating much as the picture tube in the TV on your kitchen counter, flashing overlapping red, green, and blue analog images onto the screen. If you have a good model in top operating condition, and if you or your installer have slaved over its setup, you'll see an incredible picture—one that, on a home-size screen (not so large as to accentuate a CRT's main limitation of light output), is still as good as home video gets.
<I>Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang, Robert Duvall. Directed by Ronald E. Maxwell. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English). 219 minutes. 2003. Warner Home Video 23413. PG-13. $27.98.</I>
<I>Voices of Rowan Atkinson, Matthew Broderick, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Guillaume, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella. Directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers. Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 (anamorphic). Two discs. Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French), 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix (English), THX. 88 minutes. 1994. Walt Disney Vista Home Entertainment 62971. G. $29.99.</I>
<I>Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Joe Morton. Directed by James Cameron. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). THX, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Headphone. Two discs. 152 minutes. 1991. Artisan Home Entertainment 14638. R. $29.98.</I>
The model designation "DM" might not sound like anything special, but it has a long history with B&W. Models such as the DM 6, fondly remembered by audiophiles as the "pregnant penguin," enjoyed a modest following in the 1970s, when then-small English speaker company Bowers & Wilkins was knocking out attendees at hi-fi show demonstrations. B&W is now, by most accounts, the biggest speaker company in the UK. Its model range has increased exponentially since those early days, but the DM prefix is still very much alive.
<I>Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lucas, Peter Lorre. Directed by Richard Fleischer. Aspect ratio: 2.55:1 (anamorphic). Two discs. Dolby Digital 5.1, THX. 127 minutes. 1954. Walt Disney Home Video 27853. G. $29.99.</I>
To a videophile who cut his or her teeth on CRT units, a 7-pound video projector that is no larger than a fat dictionary and can be mounted inconspicuously on a ceiling or table is hard to believe. It can even be stored out of sight and set up again, when needed, in minutes. How good can it be?