Thomas J. Norton

Projector Reviews
Sony VPL-VW12HT LCD video projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 19, 2003  |  0 comments

The Sony VPL-VW12HT is the latest version of Sony's flagship consumer LCD projector. In appearance it's a twin of its pre-decessor, the VPL-VW11HT (reviewed in the July/August 2002 <I>Guide</I>). Its 16:9 LCD panels have the same specifications. It will accept all of the most common source resolutions&mdash;480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i component or RGB&mdash;and scale them to the panels' 1366x768 native resolution. The user can select any of the most common aspect ratios: widescreen (anamorphic or letterbox), 4:3, and several others, including two that pass the source through without scaling. There are six programmable video memories to store different setups, including picture adjustments, color temperature, and aspect ratio.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Band of Brothers
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 12, 2003  |  0 comments

<I>Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, Richard Loncraine, Mikael Salomen, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Leland, David Frankel, Tony To. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (letterbox). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Surround (English, French, Spanish). Five discs. 700 minutes. 2000. HBO Video 99205. NR. $119.98.</I>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
D-Theater Update
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 10, 2003  |  0 comments

<B>Independence Day</B> <BR> Aspect ratio: 2.35:1. Dolby Digital 5.1. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 2005772. PG-13. $34.95. <BR> Picture *** (3) <BR> Sound **** (4) <BR> Film **

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Reign of Fire
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 03, 2003  |  0 comments

<I>Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French), DTS 5.1. Touchstone Home Entertainment. PG-13. $29.99.</I>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Men In Black II
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 22, 2003  |  0 comments

<I>Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shaloub, Patrick Warburton, Jack Kehler, Rip Torn. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1. Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French). Two discs. 88 minutes. 2002. Columbia TriStar Home Video 39940. PG-13. $28.96.</I>

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Marantz DV-8300 SACD & DVD-Video/Audio player
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 22, 2003  |  0 comments

The first thing I noticed about the new Marantz DV-8300 DVD player was its weight. You won't confuse the 24-pound Marantz with a Krell power amp, but with so many DVD players today weighing less than the boxes they came in, the DV-8300's comfortable heft, metal front panel, and smooth mechanical operation suggest quality.

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Audio Video News
How Black is Black?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 09, 2003  |  0 comments

As noted in a number of British journals in early February, including <A HREF="http://www.newscientist.com">New Scientist</A> (February 6, 2003)&mdash;reports brought to our attention by <I>SGHT</I> contributor J. Gordon Holt&mdash;scientists at the UK's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have developed a new super-black coating that is said to reflect less the 0.35% of the light that strikes it, an absorption efficiency about seven times better than black paint. The coating can be put on materials ranging from metals to ceramics.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Minority Report
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 08, 2003  |  0 comments

<I>Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Lois Smith, Peter Stormare, Tim Blake Nelson. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French), DTS 5.1, Dolby Surround 2.0. Two discs. 146 minutes. 2002. DreamWorks Home Entertainment 89989. PG-13. $29.99.</I>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Signs
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 01, 2003  |  0 comments

<I>Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, THX. 107 minutes. 2002. Buena Vista Home Entertainment 2789903. PG-13. $29.99.</I>

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2003 Editor's Choice Awards Page 1
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 25, 2003  |  0 comments

As you read this, winter has set in and indoor diversions, including home theater, have taken center stage. Is it really that time of year again? The time <I>Stereophile Guide to Home Theater</I> announces its annual Editors' Choice awards from among the dozens of products we've reviewed in the past year? The time we agonize over our choices? The time the editor makes his first-cut nominations and discusses them with the other writers, carefully factoring in their opinions?

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