Thomas J. Norton

A/V Veteran
It’s a Jurassic World (After All)
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 02, 2018  |  1 comments
While the movers behind the Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek franchises aren’t at risk of losing sleep over dinosaurs just yet, the Jurassic worlds and parks do threaten to chomp on more than a few toes over the coming years.

When Jurassic Park debuted in 1993 it could have been a boom or a bust. Computer generated effects (CGI) were just coming into their own, but with a few exceptions (notably Terminator 2) they still hadn’t eaten the film business alive. Though keenly aware of his problems with the anamatronic shark in 1975’s Jaws, director Steven Spielberg was also aware that CGI, while still in its infancy, had significantly advanced the possibilities for special effects since the (on-set) practical effects of 1975.

So Spielberg went ahead. Using a brilliant combination of anamatronics and CGI he crafted a classic movie with effects that still hold up today. Four other Jurassic films have followed, three of them directed by others...

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A/V Veteran
CEDIA Expo 2018: Sifting Through the AV Nuggets
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 11, 2018  |  0 comments
The 2018 edition of CEDIA Expo is now history and, although it may not be as grand as CES, it still left us with plenty to chew on.
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CEDIA 2018
Samsung's Stages Stunning 8K Demo at CEDIA
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  1 comments
The mini-wave that’s 8K video might well become a tsunami, so Samsung means to get out in front of it. At CEDIA Samsung demo’ed its new Q900FN series of 8K sets. They’re also said to be capable of 4000 nits of peak brightness, which if achievable after calibration could be more significant than the 8K pixel count. Today’s 4K UHD source material is mastered at either 1000 nits or 4000 nits, and a set capable of 4000 nits (a level OLED will likely never achieve) will not need tone mapping for those sources.
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CEDIA 2018
Paradigm and Anthem Go Anamorphic for CEDIA Demo
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
The demo in the Anthem-Paradigm sound room was impressive, using a pair of the new Paradigm Prelude 800F tower speakers (under $2,000/pair) for a two-channel demo and Paradigm’s upscale in-wall (on-wall in this demo) speakers for the AV presentation... So why the picture here of Panamorph anamorphic lenses?
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CEDIA 2018
Integra Gets Small
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
A 75Wpc, 2-channel amp (into 8 ohms) might seem a little anachronistic today, when home theater fans want as many high-powered channels as they can afford in their amps and AVRs.
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CEDIA 2018
JVC Shifts into 8K at CEDIA with Impressive Results
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Deeper into this blog thread you’ll read more about JVC’s impressive new lamp-based 4K projector lineup. I arrived late to the press event and had to take screenshots from the back. But I couldn’t resist bringing you an MST3000 moment.
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CEDIA 2018
Hisense Focuses on Short-Throw Laser at CEDIA
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Hisense brought its wide range of short throw 4K Laser TV projectors to the show. All of them use TI’s 4K imaging chip, and all of them come with dedicated screens...
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CEDIA 2018
Atlantic Technology Previews Bruiser Sub
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
Atlantic Technology announced two new subs at CEDIA Expo 2018, one of which is quite the bruiser.
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CEDIA 2018
LG's 4K Laser Projector Shines at CEDIA
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  0 comments
LG didn't introduce anything truly new at CEDIA but an ongoing demo of its CineBeam HU80KA portable 4K laser projector caught my interest...
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CEDIA 2018
Fibbr Launches 2 Cables: One Clear, One 8K-Ready
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018  |  2 comments
Fibbr launched two fiber-optic cables at CEDIA Expo 2018: One is nearly transparent, making it ideal for inconspicuous installations, the other is 8K-ready.
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