Steven Stone reviews the <A HREF="/accessories/604camelot">Camelot Technology Dragon 5.1 Plus DVD/CD jitter-reduction device</A>, explaining that "it promises to do for DVD players what the Audio Alchemy box did for CD players: make them sound a lot better."
Thomas J. Norton reviews the inexpensive <A HREF="/videoprojectors/604benq">BenQ PE8700 DLP video projector</A>, explaining why it "has to qualify as the surprise product of early 2004."
HDTV Forum 2004 will be bigger and better than last year's inaugural event, thanks to the addition of dozens of heavyweights from a cross-section of participating industries. Scheduled for August 24–26 at the Westin Century Plaza in Los Angeles, the theme of this year's confab is "Accelerating the HDTV Transition."
Peter Putman reviews the <A HREF="/videoprojectors/604panasonic">Panasonic PT-AE500U front LCD projector</A>, noting that this product "comes with a great deal of buzz about its color and image quality—at least from those who saw a preview of it at last year's CEDIA expo." PP tests to see if the buzz was on target.
Steven Stone reviews the <A HREF="/dvdplayers/604teac">TEAC Esoteric DV-50 universal disc player</A>, noting that this product "continues the TEAC tradition of making gear that not only weighs a lot, but also promises to deliver the ultimate in performance and durability."
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is celebrating the official July 1 launch of the national "plug-and-play" digital cable standard, one that will deliver digital and high-definition television (HDTV) via cable for the first time without the need for a cable set-top box.
Peter Putman reviews the <A HREF="/directviewandptvtelevisions/604mits">Mitsubishi PD-5030 & HD-5000 plasma monitor & HDTV receiver controller</A>, noting that this product "represents the company's long-awaited step into flat-panel-TVs."
Score another breakthrough for HD DVD. On June 23, Apple Computer announced the ratification by the DVD Forum of the "H.264 Advanced Video Codec" (AVC) and its inclusion in the company's upcoming software releases. The standard will be included in specifications for the High Definition DVD format, the next great leap forward for the 5" optical disc.