April 2005 - Posts

• Lost in HD

  I admit I'm clueless when it comes to pop TV. Despite being a Home Theater enthusiast, TV technician and gadget junkie it’s my curmudgeonly opinion that 99.9% of television programming is junk. But every once in awhile you find decent quality shows Read More... Posted Thursday, April 28, 2005 10:42 AM by | 10 Comments

• DVI / HDMI

  DVI and HDMI are both HDCP complaint digital cable standards. DVI is slightly older and can only transport a video signal, HDMI is the newer of the two and capable of amazing throughput. But what happens when you buy a new add-on component with an HDMI Read More... Posted Monday, April 25, 2005 8:09 PM by | 9 Comments Filed under: Product Reviews

• Spring is finally here!

  It looks like spring is finally up on us, warm air, sunshine and migratory bids returning from their winter hiatus. It’s this time of year that people start thinking of getting outdoors, perhaps the home audio gear will get a little less of a workout Read More... Posted Saturday, April 23, 2005 10:26 AM by | 0 Comments Filed under: Editorial

• Velodyne DPS-12, frivolity belies the beast

  Velodyne has been producing large dedicated bass driver speakers since 1983, long before subwoofers were a necessary part of a hi-fi system. The DPS line of subs from Velodyne bears considerable engineering history upon the modern digital realm of DSP Read More... Posted Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:41 PM by | 11 Comments Filed under: Product Reviews

• 1080P, don't hold your breath

  The next generation in hi definition is upon us 1080P , the newest and highest resolution of the hi-def video formats. Today’s conventional HDTV is 720P or 1080i, which are similar in the number of active scanlines. 1080P doubles this by offering Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 19, 2005 9:21 PM by | 14 Comments Filed under: Previews/Rumors

• Critical Listening

  It’s said that critical listening is nothing more than critical thinking applied to what you hear, it’s a sadly underappreciated aspect of Home Theater. When building a Home Theater system most people report that music is liable to represent Read More... Posted Friday, April 15, 2005 4:28 PM by | 13 Comments Filed under: Editorial

• Hotel Rwanda

  DVDs this week include the academy award nominated Hotel Rwanda. Hotel Rwanda is not a movie about the genocidal massacres in Rwanda in 1994, it's about the heroism of an ordinary man in a time of crisis. This is a film that reminds us that heroes are Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:28 PM by | 16 Comments Filed under: DVD Review

• What sucks about HDTV: LCD Dead Pixel

  “What sucks about HDTV” tries to illuminate common complaints, shortcomings and general misconceptions about HDTV. We all love HDTV but many people have shelled out thousands on an HD monitor expecting to be in total viewing nirvana only to Read More... Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2005 8:29 PM by | 0 Comments Filed under: What sucks about HDTV!

• Why do my DVD soundtracks sound so good?

  This question has been asked in many different ways by people just entering the Home Theater hobby. The basic idea is the same; why do DVD soundtracks (encoded in Dolby Digital or DTS ) sound so much better than music CDs on the same 5.1 system? When Read More... Posted Wednesday, April 06, 2005 11:14 PM by | 24 Comments Filed under: Editorial

• Elektra on DVD

  This weeks notable DVD releases include Elektra. Almost universally, and in my opinion unfairly panned by critics, Elektra makes for a quality Kung-Fu flick with great action sequences, special effects and entertaining story. Being a fan of the comics, Read More... Posted Monday, April 04, 2005 10:07 PM by | 1 Comments Filed under: DVD Review

• Frank Miller’s Sin City

  Sin City, which opened in theaters Friday, faithfully recreates the comics by Frank Miller and represents an important milestone in digital film. The comics were created as an alternative to the superhero genre and explores life and crimes in Basin City Read More... Posted Sunday, April 03, 2005 1:12 PM by | 2 Comments Filed under: News