Premiere Design

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Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 01, 2011  |  3 comments
Online distribution of video content—especially high-def video—will never float my boat until the bandwidth available to most homes is way faster than it is today. According to Speedtest.net, in 2010, South Korea had the fastest average household bandwidth at 22.46 megabits per second, while the US was 30th in the world at 7.78Mbps—that's less than Latvia (18.02Mbps), Lithuania (15.81Mbps), and Liechtenstein (7.79Mbps). But even in Korea, streaming high-def—not to mention anything with even higher resolution, like 4K or UltraHD—requires some serious compression, which lowers the picture quality dramatically.

An incredible solution to this problem was quietly demonstrated in a hotel suite at CES this year by a company called R2D2 ("Twice the Research, Twice the Development!"). The company's Hypernet technology bypasses the Internet completely, offering nearly unlimited bandwidth and instantaneous transmissions using the principles of quantum physics. Inventor Leia Organic Skydancer, love child of two spaced-out hippies, is a video artist and musician as well as a physicist and computer scientist who created Hypernet so she could effectively market her own material, including her first project, Music From the Hearts of Hyperspace.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 31, 2011  |  1 comments
In Part 1 and Part 2 of my report on the Runco D-73d 3D DLP projector, I covered its features in some detail. Now, it's time to reveal what we measured while working with it at Runco's training facility near Portland, Oregon. Helping me was Erik Guslawski, eastern regional product specialist, and Bob Williams, chief product architect and recent guest on my Home Theater Geeks podcast.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 29, 2011  |  5 comments
In Part 1 of this report on my visit to Runco to see the D-73d 3D projector up close and personal, I described its LED illumination and use of linear polarization to isolate the left and right images. Now, I'd like to discuss the alignment of its dual projection engines, its color features, and its outboard video processing.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 28, 2011  |  3 comments
Normally in this blog, I profile extreme products based solely on information provided by the manufacturer, not on personal experience. However, the D-73d projector from Runco is a different story—I got to spend an entire day with it at the company's training facility near Portland, Oregon, where Runco moved after being acquired by Planar. Helping me was Erik Guslawski, eastern regional product specialist, and Bob Williams, chief product architect and recent guest on my Home Theater Geeks podcast.

Because there's so much to write about, I'm going to split this report into several parts. First, I'll cover the features of the D-73d, then I'll focus on my experiences with the projector at Runco, including measurements and watching real-world content.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 22, 2011  |  2 comments

In this blog, I've written about speakers with glass enclosures, such as several models from Perfect8, and even speakers with glass diaphragms, such as the Hario Harion. But I've never before seen glass speakers like those from Greensound Technology, in which a single, freestanding sheet of glass serves as the (almost) full-range diaphragm.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 21, 2011  |  1 comments
Located in Memphis, TN, EgglestonWorks has long been known for exceptional speakers. Among the company's newest models is the Savoy, which is designed to meet the ultimate goal of music without compromise.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 17, 2011  |  0 comments
After designing and building direct-radiating speakers for over 20 years, Markus Duevel decided to try a different approach. Years of experimentation resulted in a unique combination of horn loading and omnidirectional radiation, and Duevel now offers several models, including the flagship Sirius.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 15, 2011  |  1 comments
Named after Cardea, Roman goddess of health, thresholds, and door hinges and handles, the Cardeas floorstanding speaker from German high-end maker Audio Physic befits what the poet Ovid said of its namesake—"Her power is to open what is shut; to shut what is open." In this case, the goal is to open the door to recorded sound's finest details and shut out any compromises.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 14, 2011  |  4 comments
Last year, I profiled the incredible Fenice speaker from Sonus Faber—a model that is now called "the Sonus Faber" due to a legal dispute over the name. Despite this name change, the company is applying what it has learned from that no-holds-barred flagship to other, more affordable models, such as the Amati Futura.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 10, 2011  |  7 comments
As I've said all along, you need a really big screen to get the most out of 3D video, and that usually means a front projector, which, in turn, means big bucks. But Mitsubishi will soon offer a more affordable alternative—the WD-92840, a DLP-based rear-projection 3D TV with a ginormous 92-inch screen for much less than most 3D front projectors and separate screens.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 08, 2011  |  0 comments
Zu Audio is well known for relatively affordable high-performance speakers, so it came as a bit of a surprise to see—and hear—a new, high-priced flagship from the Utah-based company at CES (actually, T.H.E. Show) last January. The Dominance raises the bar for Zu and gives other ultra-high-end speakers a run for their money.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 07, 2011  |  0 comments
Normally, I profile extreme products in this blog. But when I saw these photos of Goldmund's new showroom in Seoul, South Korea, I had to share them with you.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 03, 2011  |  0 comments
According to Erick Lichte in his CES 2011 report for Stereophile, the SS-101 2-channel power amp from Denmark's Vitus Audio sounded great. How could it get even better? By putting each channel in its own chassis with its own power supply—and thus, the SM-101 monoblock was born.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 01, 2011  |  0 comments
With the rise of satellite and Internet radio, you might think that terrestrial radio tuners are a thing of the past—but you'd be wrong. Magnum Dynalab has been making FM tuners of distinction for over 25 years, culminating in the flagship MD 109.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 24, 2011  |  1 comments

Home-theater geeks like me have been waiting for large-screen OLED flat panels for years now, but all we've seen so far are concept products at trade shows and one 11-inch consumer model from Sony for $2500. Recently, however, a ray of hope issued from Sony Professional when it introduced two new OLED monitors, the BVM-E250 and BVM-E170, for the pro market.

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