Audio Video News

DVD: The Cat in the Hat—Universal
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 2
It's always dangerous to remake a classic, yet director Bo Welch and company evidently had little fear of (or much respect for) the original Dr. Seuss tale in which a mischievous cat with a mysterious-but-colorful hat magically enters the lives of a brother and sister who need a lesson about balance in their lives. Although the DVD case claims that "the Classic Book Comes to Life," sadly, the childlike wonder and simple beauty of Suess' well-hewn prose and intriguingly alluring drawings are regularly shortchanged in favor of Mike Myers' antics and strangely out-of-place, off-color humor.

This month, <A HREF="http://www.integraresearch.com">Integra Research</A> should begin delivering the RDV-1.1, a high-performance universal disc player announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The THX Ultra-certified RDV-1.1 not only plays every current optical disc format, including DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD, and SACD, but includes a video scaler that upconverts ordinary DVDs to 720p or 1080i. The internal "O-Plus FlexScale" video scaler also works with external video sources connected to the RDV-1.1's unit's rear-panel component, composite, and S-video inputs.

Intrigue
The newest addition to Intrigue's line of Harmony remote controls is designed with your basic TiVo needs in mind. The Harmony SST-688 provides extra navigation buttons specifically for use with digital video recorders. Like the rest of its Harmony brethren, the SST-688 is PC- and Mac-compatible, and it features designated activity buttons like "Play DVD" and "Watch TV," which make the remote a breeze to operate. You configure the SST-688 online; simply answer a series of questions about your A/V equipment and then download the necessary programming into the remote via the included USB cable. The $225 remote control can operate all infrared devices, such as A/V components, gaming consoles, MP3 music servers, and lighting control.
Intrigue Technologies
(866) 291-1505
www.harmony-remote.com

The audio, video and home theater reference magazine in Quebec, <I>Quebec Audio & Video</I>, is very proud to present a Canadian first during its Annual Rendez-Vous &mdash;two conferences by Thomas J. Norton, editor of the American magazine, <I>Stereophile Guide to Home Theater</I>.

Outlaw Audio is now shipping its affordable high-performance subwoofer, the LFM-1. The $579 powered sub won high praise at introduction late last year, causing an unexpected demand. The Easton, MA-based manufacturer has completed production runs and should be able to fulfill all orders, according to a recent news posting.

Primedia, the leading targeted media company, announced March 30 the newsstand arrival of its recently launched <I><A HREF="http://www.connectedguide.com">Connected Guide To The Digital Home</A></I>. Part of Primedia's Home Technology & Photography (HT&P) Group, <I>Connected</I> is the first consumer magazine dedicated entirely to adopting and integrating audio, video, information, telecommunications, security and other personal and home technologies.

Allen unloads TechTV: Comcast Corporation will expand its reach with the purchase of TechTV, the geeky startup founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. According to reports on March 26, Comcast will pay approximately $300 million for TechTV, whose "Robot Wars" and other productions are available in more than 43 million homes.