The Motion Picture Association of America (<A HREF="http://www.mpaa.org">MPAA</A>) has partially caved into demands from voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to release screening copies of movies nominated for Academy Awards.
New this month, Home Theater Magazine brings to you the internet's largest community of qualified audio and video buyers and sellers, powered by industry leaders Videogon. Visitors to hometheatermag.com will find a new "AVMarketplace" link that connects directly to the most robust venue for buying and selling used and new Audio and Video equipment on the web. Services also include an online Bluebook for quick evaluation of used equipment prices, online used equipment forums, member product reviews, information on manufacturers, and a member feedback system.
HDTV fans suddenly have more to choose from. On October 16, New York-based Cablevision Systems made good on its promise to deliver high-definition programming from the sky, with the launch of its Rainbow DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service.
Movie studios, producers, writers, actors, and distributors are seeking a work- around of an edict issued only a couple of weeks ago by the <A HREF="http://www.mpaa.org">Motion Picture Association of America</A> (MPAA) that would ban free screening copies of Academy Award-nominated movies.
Thomas J. Norton encircles himself with the <A HREF="/speakersystems/903BW">B&W DM 602 Series 3 surround speaker system</A>, noting that "the model designation 'DM' might not sound like anything special, but it has a long history with B&W." And, as TJN discovers, what counts is how that tradition is put to use.
HDTV is a hot technology, as any home theater fan will attest. That enthusiasm is shared by as many as nine million households, likely to purchase high-definition television (HDTV) products over the next 18 months, according to a recent <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) survey, titled <I>HDTV Consumer Awareness Update</I>. An additional 30 million consumers may buy into HDTV within the next three years, the trade group asserts.
DVD: Hollywood Homicide—Columbia TriStar
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Hollywood Homicide is the kind of film that probably looked much better in concept than it did on the scripted page—and far better than it does on screen. Two Hollywood detectives—one a real estate broker on the side, the other an aspiring actor—try to wedge in a murder investigation between their second lives. All of the buddy picture elements are here, notably the grizzled veteran (Harrison Ford) teamed with a green, slightly bumbling rookie (Josh Hartnett), but the screenplay by director Ron Shelton bumbles its own way through the story, creating zero believable chemistry between the two. Ford has never looked older or more dour as the long-timer who's more anxious to unload a turkey of a property than solve the case.
ELAN
ELAN's new VIA!2 wireless touchpanel is perfect for controlling wholehouse audio, home theater, security, temperature, lighting, drapes, and just about any other wireless solution you could ask for. (Now, if only it could load and unload the dishwasher...) It uses an 802.11b wireless transmission method and comes with both the VIA!2 server and docking station. The 7.8-inch LCD touchscreen and large, easy-to-read buttons and user screens make the VIA!2 both intuitive and user-friendly. Using ELAN's VIA!TOOLS Windows-based software, you can complete the setup process in hours using simple point-and-click methods. ELAN says that the VIA!2 will last for 670 hours in hibernate mode, 24 hours in standby mode, or 6 hours in operation mode. The $3,500 price tag also gets you the Server Station, which can turn the unit's commands into IR or RS-232 commands for controlling other home devices. Look for this handy device in the first quarter of 2004.
ELAN Home Systems
(859) 269-7760 www.elanhomesystems.com
Pete Putman reveals that, at first, he paid the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?159">Optoma H56 DLP front projector</A> little attention. And then he set one up for the 2003 Super Bowl, which lead to a complete review of the sub-$5k projector.
<A HREF="http://www.cablevision.com">Cablevision Systems Corporation</A> is the latest television provider to jump on the HDTV bandwagon. The twist here? Cablevision will deliver HD from a geosynchonous orbit.
Autumn's annual CEDIA Expo is increasingly the launch pad for new video and home theater products. It also leads into many new offerings to be delivered during the winter holiday season.
Joel Brinkley notes that "no company, it seems, can fail to have a universal player in their lineup these days." And at $999, Brinkley considers the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?157">Denon DVD-2900 universal player</A> a quality contender at a reasonable price.