Audio Video News

Fred Manteghian does some heavy lifting to install the 120-pound <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?64">Ayre V-6 multichannel power amplifier</A> in his home theater system. But the sound is what counts, and FM reports that the V-6 is a breath of fresh Ayre.

Soon, <A HREF="http://www.dolby.com">Dolby</A> won't be the only option for surround-sound processing in digital television broadcasting. <A HREF="http://www.dtsonline.com">Digital Theater Systems</A> (DTS) will also have a place in the format, thanks to a recent agreement with the <A HREF="http://www.dvb.org">Digital Video Broadcasting project</A>. The DVB is a technical consortium of more than 300 companies, established to create common international specifications for the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.

<I>Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving. Directed by Peter Jackson. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital EX, Stereo Surround Sound (English). Two discs. 178 minutes. 2001. New Line Home Entertainment N5542. PG-13. $29.95.</I>

<A HREF="http://www.tivo.com">TiVo</A>'s stand-alone digital video recorders (DVRs) may not have taken the market by storm, but the core technology&mdash;a hard-disk recorder&mdash;has begun to appear in a range of new products now on the market or to be introduced soon.

<I>Koyaanisqatsi: Directed by Godfrey Reggio. Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 (full-screen). Dolby Digital 5.1. 1983. MGM 1003766. NR. 97 minutes. $19.99.</I>

Just in time for the holidays department: On November 13, <A HREF="http://www.sharpusa.com">Sharp Electronics</A> announced steep price cuts and attractive rebates for its AQUOS series of liquid crystal television sets, including its widescreen 22" and 30" models.