It’s a safe bet that all of us, at one time or another, have been tempted to indulge in a little chronological chauvinism, i.e., the belief that the age in which we live is the most advanced, the wisest, and clearly superior to all that came before. To thoroughly explode that notion with regard to the wisdom of our current age, one need only reflect for a second on the fact that Perez Hilton is allowed to roam free—at least for a while, until Congress takes up my Send Perez Hilton to the Moon initiative. Yet as far as technology is concerned, it’s almost inarguable. Advance after advance has bequeathed to our blessed generation many wonders: the crescent wrench, the George Foreman Grill, SmartWool socks, chewable vitamins, and of course, Pizzeria Pretzel Combos.
<I>I have heard you and Leo Laporte discuss the merits of 1080p versus 1080i signals. You both agreed that both methods are almost indistinguishable from each other, but neither of you seemed clear as to why they were so close. Well, I believe I may have the reason, but please correct me if I am wrong. The essential feature is their respective frame/field rates. 1080p is 30 true frames or complete pictures per second, whereas 1080i is 60 fields per second, but because it is interlaced, it also results in a true 30 frames per second. Thus, both formats generate the exact same number of true frames or pictures per second, which is why their ultimate picture qualities are identical.
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/TOS2.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and crew are back for the second season of <i>Star Trek</i>, and unlike season one, this is the first we've seen these episodes in glorious 1080p. Season two has several strong episodes that tackle heavy social issues and offer up planet-eating monsters, a murder mystery, and those wonderful tribbles.
Audio enthusiasts the world over were saddened this week to learn that Jim Thiel, co-founder of Thiel Audio Products and its chief engineer for all of the company's 33-year history, has passed away. Thiel was known as one of the world's...
Want to get your hands on a new LED TV, but can't find one in your budget? Check out the deal we found here on this Samsung 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV for $2,739.00 (normally $3,599.99). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.
Toshiba...
Manual Labor I purchased an SPL meter to level the speakers in my 5.1 surround system. I read an article in Home Theater magazine about how to use this device, but I'm still not sure how to do it. For example, I'm not sure where to put the dial—do I start at 80 or 120?
Fresh after CEDIA, Denon has announced a pair of new home theater devices, the AVR-4810CI A/V receiver and the DBP-4010UDCI Blu-ray Disc player. These two new high-end products pack some impressive features, and equally impressive price tags.
The...
Boston Acoustics is adding iPhone support to its Duo-i iPod dock. The new Duo-i Plus is "Works with iPhone" certified, so it can play music on iPhones as well as iPods. Granted, the auxiliary audio inputs on the original Duo-i could play music on...
