LATEST ADDITIONS

Pioneer buying NEC Plasma: NEC announced Friday Feb 6 that it would sell its plasma display panel (PDP) manufacturing business to Pioneer. NEC plans to concentrate its efforts on "network solutions and semiconductors," according to the announcement. The deal, estimated by Japanese analysts at about $379 million, could make Pioneer the dominant player in the hot plasma display market. The company projects that its PDP market share will rise from 14% to 22% as a result.

Omnipolar? Thomas Norton performs a careful analysis of the <A HREF="/speakersystems/1203mirage">Mirage Omni 250 surround speaker system</A> to get to the bottom of the company's revolutionary design that points a tweeter at your ceiling. "Attempts to produce the ideal omnidirectional speaker continue," notes Norton.

Until the introduction of the Mirage M-1 a decade or so ago, all audiophiles knew what dipolar radiation meant. It was an inherent characteristic of flat, planar, enclosure-free speakers in which the rear radiation was 180&#176; out of phase with the front, producing a null at the sides. This null made the spacing from the sidewalls less critical. Beyond this, open-baffle dipole designs attracted a strong following for their unique spatial characteristics and a sound free of cabinet colorations.

Scott Wilkinson casts his critical gaze at the <A HREF="/dvdplayers/1203v">V, Inc. Bravo D1 DVD player</A> to find out just how good a DVI connection can be on a machine that sells for around $200. "The D1 is by no means perfect, but it occupies a unique place in the vanguard of the digital future, and so deserves a serious look," says SW.