"What's possibly left to add to an A/V receiver?" industry observers and reviewers ask at the end of each new product cycle. But always, by the time the replacement model has been introduced, manufacturers have found plenty to tack on. Only owners of last year's "state-of-the-art" A/V receivers can say how worthwhile are these additions, refinements, and upgrades.
Photos by Tony Cordoza Great sound used to mean opting for speakers in generic rectangular boxes, while curvy, stylish designs had all the hi-fi credibility of a Blue Light Special boombox. No longer.
Having a great product at a fair price is mandatory practice in the ever-competitive audio business. But getting the word out and placing those products in front of the customer is just as critical—some might argue, even more important. If this is true, then Canadian speaker company Athena has just made the score of a lifetime.
Joel Brinkley sets up the top-of-the-line <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?84">Sony DVP-NS999ES DVD/SACD player</A> to see what the latest in a long line of great machines can do. AJB finds that they may have reduced the price, but not the quality.
<A HREF="http://www.zenith.com">Zenith Electronics Corporation</A> is recalling many rear-projection analog televisions made and sold in the late 1990s.
DVD will continue its rapid growth over the next four years, according to a report released January 29 by international analysis firm, Jon Peddie Research. The Tiburon, CA–based research firm predicts that the future looks bright indeed for the most successful new consumer electronics technology ever launched.
A buck per watt is a bargain in anybody's book today. It's an especially good value when those watts feature audiophile specifications, and plenty of dynamic headroom.
When it comes to selling front projectors into the home-theater market, JVC has always gone its own way. When other manufacturers were jumping into Digital Light Processing (DLP) and high-temperature polysilicon LCD, JVC introduced the direct-drive image light amplifier (D-ILA)—basically, a liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) imaging device. When others were adopting short-arc metal-halide and vapor lamps, JVC opted for xenon arc lamps to improve white balance.
<I>Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, THX. 107 minutes. 2002. Buena Vista Home Entertainment 2789903. PG-13. $29.99.</I>