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Audio Video News
Would You Buy Fewer Commercials for $1?
 |  Aug 06, 2006

In these TiVo-centric times it's tough for advertisers to figure out how to get their expensive to produce and place commercial messages in front of people. The burgeoning DVR market allows more and more users to not only time shift their content, but to zip right past those commercials the advertisers have paid millions of dollars to place on your favorite show. While the TV networks keep coming up with studies showing that their customers' ads are still buying them some impact with the DVR- generation, a recent survey from DIGDIA shows viewers would pay more for on-demand movie content to avoid commercials entirely.

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Audio Video News
StealTHX in Your Ceiling
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Aug 05, 2006
Nearly a year after Polk introduced its first THX Ultra2 certified in-wall speaker, the RTS105, the self-proclaimed genius-based speaker company has announced an in-ceiling version. According to Polk, the new RTS100 is the first in-ceiling speaker to receive THX Ultra2 certification.
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Ears On
TWC Nixes CableCARD for TiVo
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 04, 2006
Time Warner Cable of Raleigh, North Carolina will not supply CableCARDs for the forthcoming TiVo Series 3 HD DVR, according to ConsumerFury.com. A consumer emailed the company asking about the card and received this response: "Time Warner Cable of Raleigh does not provide support for or allow TIVO devices on our cable network. Time Warner Cable provides DVR service and equipment for customers that would like to record programs and watch them later. Cable Cards will only be installed on Cable ready, Cable Card slot available television sets. This policy is subject to change at the discretion of Time Warner Cable of Raleigh." Of course, as the response points out, TWC would rather have you rent TWC's DVR, no matter how bad it is. Presumably that's why the 1394 output of my own TWC-NYC cable box is disabled, preventing me from hooking up any form of HD-capable recorder. Nice logo.
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Audio Video News
HD DVD and Blu-ray Updates
 |  Aug 03, 2006  |  First Published: Aug 04, 2006

Be sure to check <I>UAV's</I> <a href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/features/060606nextgen/">Next–Gen release calendar</a> for these updates.

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Toshiba's Mark Knox Talks about HD DVD and Blu-ray
 |  Aug 03, 2006

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Other Tech
Humax LD2060 20-inch DirecTV/LCD Combo
John Sciacca  |  Aug 03, 2006

For every job, there is the "right" tool. Just as you wouldn't grab a hammer to open a bottle of champagne, you wouldn't install a front projection system in a sunny room. DirecTV subscribers, unfortunately, have always needed an extra, often unwanted, "tool" in the form of a standalone satellite receiver.

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JBL Cinema Sound Speaker System
Al Griffin  |  Aug 03, 2006

If forced to list common traits of the many new flat TV-friendly speaker systems that have crossed my path of late, I'd document them as follows: slim form factor, two-grand price point (approximately), generous application of shiny metallic and gloss-black surfaces in the cabinet design. The components of the new JBL Cinema Sound speaker system fit into that mold perfectly.

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Ears On
France Spits Bits
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 03, 2006
Will France beat America in the download race? A France Télécom project wiring 100 Parisian homes with fiber optics will reach blazing-fast speeds of 2.5 gigabits per second downstream and 1.2gbps upstream. That beats our best contender, Verizon FiOS, which is being marketed at a maximum of 50 megabits per second. However, there's a catch. Verizon FiOS is a real-world product rolling out in the field, whereas the France Télécom project is merely experimental. Also, France is using GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology. Verizon will eventually add GPON to its own system, raising download (and upload) speeds into the same range as the French. But there remains one area where the French may remain way out front: price. The experimental service costs €70, or about $88, per month for combined TV, phone, and net access—less than American cable and telcos are charging for their triple-play packages.
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Audica CS-System 3 Speakers
Al Griffin  |  Aug 02, 2006

Just how slim can speakers get? It's a question I find myself pondering these days as wave after wave of skinny speakers arrives on my doorstep for testing. Looking over the elegant, metal-clad CS-System 3 speakers from British newcomer Audica - a company of audio veterans who previously did time at established UK speaker outfits like Mission - the answer is: remarkably slim.

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Other Tech
Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2
 |  Aug 02, 2006

Variety is the spice of life - clichéd but oh so true, especially when it comes to TV. No one wants to watch reruns of 24 on the tube 24/7. That's just boring, even if the show does kick butt and Jack Bauer is one tough hombre.

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