Harman/Kardon
If you've been waiting for the perfect unit to come along before replacing that obsolete DVD player you're currently using, look no further. Harman/Kardon's DVD 31 is a progressive-scan player that can chew up almost any alphabetic combination you can think up: DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, WMA, CD, MP3, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD-DA, CD-R/-RW, CD-ROM multisession, 24/96 audio discs, and videoCD. Pixel-by-pixel processing upconverts images to progressive-scan component video output. The player also features digital-video circuitry to reconstruct the 3:2-pulldown process, so you get the full 60-frame playback with progressive-scan image quality for your DVD-Video. A long list of connections rounds out the package: component video, S-video, composite video, coaxial and optical digital audio, and multichannel and stereo analog audio. One last surprise for you: All of this retails for just $349.
Harman/Kardon
(800) 422-8027 www.harmankardon.com
Many of the new speaker designs I've seen recently look more like a wing, an orb, or an obelisk than a speaker, so it was reassuring to unpack this latest system from Paradigm Reference, the high-end division of Paradigm. The Studio 40 v.3 front left/right speakers are solidly conventional, quadrilateral boxes.
<I>Passion</I> piracy? Hollywood duplication facility Lightning Media is on the receiving end of a lawsuit by Mel Gibson's Icon Distribution Inc., alleging copyright violations over illegal copies made of <I>The Passion of the Christ</I>, Gibson's controversial new film now in theatrical release. <I>Passion</I> pulled in over $125 million in ticket sales in its first week.
Thomas J. Norton listens to the <A HREF="/amplifiers/104theta">Theta Dreadnaught II multichannel amplifier</A>, the latest in a growing family from a company known for its digital converters, transports and surround processors. TJN determines if the amp, which is configurable from two to five channels, lives up to Theta's admirable audiophile reputation.
<I>Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristanna Loken. Directed by Jonathan Mostow. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French). Two discs. 109 minutes. 2003. Warner Home Video 27723. R. $29.95.</I>
The Dreadnaught (reviewed in our Oct-ober 2000 issue) was the first power amplifier from Theta Digital, a company previously known for its D/A converters, CD and DVD transports, and surround processors. But it wasn't to be the last. The Dreadnaught II is now a member of a growing family of Theta amplifiers—the premier multichannel design in a line that also includes high-end monoblocks.
Photo by Tony Cordoza The trouble with storing a massive music library on your computer is obvious: it's on your computer! To hear those MP3 or WMA (Windows Media Audio) files on the killer sound system in your living room, you need to jump through hoops.
Photos by Tony Cordoza The model numbers for Harman Kardon's latest line of A/V receivers recall those the company used for receivers it introduced some 20 years ago, and I'm betting that's no accident. Back then, HK scored a solid hit with a compact, simple, affordable stereo receiver called the 330C that was modestly powered but provided consistently good sound.