The relatively small German company Audio Physic has had remarkable success among audiophiles worldwide with its line of mostly slim, relatively expensive, high-performance speakers. For two decades now, music lovers have responded to the brand's fast, detailed sound—a sound that places a premium on re-creating a musical event along with the music itself. Audio Physic speakers are best known for pulling a sonic disappearing act by producing holographic, 3-dimensional images and dramatic 2-channel soundstages, but communicating music's emotional content has always been paramount to founder and chief designer Joachim Gerhard. In my opinion, he's succeeded: My current reference speakers are Audio Physic Avanti IIIs; before that, I owned a pair of the original Virgos.
Julian Hirsch, an engineer and magazine writer who was instrumental in transforming hi-fi from an esoteric hobby into a multibillion-dollar global industry, died Monday, November 24, at the age of 81 after a long illness.
<I>Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Chris Elliot, Lee Evans, Lin Shaye, W. Earl Brown, Markie Post, Jeffrey Tambor, Keith David, Brett Favre, Jonathan Richman. Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 119 minutes. 1998. 20th Century Fox 37985. R. $21.99.</I>
Faroudja has long made among the very best video processors—the company virtually invented the industry. NEC has made outstanding plasma televisions for several years. Combining an NEC plasma that incorporates several important Faroudja enhancements with a top-of-the-line Faroudja processor and selling them as a package was an inspired idea that presented me with an intriguing product for review.
Joel Brinkley gets his hands on the <A HREF="/accessories/1003faroudja">Faroudja PlasmaSync 42MP4 & Native Rate Series Digital Cinema Source plasma display & DVD player-digital video processor</A> and puts it to the test. Combine a NEC plasma display with Faroudja processing and you get "an intriguing product for review," says JB.
Not so long ago, people used the 12 days after Christmas as an opportunity to continue to give gifts - and from that generosity the well-known carol was born.
Photos by John Wilkes Viewscreen images by Al Griffin The holidays are a time for giving, but they're also very much a time for receiving. And if you ask me, there's no better gift to get than a digital camcorder, especially when it's delivered to your office by a Santa-type figure dressed in a FedEx uniform.
Cable rates are rising again, at least for subscribers to <A HREF="http://www.cablevision.com">Cablevision Systems</A>. On Friday, November 21, the New York-based cable provider announced that 2004 rates would go up an average of 3.2%, approximately 50% higher than the current rate of inflation.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell and his Republican-dominated agency have gotten their hands slapped by a year-end move by Congress to block proposed changes to rules limiting ownership of broadcast media by any single company.