Once something no serious movie lover would consider, in-wall speakers have made huge gains in performance in the past couple of years. In-walls are now real contenders for your home theater dollar.
Synonymous with cutting-edge video technology, Faroudja has launched an innovative "Faroudja Digital Projector (FDP) Package" program that includes a high-resolution D-ILA projector, specially selected video processors, and custom alignment by one of the most revered technicians in the business.
Theta Digital has launched several intriguing new products guaranteed to whet the appetites of music and movie lovers everywhere. Among them are the Carmen II DVD/CD transport, the Generation VIII two-channel DAC, and the multichannel Dreadnaught II power amp.
Fred Manteghian does some heavy lifting to install the 120-pound <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?64">Ayre V-6 multichannel power amplifier</A> in his home theater system. But the sound is what counts, and FM reports that the V-6 is a breath of fresh Ayre.
Public acceptance of high definition television is growing, but not at the rate hoped for by manufacturers, cable providers, and broadcasters, according to a recently released study by <A HREF="http://www.strategyanalytics.com">Strategy Analytics</A>.
Soon, <A HREF="http://www.dolby.com">Dolby</A> won't be the only option for surround-sound processing in digital television broadcasting. <A HREF="http://www.dtsonline.com">Digital Theater Systems</A> (DTS) will also have a place in the format, thanks to a recent agreement with the <A HREF="http://www.dvb.org">Digital Video Broadcasting project</A>. The DVB is a technical consortium of more than 300 companies, established to create common international specifications for the transition from analog to digital broadcasting.
<I>Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving. Directed by Peter Jackson. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital EX, Stereo Surround Sound (English). Two discs. 178 minutes. 2001. New Line Home Entertainment N5542. PG-13. $29.95.</I>
Video projectors just keep getting better. One of the leaders is the HT300Plus, the latest addition to the Grand Cinema line of DLP projectors from SIM2 Multimedia S.p.A.
The company's year-old HT300 is already something of a legend in the industry. SIM2 has improved its performance in several areas, including a 28% reduction in black level, and a 17% increase in brightness, for an overall gain in contrast ratio of +63%.
For better or worse, electronic display technology is going flat. Slowly but surely, as Asian manufacturers jettison older high-volume, low-profit picture- and projection-tube assembly lines, the venerable cathode-ray tube is being supplanted by such exotic items as Digital Light Processing (DLP), and liquid-crystal display (LCD) and plasma display panels (PDPs).