LATEST ADDITIONS

PS3 Targets Still On Track Says Sony; Sales Numbers On PS3 And Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD External Drive.

| Dec 14, 2006

The Associated Press has reported that Sony is sticking with its target of having six million PlayStation3 game consoles shipped to retailers by March, the end of the fiscal year. Further, Sony claims it will also meet its goal of having two million PS3s shipped by the end of this calendar year.

Ears On

Cambridge PlayDock Offers Freedom of Choice

Mark Fleischmann | Dec 14, 2006

Does your loved one own a Creative Labs Zen music player and look longingly at shop windows full of "Made for iPod" docking systems? Well, just in time for the holiday season, Cambridge SoundWorks comes to the rescue with the PlayDock Zen. It recharges the player and runs on AC or, gulp, eight C batteries (note to CSW: think rechargable next time). It's also got a line-input to accommodate any other kind of music player, 480 by 640 video output, telescoping antenna for radio-equipped players, and--miraculous!--a handle. If you're looking for an alternative, Creative Labs offers its own TravelDock Zen Micro and many other Zen accessories. Think differently! Oh, and the PlayDock will also support iPods starting in January with the PlayDock i. In either case, the price is $199.

Ears On

Sir, Step Away from the Game Console

Mark Fleischmann | Dec 13, 2006

If you live in Germany, blowing away virtual baddies may soon do more than stress your thumb joints. Pending legislation in Bavaria and Lower Saxony would give creators, distributors, and--yes--players of violent video games up to a year in the slammer. To be specific, it would penalize "cruel violence on humans or human-looking characters." The move in the world's third-largest gaming market follows a horrific school shooting in a town on the Dutch border, where an 18-year-old gamer wounded 37 people before killing himself. Officials blame the rampage on the teen's fondness for the game "Counter Strike," although his video suicide note cites school, anarchist politics, bullying, a desire for revenge, social isolation, and the joy of gun possession--everything but video games. Even so, insists Bavarian interior minister Günther Beckstein: "It is absolutely beyond any doubt that such killer games desensitize unstable characters and can have a stimulating effect." Digg readers retorted: "Computer games don't kill people. It's the nutters with guns that kill people." And: "I propose a ban on bad parenting." But the outlawing of virtual crimes literally crosses the line between fantasy and reality. Maybe the best solution for virtual violence is a virtual prison sentence.

Ears On

Analog TV Dies

Mark Fleischmann | Dec 12, 2006

The transition to digital television is finally complete. Yes, it's true. Analog signals have been banished from the airwaves. If you don't believe me, hop a plane to the Netherlands and see for yourself. The cutoff came between midnight and two a.m. Monday morning, affecting 74,000 of the country's 16 million viewers--most of the remainder get cable, with only token numbers of satellite and IPTV addicts. Broadcast-dependent Dutch viewers will have to pay $66.50 for a set-top box to adapt their analog sets to the new digital signals. However, the government will save $200 per year for each of them, making subsidies at least theoretically possible. Broadcaster Royal KPN NV paid to construct the DTV transmitters. It is obligated to keep broadcasting the three state channels but can charge $18.50 a month for a package of extra channels similar to cable. Belgium and Scandinavia will jump into the DTV pool in 2007, though the United States won't follow till 2009 (or never, if broadcasters get their way).

Desktop Speaker Reviews

Polk Audio I-Sonic

Darryl Wilkinson | Dec 11, 2006

The biggest bang for the box.

I was smitten with Polk's I-Sonic tabletop system when I first laid eyes (but no hands-this was a prototype) on it at a Polk press conference. The strong fixation, no doubt, grew out of my need to replace an aging Bose Wave radio that had served me well but was clearly at its watts' end. I was also enticed by the unusually swanky set of features (a built-in DVD player, XM capability, and HD Radio). And then, of course, there was the fact that I couldn't get my hands on one; exclusivity is often enticing.

Blu-ray Player Reviews

Panasonic DMP-BD10 Blu-ray Disc Player

Thomas J. Norton | Dec 11, 2006

We've waited what seems like an eternity for a top performing Blu-ray Disc player to challenge the head start HD DVD seized when it hit stores this past spring. Blu-ray's launch was dampened by the format's first player being the underperforming and poorly reviewed Samsung BD-P1000, which shipped with an incorrect noise reduction chip setting that caused soft imagery but that has since been corrected by a firmware update (a UAV follow-up is pending).

Ears On

NY Times Comes to Bury HD, Not to Praise It

Mark Fleischmann | Dec 11, 2006

How often does The New York Times print something clueless about home theater technology? About as often as you go to the bathroom. The latest outrage comes in a story debunking various tech underachievers with the headline The Hat Trick That Didn't Happen. Reporter Richard Siklos cites a Frank N. Magid Associates survey saying that the number of HDTV buyers who are looking forward to watching high-def has declined from 63 percent two years ago to 47 percent now. He goes on to say: "The reason for this lack of enthusiasm is pretty clear in my own home. For one thing, plenty of shows on the high-definition channels I receive with my digital cable package appear with big black borders--because of the aspect ratio or somesuch--and I can't figure out whether this is my doing or the cable company's or the broadcaster's." Actually, aspect ratio is the program producer's decision, and those black borders are usually a superior alternative to stretching. Note to Siklos' editor: Tell your reporter to find his remote and learn to use the aspect ratio control or somesuch. He can learn more about aspect ratio in any number of places, including the Wiki. And while he's at it, RTFM. If fewer HDTV buyers are interested than HDTV today versus two years ago, the most likely explanation is that plummeting flat-panel prices have lured less knowledgable viewers into the market. And the solution is to assign knowledgable writers to cover the subject.

Audio Video News

First Generation Blu-ray Players' Interactivity Crippled?

| Dec 10, 2006

If you've been reading UAV regularly you know that the remaining first generation Blu-ray disc players scheduled for release this year are just starting to trickle in. UAV has recently posted its takes on <A HREF="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/1106panasdmpbd10/">Panasonic's DMP-BD10</A> and <A HREF="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/1206sonybdps1/">Sony's BDP-S1</A>, and rest assured that a full review of Sony's PlayStation3 is being fact-checked by Sony and will appear soon.

LCD TV Reviews

Toshiba Cinema Series Pro 47LZ196 LCD Flat Panel

| Dec 10, 2006

LCD flat panels have been marching steadily on your local electronics stores and, according to the sales numbers, into a lot of homes. Although plasma got an early lead as the hot flat panel technology, LCD is catching up. Early on, larger LCDs were compromised in performance and very expensive compared to plasmas at 42" and above, but no more. LCD is rapidly moving into price parity with plasma in larger screen sizes and performance has been steadily increasing.

Audio Video News

Primedia Job Offer

Ultimate AV Staff | Dec 10, 2006

We are seeking a seasoned sales professional to sell both print and online advertising in west coast territory for 2 leading enthusiast magazines and 3 websites in the home entertainment/consumer electronics industry.
<UL COMPACT>
<LI>Strong sales, presentation and negotiating skills</LI>
<LI>Develop new and cultivate existing business within the region (consultative sales skills a must!)</LI>
<LI>Ability to develop key client, agency and industry relationships at all levels. </LI>
<LI>Innovative and creative sales approach with strong business acumen </LI>
<LI>Must be well organized and have excellent verbal and written communication skills.</LI>
<LI>Promote and sell high-profile special projects (i.e. single-sponsored special sections, supplements, online events)</LI>
<LI>Travel for in-person client meetings and tradeshows</LI>
<LI>Prospect within territory for all potential advertisers</LI>
<LI>Maintain and grow substantial existing advertising base</LI>
<LI>Maintain database of all advertisers and prospects within territory</LI>
<LI>Plan and execute strategy to communicate features/benefits of all products to prospects and advertisers</LI>
<LI>Know all products and how to best present them </LI>
<LI>Follow through on sales and commitments with advertisers, prospects and peers</LI>
<LI>Submit thorough, accurate, timely reports and paperwork</LI>
<LI>Research prospects and advertisers to be familiar with their businesses</LI>
<LI>Revenue growth for online, print, events, sponsorships and custom publishing</LI>
<LI>Experience in making sales calls and closing business is a MUST</LI>
</UL>

Please send resumes and salary history to <A HREF="mailto:resumes@primedia.com">resumes@primedia.com</A>

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