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BackTalk: John Lithgow
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jul 06, 2006

As a performer, you've done everything. Do you prefer TV, movies, singing, or the stage? I would say the Broadway theater - it's so much at the heart of things. But I just signed on to do a new sitcom on NBC, Twenty Good Years, and it's incredibly fun. We're going to have a ball on that show. It's a real treat to vary my diet.

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Fred Manteghian Blog
Burn Baby Burn!
Fred Manteghian  |  Jul 06, 2006

A few weeks ago, I reported the Plasma Display Coalition (PDC) paid consultants to test their plasma sets independently (see <a href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/fredmanteghian/061406torment/" target=new>Tormenting the Plasma</a>). This week, I got my hands on the actual report and the results are fascinating. Just a bit of background. Everyone I know that buys an LCD TV says, when I ask why not a plasma, that the LCD won't "wear out," "burn up," or words to that effect. Turns out, debunking that myth was only one of the study's goals.

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Arcam FMJ AV9 Preamp/Processor: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 06, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $5,749</LI>
<LI>Output channels: 7.3-channels (seven main channels, three subwoofers), single-ended</LI>
<LI>Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6</LI>
<LI>Ins and outs: Five coax and two toslink digital audio, five HDMI three component video, one 7.1-channel analog, MM phono, RS-232, 12V trigger</LI>
<LI>Highlights: THX Ultra2, damped Acousteel "Full Metal Jacket" chassis, HDMI and component video switching, multi-source/multi-zone, programmable backlit learning remote </LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706arcamav9.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=145 BORDER=0>

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Anthem Statement D2 Preamp/Processor: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 06, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $6,699</LI>
<LI>Output channels: 7.1-channels, single-ended and balanced</LI>
<LI>Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6/DTS 24/96</LI>
<LI>Ins and outs: Seven coax and three toslink digital audio, one AES/EBU, four HDMI and four component video, one 5.1-channel analog, RS-232, eight S-Video, three 12V triggers</LI>
<LI>Highlights: HDMI ver. 1.1 switching with Gennum video processing with transcoding of composite and S-Video and component video to HDMI, 24/192 A-D and D-A conversion, dual DSP engines, AV sync delay, multi-source/multi-zone, learning remote (not backlit!)</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706anthemd2.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=202 BORDER=0>

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Anthem AVM 50 Preamp/Processor: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 06, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $4,699</LI>
<LI>Output channels: 7.1-channels, single-ended and balanced</LI>
<LI>Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6</LI>
<LI>Ins and outs: Seven coax and three toslink digital audio, one AES/EBU, four HDMI and four component video, one 5.1-channel analog, RS-232, eight S-Video, three 12V triggers</LI>
<LI>Highlights: HDMI switching with Gennum video processing with transcoding of composite and S-Video and component video to HDMI, 24/96 A-D and 24/192 D-A conversion, automated setup and EQ with integrated microphone, AV sync delay, multi-source/multi-zone, learning remote (not backlit!).</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706anthemavm50.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=183 BORDER=0>

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Ears On
Universal Rethinks the CD Jewelbox
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 06, 2006
A major label will soon offer European customers three different tiers of CD releases, each with its own distinctive type of packaging. Universal Music Group announced that top releases will get a deluxe box (über-jewelbox? treasure chest?) potentially featuring bonus DVD, extra tracks, expanded notes, and other attractions. Mid-tier releases will get "super jewelboxes," a with round corners, stronger hinges, and heavier build quality. They sound a lot like the boxes already used for SACDs. Bottom-tier releases will get cardboard sleeves, though I'm not sure if that means a Digipak-like package (paper gatefold enclosing plastic spindle) or an all-cardboard "wallet" type. A competing budget label, Brilliant Classics, has had great success with wallets, marketing cheaply packaged but delightful boxed sets up to and including the now legendary 160-CD Bach Edition. Pricing for the Universal tiers will be €19.99, €14.99, and €9.99 respectively. As of this morning, a euro costs $1.28, so none of the tiers is cheap by American standards, though there's no telling what will happen if Universal brings the scheme across the Atlantic. Why this, why now? "We can grow the CD market," said a Universal executive—or at least, "slow its decline."
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New Products
New Products for July/August
 |  Jul 05, 2006

•Hitachi 42HDS69 42-inch Plasma HDTV •AudioReQuest S4.2500 Music Server •K2 Mounts X-Arm Motorized TV Mount •Rotel RSX-1057 A/V Receiver • Continue Reading »

GAME REVIEW: X-Men: The Official Game
Jon M. Gibson  |  Jul 05, 2006

An unavoidable annoyance today: the obligatory movie tie-in game. It's my worst nightmare, because no matter how much love I may have for the movie, the game almost always sucks.

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GAME REVIEW: The Da Vinci Code
Jon M. Gibson  |  Jul 05, 2006
2K Games (PS2, Xbox)
Game •• Graphics/Sound ••
Fans of the franchise will appreciate the verisimilitude to Dan Brown's opus.
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GAME REVIEW: Table Tennis
Jon M. Gibson  |  Jul 05, 2006
Rockstar (Xbox 360)
Game ••••½ Graphics/Sound ••••½
Laugh if you want, but there has never been a sports simulation more o
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