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Audio Video News

Coming Attractions

HT Staff | Jun 20, 2005

Boston Acoustics

Audio Video News

Latest Software Reviews

HT Staff | Jun 20, 2005

DVD: Elektra—20th Century Fox
While some fans lament the seemingly imploding film career of the latest prettier half of "Bennifer," what's really sad is that Hollywood has managed to take Elektra, the dark, driven creation of the great Frank Miller, and reinvent her as just another melodramatic heroine. As portrayed by the lithe, earnest Jennifer Garner, "E" is a conflicted killer with quirky habits (obsessive-compulsive disorder for a few quick laughs!), who squares off against a slew of overdone computer-generated special effects. Oh, and did I mention the precocious young sidekick and the hunky single dad next door? Had the filmmakers gone for gritty action and an R rating instead of the flashy fantasy nonsense, this movie could have been great instead of just OK. Even at a mere 96 minutes, it's a tad sluggish.

The Big Picture

Don't Get Me Started: No TV Left Behind

Scott Wilkinson | Jun 20, 2005

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/headshot150.sw.jpg" WIDTH=150 HEIGHT=200 HSPACE=6 VSPACE=4 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Recently, <I>UAV</I> contributor Michael Fremer sent me a copy of an e-mail containing an e-discussion he was having with Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The topic of their e-conversation was a petition by the Consumers Union (CU), a non-profit organization that publishes <I>Consumer Reports</I>. The gist of the petition is given on their Web site:

Tower Speaker Reviews Video Processor Reviews

Yamaha YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector Home Theater Speaker System

Steven Stone | Jun 19, 2005 | First Published: Jun 20, 2005

The modern world revolves around easy. Look at the home-theater-in-a-box products. Consumers only need to make one shopping decision to purchase an entire home theater sound system. Unfortunately, they still need to set up the speakers and connect everything together.

Subwoofer Reviews

Tiny Killer Subs

Daniel Kumin | Jun 19, 2005

What's big and black, rumbles a lot, and can go really, really deep? If you said "a submarine," you're right. If you said "a subwoofer," you're half right.

Screen Research ClearPix2 Acoustically Transparent Front-Projection Screen

Thomas J. Norton | Jun 19, 2005

Most consumers think of a projection screen as that rickety, stand-mounted contraption the AV clubber set up in the classroom when you were about to see a boring video, film, or slide show—pop quiz tomorrow. It was white, slightly sparkly, squarish, and nobody gave it much thought except when the teacher tripped over it on the way to the blackboard.

Audio Video News

Senate DTV Transition Bill

Scott Wilkinson | Jun 19, 2005

On June 14, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) introduced a bill that would set a hard cutoff date of January 1, 2009, for the shutdown of analog over-the-air (OTA) television broadcasting. The bill, formally S.1237, is also known as the SAVE LIVES Act of 2005. Someone worked pretty hard to come up with the words to fit that acronym: Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services Act.

Audio Video News

Who Cares if Analog TV Goes Dark?

Darryl Wilkinson | Jun 19, 2005

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has some news for the 33.6 million of you who use your television (TV) to view over-the-air (OTA) TV programming - get a life, or rather, get a new Digital TV.

Other Tech

The Connected House: iPod Comes Home

Ken C. Pohlmann | Jun 17, 2005