LATEST ADDITIONS

 |  Feb 09, 2004

Omnipolar? Thomas Norton performs a careful analysis of the <A HREF="/speakersystems/1203mirage">Mirage Omni 250 surround speaker system</A> to get to the bottom of the company's revolutionary design that points a tweeter at your ceiling. "Attempts to produce the ideal omnidirectional speaker continue," notes Norton.

Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 08, 2004  |  First Published: Feb 09, 2004

<I>A Mighty Wind</I>

Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 08, 2004

Until the introduction of the Mirage M-1 a decade or so ago, all audiophiles knew what dipolar radiation meant. It was an inherent characteristic of flat, planar, enclosure-free speakers in which the rear radiation was 180&#176; out of phase with the front, producing a null at the sides. This null made the spacing from the sidewalls less critical. Beyond this, open-baffle dipole designs attracted a strong following for their unique spatial characteristics and a sound free of cabinet colorations.

John Sciacca  |  Feb 04, 2004

We're bombarded with warnings and suggestions every day of our lives. Some are beneficial and should be obeyed at all costs.

 |  Feb 02, 2004

Scott Wilkinson casts his critical gaze at the <A HREF="/dvdplayers/1203v">V, Inc. Bravo D1 DVD player</A> to find out just how good a DVI connection can be on a machine that sells for around $200. "The D1 is by no means perfect, but it occupies a unique place in the vanguard of the digital future, and so deserves a serious look," says SW.

Barry Willis  |  Feb 02, 2004

In late January, the US Department of Justice began a preliminary inquiry into the Blu-ray group, a breakaway from the <A HREF="http://www.dvdforum.org">DVD Forum</A>. Composed of Sony Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Philips Electronics NV, seven other manufacturers&mdash;and recently joined by Dell and Hewlett Packard&mdash;the Blu-ray group is suspected of interfering with the Forum's progress in establishing a standard for high-definition/high density DVD technology.

Barry Willis  |  Feb 02, 2004

The completion of two more films will close the books on a long-running partnership between Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Company. On Thursday, January 29 Pixar announced that it had abruptly ended discussions with Disney and would not renew its distribution agreement when it expires in 2005.

 |  Feb 02, 2004

From couch potato to desktop tuber: If you can't get enough TV even while toiling away at your computer, <A HREF="http://www.ati.com">ATI Technologies Inc</A>. has a family of video graphics cards just for you. In late January, the Markham, Ontario company announced new additions to its "All-in-Wonder" line of graphics cards. Among them are the All-in-Wonder 9600XT, All-in-Wonder 9600, and All-in-Wonder 9200. The All-in-Wonder 9600XT delivers more multimedia features via a graphics engine clocked at 525 MHz, with 128 MB of memory running at 650 MHz. Priced at $299 (US) this new multimedia solution includes an "FM-on-Demand" feature to receive and record favorite FM radio stations. It also offers dual VGA monitor support, integrated DVD authoring and burning, and comes bundled with MPEG-4-enabled Multimedia Center 8.8 software.

Jamie Sorcher  |  Feb 01, 2004
Sonnefeld photos by Michelle Hood Barry Sonnenfeld is the master of droll. You can see it in his work, from John Travolta's suave, minivan-driving gangster in Get Shorty to Tommy Lee Jones's slow-burning G-man in Men in Black to Patrick Warburton's oblivious superhero in The Tick.

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