Photos by Tony Cordoza Modern consumer electronics is so modular in design and construction that you could almost invent a new component category using the old Chinese-restaurant formula: choose one technology from column A and another from column B.
St. Louis–based <A HREF="http://www.charter.com">Charter Communications, Inc</A>. has become the first cable provider in the US to rollout an all-digital network, according to a January 16 announcement. The new service was implemented without the use of analog set-top boxes, using an existing HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial) network. The service, in Charter's Long Beach, CA system, combines digital programming with basic analog programming. The bandwidth-intensive service is made possible by use of a digital compression system consisting of "<A HREF="http://www.harmonicinc.com">Harmonic</A> DiviCom MV 50 variable bit-rate encoders and third-generation DiviTrackXE closed loop statistical multiplexing system," according to the announcement. For Charter subscribers, the new digital service can be activated "remotely and instantly" without the need for in-person service calls, said Charter vice president of engineering Wayne Davis.
As any SGHT reader knows, home theater is one of the electronic industry's growth areas. Related niches—DVD, HDTV, and multichannel audio—are equally hot and getting hotter. Cutting-edge manufacturers are pushing into the market like never before, with fascinating innovations.
Robert Deutsch and Thomas J. Norton provide us with follow-ups on a pair of classic HT products with <A HREF="/videoprojectors/1103dlp">Take Two: Marantz VP-12S2 and SharpVision XV-Z10000U DLP projectors</A>. Two different reviewers and two different systems. Will they get the same results as noted in the original reviews?
<I>Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romjin-Stamos, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming. Directed by Bryan Singer. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). DTS 5.1 ES, Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (French, Spanish). Two discs. 132 minutes. 2003. Fox Home Entertainment 2009206. PG-13. $29.98.</I>
Rotel
We usually don't believe that old adage about looks being deceiving. More often than not, things are exactly as they appear. So imagine our surprise when we heard about Rotel's new RSDX-02, an all-in-one DVD receiver with a 5.1-channel digital surround amplifier. This sleek component features 80 watts per channel for its five speaker outputs. The RSDX-02 offers Dolby Digital and DTS multichannel decoding; Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6 for two-channel sources; and an All-Channel Stereo mode for evenly spreading the sound. The internal DVD player also plays CD-Rs/-RWs, MP3- and JPEG-encoded CDs, and DVD-Audio discs. The RSDX-02 has coaxial and optical digital audio inputs and wideband component video input/output facilities that allow you to integrate your source components with the newest TVs, including HD-ready sets. This deceptively simple-looking piece is yours for $1,499.
Rotel
(978) 664-3820 www.rotel.com
Mel Tormé, George Shearing—A Vintage Year Mel Tormé, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass—Velvet & Brass
(SACDs, Concord)
Having seen Mel Tormé perform at Carnegie Hall in the last few years of his life, I can vouch for his vocal virtuosity, incredible energy, infectious charm, and ability to toss off a Buddy Rich drum solo. The first of these two hybrid SACD/CD releases captures him with pianist George Shearing live at the Paul Masson Mountain Winery in 1988. On the second, a studio set recorded in 1995, he pairs off with a big band, just a year before the stroke that would end his career.
Primedia has announced The Connected Guide To The Digital Home, the first consumer magazine dedicated entirely to adopting and integrating audio, video, information, telecommunications, security and other personal and home technologies. Formerly known as Audio Video Interiors (AVI), the standard-bearer for the home theater revolution, The Connected Guide To The Digital Home is being introduced as the natural evolution of AVI.
