Joel Brinkley gets his hands on the <A HREF="/accessories/1003faroudja">Faroudja PlasmaSync 42MP4 & Native Rate Series Digital Cinema Source plasma display & DVD player-digital video processor</A> and puts it to the test. Combine a NEC plasma display with Faroudja processing and you get "an intriguing product for review," says JB.
Not so long ago, people used the 12 days after Christmas as an opportunity to continue to give gifts - and from that generosity the well-known carol was born.
Photos by John Wilkes Viewscreen images by Al Griffin The holidays are a time for giving, but they're also very much a time for receiving. And if you ask me, there's no better gift to get than a digital camcorder, especially when it's delivered to your office by a Santa-type figure dressed in a FedEx uniform.
Cable rates are rising again, at least for subscribers to <A HREF="http://www.cablevision.com">Cablevision Systems</A>. On Friday, November 21, the New York-based cable provider announced that 2004 rates would go up an average of 3.2%, approximately 50% higher than the current rate of inflation.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell and his Republican-dominated agency have gotten their hands slapped by a year-end move by Congress to block proposed changes to rules limiting ownership of broadcast media by any single company.
Niles
The kids finally came through this year and gave you a brand-new, wall-mounted plasma instead of another tie with dancing Santas. Life would be perfect if you didn't have to stare at a couple of nonaesthetically pleasing loudspeakers on either side of your new toy. Niles' new DS6500AT in-ceiling loudspeaker is just the ticket. The DS speaker line features a pivoting driver system that lets you pivot the woofer up to 15 degrees and the tweeter up to 17 degrees in any direction. This action ensures that the speaker can accurately direct the sound where it needs to go. The DS6500AT has a rated power handling of up to 200 watts and uses a carbon and glass fiber woofer with a 1-inch aluminum tweeter. The speaker will only set you back $625.
Niles Audio
(305) 238-4373 www.nilesaudio.com
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD Edition—New Line
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 5
Pity the unfortunate middle child: I used up most of my superlatives on the extended Fellowship of the Ring last year, and The Return of the King is still to come, so I must tread lightly on The Two Towers. Seamlessly rendering the blockbuster theatrical epic even bigger, this expansion is downright sprawling yet still dramatically taut.
HDTV is permanently on the map with its own annual high-level convention. This year's inaugural event, HDTV Forum: Enabling HDTV from the Factory to the Home, took place in Marina del Rey, California, in mid-November, and drew attendees from a wide range of related industries. Sponsored by international research firms DisplaySearch and Insight Media, and by the Consumer Electronics Association, the sold-out event included over 40 presentations and panel discussions, covering the creation and distribution of HDTV content, all TV display and electronics technologies, experiences and challenges in online and retail channels, and market forecasts.
Sony Electronics long dominated the market for high-quality televisions sets. The company's distinguished array of direct-view sets - both the Trinitron and XBR series - set the standard for more than two decades. The advent of flat-panel televisions - LCD and plasma display panels (PDPs) - took Sony somewhat by surprise, causing it to drop from its traditional #1 spot as it yielded to more innovative competitors Samsung and Sharp.