LATEST ADDITIONS

If <A HREF="http://www.toshiba.com">Toshiba</A>'s D-R1 is any indication, consumers are in for a lot of fun with the coming generation of DVD recorders.

Attempting to prevent a "movie Napster," the film industry has launched major legal assaults on makers of DVD copying software, charging that it violates the law by circumventing the format's copy-protection technology.

The CRT is a relatively stable, mature technology, but the new digital projection systems, particularly Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (DLP), are moving targets. Last year, DLP really came into its own for home theater with the introduction of TI's HD1 Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). Not only did the HD1 have a true 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio with 1280x720 resolution, but DLP projectors based upon it were significantly better than earlier designs, particularly in the depth of their blacks.

Bang & Olufsen
For a widescreen plasma display, B&O's BeoVision 5 might at first appear to be strangely shaped. Upon closer inspection, though, you'll see that its beautifully finished aluminum frame incorporates a 42-inch-wide, 16:9 plasma screen and a pair of magnetically shielded, front-firing speakers mounted below the screen. The BeoVision 5 measures 42 inches wide, 45.25 tall, and 6.75 deep, and it arrives with a stand, as well as a wall-mounting bracket. With a retail price of $19,500, the BeoVision 5 might not qualify as a budget plasma; however, its unique industrial design and your choice of a silver, red, black, blue, or green brushed-aluminum frame are sure to appeal to the décor-conscious theaterphile.
Bang & Olufsen
(847) 590-4900
www.bang-olufsen.com