The Sony VPL-VW11HT LCD projector is an update of the VPL-VW10HT, reviewed in the June 2000 <I>SGHT</I>. It uses the same 16:9 LCD panel as the Grand Wega KF-60DX100, but wraps it in a compact front-projector chassis. It offers the same wide range of aspect ratios plus a few additional ones, and accepts 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i component or RGB sources, scaling them all to the panel's native resolution of 1366x768. (Unlike in the Grand Wega, 720p is not first converted to standard-definition 480p.) There are also composite and S-video inputs, but no digital input. Six user-programmable video memories store, among other things, the user's calibrated picture settings, selected color temperature, and a default aspect ratio.
Computer networking isn't a subject you'd necessarily expect to read about in Sound & Vision. But because more and more home-entertainment gear wants to get connected to the Internet and because networking is a viable way to distribute compressed audio and video, it makes sense for us to look at where home networks are today.
There are high-priced major-league baseball players (is that redundant?), and then there are the Mark McGuires and Sammy Sosas - players whose abilities and accomplishments leave even their overpaid teammates in awe. The same holds true as you approach the stratospheric reaches of high-end A/V receivers.
Feel like some shopping? How about a brand-new Porsche 911 for $10,000? Or an Armani suit for $200? Or maybe a vacation in the Swiss Alps for $1,000? I'm sorry, but those items are not available.
<I>Branko Djuric, Rene Bitorajac, Filip Sovagovic, Georges Siatidis, Simon Callow, Katrin Cartlidge. Directed by Danis Tanovic. Aspect ratios: 2.35:1 (anamorphic) and 1.33:1. Dolby Digital 5.1 (Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian, French, English). 127 minutes. 2001. United Artists 1003329. R. $26.98.</I>
The burgeoning market for digital television is being hindered by an increasing number of reports of radio-frequency interference from DTV transmitters. Although DTV is a "technology that is finally beginning to boom," according to a July 16 report from Reed Business Information, some broadcasters, in particular Paxson Communications, have complained about interference problems. Consumers who buy digital televisions are still disappointed by the skimpy high-definition programming offered by their local broadcasters. DTV's picture for the near future therefore remains unclear.
Fred Manteghian journeys to the BAT cave for his review of the <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/showarchives.cgi?21">Balanced Audio Technology VK-6200 multichannel power amplifier</A>. Manteghian notes that "this museum-quality piece of modern art was forced to sit on the floor during its stay here—but if you end up buying one, it deserves a seat of honor somewhere in your room."
Rental figures for DVD will equal those of VHS by the end of the year, according to recent predictions made at the recent <A HREF="http://www.vsda.org">Video Software Dealers Association</A> (VSDA).