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Audio Video News
Consumers Spent More Than Ever on Home Video in 2000
Jon Iverson  |  Feb 04, 2001

According to the numbers revealed by the <A HREF="http://vsda.org/">Video Software Dealers Association</A> (VSDA) last week, American consumers spent more than ever on home video in 2000, with rentals and sales of VHS and DVD hitting the $20 billion mark for the first time in home video's twenty-plus&ndash;year history. On the rental side of the video business, the VSDA reports that the total combined revenues of both DVD and VHS video formats rose 2.2% in 2000 over 1999. The "remarkably popular" new DVD video format made a major impact on this mark, says the not-for-profit trade group.

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Integra Research RDC-7 audio/video controller
John J. Gannon  |  Feb 01, 2001

Three decades ago, Alvin Toffler coined the term future shock to describe the malaise caused by the increased pace of new technology and information. Consumers of home-entertainment electronics experience some degree of <I>future shock</I> with every new technology: high-definition television, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, and all these new surround-sound formats.

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Ayre D-1 DVD/CD player
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 01, 2001

I hear you muttering already: "Just what the world needs&mdash;an $8500 DVD player."

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How We Test
HT Measurements Explained: Ground Control - The Preamp/Processor
Mike Wood  |  Jan 31, 2001  |  First Published: Feb 01, 2001
In the continuing saga to explain our measurements charts, senior technical editor Mike Wood explores ground control for your home theater: the preamp/processor.

Launching the space shuttle requires the actions of thousands of control systems and hundreds of people all directed by, ultimately, one person. Technicians sit in front of dozens of monitors, checking systems, subsystems, weather patterns, and so on—all to make sure that, when the chief gives the order, the big hunk of steel sitting on the launch pad is able to take off without a glitch. You may not be igniting hundreds of thousands of pounds of rocket fuel when you press play on your DVD-player remote, but you are trying to launch your home theater system, and you usually want it to happen without too many hang-ups. The main component that controls this process is the pre/pro, or preamp/ processor. This is the subject of our latest Boot Camp in the series explaining the technical measurements that accompany our product reviews.

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Hitachi 43FDX01 B 43-Inch Rear-Projection HD Monitor
Ronald Williams  |  Jan 31, 2001  |  First Published: Feb 01, 2001
Tabletop HD: small size, small price.

As the HDTV market grows, so do the variations in the types of sets we have to choose from. Here is an entry from Hitachi that has a 4:3-shaped image and is classified as an HD monitor. There's some discussion on whether the conventional 4:3 aspect ratio is preferable to the newer 16:9 shape. I have been of the opinion that, if you're going to watch HD, it should be on a wide screen, but the 43FDX01 B and other receiver/monitors have slowly convinced me that I should take a good second look.

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Other Source Component Reviews
Sony DVP-S9000ES SACD/DVD Player
 |  Jan 31, 2001  |  First Published: Feb 01, 2001
The Sony DVP-S9000ES SACD/DVD player proves you can increase a product's value and raise the price at the same time.

Sign up for a Vons-supermarket club card today, and you can purchase a name-brand DVD player for $170! It's true. We saw it with our own eyes.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Face Off: Budget Receivers
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 31, 2001  |  First Published: Feb 01, 2001
Budget receivers can make anyone a home theater meister.

I'm a simple man. As I travel this great land of ours, for both business and pleasure, most of my conversations with others sooner or later lead to two topics: movies and their inevitable offshoot, home theater. I rarely discuss the specifics of what I'm packing at Rancho Chiarella; rather, I listen to the wide-eyed yearnings of the hard-working Everyman who dreams of experiencing all that a respectable A/V system can deliver. For so many of the folks I've talked with, an affordable home theater receiver is the key to their wish fulfillment.

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Audio Video News
No More Monochrome: EdgeAudio Pushes Color
HT Staff  |  Jan 30, 2001
Just say no to black, brushed aluminum, and dark wood veneers. Tigard, Oregon-based EdgeAudio is betting that movie fans will do exactly that when they seen the company's new line of home theater speaker systems. Conceived by award-winning Ziba Design, EdgeAudio's entire line of home theater speakers and subwoofers will get the color cabinet treatment later this year. Prototypes were displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
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Audio Video News
Simplify, Simplify: Rotel Programmable Remote Does it All
HT Staff  |  Jan 30, 2001
Is your coffee table a museum of remote controls? If so, it's time to streamline your home theater space with one elegant device that does the work of many.
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Philips 55PP9701HD-ready rear-projection televison
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 29, 2001

Because of manufacturing and publishing lead times, Christmas-season products are shown in June. That's when I had my first encounter with the Philips 55PP9701&mdash;at a line show, a press event at which a company shows its entire line of new products. There the 55PP9701 was, along with Philips' new light bulbs, shavers, blood-pressure monitors, and budget-priced A/V receivers.

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