LATEST ADDITIONS

New movies from <A HREF="http://www.universalpictures.com/">Universal Pictures</A> will soon be advertised through an untried channel: interactive television.

Last week, digital video and networking companies Optibase, Lucent, 3Com, DiviCom, ECI Telecom, and Siemens announced that they have formed <A HREF="http://www.bigbandnet.com">BigBand Networks</A> in an effort to provide "a new network platform to deliver entertainment-quality content and services combining video, voice, and data over multiple broadband networks including cable, DSL, satellite, and wireless."

With Kenwood's HTB-503 home-theater-in-a-box, you can enhance your home on an average budget without sacrificing your firstborn. To take advantage of surround schemes that use more channels than a 5.1-channel receiver offers, you'll need to chain-in an external amplifier. Theoretically, any THX-certified amp of equal power will work fine with a THX-certified receiver that has the appropriate line outs, but it's usually a good idea to stick with the same manufacturer—if for no other reason than the components look as if they're from the same family. Denon offers the POA-5200 two-channel amp ($699) as a complement to their AVR-4800 receiver. The 5200 is a THX Ultra-certified two-channel amplifier that delivers 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms or 200 watts into 4 ohms. It features a rear-panel jack for remote power-on/-off control through the AVR-4800. The 5200 differentiates itself from many stereo amps in that it's actually two mono amps in one box—each channel has its own power transformer and DC-storage-supply section. It also features A/B switching for each channel so that one or two speakers can be connected to each channel and can be turned on or off as needed. When testing the POA-5200 in conjunction with the 4800, I found no distinguishable sound or level differences between the two, proving that the 5200 is an excellent addition to the 4800 for bringing THX Surround EX to life.

Pioneer goes for the brass ring of high-end video with their new rear-projection TV. Most televisions are real dogs. I don't mean to be cynical (I just am); however, when you're used to high-end, front-projected images processed with good-quality video scalers, you become jaded by even the more-expensive video products being offered to the general consumer. It becomes a struggle to remind yourself that, hey, compared with what's available for the price, some of these sets aren't all that bad. Pioneer, however, has decided to take their Elite brand to the next level. The Lexus of the consumer electronics market has taken a stab at adding some real high-end features to its already top-end television line.