Audio Video News

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Audio Video News
Software Reviews
HT Staff  |  Oct 27, 2003  | 
DVD: Down with Love—20th Century Fox
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
With a wink and a nod toward the Rock Hudson/Doris Day romantic romps of the 1960s, Down with Love centers on author Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger), whose feminist tome tells women all over New York to forego love in order to get ahead in their lives. But when Novak is wooed unsuspectingly by ladies' man and magazine writer Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), her detailed plan is derailed.
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Audio Video News
Coming Attractions
HT Staff  |  Oct 27, 2003  | 
Harman/Kardon
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, as the saying goes. Truth be told, Harman/Kardon's AVR 630 A/V receiver is more than just beautiful. According to Harman, this 7.1-channel receiver is the first of its kind to feature a quadruple-crossover bass manager that lets you select different crossover frequencies for the front, center, surround, and rear speakers. The AVR 630 also includes A/V sync relay and RS-232 connectivity. Think we're done? Not even close. It also can handle all of the popular surround sound formats, including Dolby EX and DTS ES, and it has built-in MP3 and HDCD decoding. For $1,299, this thing of beauty truly will be a joy forever.
Harman/Kardon
(800) 422-8027
www.harmankardon.com
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Audio Video News
Added to the Archives This Week
 |  Oct 27, 2003  | 

In theory, says Peter Putnam, the <A HREF="/accessories/1003zenith">Zenith HD230 HDTV receiver-DVR</A> should be one step ahead of the competition. PP explains why, and more when he reviews the latest tapeless tuner/hard-disk recorder that offers some unique features, but omits others.

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Audio Video News
New AV Marketplace
 |  Oct 27, 2003  | 

New this month, <I>Guide to Home Theater</I> brings to you the internet's largest community of qualified audio and video buyers and sellers, powered by industry leaders Videogon. Visitors to guidetohometheater.com will find a new "<A HREF="http://marketplace.guidetohometheater.com">AV Marketplace</A>" link that connects directly to the most robust venue for buying and selling used and new Audio and Video equipment on the web. Services also include an online Bluebook for quick evaluation of used equipment prices, online used equipment forums, member product reviews, information on manufacturers, and a member feedback system.

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Audio Video News
HD Events in November
 |  Oct 27, 2003  | 

The Los Angeles area will be a hotbed of high-definition activity in November, with an HD camcorder and editing workshop early in the month to be followed by the HDTV Forum confab a week later.

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Audio Video News
B&W Flat Panel Speakers
HT Staff  |  Oct 21, 2003  | 
Quick, can you name an obvious accessory for sleek, flat-panel displays? Sleek, flat-panel loudspeakers, of course.
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Audio Video News
Coming Attractions
HT Staff  |  Oct 20, 2003  | 
ELAN
ELAN's new VIA!2 wireless touchpanel is perfect for controlling wholehouse audio, home theater, security, temperature, lighting, drapes, and just about any other wireless solution you could ask for. (Now, if only it could load and unload the dishwasher...) It uses an 802.11b wireless transmission method and comes with both the VIA!2 server and docking station. The 7.8-inch LCD touchscreen and large, easy-to-read buttons and user screens make the VIA!2 both intuitive and user-friendly. Using ELAN's VIA!TOOLS Windows-based software, you can complete the setup process in hours using simple point-and-click methods. ELAN says that the VIA!2 will last for 670 hours in hibernate mode, 24 hours in standby mode, or 6 hours in operation mode. The $3,500 price tag also gets you the Server Station, which can turn the unit's commands into IR or RS-232 commands for controlling other home devices. Look for this handy device in the first quarter of 2004.
ELAN Home Systems
(859) 269-7760
www.elanhomesystems.com
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Audio Video News
Software Reviews
HT Staff  |  Oct 20, 2003  | 
DVD: Hollywood Homicide—Columbia TriStar
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 2
Hollywood Homicide is the kind of film that probably looked much better in concept than it did on the scripted page—and far better than it does on screen. Two Hollywood detectives—one a real estate broker on the side, the other an aspiring actor—try to wedge in a murder investigation between their second lives. All of the buddy picture elements are here, notably the grizzled veteran (Harrison Ford) teamed with a green, slightly bumbling rookie (Josh Hartnett), but the screenplay by director Ron Shelton bumbles its own way through the story, creating zero believable chemistry between the two. Ford has never looked older or more dour as the long-timer who's more anxious to unload a turkey of a property than solve the case.
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Audio Video News
Added to the Archives This Week
 |  Oct 20, 2003  | 

Thomas J. Norton encircles himself with the <A HREF="/speakersystems/903BW">B&W DM 602 Series 3 surround speaker system</A>, noting that "the model designation 'DM' might not sound like anything special, but it has a long history with B&W." And, as TJN discovers, what counts is how that tradition is put to use.

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Audio Video News
CEA Survey: HDTV Rising
 |  Oct 20, 2003  | 

HDTV is a hot technology, as any home theater fan will attest. That enthusiasm is shared by as many as nine million households, likely to purchase high-definition television (HDTV) products over the next 18 months, according to a recent <A HREF="http://www.ce.org">Consumer Electronics Association</A> (CEA) survey, titled <I>HDTV Consumer Awareness Update</I>. An additional 30 million consumers may buy into HDTV within the next three years, the trade group asserts.

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Audio Video News
MPAA to Soften Screener Ban?
Barry Willis  |  Oct 20, 2003  | 

Movie studios, producers, writers, actors, and distributors are seeking a work- around of an edict issued only a couple of weeks ago by the <A HREF="http://www.mpaa.org">Motion Picture Association of America</A> (MPAA) that would ban free screening copies of Academy Award-nominated movies.

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Audio Video News
Cablevision Launches Voom
HT Staff  |  Oct 20, 2003  | 
HDTV fans suddenly have more to choose from. On October 16, New York-based Cablevision Systems made good on its promise to deliver high-definition programming from the sky, with the launch of its Rainbow DBS (direct broadcast satellite) service.
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Audio Video News
DirecTV's HDTV Push
Barry Willis  |  Oct 13, 2003  | 

High-definition television (HDTV) and digital video recorders (DVRs) are moving quickly from elitist technologies to mainstream entertainment.

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Audio Video News
New Product Announcements
 |  Oct 13, 2003  | 

Autumn's annual CEDIA Expo is increasingly the launch pad for new video and home theater products. It also leads into many new offerings to be delivered during the winter holiday season.

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Audio Video News
Cablevision Goes High-Def
 |  Oct 13, 2003  | 

<A HREF="http://www.cablevision.com">Cablevision Systems Corporation</A> is the latest television provider to jump on the HDTV bandwagon. The twist here? Cablevision will deliver HD from a geosynchonous orbit.

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