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Retailers vs Blockbuster
Barry Willis  |  Jun 16, 2002  | 

Size is definitely an advantage in commodity retailing. In an antitrust suit begun in mid-June, the7800-store chain <A HREF="http://www.blockbuster.com">Blockbuster, Inc.</A>&mdash;the world's largest video retailer&mdash;admitted that it has an advantage over its smaller competitors, but claimed no wrongdoing in the process of negotiating favorable revenue-sharing deals with Hollywood studios.

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Audio Video News
The End of Jack & Diane!
Russ Herschelmann  |  Jun 16, 2002  | 

Starting with the November issue, Home Theater Architect is going to change in big ways. This all started with letters from readers telling me they were sick of reading about Jack & Diane's $300k mega-theater.

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Audio Video News
Madrigal A/V Console Pushes Envelope
 |  Jun 16, 2002  | 

<A HREF="http://www.madrigal.com">Madrigal</A> has announced a new media console claimed "to establish new standards for connoisseurs of multichannel audio and video." If early publicity and its spec sheet are any indication, the $30,000 Mark Levinson No. 40 media console may, in fact, live up to the hype.

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Audio Video News
Mission M Series
HT Staff  |  Jun 14, 2002  | 
Mission Electronics wants to bring high-end sound to everyone.
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Audio Video News
Home Theater Seminar
HT Staff  |  Jun 14, 2002  | 
Russ Herschelmann (Stereophile Guide to Home Theater's "Home Theater Architect") will be conducting a special two-day intensive home theater workshop on Sat-Sun, June 29-30, 2002 in Napa, California. For more information on what will be covered during the two-part event, go to www.home-theater-guy.com and click on "Workshops".
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Audio Video News
Continental Seating Takes Off
HT Staff  |  Jun 11, 2002  | 
Leather Center's popular Home Theater line of seating has been spun off as a separate company.
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Audio Video News
Hitachi's New Widescreens
HT Staff  |  Jun 09, 2002  | 
Hitachi is back in the widescreen HDTV race. The company voluntarily pulled itself out of the integrated HDTV market last year, due to what executives called "premature market timing." The change is due to the growth in available over-the-air high-definition programming.
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Audio Video News
Networking the Customer
Jon Iverson  |  Jun 09, 2002  | 

Only a few short years ago, home networking was heralded as an inevitability, with manufacturers and research groups rushing to establish standards and technologies for new, connected products. But as the battle for the living room heats up, a recent study suggests that more than half of tech-savvy consumers in the US are currently indifferent to the benefits that a networked home might offer.

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Audio Video News
HDTV for the Cable Masses
 |  Jun 09, 2002  | 

There is no doubt in home theater enthusiasts' minds that high definition television (HDTV) offers far superior picture quality compared to standard definition television (SDTV). So, apart from movie studio piracy concerns, why is it taking so long to roll out more HD content? In a word, bandwidth. HDTV requires substantially more bandwidth than SDTV, which forces broadcasters to consider cutting back SDTV content to make room for high-def.

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Audio Video News
ReplayTV Users Fight Back
Barry Willis  |  Jun 09, 2002  | 

Want to succeed in business? Two proven suggestions: don't alienate your customers, and use new technology to your advantage.

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Audio Video News
Manufacturers Boosting Plasma Production
 |  Jun 09, 2002  | 

Plasma screens are among the most promising current video technologies. Most consumers who&rsquo;ve seen them say they'll buy&mdash;when the prices drop.

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Audio Video News
American Pie 2: Widescreen Collector's Edition
uavKrissy Rushing  |  Jun 09, 2002  | 

<I>Jason Biggs, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Eddie Kay Thomas, Eugene Levy. Directed by J.B. Rogers. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French), DTS 5.1. 105 minutes. 2001. Universal 21769. R. $26.08.</I>

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Audio Video News
Cable Chief Backs DTV
Barry Willis  |  Jun 02, 2002  | 

Long noted for its non-participation in the rollout of digital television, the cable industry is now making conciliatory noises about supporting the new format. But even with its support, the changeover from analog is going to take a long time, according to recent statements from Robert Sachs, president of the <A HREF="http://www.ncta.com">National Cable Television Association</A> (NCTA).

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Audio Video News
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 02, 2002  | 

<I>Directed by Chris Hilson. Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, PCM 16-bit/48kHz. Two DVDs. 180 minutes. 2001. Columbia Music Video C2D 54071. NR. $29.98.</I>

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Audio Video News
HE 2002: Day Three
 |  Jun 01, 2002  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/newsart/he2002.infocus.jpg" WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=63 BORDER=0 ALIGN=LEFT>A great demo can be a thing of beauty&mdash;and InFocus, NAD, and PSB put together one of the best we've ever seen here at HE 2002. They started with a great concept: $10,000 can purchase a complete home theater package that can give anybody all the magic of a true cinema showcase. The system starts with InFocus' new $5000 ScreenPlay 110 DLP projector, which is optimized for DVD with a dual-mode TI DLP chip capable of both 16 X 9 and 4 X 3 projection. The unit incorporates Faroudja DCDI processing and a six-element four-speed color wheel. It will accept high definition inputs (though downscales them to 480p), has component inputs, and is NTSC, PAL, and SECAM compatible. The system included NAD's 80Wpc multichannel 761 A/V Receiver and T531 DVD player ($1500). PSB contributed a pair of Image 5T loudspeakers ($799/pair), an Image 9C center channel speaker ($399/each), a pair of Image 10S ($649/pair), and an Image SubSonic 6 powered subwoofer ($649/each). Add a Dalite grayscale screen and you'll "have enough left over from $10,000 for a nice meal," as the presenter put it.

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