Audio Video News

M<I>el Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tcheky Karyo, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Wilkinson. Directed by Roland Emmerich. Aspect ratio: 2.35 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1. 165 minutes. 2000. Columbia TriStar Home Video 05731. R. $27.96</I>

The erosion of long-standing regulatory policy that began with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 continues under the leadership of <A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov">Federal Communications Commission</A> chairman Michael Powell. The FCC has approved by a 3&ndash;1 vote the ownership of multiple networks by a single owner, thereby reversing one of the agency's oldest rules.

Consumers attending the Home Entertainment 2001 Show in NYC, May 11–13, 2001, will have a unique opportunity to speak with and learn from the home entertainment industry's leading experts. As part of the three-day audio and video extravaganza, the Show will offer educational seminars and panel discussions—included with the admission ticket price on a first come, first served basis. This is a rare opportunity for consumers to meet with legendary industry journalists, manufacturers, dealers, and others.

Consumers attending the Home Entertainment 2001 Show in NYC, May 11&ndash;13, 2001, will have a unique opportunity to speak with and learn from the home entertainment industry's leading experts. As part of the three-day audio and video extravaganza, the Show will offer educational seminars and panel discussions&mdash;included with the admission ticket price on a first come, first served basis. This is a rare opportunity for consumers to meet with legendary industry journalists, manufacturers, dealers, and others.

Civil libertarians and computer hackers are united in their opposition to a ruling last summer by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan that banned the posting or propagation of DeCSS. The code, named for its ability to unlock DVD's Content Scrambling System, enables the copying of DVDs. In his ruling, Judge Kaplan ordered website <A HREF:"http://www.2600.com">2600</A> to remove not only the code, but also links to other sites where curious visitors might find it.

The DVD format is rolling into its fifth year, and history's most successful consumer electronics product continues to gain momentum. Sales of both hardware and software continue to rise, despite downturns elsewhere in the economy.

Home theater is a wonderful hobby, but it has one recurring problem: where to put all that equipment? Or more precisely: what to put it on?