On The Ricky Gervais Show (audible.com and itunes.com), Gervais (right, center) and Stephen Merchant (in glasses) - cocreators of the brilliant BBC series The Office and Extras - are joined by offbeat comedian Karl Pilkington for one of the most irreverent half hours you'll ever spend.
I've been talking up this proud little home theater system with friends, and the reaction has been universal. "SLS?" they ask, scratching their mystified noggins. "Never heard of 'em."
Editor's note: When Sound & Vision needed a family to test HomePlug - the new technology that sends A/V signals through your house's electrical wiring (see Power Play) - reader Kevin Post, a home theater enthusiast and a regular on the S&V Online Forums, filled the bill nicely.
Right now is a great time to buy an HDTV. Why? Because prices have dropped to where many people can actually afford one. Another reason: the explosion of choices brought on by recent advances in technology. From compact flat-panel TVs with 20-inch screens to expansive rear-projection sets with 70-inch or larger displays, there's an HDTV out there custom-made for you. But which one?
Back in October 2004, we tested the ZVOX audio system, an all-in-one "virtual" surround option for those who want something better than built-in TV speakers. Now comes the $199 ZVOX mini audio system, a shrunk-down, portable version intended to provide sound for music players like the iPod or for TVs.
Bob Chapek President, Buena Vista Home Entertainment Because of his position at Buena Vista, which is responsible for the home-video products for the various Walt Disney companies, Bob Chapek has been a tireless advocate for Blu-ray Disc.
Is getting a flat-panel set out of the box and onto the wall something you can do yourself, or do you need to hire a pro? Assuming you don't want to run any wires inside the wall, mounting a flat-panel is probably a "6" on the difficulty scale. So if you think you're up to the challenge, read on!
Blue Man Group founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink (shown sans face paint at right) have been busy little performance artists since we talked to them for last April's "Blue Men Exposed," opening a spectacular surround sound-fil
When installer Jack Schroeder bought 52 acres of land in southeastern Wisconsin a few years ago, the previous owner had one request. Having spent 45 years planting and maintaining the thousands of trees on the property, building rocks walls, and creating miles of trails, essentially turning it into a vast park, he asked Jack to keep the land intact and development-fee.
No matter who ends up "winning," the Blu-Ray and HD DVD format war has probably entered its most dangerous period. For right when new formats are launched, you'll find advocates of one system or another putting forth unsubstantiated claims and various forms of quasi- and pseudo-science to back their side.
Blue Man Group founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink (shown sans face paint at right) have been busy little performance artists since we talked to them for last April's "
