Other Tech

DLP vs. LCoS Two of today's hottest displays go side-by-side in our third HDTV technology face-off

DLP vs. LCD Rear-projection HDTV technologies square off in S&V's second big-screen smackdown

George Lucas In an S&V exclusive, George Lucas chats with his favorite princess (Carrie Fisher) about Star Wars on DVD, the future of movies, and girls (yes, girls)

With few exceptions, multiroom audio systems still distribute music the same way they did 20 years ago: Central stacks of source components and amplifiers route signals to speakers around the home over hundreds of feet of speaker cabling. But this approach has its drawbacks. Resistance, capacitance and inductance build up over long wires, adding up to signal losses and compromised performance.

What's wrong with this picture? Right this moment, you can whip out your cellphone and call Directory Assistance in Sri Lanka, halfway around the world. On the other hand, you need wires (probably poorly concealed under the carpet) to run audio from your home theater to your home office.

CableCARD PIP

During the summer, I'm usually on the run all day without ever coming home for a pit stop. That's not a big deal, except sometimes my devices can't keep up with me. But Sennheiser's MX75 headphones ($50), part of its new Sport line, are up to the task. Not only are they durable, sweat-resistant, and lightweight; they're also amazingly comfortable.

With such a storied lineage, I have to ask you: When did you first become interested in gear and electronics? Well, despite growing up in a family famous for the invention of the 8-track player, unfortunately, I was not filled in by any of my relatives on the mysterious world of electronics.