Niles
The kids finally came through this year and gave you a brand-new, wall-mounted plasma instead of another tie with dancing Santas. Life would be perfect if you didn't have to stare at a couple of nonaesthetically pleasing loudspeakers on either side of your new toy. Niles' new DS6500AT in-ceiling loudspeaker is just the ticket. The DS speaker line features a pivoting driver system that lets you pivot the woofer up to 15 degrees and the tweeter up to 17 degrees in any direction. This action ensures that the speaker can accurately direct the sound where it needs to go. The DS6500AT has a rated power handling of up to 200 watts and uses a carbon and glass fiber woofer with a 1-inch aluminum tweeter. The speaker will only set you back $625.
Niles Audio
(305) 238-4373 www.nilesaudio.com
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended DVD Edition—New Line
Video: 5
Audio: 5
Extras: 5
Pity the unfortunate middle child: I used up most of my superlatives on the extended Fellowship of the Ring last year, and The Return of the King is still to come, so I must tread lightly on The Two Towers. Seamlessly rendering the blockbuster theatrical epic even bigger, this expansion is downright sprawling yet still dramatically taut.
Sony Electronics long dominated the market for high-quality televisions sets. The company's distinguished array of direct-view sets - both the Trinitron and XBR series - set the standard for more than two decades. The advent of flat-panel televisions - LCD and plasma display panels (PDPs) - took Sony somewhat by surprise, causing it to drop from its traditional #1 spot as it yielded to more innovative competitors Samsung and Sharp.
HDTV is permanently on the map with its own annual high-level convention. This year's inaugural event, HDTV Forum: Enabling HDTV from the Factory to the Home, took place in Marina del Rey, California, in mid-November, and drew attendees from a wide range of related industries. Sponsored by international research firms DisplaySearch and Insight Media, and by the Consumer Electronics Association, the sold-out event included over 40 presentations and panel discussions, covering the creation and distribution of HDTV content, all TV display and electronics technologies, experiences and challenges in online and retail channels, and market forecasts.
TERK
Think Sirius Satellite Radio is the grandest thing ever? Are you vexed that, not being a truck driver, you really don't get your money's worth for the Sirius satellite tuner in your car? Want to transfer this technology to your home theater? Then look for TERK's new SIR6, an outdoor satellite radio antenna that's designed especially for satellite radio reception in the home. Both compact and weatherproof, this satellite antenna comes with a detached cable for easy cable routing. The SIR6 also comes with a universal mounting bracket, which makes it easy to decide where to place the antenna: on a wall, the roof, or a mast or satellite dish. Music anywhere, all the time, can be yours for $80.
TERK Technologies
(631) 543-1900 www.terk.com
Bob Marley and the Wailers—African Herbsman (DVD-Audio, Silverline/Sanctuary)
Where was I? Umm. . .oh yeah, reviewing. DVD-Audio. Uhh. . .Bob Marley. Yeah. Well, roll one up and savor the raw immediacy of this early work from reggae's internationally revered founders. African Herbsman is built around the aborted Soul Revolution, the Wailers' second album and the last that they'd record before defecting to the greener pastures of Island. Also included are several indie hit singles and spacey instrumental dub versions.
Portable DVD players have been around for years, but the electronics industry has yet to launch the video equivalent of Apple Computer's wildly successful iPod portable music player.
The Home Technology & Photography Group (HT&P) of Primedia and Web site Beststuff.com, announced today the launch of Best, a shopping magazine focused on the products and experiences that embrace an upscale lifestyle. Best, which hits newsstands on Thursday, November 6 at a $3.99 cover price, is an "aspirational" magazine which offers features ranging from the selection and use of home theaters and high-end audio and video systems, to digital photography, computers and video imaging products, as well as the finest in automobiles and ultimate travel suggestions.
Any custom installer will tell you that placement limitations are among the primary obstacles in turning residential rooms into home theaters. This may no longer be so problematic thanks to a new video scaler from Silicon Optix Inc.
Less is more, the old adage has it. Torrance, CA-based Nirotek America has taken the concept to an extreme with its recently unveiled NIRO 1.1 and NIRO 1.1 PRO home theater audio systems. The systems are claimed capable of delivering full Dolby 5.1 surround sound performance from a single speaker.