Scott Wilkinson

Premiere Design
Eternally Yours
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 22, 2009

When I first saw a photo of this speaker, it reminded me of a Mexican chiminea, a free-standing clay fireplace with a bulbous lower body and tall, thin smokestack. But the only heat generated by this bad boy is of the sonic variety. Born of a collaboration between Serbian ribbon-speaker specialist <A href="http://www.raalribbon.com">RAAL</A> and American pro-audio designer <A href="http://www.requisiteaudio.com">Requisite Audio</A>, the <A href="http://www.raal-requisite.com">RAAL Requisite Eternity</A> is the world's only speaker with a cast-bronze woofer enclosure.

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Ask S&V
TiVo HD, TV Sound, Asian AVRs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 21, 2009
Simple Answer
I've been looking for a device to record television programs from an over-the-air antenna so I don't have to subscribe to cable or satellite for my local stations that I used to record with my VCR. Is there such a device? My VCR still works, but I would prefer something that records HD.
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The Big Picture
One Giant Leap for Videokind
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 21, 2009

As anyone who watches TV, listens to radio, or surfs the Web knows by now, yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the Moon and humanity's first footfall on a celestial body other than the Earth. I remember watching with rapt attention as the grainy, fuzzy, black-and-white video was accompanied by the authoritative voice of Walter Cronkite, who was so overcome with emotion at that moment, he paused, removed his glasses, and chuckled in amazement. (BTW, anyone who believes the moon landings were staged must watch the <I>Mythbusters</I> episode about it. Busted!)

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Audio Video News
Toshiba to Make Blu-ray Players
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 20, 2009

According to a story today in Japan's <I>Yomiuri Shimbun</I> newspaper, Toshiba will enter the Blu-ray market with players that can read BDs and DVDs by the end of this year.

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Premiere Design
Pearls of Great Price
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 17, 2009

For the last 30 years, Ken Ishiwata has served as European Brand Director for <A href="http://www.marantz.com">Marantz</A> while designing some of the company's best high-end audio products. To celebrate this incredible legacy, Marantz has announced two limited-edition components designed by Ishiwata and dubbed the <A href="http://www.marantz.eu/kipearl/">KI Pearls</A>.

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7.1 vs. 5.1, HTIBs, Dolby Headphone
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2009
More Channels
With Blu-ray's storage capacity, lossless codecs, and 7.1 receivers, why aren't the vast majority of Blu-ray movies released with 7.1 audio? Are movie distributors/production companies just cheap or lazy? Did I just waste my money installing a 7.1 setup?
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Premiere Design
Diamond John
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 14, 2009

John Bowers founded British speaker giant <A href="http://www.bowers-wilkins.com">Bowers & Wilkins</A> in 1965, hand assembling speakers in the back of an electronics shop he ran with Roy Wilkins in Worthing, England. Nearly 45 years later, B&W has become one of the world's pre-eminent speaker companies, thanks in part to the spirit of innovation embodied in its flagship 800 series.

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The Big Picture
Man in the Mirror
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 08, 2009

A friend of mine is a correspondent for KCET, the Los Angeles PBS station. A few days ago, he told me that he had been assigned to cover the Michael Jackson memorial held yesterday at Staples Center and that he was not looking forward to it at all. Aside from the logistical nightmare of getting through the traffic jams and police barricades, he didn't get what all the fuss is about. "Sure, Jackson was a good entertainer," he said, "but was he really important enough for all this?" He also wondered why so many people can become so active over Jackson's death&#151;showing up at the gates of Neverland Ranch and the Jackson family home, signing up for tickets to the memorial&#151;but not over much more important issues such as health care.

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240Hz, High-End Projectors, Plasma Calibration
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 07, 2009
Twice as Sharp
I intend to buy an LED-illuminated LCD TV. Since I like action sports, should I get a 240Hz set rather than a 120Hz?
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Premiere Design
Long Time Coming
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 06, 2009

I've been waiting a long time for the SSP-800 surround preamp/processor from <A href="http://www.classeaudio.com">Class&#233;</A>. Originally announced in May 2008 and scheduled for delivery in July of that year, this Canadian company's statement pre/pro is finally about to ship.

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