When it comes to gear, gamers and audiophiles couldn't be more different. Despite the sophisticated audio technology that goes into making major video games, most gamers simply plug their consoles directly into their TV and use its built-in speakers. Audiophiles, on the other hand, tend to ignore the sophisticated A/V capabilities of game consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Sony has finally drawn the curtain from its Google TV-powered product line. In a press conference today in New York, the company announced the Sony Internet TV, a series of HDTVs equipped with Google TV connectivity features. The Internet TV products use Google's Android OS and Chrome web browser, and are powered by an Intel Atom CPU, making them effectively web-surfing computers with integrated HD screens. They come with a number of streaming media apps, including Netflix, Youtube, Napster, and Pandora.
In theory, Singularity, developed by Raven Software, seems like a home run. As an American soldier investigating the abandoned (but not uninhabited) Russian island of Katorga-12, you travel back in time, inadvertently change the past, and then spend the next 6 to 10 hours fighting across the island to set things straight.
Clearview Cinema's Ziegfeld Theater in midtown Manhattan is one of New York's last remaining movie palaces. While the city has a ton of many-screened, IMAX-equipped, state-of-the-art multiplexes, few have as much character as the single-screen Ziegfeld.
Welcome to the world of technological convergence. While they were once restricted to the desktop, PCs have all the power and functionality necessary to make them a vital part of the home theater experience. They can play DVDs and Blu-rays, run video games, load streaming audio and video from the Internet, and store a tremendous amount of media.
Classic games don't always age very well. While they mighty still play great, their low resolution and blocky sprites make the experience on an HDTV into a chore. Even if you grew up on games like Street Fighter II and Pac-Man, if you played them today on your nice, big HDTV you're more likely to get sharp, stabby, headachey feelings than warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feelings.
No matter your favorite color, green should be one of the first you consider when buying electronics. All A/V gear has the potential to be environmentally unfriendly; depending on its power consumption and its construction, your new HDTV could be anything from a modest electricity sipper to a toxic, power-guzzling time bomb.
