Home Theaters

Well, this last week has been a glimpse at what life was like in the eighties - without an internet connection.

The kind folks at Verizon decided to shut off the DSL connection to my house for reasons that have yet to be established. The strange thing about the shut off is that it takes but one minute to sever the connection, but much, much longer to to restore it. It’s as if we need an act of Congress to get a connection restored.

Of course, once the loss of connection is reported a complete run down of the list of stupid things that might happen to cause loss of connection must be gone through with the Indian named ‘Joe’ who tries to relay why changing the phone cord end for end, when we both know it is a straight through cable, is necessary. This would not be so bad if you could hear more than every third syllable he is speaking, and the the thickness of his accent could be filtered by the satellite distortion - so much for digital connectivity being superior…

A long and amazing story for another time….

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

 

 Just announced is an offer by online shopping behemoth Amazon, to get a great deal on Blu-ray discs. The deal is simple, buy one at regular price, and get one free!

This is a limited time offer, but who knows how long it might last if it really takes off. The current prices of Blu-ray movies are $19.95 and $26.95, so the deal makes it 2 for $20, or 2 for $26. Those not familiar with Amazon will need to know that orders over $25 receive free basic shipping.

The offer includes 72 movies, and the selection of Amazon totals over 300, with all the movies available very quickly.

Amazon also has 12 basic Blu-ray players available, along with several incarnations of the Play Station 3, of course.

Panasonic DMP-BD10AK 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray Disc Player $649.97

 

Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

 

These are just three of the available units. The hot ones have it adjusted so that you don’t get to see the price until you put it in your cart. All are, however, a good deal when compared to any brick and mortar store’s prices. 

Since, as has been discussed here before, the movies quickly become the most expensive part of a home theater system, it will be interesting to see if the deals at Amazon will get Blu-ray going down the path to discounted - by - way - of - volume pricing.

the PS3 is always a good choice, especially in a house with children (of any age)

Many people are still worried about the demise of Blu-ray, but remember, even Beta did not die right away, and with the changes we see today, the HD - Blu-ray war could still be going strong when the next format is released. Since PS3s are here to stay, and Sony will be releasing Blu-ray movies like a big dog, the problem will not be content for a long time.

Also, if you think about it, Blu-ray deserves to survive, just as Beta did. Now that is not good reasoning for its survival, but the cost differential, and superior feature set should keep Blu-ray battling for some time. With the inroads that HD DVD has made in price, there is no doubt, it will not go away. But, there are many who will own both formats, and buy discs based upon extra features, as much as price. For me, it will be like the difference between using the best tape for a program I really like, or I know is more detailed, versus using standard stuff for timeshifting. Besides, the HD players can be used for upconverting SD DVDs now, and Blu-ray players will be used for the very best quality material. When SD DVD players fail, many will buy a cheap HD DVD player as a replacement.

 

Update: Buy.com has the same sort of deal going!

There are fewer titles, but ALL have free shipping, regardless of price.

Some of the choices - which are only on sale until 11/17/07 -

The prices are a bit higher, but the choices are different, so that between the two, if you are a big movie buff, you can really score on this one.

Remember, Amazon is until further notice, but Buy’s sale ends 11/17/07. Good shopping!

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No matter what we tell ourselves, we always want to show off the things we have worked hard to put together. Every system needs great content to show how well it performs. Great sound will show off the frequency response, the dynamic range, and the impact of your system. The visuals will strain the eye’s capability to be assaulted with vibrant color. These will make sure your system looks and sounds like the high priced spread.

Here are some spectaculars for your perusal, with my comments on the benefits to you and your system.

Live Free or Die Hard (Unrated) - You know you enjoyed the movie - that alone makes it a wanted item. But think about it - this whole series lends itself to the term ’sonic spectacular’ and the visuals aren’t bad either. The woofers and subwoofers will be working overtime on this.

  Night At the Museum - This is another sonic spectacular, with visuals to match. Those dinosaur bones looked pretty spectacular, right? Great fun for the kiddies, and mom and dad will be enjoying it as much!

  Shrek the Third - The sound effects are not much, but the music is pretty great isn’t it? Those songs sound great on that home theater audio, and the visuals are very good. Certainly much better than any cartoon you saw as a child! A winner - and the resolution of the graphics will show the resolving capabilities of your screen.

 

 

Transformers was a hit with kids of all ages! Do I need to tell you it will show off your system? This one is available in HD-DVD, Widescreen Edition, and 2 Disc Special Edition. I think the 2 Disc Special Edition, with the obligatory special features, extended cuts, and special effects is the one to buy.

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From the start of Steven Spielberg’s career, one of his first big successes.

This is one of those movies started a trend. The 30th Anniversary Special Edition includes the Original Theatrical Version, the Special Edition, and the full blown Director’s Cut.

Since this is a Sony Pictures product, it is easily understood why there are many features on the Blu-ray disc not found elsewhere. The set is, however, found in all three formats, so no matter the player you have there is lots to see and investigate.

All the versions also include a featurette called ‘Watch the Skies’, which is sure to be a favorite with you favorite ETI watcher.

for those not familiar with the movie -

Richard Dreyfuss stars as cable worker Roy Neary, who along with several other stunned bystanders experience a close encounter of the first kind - witnessing UFOs soaring across the sky. After this life changing event, the inexplicable vision of a strange mountain-like formation haunts him. He becomes obsessed with finding out what the vision represents, much to the dismay of his wife and family. In the meantime, bizarre occurrences happen worldwide. Government agents have close encounters of the second kind - discovering physical evidence of extraterrestrial visitors in the form of a lost fighter aircraft from World War Two and a stranded military ship that disappeared decades earlier only to suddenly reappear in unusual places. Roy continues to chase his vision to a remote location where he and the agents follow the clues that have drawn them together to reach a site where they will have a close encounter of the third kind - contact.

The visuals were stunning 30 years ago, the DVD will bring the theater experience home as never before. The soundtrack is an audio extravaganza, and the subwoofer alert is fully on! There is serious high frequency action here also, so you can test the dispersion of your tweeters, too.

 

Give the PS3 a workout!

This is one of those movies that you will pull out for years, simply to show off your system’s audio and video capabilities.

Imagine a couple of these VMPS subs in your room as you listen to the soundtrack!

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For anyone striving for authenticity to the theater experience at home, several things are needed. Some of these will have to be jury-rigged, but still, a small, concerted effort will give very satisfying results.

As discussed before, the sound of the theater must be realistic, which means that the sound you wish to hear must be clear and reasonably loud at times, while the external noises, and the noise that your theater experience is making, must be separated from each other. This assures happy watching and happy neighbors.

Bass rumbling will be very difficult to stop completely, but if the midrange extensions are effectively dealt with, no one will directly associate the problem with your theater experience. This same muffling of the mid and high ranges so as to not move beyond the theater walls will keep the noise outside -there.

these were found online, and not only do the job of noise control, they personalize your home theater

Not everyone has the funds to treat the room with Sonex, or similar absorbent materials. Some significant others will object to materials like this inhabiting the living room permanently. This cramps the style of the theater that uses a non-dedicated room, but can be dealt with on a per use basis.  Heavy batted curtains can be used, as discussed before, but not everyone will want these heavy curtains to be in place constantly. The ticket here is to make the improvised noise abatement devices extremely easy to install and remove. If it takes less than five minutes to install, and the same amount of time to break down, the chances are high that your usage will not hamper the general good feelings of anticipation of the upcoming event. Never underestimate the use of materials previously purposed elsewhere. For example, if your windows are not huge, small cup hooks can be placed behind the curtain rod, and eyelets installed on large throw pillows, which when the popcorn is getting ready, the pillows can be hung from the cup hooks, and at the bottom of the window, more pillows can sit, leaned in, on the sill. When the movie is over, the pillows go back on the divan, or in a corner, ready for overflow seating.

these are cheap, work well to stop noise in both directions, and work as overflow seating should the need arise

Speaking of refreshments, don’t skimp here. Realism requires a small effort, but the small differences will be appreciated. High quality popcorn, with real clarified butter, makes the home theater at once like, yet better than what one drives to see. (It’s healthier than the stuff with palm and coconut oils also - so forget about the calories, and accept that the butter calories are a wash, but your health comes out on top.) Have small confections available for your guests, or yourself if alone, it’s always good to feel comfortable with the things you are consuming during the movie. Drinks should be cold before the start of the movie, because nothing kills the effort more than watered down soda.

yes - that’s the ticket! buckets can be bought from most theaters, and are another little touch of realism

No one knows exactly how well anyone else sees in low light, and, although there is a pause button, that’s not part of the theater experience, is it? If you have your room ‘theater-dark’ you will likely need a couple of small floor lights to help others on their way to your bathroom. Small old fashioned Christmas tree lights, or bathroom night lights that fluoresce are the key here. Just enough light to see, but not distract from the movie for others is what you want. If you are decorating your dedicated theater room, you lucky soul, small low voltage halogen lights of the proper color would be nice - if you are really tricky, you can ‘bring up the house lights’ at the end of the movie! Another possibility is putting the lights slightly above and behind your storage facility for the media. This will allow movie changes easily, for ‘double headers’, and also allow you to show off your collection, while providing ambient light for bathroom runs.

these low voltage devices will fit in many tight places, and can be aimed away from the viewer’s eyes, so not to distract, but provide light - for temporary installations, a finished 2×4 36″ long with 4 of these and a well hidden extension cord, can be part of the stuff that goes back in the closet when not in use.

the bulbs are also available in several tints, so that the right effect can be obtained

  there is stuff made for home theaters - if you wish to spend for it

More on the experience to come - investigation continues as I go to see the ‘really big screen’!

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With the extreme sales of HD DVD format players over the last 2 weeks, it seems that Sony CEO Howard Stringer is wishing he had taken a different course.

from Ars Technica

“It’s a difficult fight,” Stringer was quoted saying by the Associated Press, going so far as to describe the situation as a “stalemate.” He candidly indicated that the war mostly came down to bragging rights over who was winning, and said that the two camps could have collaborated better in the past to develop one format. Stringer even said that he wished he could go back in time to make that possible—is that the smell of regret floating in the air?

Although Blu-ray format is ahead in sales at this time, that will likely change by the years end. For many price is the motivating factor, no matter what the difference in features or quality. The thoughts back to the video tape wars make many of us wonder who will come out on top, as the fight is clearly over price versus quality and feature sets.

Sony lost this one - will it lose the current one? It certainly is possible.

Blu-ray was far ahead in the battle until Toshiba brought out the short-lived HD-A2 model HD DVD player, which was introduced and then gone in less than 2 months. Of course, this is always what happens when a model is built to be introduced at an elevated price, and then slash and burn is used to move massive numbers of units to get the flow started.

ah, HD-A2…we knew ye well! Here and gone in less than a quarter … whirlwind,  even in electronics ‘years’

Then there was the problem with freezing of older design Blu-ray machines, when the very newest features were implemented on the media. This was certainly disheartening to the owners of those players, and eerily comforting to those still sitting on the HD format fence, awaiting the declaration of a winner.

The real sting was the point at which movie studio Paramount decided that dual inventory was not wise, and decided to drop Blu-ray titles from further production.  The Sony CEO does not mention it, but for those new to the game, the fix seemed to be in, with talk of large sums of money changing hands in the decision to drop Blu-ray support.

In the United States, Blu-ray has always led, and until recently, by a large margin, but European customers got on the HD DVD format bandwagon early, as the movie studios there backed that. Blockbuster was also a presence for the adoption of Blu-ray, and now with their own problems, it remains to be seen how much a champion for Blu-ray that company can be.

Sony seems to have been caught completely unaware of the HD DVD player onslaught by Toshiba, as there are no announcements of a killer $250 Blu-ray player, which many talking heads could help stem the tide of customer support. Sony instead, chooses to soldier on with a lower priced, and much less coveted, Play Station 3, with less compatibility for PS2 games, and a smaller hard drive of 40GB.

lots of good features are there to recommend the PS3 as a standalone Blu-ray player, but for many adults, shaking the ‘game console’ identity is hard

More bad news for fence sitters, and eventual losers as well, because the marketing firm Forrester Research predicts that the wars over format will continue well into the year 2009, and adds “if not longer”.

It is easy to wish for the companies to order some sort of binding arbitration, with Rodney King at the helm, urging the phrase he is known for, and cooperation between the parties.

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Another step forward in the search for the perfect operating system has come today, with the release of Fedora 8. While the Fedora distributions have not enjoyed the tremendous upsurge in popularity that Ubuntu has, it continues to build on a solid base of loyal users. And they should be, as Fedora continues to be the only distribution I have ever used over time that works on every system I’ve tried. Ubuntu can’t match that record.

Fedora is the launch pad for Red Hat distributions, so errors and disabling flaws get weeded out quickly by the developers, who work on a much different system than other groups.

from the publisher -

The Fedora Project is an openly-developed project designed by Red Hat, open for general participation, led by a meritocracy, following a set of project objectives. The goal of The Fedora Project is to work with the Linux community to build a complete, general purpose operating system exclusively from open source software. Development will be done in a public forum. The project will produce time-based releases of Fedora Core about 2-3 times a year, with a public release schedule. The Red Hat engineering team will continue to participate in building Fedora Core and will invite and encourage more outside participation than in past releases. By using this more open process, we hope to provide an operating system more in line with the ideals of free software and more appealing to the open source community.

a clean system that works well from the start, with the ability to customize to your heart’s content

Now you’re saying, “Why is this guy putting this stuff here?”

Well, because I’m sure more than a few of you have desire to build an HTPC. For those who do, a choice to build is usually based either on freedom from monthly fees by a cable or satellite provider, or lack of available cash. Toward the lack of available cash, or the better use of that cash elsewhere, using Linux as your operating system, rather than any version of Windows, means you don’t fork over money for the OS, and you also don’t need quite as much horsepower for the machine, as Linux tends to work well with less powerful hardware.  (Don’t be afraid to spend for great hardware and use Linux, recent times have shown that, unlike years before, the Linux distributions actually have better device support for new stuff than Windows Vista.)

Also, when using Linux, the PVR software works better and although your television tuner choices tend to be more limited, the ones you can choose work better than those made for Windows, as the complete functionality can be used. This is because the hardware is made more transparent to the programmers, instead of trying to protect some arcane coding and a manufacturer’s copyrights.

Myth TV is PVR software that has been evolving over time, and works very well on Fedora. That is not to say it will not work on the other well known distributions, but the author tells us that the software works best on Fedora. I believe him.

   some pictures of use of MythTV

 

MythTV has Picture-in-Picture capabilities!

features which make MythTV more rich than even TiVo!

Myth has so many more choices, and the list of things it does is long.  The software has a DVD playing module, a ripping and burning module, a slide show module for pictures stored, a weather module, and an RSS feed reader. Give it a look at mythtv.org.

Also give a look to Fedora 8. You may find that you wish to build a full size PC with the idea that it can function as a PVR and full-use home computer.  A dual core CPU and a couple of tuner cards in the case would assure that it will be a winning project. Good audio, either built on the motherboard, or from an add-in card, would assure use as a great HTPC.

 

download link for Fedora 8

FAQ and other information for Fedora 8

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The news continues to roll in about the fantastic, almost to the point of being ridiculous, sales of the Toshiba HD-A2 at the price point of $99 from a variety of resellers, including the 5 (or more) free HD movies, by mail.

According to the trade magazine, Video Business, last weekend saw the sale of over 90,000 of the HD-A2 players. The Toshiba executives in Japan must be wetting themselves right about now, as that figure doesn’t complete the picture.  That estimate includes none of the online offers, which apparently have exhausted (or come very close) the supply of the units in America. The problem became severe enough that Best Buy began replacing the online orders not able to be filled with the slightly more expensive, and not ready to be deeply discounted, HD-A3. While the customers are undoubtedly going to be happy, and Best Buy will get a big boost in the customer satisfaction surveys, it is not clear why the HD-A2 was not more well-supplied, as it is always clear in these pushes, how quickly the pricing will be allowed to drop, usually by the manufacturer affording the resellers some form of profit protection, to allow the frenzy to begin.

Toshiba HD-A2

Since the HD-A3 was being dropped in price so quickly, the list price has been adjusted to $199, moved down from $299. Again, those Best Buy customers are very happy right now!

just a little more slick in appearance the HD-A3, a great deal when had for $99!

All of this brouhaha comes without any news from the Blu-ray camp, who are either totally unprepared, which would be hard to fathom in this age of no real secrets, or that the Blu-ray boys are simply sitting back waiting to strike with a blow that will astonish the remaining customers on the fence. There is no way that Blu-ray will be allowed to stay at the elevated current price levels; the market simply doesn’t work that way.

Another odd thing about the process that is unfolding is how Toshiba appears to be the only purveyor of product that is seeing advertised price cuts. Obviously, other manufacturers have lowered price points, and resellers have adjusted accordingly, but seldom have I seen a situation where only one brand name ‘leads the charge’ so to speak, with not even small notices for other makers. This is perhaps the greatest mystery of this entire process.

If Sony is going to have a surviving format, it is going to have to get its partners on the stick with some players at a price point that will entice people to buy. In a recent poll, of those who knew what Blu-ray was, only 6 out of 10 knew that the Play Station 3 plays Blu-ray content, so Sony clearly is not getting the word out to the people it needs to. Also, it should probably reassess the idea of letting the PS3 lead the charge. Many people I have spoken with see no need to buy a game console to play movies, when they will never play games on it. Sony either needs to get a straight player out quickly for less money, or re-purpose the ad campaign for PS3 to target non-game buyers (that’s read adults, for the most part) as possible buyers, and speak to the possible customers about the upcoming extra features, such as DVR capability.

 

                 X picture not available - does it exist?

 

the phantom Blu-ray player - keeper of the faith - where can it be?

Time will obviously tell, but Sony must remember that there was no second chance for Beta, when it was clearly superior technically both before and after it became HiFi. Clever ads managed to outflank a better product, and it met an ignominious end.

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Looking around yesterday, and the day before, I was stunned to see the lack of releases of new DVDs. I wondered at first if it had anything to do with the writer’s strike, but however the decision falls on royalties, I don’t think it could affect the release dates. It is just counterintuitive to think that the releases would stall before Christmas season. (There I said it, it may be politically incorrect to refer to Christmas, but everyone does, even my atheist and Jewish friends - so how bad can it be?)

I’m still looking for a definitive list of BOX SETS, as I’m sure many of you are thinking about giving one of those for a gift this season - or - buying one for usage during the lulls after Thanksgiving dinner!

Nothing better than watching a good movie after Thanksgiving dinner! (It keeps the awkward catching up over the last year conversation to a minimum!)

Perhaps this bird should have commented on the new HD television programming.

 

But now to the releases -

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Absolute Wilson (2007)

[Documentary}

Director: Katharina Otto
Documentary about the life and work of experimental-theater maverick Robert Wilson. Includes interviews with such musicians as Philip Glass, Tom Waits, Jessye Norman, David Byrne, and others.

Not Rated

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Alien Siege (2005)

  Subwoofer alert! Special effects extravaganza.

Starring: Brad Johnson, Carl Weathers
Director: Robert Stadd
An underground movement battles an alien race that plans to destroy our planet unless the governments of the world supplies them with eight million humans whose blood they desperately need in order to survive.

Not Rated

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Blood Car (2007)

Drek Alert!

Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Katie Rowlett
Director: Alex Orr
A kindergarten teacher invents a car that runs on human blood in order to combat high gas prices.

Not Rated  (probably couldn't get anyone to sit through this)

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Christopher Reeve: Hope in Motion (2007)

[Documentary}

Director: Matthew Reeve
On May 27th 1995, actor Christopher Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down in a riding accident. This intimate portrait focuses on his remarkable recovery of movement and his constant fight to fully regain his mobility.

Not Rated

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The Cosby Show: Season Five (3-DVD Set) (1988)
The Cosby Show: Season Six (3-DVD Set) (1989)

Starring: Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad
Directors: Jay Sandrich, Neema Barnette
Sitcom classic that centered around an affluent, close-knit African-American family from New York City.

Not Rated (of course it's family friendly)

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Danny Roane: First Time Director (2006)

  Laughter Alert!

Starring: Andy Dick, Jack Black
Director: Andy Dick
A washed-up television star tries to stage a comeback by sobering up and directing his own feature film.

Rating: R - for drug content, crude and sexual humor and some language.

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Deck the Halls (2006)

Starring: Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick
Director: John Whitesell
A Christmas war breaks out between neighbors when one decides to decorate his house with enough lights to make his home visible from outer space.

Rating: PG - for some crude and suggestive humor, and for language.

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Dora the Explorer: Puppy Power! (2007)

for the teething biscuit crowd only! Animated.

Starring: Kathleen Herles, Harrison Chad
Four new adventures with Dora and Boots!

Not Rated

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Flight of the Conchords: The Complete First Season (2-DVD Set) (2007)

Starring: Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie
Directors: Taika Cohen, Troy Miller
A New Zealand folk duo tries to make it big in New York City.

Not Rated

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The Forgotten Coast (2007)

[Documentary]

The Forgotten Coast (2007)
Starring: Travis Potter, Micah Byrne
Director: Justin Le Pera
A filmcrew follows a group of surfers whose sole mission in life is to surf the unknown. Searching across the globe for untapped waves, they take an extreme physical and mental journey to the islands of Indonesia, where the world’s most pure and dangerous waves can be found

Rating: PG-13 - for brief strong language.

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Four Sheets to the Wind (2007)

Starring: Cody Lightning, Christian Kane
Director: Sterlin Harjo
A young Native American’s previously uneventful life changes after his father’s untimely suicide. He flees the security of his life on the reservation to visit his sister in the city, and thus begins his unusual journey towards a more fulfilling existence.

Rating: R - for language and some sexuality.

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Heavens Fall (2005)

Starring: Timothy Hutton, David Strathairn
Director: Terry Green
A New York attorney travels to Alabama to defend nine African American men in a re-trial after they were wrongfully accused and convicted of the rape of two white women during the spring of 1931. Based on true events.

Rating: PG-13 - for mature thematic elements including some dialogue.

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Hula Girls (2006)

Starring: Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi
Director: Sang-il Lee
Fact-based tale of young women forming a hula troupe in a small and economically depressed mining town in mid-1960s Japan.

Not Rated
Country of Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese

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The Jolly Boys Last Stand (2000)

pre-Borat Borat

Starring: Sacha Baron-Cohen, Andy Serkis
Director: Christopher Payne
When Friends Vinnie and Spider decide to leave behind the party scene for their girlfriends, their group of dimwitted, beer guzzling friends known as “The Jolly Boys” begin to panic. At the annoucement that one of them is engaged, the `Boys` decide to make a film chronicling their lives together as a wedding gift for the groom.

Not Rated

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I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Full Frame) (2007)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Widescreen) (2007)

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James
Director: Dennis Dugan
Two Brooklyn firefighters pretend to be gay so that they can receive domestic partner benefits.

Rating: R - for some crude sexual humor and nudity.

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Live Once, Die Twice (2006)

no pic available

Starring: Kellie Martin, Bruce Gray
Director: Stefan Pleszczynski
Nicole Lawker unexpectedly loses her husband to a freak boating mishap. But when the FBI investigates, there’s speculation that it may not have been an accident after all—or that there were even casualties.

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

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Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon (2005)

good but short - only 40 minutes    This is why you want that HDTV and sound system.

[Documentary]

Starring: Tom Hanks, Gary Hershberger
Director: Mark Cowen
Tom Hanks-narrated IMAX feature transports the viewer to a lunar surface where they can walk alongside the 12 extraordinary astronauts who have explored the Moon in the past.

Not Rated

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Manticore (2005)

Starring: Robert Beltran, Jeff Fahey
Director: Tripp Reed
U.S. troops in Iraq find themselves fighting an ancient monster that has been unleashed by villainous opponents to keep the land under their control.

Rating: Not Rated

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Manufacturing Dissent: Uncovering Michael Moore (2007)

[Documentary]

Directors: Rick Caine, Debbie Melnyk
Manufacturing Dissent questions Michael Moore’s tactics and approach to political film-making from the viewpoint of two liberal Canadian filmmakers.

Rating: R - for some language.

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Martin: The Complete Third Season (4-DVD Set) (1994)

funny stuff from back when

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Nigel Miguel
Director: Gerren Keith
Sitcom revolves around a brash radio personality who always speaks his mind.

Not Rated

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Out of Balance (2007)

[Documentary]

Director: Tom Jackson
Out of Balance details the science and consequences of global warming and points the finger at ExxonMobil for using its immense power to block efforts to wean us from our addiction to oil.

Not Rated

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Ratatouille (2007)

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm
Director: Brad Bird
A rodent with a fondness for good food moves to Paris in order to pursue his dream of becoming a great chef.

Rating: G    (This seems to be the best animated movie this year)

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Rock Haven (2007)

Starring: Sean Hoagland, Owen Alabado
Director: David Lewis
An 18-year-old devout Christian struggles to navigate the divide between his religious beliefs and his growing attraction towards his handsome neighbor.

Not Rated

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Run Granny Run (2007)

[Documentary]

Director: Marlo Poras
Award-winning documentary chronicles Doris “Granny D” Haddock’s 1994 run for the U.S. Senate at age 94.

Not Rated

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Seinfeld: Season 9 (4-DVD Set) (1997)

Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander
Director: Andy Ackerman
Synopsis: Award-winning, extremely popular sitcom centers around a New York stand-up comedian and his group of eccentric friends.

Not Rated

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Sicko (2007)

[Documentary]

Director: Michael Moore
Michael Moore is back with a comedy about the state of the health care system the U.S.

Rating: PG-13 - for brief strong language.

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The Slaughter (2006)

Starring: Eva Derrek, Zak Kilberg
Director: Jay Lee
When six college students take a job cleaning up an abandoned house, their plans are to work hard by day and party hard by night. However, their nonstop funfest becomes a race for survival when they discover an ancient tomb and inadvertently awake Cthulha, a vengeful and bloodthirsty female demon.

Rating: R - for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use.

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Time (2006)

Starring: Jung-woo Ha, Ji-Yeon Park
Director: Ki-duk Kim
Synopsis: To save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.

Not Rated
Country of Origin: Japan, South Korea
Language: Korean

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Also coming are new lists of the HD and Blu-ray titles available, and any reviews on the transfer quality.

Have a good week, check the other notices during the week. New stuff is appearing all the time - more reviews of HTIB systems soon.

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   Active equalization is not as easily found as it was a few years ago. Much of the reason is because of the advent of multichannel sound. When 6 or more channels of equalization is provided, it is naturally more expensive than simple 2 channel controls.

This is not to say that there is nothing available. Active equalization has become more the tool of the studio, and less that of the user. As discussed before, everyone needs some EQ (the nickname used, so I will use it from here on), as not one of us lives in an anechoic chamber.

 As I started my journey of discovery, I found an old, friendly name at the low end of the spectrum of price. AudioSource is a well known name, and a company that has a solid reputation for building competent, quality merchandise. The EQ 200, pictured below, is a solid choice that will not bankrupt the household, yet gives good performance, and more importantly, a good signal to noise ratio (SNR). The SNR tells you how quiet the electronics of the component are, and how much extraneous noise the component will add to the overall sound. Remember, the overall dynamic range depends on the noise floor. The lower the noise floor, the greater dynamic range can be experienced in your room. (This is partly why we treat the room for noise. It keeps you from disturbing others, but the converse is also true.)

AudioSource EQ 200  -  around $110

Specifications
Inputs: Audio, Video, Tape 1, Tape 2
Outputs: Main, Tape 1, Tape 2
Frequency Response: 10Hz - 50kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio: -95dB
Weight: 10lbs (4.6 kg)
Dimensions: 3 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 8″D (89 x 422 x 204mm)

features
Spectrum Analyzer Display
1 Octave Control Points from 30Hz - 16kHz
Dual Tape Monitor Loop
Red LED’s in All 20

The next choice in our selection is the one-third octave equalizer that was covered, giving much tighter control over the room and speaker responses, and with careful use, the ability to come closer to the ideal environment in our less than ideal rooms.

 Behringer Ultragraph FBQ6200 31-Band Stereo Graphic Equalizer   -    around  $180

If you like, or can live with, the professional looking exterior, the Behringer Ultragraph is a good unit at an amazing price. Usually one-third octave EQs are much more expensive. This unit does not have the highest SNR, but all other specifications are good. I would advise an audition before purchase. You’ll probably find it very good, but if you listen to extremely dynamic source material (disaster movies come to mind!) you might choose something else.

Yamaha Q2031B Dual-Channel Graphic Equalizer    -   around $600

 The Yamaha EQ above is at the top of the list when it comes to excellent specifications, including signal to noise ratio. It is expensive, but provides great control.

As with all other purchases, auditioning is always a good idea, and checking into used, well maintained equipment is an excellent way to get some great stuff for not so much money. The name Soundcraftsmen is a name that is no longer around, but for many years the company made the very best equalization equipment for the audiophile. The products always had a professional look, most pieces being rack mount size, and used tuned coils to achieve the equalization. This is still the preferred method, and gives excellent results with low noise. The company is no longer in business, so be sure that the unit works before purchase, but since there is really nothing to wear out, once the unit has been checked, all that is left is haggling on price. These are worth looking for!

Using an equalizer with software to achieve flat response in your room will be a revelation to many. You may also find you don’t like it. The thing about that is that you have heard what the recording engineers envisioned when mixing the sound. Also, remember that most of the sound, no matter the source, is coming from the front speakers, left and right, so equalization for those is most important. The other channels of reproduction are much less worrisome, and make much less difference to the overall experience.

After that, you’re on your own.

 Well, I won’t give the many details of the current price wars on the HD DVD front. I have given the beginnings of the charge, and the second wave that has come quickly thereafter. The HD DVD format is coming on fast, not necessarily as a replacement for Blu-ray, but a replacement for standard DVD. With prices this crazy low, who would buy a standard DVD player?

These deals are changing daily, but the ones I put here are those I check to make sure will last until the next week, and next week’s list (unless otherwise specified).

So - to the deals, Robin… (sorry, I happen to have liked Batman on television, and could not resist)

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HD Televisions

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 ViewSonic 26″ LCD HDTV

$449.99 after $150 mail-in rebate @ Office Depot

CLEARPICTURE™ technology eliminates noise, increases detail, and optimizes color
2 HDMI inputs expand your high-definition connectivity
Model N2635w

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ViewSonic 37″ LCD HDTV

$749.99 after $150 mail-in rebate @ Office Depot

High-definition images look amazing and even standard television images are incredibly smooth and sharp
Three HDMI inputs expand your high-definition connectivity
Model N3735W

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Samsung 40″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $1,340 shipped  @ Amazon

Model # LN-T4061F

It features a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, ATSC and NTSC tuners, and three HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs.

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Samsung 50″ Widescreen DLP Projection HDTV for $900 shipped @ Circuit City

The television is $999.99, but after using coupon KAAP6MRA6Z, the price drops to $899.99. It has a 1280×720 native resolution, 2500:1 contrast ratio, and HDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, and coaxial video inputs.

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  Panasonic 42″ 1080p Widescreen Plasma HDTV for $1350 @ Circuit City

Using the same code as above, the price drops $100, making this quite a deal for PLASMA! It features a native resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), ATSC, NTSC, and QAM tuners, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, Secure Digital card slot, and dual HDMI, component, S-Video, and RCA video inputs. Deal ends November 6. Hurry!

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HD DVD Players

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Toshiba HD-A30 1080p HD DVD Player $315 @ Circuit City

The HD-A30 features 1080p output with DVD upconversion to 720p/1080i/1080p, Ethernet connectivity, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS HD, and other surround sound processing, and HDMI, component, and RCA video outputs. Deal ends November 6.

Submit this mail-in rebate and receive five HD DVD movies from a limited selection for free.

This is the high priced spread, and won’t be really inexpensive for a long time, not to be confused with the HD-A3.

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Blu-ray Players

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  Sony PlayStation 3 60GB Game Console + remote, game for $500 @ WalMart

That’s list price, but it adds the Sony Blu-ray Remote and a game of your choice for free. Add about $13 for shipping. Sales tax is added where applicable. Game choices include Heavenly Sword, NBA 08, Lair, Warhawk, Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm, and Formula One Championship Edition.

This is also the only Blu-ray player I could find on sale today. The Blu-ray troops have been caught with nothing to push out cheaply for getting Blu-ray into the hands of consumers. Help should be on the way soon. The war isn’t over.

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Miscellaneous stuff

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Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950 USB 2.0 HDTV Tuner Stick for $60 @ Gateway.com

The WinTV-HVR-950 puts HDTV on your PC with both NTSC and ATSC tuners, up to 1080i resolution, and “TiVo-like” features.

This is just the thing for that ‘personal’ home theater PC,  or an easy way to add a second tuner to that tightly packed small form factor HTPC case.

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Remember when we talked about storage, and that content would eventually be the largest  portion of your home theater equipment? Well, to help with storage of movies, pictures, audio, and anything else here is some help.

OFFICEMAX Slim Jewel Cases,100-Pack
BUY 1, GET 1 FREE  $ 29.99

This is a good deal, and a great time to grab it. Before all the Christmas stuff gets committed to DVD.

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BUFFALO TERRASTATION LIVE 2TB MULTIMEDIA STORAGE SERVER WITH SERIAL ATA HARD DRIVES - HS-DH2.0G.L/R5 $799.9 @ Fry’s

Buffalo’s TeraStation Live 2.0TB Multimedia Storage Server NAS offers powerful DLNA CERTIFIED multimedia server solutions for both the small business and consumer markets. TeraStation Live allows users to have a simple, cost effective data or media server to their office or home network.

DLNA is the standard that means your media PC or TiVo can query the box and grab content for your viewing pleasure.  Simple as hooking it up. Great deal for this much storage!

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BestBuy has Seinfeld Season 1-8 for $17 each season. Shipping is $2 or select in store pickup.

Good price for full seasons. If you’re a fan, I’d snap this up, it won’t be around long.

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More deals as they come throughout the week. Many places are running sales for only 1 or 2 days during the week, so check back often.

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Instead of coming up with a new video card that will make whatever cards you have in tandem unnecessary, it has come up with a card that most people can think about affording, and that makes the competition (both Intel and AMD) think twice about completely gaining the mass market.

fast, cool, stable, efficient - what more could you want? Well, hardcore gamers will want 2.

The 8800 GT is a card built on a smaller process than its like numbered brethren, which means, for many, it will not suck the very last watt from your power supply, or put out such heat that your case fans will have to sound like the helicopter from ‘Another Brick in the Wall’.

that slogan works for video now, as well as games!

The card, with all 754 million transistors, will outperform any of the current line from AMD, including the 2900 XT, it includes all of the full motion video acceleration capabilities that were omitted from the 8800 line until now. This is good news to those, like me, who bought an 8600GTS, because video performance was more important than ultimate gaming performance. nVidia seems to get this now, but it remains to be explained why it took so long for the company to wake to this fact. Perhaps all the talk about Intel, and its unwillingness to be an also-ran in the graphics arena has spurred the heads at nVidia to reassess what allows innovation. It’s all the dollars made from Joe Average, and his purchase of what becomes middle of the road.

Perhaps, in a single stroke, with a single card designation, nVidia has reinvented what is known as middle-of-the-road, and moved the price and performance points incrementally upward. This has the effect of making the company more money, as many will upgrade immediately to this new middle ground, and others who have been put below middle with this card will move further up the chain. It also puts onboard graphics well out of the mainstream for any gaming whatsoever, effectively assuring upgrades from almost all home users of light gaming and home theater machines. The benefits of the speed of this card on big displays, like the Gateway XHD3000, will make small room home theater a beautiful experience.

The benchmarks are impressive…

SINGLE-CARD BENCHMARKS   RADEON 2900 XT (512MB) GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
3DMARK06 GAME 1 (FPS)       22.6                                  26.4
3DMARK06 GAME 2 (FPS)       21.0                                  20.3
QUAKE (FPS)                           85.6                                  83.7
FEAR (FPS)                              66.0                                  71.0
SUPREME COMMANDER (FPS)27.9                                  29.1

DUAL-CARD BENCHMARKS     RADEON 2900 XT (512MB) GEFORCE 8800 GT 512MB
3DMARK06 GAME 1 (FPS)       44.1                                  47.0
3DMARK06 GAME 2 (FPS)       42.3                                  37.2
QUAKE (FPS)                         145.7                                101.3
FEAR (FPS)                            113.0                                120.0
SUPREME COMMANDER (FPS)  44.7                                  33.4

…and anyone who has seen the video performance of the 8500 and 8600 series knows how much this changes things when choosing a card for video performance.

AMD, Intel, and S3 (if that company still cares) all have a big jump to make to catch up to this one.

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The HD DVD consortium is rolling out an attack plan like no other I have seen in the consumer electronics marketplace. In a move to put an HD DVD player in every house, the purveyors of HD are leading the charge with low prices, that continue to slide downward almost daily.

Now reported is the news of KMart dropping Blu-ray players before Christmas. While those stores might not be the first place that shoppers think of when the word electronics comes up, it is a very large outlet for exposure. Now Blu-ray has one less place to battle for customer hearts and minds. The HD DVD Promotions Group has apparently become a spokesperson for KMart, as it explains that KMart feels that Blu-ray is indeed, the ‘high priced spread’ and will find its greatest favor with the home theater crowd, while ‘Average Joe’ will simply have an HD DVD player to keep up with technology, and not lose out on features offered on that format versus standard DVD.

Toshiba HD-A2

The opening salvo in this before Christmas war for the customer dollar seems to be the Toshiba HD-A2, which as previously reported here is leading the sub-$200 charge with various retailers having that model for prices from $199 all the way down to $164 (at Buy.com with season 1 of Heroes included at no charge). WalMart and Circuit City have similar deals, while Best Buy already has pricing listed for the next player to be released.

just a little more slick in appearance the HD-A3 will take over when the A2 model sells out.

While the HD-A2 is being highly promoted, it seems that its end of life is already in the cards, as a new model, the HD-A3 will be promoted by Sears after Thanksgiving. The Black Friday deal has already been leaked. The Toshiba HD-A3 will be $169, and include 2 free movies in the box, with the choice of 5 more by mail.

Chances are good that once the HD-A3s appear in strength, the A2s will go down to the $100-$120 range. At that point, the remaining units will fly off the shelves.

Remember that these prices are most likely loss-leaders, because as we all know, the software is where the big dollars flow. The free discs and quality players on the cheap is a Pavlovian move to condition the buying public to begin the move to obtaining the more expensive and profitable HD DVD format, while the standard DVD starts its inevitable . This is not to say that the slope will not be gentle, just that the slide will happen.

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