LIVE FROM VEGAS: HOME THEATER MAGIC!

SIN CITY’s
Ultrahip
Robert
Rodriguez

Home
Theater
www.hometheatermag.com • April 2006

SONY’S Reese
Witherspoon

New 1080p
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PREVIEW April 2006 VOLUME 13 ISSUE 4

46
features columns
THE NEW PRIME TIME GearWorks: Sharp’s Two-Way
by Adrienne Maxwell Viewing-Angle LCD

46 With technology on their

side, TV viewers are demand-
ing more control over the use
of their time, and the indus-
try is responding.
by Geoffrey Morrison

32 See double. (No booze required.)

32
Hook Me Up: Surround Revisited
by Mark Fleischmann and John Higgins
THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER
46 GETS A REALLY WIDE SHOE
by Michael Fremer
37 Dolby and DTS help renovate high-
def DVD digs.

54 HT goes inside the Late Show

with David Letterman’s HD
transition.
HT Talks to…Robert Rodriguez
by Chris Chiarella

Audio Video Interiors 42 The writer/director/composer/

cinematographer/editor might be the

83 AVI visits with Penn Jillette,

the talkative half of magic’s
most famous duo.
hardest-working man in show business.

Curtain Call by Michael J. Nelson

42
Log on to
www.hometheatermag.com
Check out our new Website! We have a whole new
www.hometheatermag.com. It’s got a new look and
has a ton of new content. Look for Web-exclusive
122 What Do You Stand For? and sign up to receive
our new, free eNewsletter
for first-rate, up-to-the-
54 gear reviews, video-game reviews, blogs, tons
of DVD reviews (old and new), and more. 4 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
minute reporting of
everything that’s hot in
the world of home theater.
 Our TV doubles as a photo
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PREVIEW from the test bench p. 63
departments
Prologue by Maureen C. Jenson

8 HOA and OTA antenna problems are still

raging...but it’s 2006?!

From the Staff 64 70

10 This month’s question: What movie have
you seen the most times at home?

20 Letters
14 Problems with cheap equipment, how
to choose good speakers, and tips on
how to select your subwoofer’s level.

Premium Programming
20 Your source for the highest-quality digital
programming to check out this month.
78 104
SPOTLIGHT SYSTEM
AV Newswire by Mark Fleischmann
22 22 From the news desk…HD video and audio
alliances, plus the family tier.
64 Era Design 4 Speaker System, AudioControl Maestro M2
Pre/Pro, and AudioControl Savoy Amplifier >
Trendy yet rebellious.

HIGH PERFORMANCE
Coming Attractions
24 Want to snazz up your system? Here’s a look
at the hottest new A/V gadgets and gear.
70 Sony VPL-VW100 LCOS Projector >
Forget these teeny-tiny 1080p TVs. It’s time for high rez
on a big screen.

Premiere Design 74 PMC OB1 Speaker System

Home theater audio with a pro-studio heritage.

30 Living Large: Hewlett-Packard’s ID5220n

microdisplay and Sona Design’s Cherry
MIDRANGE

24
Mission credenza.
78 Anthony Gallo Acoustics A’Diva Ti Speaker System >
Great balls of fire.
Critic’s Couch:
Movies and Music Reviewed 91 Crystal Acoustics TX-D12 Speaker System >
All the THX in China.

109 MirrorMask, Grey’s Anatomy, and

Jackson Browne on DVD-Audio.
96 Sherwood Newcastle R-965 A/V Receiver >
The great gray lady.

Dealer Locator ENTRY LEVEL

117 Before you run out to buy a prod-
uct we’ve reviewed, find a quality 100 GPX HTD2204 HTIB >
Excelling at being cheap.
dealer near you.
CONVERGENCE
30 ON THE COVER
104 Video Without Boundaries MediaREADY 5000
READY or not, here comes another PC for the HT.

Reese Witherspoon shines

almost as brightly as this
home theater, featuring Log on to
gear from Anthony Gallo www.hometheatermag.com
Acoustics, AudioControl, for more info about our
PMC, Sherwood, and Sony. ratings system,
Screen image courtesy of
WireImage. Photography measurements, and
by Cordero Studios. other cool stuff.

6 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

109
 n o w h e a r t h i s.

ex tr ao rd in ar y

integ rated

systems.
www.
nhth
ifi.
com
Inc.
NHT,
©2006
 Join our many
happy customers like
Geri B. from Huntersville, NC:
"Bravo! You are truly a gem!
> prologue BY
Your customer service is MAUREEN C. JENSON
just fantastic."

Visit us online to see many more items

www.stargatecinema.com

Now g!
or call 1•866•684•3843 HOA and OTA
Show
in Berkline Seats Cinema Seats
Antenna Problems
Still Raging…
But it’s 2006?!
Choose from our wide selection of
Berkline seats and commercial quality HEY READERS,
Cinema Style seats. Call us for excellent I thought the entire OTA satellite issue with condo/
prices on our Berkline seats. Cinema Style It’s that time of year again: time to
seats start at $329.99 with Free Shipping. town-house owners and their Home Owners Associations make those travel arrangements and
(HOA) was a moot point following FCC legislation join us at the Home Entertainment
Show in Los Angeles from June 1
in the late 1990s. I too had done battle with my own
Feature Marquee HOA in 1998, so, at the time, I was fairly up on the
through June 4. More than 250 manu-
facturers will be in 80 demo rooms, and
FCC’s rulings. Subscriber Mike Franchek from Casa they cannot wait to show you the latest
systems and technologies. In addition,
Grande, Arizona, e-mailed requesting some information there are loads of free concerts and
about his rights, as his HOA was giving him a hard time seminars and a ton of intelligent fun.
Log onto www.homeentertainment-
about the OTA antenna he had installed to receive HD expo.com for more details.
channels on his DISH Network receiver.
9
$59.9 As it had been a few years since I had done any research on this matter, I logged on to
This is by far the coolest accesso- http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html, which covers the Over-the-Air Reception Devices Rule
ry for your theater! Our affordable marquee system comes with 96
letters to announce your next feature or event. Add the Deluxe from the FCC. Mike didn’t mention where he had installed the antenna, but, by and large, he
Packs for even more authenticity. should be in the clear if his condo has an area that is within his exclusive use or control. This
rule includes condo owners and cooperative owners and tenants who have an area where they
Poster Cases and Custom Theater Prints have exclusive use, such as a balcony or patio, in which to install the antenna. There does appear
to be some gray area: “Under some circumstances where a central or common antenna is avail-
g g
startin startin able, a community association or landlord may restrict the installation of individual antennas.
at at
99 0
$389. $69.0
The rule does not apply to common areas that are
owned by a landlord, a community association, or jointly
Dear Readers,
by condominium or cooperative owners where the The Audio Video Interiors section within
antenna user Home Theater magazine is a huge suc-
does not have cess. Thanks to those of you who have
Log on to: www.hometheatermag. taken the time to e-mail with your com-
Our new line of Illuminated Poster Cases Put your name in lights! Put an exclusive ments. Please continue to send us infor-
feature no-tool, quick-change Snap-Lock your custom message on sign com to sign up for our four free
frames, extruded aluminum construction, and marquee.Four sizes avail- use area.” There mation on your own home theaters,
monthly eNewsletters. You’ll get regardless of whether you designed and
and convenient, low-profile rocker switches. able, framed and unframed. are other gray
exclusive tips, trends, news, and constructed them yourself. We love to
reviews from your favorite HT writers. areas, including see what you’ve accomplished, and, if
LED Theater Signs Theater Blanket if you live in a appropriate, we will publish your endeav-
NEW! Our new,stunning ors in the magazine or on the audio-
LED Theater Signs building of historical significance or if there is a safety videointeriors.com Website. On a very
replicate the look of
neon and come in Blue,
concern about where you need to install the antenna. related note, we are gearing up to run
Red, Green and White. For more information, log on to the above URL, or, your problem home theaters, as well, and
Three sizes available— publish them complete with our expert
12, 18 and 24 inches. if you want/need a full copy of the rules, you can call the solutions for your particular room or sys-
Various designs to FCC at (888) CALL-FCC (toll free). If you are having sim- tem issues. Send pictures, diagrams if
mount on wall or
ceiling.
NEW! Just in time for the Fall and ilar issues with your HOA, we want to hear from you— possible, and a brief outline of what is
Winter, our 100% cotton Deluxe Home wrong to HTLetters@primedia.com, or
Theater Blanket is available in go ahead and e-mail me at maureen.jenson@primedia.com. send snail mail to Editor, Home Theater
Burgundy, Hunter Green, or Dark Blue.
magazine, 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los
Don’t forget about our: Angeles, CA 90048. Let us help turn your
• Popcorn Machines & Supplies Most orders theater into a reality.
ship within CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS:
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• Clapboard Photo Frames FL 32142-0235Please include your full name, address, and phone number on any inquiries.
• Gift Certificates
www.stargatecinema.com 8 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
from the staff

What movie have

you seen the most
times at home?

MAUREEN JENSON, EDITOR: “There are two: the oh-yes-please-

take-me-back-to-the-rock-laden-’70s Led Zeppelin two-disc
DVD set and the infamous cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture
Show, which tells you way too much about my private life.

CLAIRE LLOYD, EXECUTIVE EDITOR: “When I was 7, I taped

The Wizard of Oz off of TV—commercials and all—using
my family’s first VCR. I watched it more than 100 times.
Even now, when Dorothy runs away from Professor Marvel’s,
I can still hear the Nature Valley granola-bar jingle, circa
1982, starting in my head.”

MARK FLEISCHMANN, AUDIO EDITOR: “Alfred Hitchcock’s

Notorious. Film students goggle at the voyeuristic love scene
between Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, with the camera
encircling them, as well as the crane shot that descends through
an elegant party to rest on a key Bergman holds behind her back.
It’s in black-and-white, 4:3, and mono, and I couldn’t care less.”

GEOFFREY MORRISON, VIDEO EDITOR: “I would have to say

it’s either Spies Like Us or Return of the Jedi. I know—all Jedi
has is a bunch of Muppets, but what can I say? It’s a lot more
fun than The Empire Strikes Back. Spies Like Us is a classic, back
before Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd were lame.”

CHRIS CHIARELLA, CONVERGENCE EDITOR: “Because I always

have the DVD handy for gear reviews—since it is one of my
favorite movies, and since Warner did such a wonderful job
with it—I would have to say Superman, even more so as I
count down to Superman Returns.”

STEVE GUTTENBERG, CONTRIBUTOR: “That’s an easy one to

call—the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski. I’ve watched it
at least 50 times. It’s one of the few comedies that never
gets stale. Jeff Bridges’ performance as the cannabis-and-
booze-addled Dude has inspired a devoted cult following.
The DVD is addicting!”

10 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 April 2006 Volume 13/Number 4

VP/Group Publisher: Rob MacDonald

Publisher: Dave Colford

Editor: Maureen C. Jenson

Executive Editor: Claire Lloyd
Audio Editor: Mark Fleischmann
Video Editor: Geoffrey Morrison
Convergence Editor: Chris Chiarella
Technical Editor, Audio: Mark J. Peterson
Editor-at-Large: Darryl Wilkinson
Copy Editor: Nikhil Burman

,%3ERIES
Senior Contributor: Michael Trei
Contributors: Aaron Dalton, Tony DeCarlo, Michael Fremer, Aimee C. Giron, Joe Goebel,
Steve Guttenberg, John Hefter, John Higgins, Matt Mahuran, Adrienne Maxwell,
Roger Maycock, Michael J. Nelson, Michael Prince, Ryan Vincent
Art Director: Heather Dickson
Contributing Designers: Irene L. Johnson, Barbara Simon
Contributing Photographers: Randall Cordero, John Martorano

Brand Manager: John Hurley

212-716-8468, john.hurley@primedia.com
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Central, Western & National Dealers: Laura LoVecchio, LoVecchio Associates
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Group Operations Director: Patricia Nolan
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PRIMEDIA, INC.
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PRIMEDIA ENTHUSIAST MEDIA

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%XPERIENCETHENEW6ENTOSERIES&ORFURTHERDETAILSCONTACTYOURLOCALDEALER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PRINTED IN THE USA
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12 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

Plasma, LCD, Projection.
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Amplification for your home theater system must meet a stringent set of requirements. It must have a dynamic
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 LETTERS
SPEAKER NOISE
I recently bought a small RCA
surround sound system.
When I first installed it, I
noticed some kind of static
noise coming from all of
the speakers. The volume
doesn’t affect this noise. I
tried unplugging everything,
and still no luck. I even
changed from one wall
outlet to another. Nothing
worked, so I brought back
the system thinking it was
faulty and got a different
one, a JVC. I installed it and
still the same static noise
came from all of the speak-
ers. It’s only there when the
amp kicks in, and it doesn’t
go up and down with the
volume. It’s always the
same loudness. Is there
anything I can do?
Every Theater Needs A Stage. Cedric
Canada
No one understands the role of home entertainment furniture
better than Salamander Designs, where we devote ourselves to To be certain there isn’t a
the art. Choose from base modules in various widths and heights.
ground loop, try operating
Customize your unit for enclosed storage and/or open shelf space.
the system with nothing but
Add accessories, from a panel TV mount to interior lighting. Then
get a comfortable view of it all from one of our lush theater chairs.
the speakers and power cord
connected. If the noise goes
away, then the system itself
is fine, and you’ll need to
diagnose the problem by con-
necting one cable at a time
to determine which is causing
the problem. If the noise is
still there without any exter-
nal connections, then you’re
finding one of the many lim-
itations of a budget home
theater system and may need
to move up to something rep-
resentative of the quality
level you’re expecting. Small
HTIB systems can inexpen-
Our World’s a Stage sively provide a home theater
See your many choices, including luxurious seating options,
14 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
and plan your furniture system on-line at SeriousFurniture.com.
Phone: 800-350-6859
We welcome questions and comments.
You can e-mail them to htletters@
primedia.com, or mail them to: Home
Theater Letters, 6420 Wilshire Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90048. Please note:
Be sure to check the FAQ page on our
Website (www.hometheatermag.com)
to see if we’ve already answered any
questions you might have. Questions
about the features and functions of a
particular product are best directed to
the manufacturer. Questions about
what product you should buy are best
directed to a dealer who knows all the
details of your system, your preferences,
and your personal habits. All submis-
sions are considered the exclusive
property of Home Theater magazine
and Primedia. Due to the volume of
mail that we receive, we regret that we
cannot respond to every letter.
experience that is satisfying
to many but not necessarily
to the discerning.—MJP
SPEAKER SELECTION
What is more important
when selecting good home
theater speakers—the sen-
sitivity, the frequency
response, or the power
rating? Recently, I have
been looking at numer-
ous speakers, and some
of the lower-end speakers
offer the same frequency
response, sensitivity, and
power as the high-end
speakers. From what I’ve
read, the higher the sensi-
tivity (around 90 deci-
bels), the better. The
power rating should be at
or above 175 to 200 watts,
and the frequency response
should cover 35 hertz to
25 kilohertz. Is what I’m
reading true? What is
the best way to evaluate
speakers—to buy high
end because they will
naturally be better or to
listen to some speakers
and choose based on what
my ears tell me?
JC
(Via E-Mail)

Ignore the propaganda from
the manufacturer’s marketing
department and trust your
ears. We publish unbiased
measurements that are helpful
when comparing products, but,
unless the speakers make you
grin when you listen to them,
they’re not for you no matter
how impressive their numbers
might be on paper.
Higher-sensitivity speakers
(if the numbers are real, which
they rarely are) will provide
more volume per watt of
amplifier power. Since most
receivers/amplifiers today
have lots of available power,
this number isn’t as impor-
tant as it once was, but you
should still consider it.
Power rating is one of the
least useful numbers pub-
lished. It is rarely specified if
this number is indicative of
the power required to produce
nominal distortion, massive
distortion, speaker meltdown,
or open flames shooting out
from where the tweeter used
to be. Use this simply as a
reasonable range of amplifier
sizes that are sensible to mate
with any given speaker.
While frequency range is
important to a point, the
smoothness and consistency of
response within that range is
vastly more important to most
listeners and is exactly what
we publish for each speaker
we review here.—MJP
SPEAKER-LEVEL
CONFUSION
I have calibrated my home
theater system numerous
times and used almost every
test disc on the market
from Video Essentials to
Avia, and, with each disc,
We’re as passionate about audio and video as you are about
the subwoofer level ends your favorite music, sports and movies. Let us help you
up at a different setting. find the gear that’s right for you.
When I follow the instruc-
tions provided on the disc,
no matter which system I
calibrate or what equip-
ment I use, the level always
sounds very, very low.
Should I set the level of the
subwoofer when using
Video Essentials, for exam-
ple, at 75 dB with the rest
of the speakers, or should
I set it to 85 dB, which
sounds much, much better?
I have read that the LFE
track should peak at 10 dB
higher than the rest of the
system, but, if I set the sub
to the same level as the
other speakers, the bass is
almost inaudible, and the
LFE has no impact at all.
Thanks for the help.
Ian
New Jersey
Setting subwoofer levels with
an SPL meter is always tricky.
Generally, you want to calibrate
all the channels, including the
sub, to the same reading. Try
holding the meter with the
microphone pointing up at the
ceiling, and slowly move it in
a figure-eight pattern at arm’s
length in front of you as far as
you can reach. By averaging
the reading over several feet,
you may find that you achieve
a more useful setting. Ulti- Want an audio/video system that gives you
mately, however, you need to goose bumps? Get the catalog that brings it all
set the subwoofer level where “Crutchfield.com:
to your door. Or visit crutchfield.com.
you enjoy it. Many set the ■ See the latest A/V gear from Denon, Onkyo,
#1 in customer support”
level too high at first because — Bizrate.com
Apple, Bose, Boston Acoustics, Polk Audio,
they love the wow factor, and,
Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and more.
over time, come to appreciate ■ Rely on Crutchfield for all the help you need
the subtlety of turning the sub
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down to where it unobtrusively
Free catalog
compliments the rest of the
system.—MJP
Call 1-800-555-8347
or visit www.crutchfield.com/hmt
 LETTERS
GRIEVING IN LOW-DEF
One of the most annoying A/V
things is that Battlestar Galactica,
which screams for high def and
5.1, is the worst kind of low def.
It’s grainy and soft, and it has char-
coal-gray bars (on a 4:3 set) and
mediocre stereo sound. Yet, if you
go to the Universal HD channel,
you can watch the previous season
of Battlestar Galactica in beautiful
high def and 5.1 surround sound.
I don’t think I have ever seen a
series where the current season is
being run in the ugliest low def
possible, while the previous season
is being run so nicely. Thanks. I
just needed to vent.
Mark
(Via E-Mail)
RESOLUTION VS. OVERALL
IMAGE QUALITY
I have a question regarding the
1080p Face Off you had in your
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February issue. You mentioned
that certain TVs looked softer
than others, yet this didn’t
always match up with the TVs
that you measured having a
lower resolution. In fact, the
HP, which you said looked the
softest also had a full 1080 reso-
lution. What gives?
Andy O.
Westwood, MA
There are any number of ways and
reasons why a TV may look softer than
another. Unfortunately, the resolu-
tion test, using a static image off a
test generator, reveals just a few
(most notably the analog-to-digital
conversion). The other, and perhaps
most important, reason why one TV
may look softer than another is the
set’s scaling. It’s difficult to make
480i look detailed on such a large
TV, and few displays can do it well.
That goes a step further, in that
any resolution you send the TV
(in many cases even the “native rate”
of the TV due to cropping and over-
scan) needs to be scaled. Done incor-
rectly, just about everything can look
soft compared with a different display,
even at the same resolution.—GM
PASSIVE SUBS...WHY?
I’m a college student looking for
a cheap, compact HTIB system. I
did a lot of research on a couple
of models from Sony, Samsung,
JVC, Panasonic, etc. Right now, I
have my eyes set on a Sony because
of the styling, specs, and price
($230 at Wal-Mart). My question
is, why are a lot of these compact
systems changing over to passive
subwoofers? Wouldn’t this add
more stress and heat to these com-
pact home theater systems? Are
passive subwoofers better than
powered subs. ( I always thought
powered subs were better.) Or is
this change for marketing rea-
sons (higher amp rating), simpler
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 LETTERS
setup, and a cheaper price? Also, I
have a Sony SA-WM500 powered
sub lying around. If I get Sony’s
DAV-DX150 HTIB, can I just con-
nect the front speaker lines of the
DAV-DX150 into the SA-WM500’s
speaker-level inputs?
Nai Moua
(Via E-Mail)
The power amplifier for the sub has
to go somewhere, and, in an inte-
grated system, it matters little whether
it’s in the main unit or in the sub
cabinet. The manufacturer makes
this choice depending on cost, conve-
nience, styling, etc., but the net
result is the same since the system is
designed to be used as a complete
package. Mixing and matching of
components is not recommended or
planned for in these systems. Hook-
ing an external subwoofer to the
front speaker lines won’t work, because
the low frequencies have already
Lower the Cost
of Living It Up.
PLV-Z4
Beautiful, True, High-Definition Images.
Widescreen WXGA-H (1280 x 720), 1000 lumens,
astounding 7000:1 contrast, 3-yr. warranty.
$
Call for Today’s Low Price . . . . 199500
HD72
Hi-Def, High-Performance, Low-Price.
Native high-definition 720p WXGA (1280 x 768),
5000:1 contrast ratio, 1300 bright lumens,
BrilliantColor processing.
Everyday Low Price ..........
$ 199900
been redirected to the included sub.
If the main unit has a line-level sub-
woofer output, use that to connect to
your extra subwoofer. If not, consider
buying a system (or separate compo-
nents) that better suit your needs.
—MJP
PLASMA-FRIENDLY SPEAK-
ERS ALSO SOUND FRIENDLY?
I read an article somewhere basi-
cally stating that speaker manu-
facturers are producing lines of
plasma-friendly speakers to meet
consumer demand and that this
is a shame because manufacturers
have to make so many compro-
mises in sound quality to make
these speakers so small. The arti-
cle further stated that a tower
speaker needs to be a certain size
in order to sound right. I have
been reading great reviews on
plasma-friendly speakers like
Definitive Technology’s Mythos
that make the above statement
IN76
HDMI and DVI connections!
Native high-definition 720p (1280 x 720)
resolution, 1000 video-optimized lumens,
3000:1 contrast.
Everyday Low Price .......... 299900
$
Draper offers a full range
of screens to meet any need.
From the ultra-portable Traveller to the elegant
ShadowBox Clarion for your installation.
From ................................
seem untrue. Does a speaker
need to be big, boxy, and boring
for the best sound quality?
Don
(Via E-Mail)
For starters, no, a speaker doesn’t
need to be big, boxy, and boring for
the best sound quality (but it often
helps). That being said, any good
product design requires a balance of
trade-offs between performance, size,
and cost, and speakers are no excep-
tion. In general terms, if you start
the design with any one of these para-
meters fixed at an extreme, the others
have to compensate. For example, if
you decide to shrink the size of a
speaker, the variables left to manipu-
late are to reduce the performance
(usually low-frequency extension and
output capability are the first to be
affected) or increase the cost by using
higher-performance parts. Choosing
these trade-offs skillfully is the hall-
mark of any great design.—MJP
* HERE’S A TIP
Home theater projectors don’t need to be as bright
in a room with controlled lighting. Lower-lumen
projectors cost less, so be sure you don’t pay for
more than you need.
Call 800-845-0042
M-F 8-8 EST or order online at
www.projectorpeople.com
*Prices at time of printing - call for latest deals and discounts!
5100
$
PREMIUM PROGRAMMING OVER THE AIR
What to Watch: HDTV

THE MAJOR NETWORKS NBC

ABC April 1, 8, 25, 22, 23, 29, and 30: various NHL
> NBA (tentative): games
April 2, 1:00 pm ET: Denver at Dallas
April 2, 3:30 pm ET: Houston at L.A. Lakers CABLE/SATELLITE
April 9, 1:00 pm ET: Indiana at Detroit TNT in HD:
April 16, 1:00 pm ET: Chicago at Miami > NBA:
April 16, 3:30 pm ET: Phoenix at L.A. Lakers April 6, 8:00 pm ET: Detroit at Miami
April 6, 10:30 pm ET: L.A. Lakers at Denver
CBS April 13, 8:00 pm ET: New York at Cleveland
> NCAA Final Four: April 13, 10:30 pm ET: Dallas at Phoenix
April 1, 6:00 pm ET: Men’s Final Four
April 3, 9:00 pm ET: Men’s Championship INHD/INHD2
> NBA:
Fox April 1, 2:00 pm ET: Boston at Chicago

>
> NASCAR Nextel Cup: April 2, 6:00 pm ET: Miami at New Jersey
April 2, 1:30 pm ET: Martinsville Speedway; April 8, 7:00 pm ET: Miami at Washington
Martinsville, Virginia April 11, 8:30 pm ET: Seattle at San Antonio
April 9, 1:30 pm ET: Texas Motor Speedway; April 16, 6:00 pm ET: New York at Detroit Discover HD Theater
Fort Worth, Texas April 17, 7:30 pm ET: Cleveland at Boston April 1, 8:00 pm ET: Must Do’s with Jeremy Piven,
April 22, 8:00 pm ET: Phoenix International April 18, 7:00 pm ET: New Jersey at Philadelphia Part 1
Raceway; Avondale, Arizona > April 1–2: Twilight Zone marathon weekend April 8, 8:00 pm ET: Yellowstone—
April 30, 1:30 pm ET: Talladega Superspeedway; > Cathedrals of the Game America’s First National Park
Talladega, Alabama > INHD2 Film Strip: Dog Day Afternoon
HDNet
ESPN/ESPN2 > NHL:
> NBA (tentative): April 1, 10:30 pm ET: Dallas at Los Angeles
April 1, 2:00 pm ET: Miami at Cleveland April 6, 8:00 pm ET: Edmonton at Minnesota
April 5, 7:00 pm ET: Washington at Boston April 8, 8:00 pm ET: Chicago at Nashville
April 5, 9:30 pm ET: Sacramento at San Antonio April 13: TBD
April 7, 8:00 pm ET: Indiana at New York April 15: TBD
April 7, 10:30 pm ET: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix > April 7 and 21, 9:30 pm ET: HDNet Boxing
April 12, 8:00 pm ET: Cleveland at Detroit > April 14, 9:30 pm ET: World Extreme
> April 12, 10:30 pm ET: Dallas at Golden State Cagefighting
April 14, 8:00 pm ET: Minnesota at Indiana > April 23, 9:00 pm ET: HDNet Concert Series,
April 14, 10:30 pm ET: Phoenix at Golden State Herbie Hancock—“Possibilities”
April 19, 8:00 pm ET: San Antonio at Houston
April 19, 10:30 pm ET: Denver at Seattle Showtime HD
The Passion of the Christ
** In addition to the special events listed above,
all of the major broadcast networks and some of the Crash
cable networks show at least a portion of their week- Final Cut
ly programming in HD. Check your local listings for
additional HD programming on the major networks Mean Creek
and these HDTV channels: Cinemax HDTV, Discovery Intimate Strangers
HD Theater, ESPN HD, HBO HDTV, HDNet, HDNet
Movies, INHD, INHD2, PBS HD, Showtime HD, Starz Suspect Zero
> HDTV, TNT in HD, The Movie Channel HD, and
Universal HD (formerly Bravo HD+).
Huff (season 2)
Liza With a Z (special)

20 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 ON THE SHELF
What to Buy: High-Resolution Audio

RECENT RELEASES:
The Absolute Sound SACD Classical Music Sampler (SACD, Telarc)
David Bowie: David Live (DVD-Audio, EMI)
David Bowie: Stage
(DVD-Audio, EMI)
Duran Duran: Astronaut
(SACD, Epic)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo:
Long Walk to Freedom
(SACD, Heads Up)
John Legend: Get Lifted
(SACD, Columbia)
John Mayer: Room for Squares
(SACD, Columbia)

> Switchfoot: The Beautiful

Letdown (SACD, Columbia)
Vivaldi: Gloria & Bach:
Magnificat—Martin
Pearlman, Boston Baroque
(SACD, Telarc)

NEW AND UPCOMING

RELEASES:
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra;
Music for strings, percussion,
and celesta—Seiji Ozawa,
Saito Kinen Orchestra
> (Philips, SACD)
Copland: Motets (1921); Duruflé:
Gregorian Motets; Tavener: Song for Athene; Vaughan Williams:
Mass in G Minot for Double Choir; Messiaen & Tallis: O sacrum con
vivium—Norman Mackenzie, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and
Chamber Chorus (SACD, Telarc)
Simple Minds: Once Upon a Time (DTS, DVD-Audio)
Johann Strauss: Waltzes—Yakov Kreizberg, Vienna Symphony
Orchestra (SACD, PentaTone)

BLU-RAY/HD-DVD:
Get your shopping bags ready: Warner Home Video has unveiled
the first high-def DVD releases. Warner’s HD-DVD titles Batman
Begins and Million Dollar Baby will be available on March 28, and
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be here on April 11. Although
HD-DVD seems to have beaten Blu-ray to the punch, Best Buy,
Circuit City, Virgin, and other major retailers plan to stock titles
in both high-def disc formats.
Cable Bows Family Tier
news
AV wire> > > > >
> by MARK FLEISCHMANN,
Audio Editor

HD Video and
Audio Alliances
and Chip Crypt Form
Cable operators covering half of the nation’s subscribers have announced new family- The HDTV and HD Radio camps are
friendly programming tiers. If you look closer, it’s easy to trace the tracks of their tiers— both getting better organized.
the move quickly followed some high-profile saber-rattling from Kevin J. Martin, the new A noteworthy coalition of indus-
chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). tries has formed HANA, the High-
The family tiers are Martin’s idea. He suggested that, if cable companies didn’t play along, Definition Audio-Video Network
he might drop a regulatory bomb or two. One alternative was to bring cable and satellite oper- Alliance. Founding members include
ators under the same censorship Charter Communications, JVC,
rules that apply to broadcast televi- Mitsubishi, NBC Universal, Samsung,
sion and radio. Another was per-channel and Sun Microsystems. The group’s
(also known as à-la-carte) pricing. initial goals are to enable consumers
Rather than submit to these indig- to view, pause, and record five or
nities, several cable operators imme- more HD channels at once, do so
diately agreed to provide a tier of safe throughout the home with one set-top
programming for children. Affected box, move content securely from PC
companies are Time Warner, Comcast, to A/V gear, control all devices with
Advance/Newhouse, Insight, and one remote per room, and add any
Midcontinent Media. device with one cable.
Time Warner’s family tier will Meanwhile, the HD Digital Radio
include Boomerang, C-SPAN 2, Alliance has been formed by Clear
C - SPAN 3, CNN Headline News, The Channel, Infinity, and other big broad-
Science Channel, Discovery Kids, the casters looking to answer the satellite-
Disney Channel, DIY Network, Fit TV, Food Network, HGTV, La Familia, Nick Games & Sports, radio challenge with new technology
the Weather Channel, and Toon Disney for $12.99. Throw in the required basic
service broadcast and a digital set-top box, and the monthly bill comes to about
$33. The channels will remain available in existing tiers.
Most cable operators want to continue a lucrative business model that
justifies endless rate hikes with fixed packages of largely unwanted chan-
nels. But that doesn’t mean per-channel pricing is dead. Although the
National Cable & Telecommunications Association is dead set against the
idea, Comcast’s Chuck Dolan has spoken out in favor of it. And AT&T, formerly
SBC, is exploring it for telco TV service.
More excitement in the cable world comes with Samsung’s announcement
that it will be the first DTV maker to offer downloadable CAS. That stands for
Conditional Access System. Instead of slipping a CableCARD into your set or
set-top box, your equipment would download decryption into a chip. Other
DTV makers have yet to give CAS a broad stamp of approval.
Finally, Thomson—maker of RCA-brand DTVs—has become the second
manufacturer to sign the CableCARD-Host Interface License Agreement (CHILA) with of their own. They seem untroubled by
CableLabs. This next-generation, two-way version of the card will allow video on demand the notion that their problem is lack-
and is therefore expected to attract broader support from cable companies. luster content—not technology.

22 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

Monster’s SuperDiscs
Deliver Music in Surround
Monster Cable proposes to bring music in surround to the people with their new
SuperDisc program. And, if that seems like a fatuous statement, read on.
Music in surround is a powerful concept that has eluded even many people
with surround systems. Some folks are just not willing to upgrade to a universal
player and then install six analog audio cables between player and receiver. True,
HD Killed the
Video Star
Mitsubishi is the charter sponsor of MHD. The new
high-def music channel from MTV Networks will fea-
ture both original programming and content from
other MTV channels with a mix of hip-hop, rock, coun-
try, pop, reggaeton, and soul. Mitsubishi will outfit the

Photography courtesy of Mitsubishi. Screen image courtesy of JonathanBeckerman.com

universal players have improved in price and connectivity, production studios in Vail, Colorado, and, of course,
but first impressions—and existing gear—tend to linger. their flat-panel displays will peek out from behind the
Monster’s SuperDiscs use plain-vanilla Dolby Digital 5.1 VJs. With audio lagging behind video in the market-
and DTS lossy surround encoding, mastered in high-rez place, maybe it is time to make music look better.
96/24, to deliver music-in-surround mixes on ordinary
DVD-Video discs. Also included are WMA and AAC sound-
tracks—encoded in Dolby Headphone—and an Apple
Lossless Compression soundtrack, all unburdened by scary
and irksome copy restrictions. Some releases are dual
CD/DVD packages.
Surround buffs hip to SACD and DVD-Audio may scoff. But these new discs make
5.1-channel music mixes accessible with the one-wire ease of universally available digi-
tal coaxial and optical connections using nearly any DVD player and receiver on the mar-
ket—not to mention many HTIB systems.
Initial releases will include titles by Ray Charles and 3 Doors Down.
SuperDisc releases of A Charlie Brown Christmas will include both the original
Vince Guaraldi Trio classic and a various-artists tribute.

THIS JUST IN…

FEBRUARY 17, 2009, is now doomsday for the analog television standard under a House/Senate compromise.
$1.5 billion will be allocated to help low-income viewers make the transition...THE SO-CALLED ANALOG HOLE
may get plugged under new legislation that would require restrictive codes embedded in analog video signals to
be recognized by digital devices. Cosponsored by Reps. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI),
what’s destined to become known as the A-Hole Bill is a bipartisan erosion of consumer fair-use
rights...DIRECTV PAID $5.35 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for having telemarketed to house-
holds in the FTC’s do-not-call registry. It’s the largest FTC penalty ever paid—go, Rupert, go!...iPOD FINGER is
what British chiropractors are calling a repetitive-stress injury increasingly seen in patients excessively devoted
to song hopping and text messaging. To avoid it, keep flexing your hand muscles, try a different finger once in a
while, and, no, don’t point it at us...JAPAN’S PROPOSED iPOD TAX died after the Agency for Cultural Affairs
stacked the committee mulling the matter with academics, lawyers, officials—but no music-industry hotshots.
Sometimes big government is good for you...LENO’S MONOLOGUE leaps into the iPod mosh pit along with
300 episodes from NBC series new and old. The Master of Suspense would have been opportunistically delighted
to see old Alfred Hitchcock Presents shows on a white wand...LETTERMAN’S MONOLOGUE and other clips from
CBS programming will be available to customers of Verizon’s V Cast video service. Is it worth another $15 on your
monthly phone bill?...SPRINT NEXTEL will offer a $7-per-month video-via-cell package including movies, con-
certs, and TV shows. If people in supermarket checkout lines start watching Night of the Living Dead, we will eat
them alive...MORE TAINTED CDS lurk in the Sony BMG catalog, this time using SunnComm MediaMax DRM,
according to a joint announcement from the music behemoth and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. To prevent
hackers from hijacking your PC, again, see titles and fix at www.sonybmg.com/mediamax...REPLAY TV will port
its video-recording interface over to the PC world in conjunction with the WinTV-PVR card from Hauppauge
Digital. HTPCs may inherit the rack...BLU-RAY’S FIRST MASTERED TITLE is Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. That’s
it, Sony and MGM. Keep your boring old Wizard of Oz—give us the real classics...HD-DVD missed its fourth-quarter 2005 ship date in Japan.
Toshiba attributed the misfire to a delay in finalizing the AACS rights management...HP has endorsed HD-DVD, citing differences with Blu-ray
over interactivity features and cost. That gives the now-number-one PC maker a foot in each camp...
COMING ATTRACTIONS
> KEF
Do you remember your first bicycle? You tossed that little thing
around until you got pretty good and were ready for something bigger.
Well, perhaps you’re just beginning your journey into the world of sur-
round sound and don’t quite have the bread to get one of the pricier sys-
tems. KEF’s new KHT3005 5.1 speaker package resembles their previous
speakers, but, as KEF explains, it uses a completely new design for a sound
that is sweeter and has greater output capability than its competitors. The
$1,500 package has four satellites with new drivers, a center channel with
two additional bass drivers, and a sub with a new 250-watt amp.
KEF • (732) 683-2356 • www.kefamerica.com

> NHT
Unity: It’s a concept that, applied to virtually any context, people
generally consider to be a good thing. In the A/V world, there’s certainly
nothing wrong with a mix-and-match system. But it is largely for the
notion of unity that speaker manufacturer NHT has made their first foray
into the world of electronics. The company is quick to point out that their
7.1-channel Controller pre/pro (pictured here) and Power5 amplifier will
be excellent members of any home theater family. But, when linked with
NHT speakers, you will experience a particularly heightened level of per-
formance and operating simplicity. The HDMI-capable Controller is
$2,750, and the 200-watt-per-channel, Class D Power5 is $2,000.
NHT • (800) NHT-9993 • www.nhthifi.com

> RCA
Get ready for the next big wave in portables. RCA’s new com-
pact $399 Lyra X3000 lets you perform high-speed video transfers
from select DirecTV DVRs onto the X3000’s 20-gigabyte hard drive,
allowing you to store and watch 80 hours of programming. It can also
perform high-speed transfers of other digitized content, such as PC-
stored video, and you can transfer material from an analog source,
such as a DVD player, in real time. It even lets you store music files and
photos. The X3000 provides what RCA describes as DVD-quality per-
formance when you output it to a TV, and it also offers a convenient
way to watch video content from your PC on a TV.
RCA • (800) 336-1900 • www.rca.com

> PSB
There are a number of factors that often work against the per-
formance of in-wall speakers. Minimal interior space and limited in-wall
volume detract from bass extension. Meanwhile, weak partition con-
struction in place of proper loudspeaker cabinets can add unwanted
coloration. PSB’s $2,249 CustomSound CW600E in-wall speaker comes
housed in a tall, 4-inch deep, highly braced wooden enclosure. Both
woofers employ stiff fiberglass cones with large motors to further aid
faithful reproduction. PSB says a specially optimized crossover
improves bass response and that the midrange-tweeter-midrange driver
array creates wide horizontal dispersion and a large sweet spot.
PSB • (800) 263-4641 • www.psbspeakers.com

24 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 AMUSICSYSTEM
WITHAPASSIONFORMOVIES
4HE.!$,$6$#$3TEREO2ECEIVERMAYWELLBETHEPERFECTSOLUTIONANYPLACEWHEREBIGSOUNDFROMYOURFAVORITEMUSIC

ANDMOVIESISDESIREDBUTSPACEISLIMITED"YCOMBININGAPOWERFULXWATTSRECEIVERAND$6$#$PLAYERINONECOMPACT

ELEGANT PACKAGE SETUP IS AS SIMPLE AS CONNECTING YOUR STEREO SPEAKERS AND46 MONITOR &EATURING 323 TECHNOLOGY THE

,PROVIDESANENVELOPINGSURROUNDSOUNDSENSATIONFROMONLYTWOSPEAKERSANDTRULYREDElNESHIGHPERFORMANCEHOME

ENTERTAINMENT

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COMING ATTRACTIONS
> Samsung
For many home theater owners, a video-game system is just as
important as a DVD player or any other component. Samsung acknowl-
edges this with their new Game mode, found in their 51 and 52 series
LCD HDTVs, which come with piano-black and white-pearl finishes,
respectively. Samsung worked closely with Microsoft in creating the
Game mode, which reportedly optimizes image quality, sound, and
response time to make for more realistic gameplay. Samsung says the
TVs have excellent contrast ratios and viewing angles, and the hidden
speakers help give the sets clean, almost computer-monitor-like aesthet-
ics. Pictured here is the $3,299, 40-inch LNS4052D model.
Samsung • (800) 726-7864 • www.samsung.com

> InFocus
InFocus has a new line of projectors priced to compete with
flat-panel displays. The new Play Big series of projectors uses TI’s DLP
chip and Pixelworks DNX processing for what InFocus claims is superb
brightness, contrast, and overall image quality. Plus, as InFocus empha-
sizes, the projectors produce a bright image with a screen size that is
bigger than that of flat-panel displays—ranging from 60 inches to a
massive 144 inches. The three projectors in the series range in price
from $1,299 to $2,999, and the most expensive one, the IN76, offers an
HD resolution of 720p.
InFocus • (800) 294-6400 • www.infocus.com

> Boston Acoustics

Check out Boston Acoustics’ new front-firing, front-ported XB6
subwoofer. In addition to its 200-watt-rated internal amplifier, the sub-
woofer features a number of refinements on previous Boston subs. Its
patented 12-inch Deep Channel woofer provides extended excursion with
increased bass response, and Boston’s BassTrac circuitry is designed to
eliminate distortion. Boston claims that the sub is difficult to localize by
ear, increasing placement flexibility. It also has variable crossovers, phase
control, line- and speaker-level inputs, a 24-decibel-per-octave low-pass
filter, and a crossover bypass. Boston has rated the frequency response
(+/–3 dB) from 29 to 150 hertz. Contact Boston for pricing information.
Boston Acoustics • (978) 538-5000 • www.bostonacoustics.com

> Soundations
This cool-looking entertainment center will transform your home
theater into a piece of modern art. It’s called the Ritz 1, and it’s part of
Soundations’ Ritz line. Soundations has designed the Ritz 1 to protect
your equipment and help it perform its best. It employs a combination of
coupling, absorption, and mechanical-isolation devices to shield your
audio and video components from vibrations. Unique, adjustable bush-
ings give shelves the critical leveling needed for sensitive components,
and internal shelving is decoupled from the outer “isolation cradle.”
Plus, MDF construction coupled with aluminum and steel further ensure
top performance from your gear. The Ritz 1 is available in a variety of fin-
ishes and configurations with a base price of $2,499.
Soundations • (201) 943-2404 • www.soundations.com

26 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 Control Everywhere. Fits Anywhere.
Anywhere.

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kitchen to the home theater.

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new, sleek version that pivots on tabletops and fits anywhere in the home.
VIA!Valet6.4 can be easily mounted under a cabinet and flipped up completely
flat when not in use.

Enjoy effortless, one-touch control of all your audio and video electronics,
home theater, lighting, climate and more. Plus, it even doubles as a small
video screen for watching TV and monitoring security cameras. It’s easy to
install and best of all – it’s the most affordable panel of its kind
available.

VIA! goes in easily, changes your life immediately.

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TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ANY OF ELAN’S EXCITING PRODUCTS CALL 1-877-289-3526 OR VISIT US AT ELANHOMESYSTEMS.COM.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
> Stewart Filmscreen
While you may prefer the performance of a front projector,
the fact is that it’s not always convenient to install a retractable
screen in a non-dedicated room. Stewart’s new Media Screens, avail-
able in 72- and 80-inch sizes ($3,999 and $4,499, respectively), are
one solution. They’re designed to resemble a flat-panel display, com-
plete with two built-in speakers. The included speakers may be a plus
if you’re reluctant to purchase a separate speaker system, and the
speakers use a technology that simulates a center-channel speaker to
unify the audio experience. The screens are made of Stewart’s
Firehawk material, which is designed for environments that have
some ambient light. The stand is sold separately.
Stewart Filmscreen • (800) 762-4999 • www.stewartfilmscreen.com

> Universal Remote Control

So you’re finally finished putting your home theater together,
but the pile of remotes has made it clear that you need a universal
remote. Great, you think to yourself, more money. Universal Remote
Control hopes to ease your burden with two new remotes, the $40 R5
and the $50 R7. They can control up to five and seven components,
respectively, and each comes with a reportedly simple DVD guide to
assist setup. The company’s new MacroPower function lets you turn
several A/V components on or off with the press of one button, while
the SimpleSound function lets you control the volume on all of your
components at once. Each has ample macro buttons.
Universal Remote Control • (914) 835-4484 • www.universalremote.com

> NAD
If you’re looking for a high-quality universal disc player, NAD, the
manufacturer of highly regarded audio products, has just released their
$1,799 M55 player, part of their MastersSeries. And the unit isn’t just
compatible with virtually every current disc format; NAD claims that play-
back of your existing CDs and DVDs will receive a major sonic improve-
ment. The player protects against noise by providing separate signal
paths for DVD and SACD, and bass management redirects frequencies
that could overload your speakers to the subwoofer. You can also manu-
ally set crossover parameters. The M55 upconverts DVDs to 720p or
1080i, and there is a wealth of picture adjustments.
NAD • nadelectronics.com

> Snell Acoustics

The C7 tower speaker is Snell’s newest addition to the Series 7
line designed from the ground up by famed speaker designer Joe
D’Appolito. The C7 sports a three-way design using the D’Appolito
array, with two 4-inch midrange drivers above and below a 1-inch silk-
dome tweeter. Two 8-inch woofers located on either side of the cabinet
near the bottom reportedly allow the the woofers’ back wave to “force
balance” the two drivers so they produce less cabinet resonance.
Snell’s signature, rear-firing tweeter sits on the backside. Snell has
measured the output to more than 110 dB and the bass down to nearly
30 Hz. The C7 retails for $2,500 each.
Snell Acoustics • (978) 538-6262 • www.snellacoustics.com

28 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 bring it home
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PREMIERE DESIGN

premiere points
> The HP ID5220n comes
with a 30-watt-peak
stereo system, SRS
TruSurround XT audio
technology, and an inte-
grated photo slide show
with photo print.
> Sona Design’s Cherry
Mission credenza looks
sleek and keeps your
setup tidy with its wire-
management system.

The Linn Komponent 106 center chan-

nel demonstrates the ample cabinet
space to house the all-important
center-channel speaker.

30 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

 The ID5220n
DLP features a
720p native res-
olution and a
contrast ratio of
up to 2,500:1.

Signal Path and

Sona Design
offer a cherry
display frame to
match this beau-
tiful credenza.

> Living Large

The slender HP ID5220n display and the Sona Design Cherry Mission credenza, manufactured
and distributed by Signal Path, provide a perfect compliment to any modern living area. The 52-inch HP
microdisplay, powered by an impressive 150-watt lamp, delivers dazzling high-definition performance.
Another feature of the HP that should not be overlooked is its user-friendly, integrated multiformat

Photography by Cordero Studios / Screen image courtesy of Universal

front-panel card reader. The ID5220n should have a price tag on it by late spring. The elegant Mission
houses up to five components and keeps them tidy with a built-in wire-management system. This afford-
able, beautiful piece, with solid cherry legs and trim, has an MSRP of $2,700. Matching display frames
and a matching surround sound speaker system from Era are also available at an additional charge. Go
ahead, take another look. This pair is everything you’ve been dreaming of.

Signal Path International Hewlett-Packard Linn

( 704) 391-9337 (800) 752-0900 (904) 645-5242
www.signalpathint.com www.hp.com www.linninc.com
 gearworks
Sharp’s Two-Way Viewing-
Angle LCD
See double. (No booze required.) By Geoffrey Morrison
TWVA display shows two different images. Display (right) reflected in a mirror (left).
Every once in a while, a new tech-
nology pops up that is so cool and
so different that it has to create its
own market. Sharp’s sexy-sounding
two-way viewing-angle LCD tech-
nology is just such a thing. It allows
for diverse and unique uses that
were previously not possible—or
at least difficult.
First, a Primer
I’m going to shorten two-way
viewing-angle LCD to TWVA to
make it easier to read and type.
TWVA is based around LCD tech-
nology, and, to understand TWVA,
you need at least a basic under-
standing of LCD. Unlike plasma
and CRT, the element that makes
the image on a liquid-crystal display
doesn’t also make the light. At the
back of an LCD is a series of lamps,
often fluorescents similar to the
32 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
ones found in offices. Light likes to
travel in every direction it can. For
an LCD to work, the lamps’ rays
need to all march in the same direc-
tion. To do this, the lamps send the
light through a polarizing layer that
makes the rays all head straight for
the front of the display. In between
the light and its freedom are two
things—the liquid-crystal layer and
another polarizing layer. One way
to understand the liquid-crystal
layer is to picture a bunch of cig-
ars, one assigned to each
pixel on the display.
These cigars’ job is to
either let the light pass
through unmolested (an
“on” pixel), or to twist
the light 90 degrees so
that it is blocked by the
second polarizing layer
(an “off ” pixel). By
Kitties, or your Felidae fetish?
a p p ly i n g d i f f e r e n t a m o u n t s
of power, you can twist the light
i n different increments. For
50-percent brightness, the cigars
twist so that the polarizing layer
blocks half the light. This occurs
on a per-pixel basis. For color dis-
plays, there are three times as many
pixels horizontally (also called sub-
pixels or pels), one for each color
(red, green, and blue).
What Starts as a Downside…
One issue with LCD technology is
that, because the light is polarized,
it only likes to go in one direction.
So, if you’re viewing an LCD from
directly in front, you’ll get a good
show, but a viewer seated off to
the side won’t. LCDs have come a
long way in reducing this effect,
but the vast majority fall far short
of their 170-degree viewing-angle
claims. Ironically, it’s this very
effect that makes TWVA and all its
wonders possible.
…Turns into a Benefit.
Let’s say that, instead of trying to
optimize the viewing experience
for wide audience spacing, you
purposely tried to make the view-
ing experience different for people
sitting on opposite ends of a
couch. (I’ll get to why later.) You
do this by adding a parallax barrier
to the front of the display. Think of
 A Tall Order
It was a tall order when Revel engineering was asked to create
the most affordable line of Revel speakers. But there was one
overriding mandate: Make sure they sound like Revels!

With this goal in mind, drivers, crossovers and cabinets

were designed, thoroughly evaluated, assembled, and
refined until our engineers were convinced the Revel
sound could be achieved. Then the speakers were sub-
jected to the ultimate test – double-blind listening.

The result?
The Concertas not only sounded like Revels, they
handily outperformed the competition as well.
A tall order indeed.

F12 M12 C12 B12 S12

3 Oak Park Drive, Bedford, MA 01730-1413 USA | Tel: 781-280-0300 | Fax: 781-280-0490 | www.revelspeakers.com
©2005 Harman International Industries, Incorporated. “Revel” is a registered trademark of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved
 gearworks
it as a picket fence. Depending on the directional sense of a lem-
where you’re sitting in relation to ming. You just want to drive the
the “fence” in front of the screen, 8 hours to her mother’s house in
you can only see certain pixels. the last peace you’ll have for a
Move, and you will see different week. With a TWVA monitor in
pixels. Do this right, and the peo- the dash, you can have the GPS
ple seated to the left only see what navigation going while she watch-
was intended for them, and those es a movie. Because you can’t see
sitting to the right only see what the movie from your seat, you
was intended for them. needn’t try to matc h Steve
McQueen powerslide for power-
Ummmm, But Why? slide. What’s better is that your
Oh, the uses. Say you want to wife can’t see that you aren’t
watch When Harry Met Sally. You’re using the GPS because you’re
wearing your favorite flannel pj’s actually trying to get lost.
Another
variation on this
technology can
be implement-
ed on a com-
puter screen.
You can see the
screen just fine,
but the nosy
people sitting
to either side of
you can’t see
your e-mails.
Or, in a meet-
Fluorescent light source would be at top of cutaway. ing, your audi-
ence can look at
and have your box of tissues ready. your PowerPoint presentation,
Your wife, like she always does, while you can see your notes. Let’s
plops herself down, grabs the say you’re sitting next to your boss
remote, and turns on the game. in a meeting. He looks over at the
“But honey,” you say, “I wanted to screen and sees sales figures. You,
watch my Nora Ephron master- on the other hand, are reading
piece.” Well, don’t fret. If you your personal e-mails.
have a TWVA monitor, you can For video games, it’s even bet-
activate the TWVA feature. (You’ll ter. Instead of a split-screen multi-
be able to turn it on and off.) Now player, you can have the whole
all you both need to do is slide screen for your game, and your
away from the center, and you can opponent also has the whole screen
have the good cry you wanted, (while sitting on the other end of
while your wife can watch the Sox the couch). Unfortunately, this lim-
lose again. Harmony is restored. its your ability to cheat by looking
What’s cool about this technology at the other half of the screen.
is that it doesn’t end there.
But Wait, There’s More.
Drive in Peace Your eyes are about 6 centimeters
Picture a similar argument in the apart—less if you’re a cat, more if
car. She wants you to stop and ask you’re, say, a hammerhead shark.
for directions because you have Knowing this, you can use TWVA
34 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
to create a different effect. With
a directional LCD, the parallax
barrier diverts the light by about
40 degrees off center in each direc-
tion. If you narrow the light’s angle
by about 6 degrees, the display can
send similar but slightly different
signals to each of your eyes.
Historically, viewers have created
the same effect by wearing red and
blue filters in front of their eyes.
That’s right—you can have 3-D
without funny glasses. Sure, the
field of view will be limited, as
would the seating range, but it
should work pretty well. There is
also no requirement for size, so
your cell phone’s display could be
3-D—or your iPod’s. Believe it or
not, some of these 3-D displays are
already available in this country.
Can I Get One?
The TWVA displays aren’t available
just yet, but they are coming. I’m
willing to bet that, at first, we’ll
see TWVA displays on the indus-
trial side. Everywhere you look
now there’s an LCD or plasma dis-
playing advertising. With a TWVA
LCD, companies could display dif-
ferent ads for the people coming
and those going. Or bars could
show two games at once. On the
home side, TWVA sets will cer-
tainly be a step up over a regular
LCD. But, for some people in
some situations, this could be the
perfect technology. The 3-D aspect
is what I am tentatively excited
about. George Lucas and a few
others have been pushing 3-D
recently, and maybe this is the
tec hnology that will help get
t h e i r poorly wr itten dreams
into homes. Then again, there
seems to have been a push for 3-D
every few years, dating back to
the start of 2-D. I’ll see if I can get
one in and play with it.
Until these TWVA displays hit
the market, our double vision will
have to be induced by tequila.
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 hook me up
Surround Revisited
Dolby and DTS help renovate high-def DVD digs.
by Mark Fleischmann and John Higgins
Have you ever heard wine lovers
obsess about the bottle? Of course
not. True oenophiles care most about
what’s in the bottle. There, in a nut-
shell, you have what’s most peculiar
about the high-definition-DVD for-
mat race. All we hear about is the
vessel. What about the contents?
The good news is that, regardless
of how the format race shakes out,
we know what tricks the next gener-
ation of high-rez discs will perform,
because the standards in video and
audio aren’t set by Toshiba or Sony.
The real players are the Moving
Picture Experts Group (MPEG),
Dolby Laboratories, and DTS.
They’re in charge of the video and
audio compression codecs that will
give the Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD-
DVD a flavor that goes well with
chicken, fish, and action movies.
DTS-HD Technology
Like BD and HD-DVD, Dolby
TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
are determined lunges for licensing
revenue. However, building two
audio-codec families into the new
format (oops, formats) has proven
to be a lot easier than settling on a
37 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
physical disc structure. Here’s how
the next wave in surround sound will
affect the bits that seduce your ears.
Dolby TrueHD and Dolby
Digital Plus
Star Wars (1977), which used the
Dolby Surround format, is often cited
as the first movie since Disney’s
Fantasia (1940) to use surround
sound. However, Dolby Surround had
already been used in such non-
blockbusters as Lizstomania (1975)
and the remake of A Star Is Born
(1976). The format’s successor,
Dolby SR (Spectral Recording), is still
the standard for analog soundtracks
on 35mm film prints, while digital
film soundtracks use Dolby Digital. Behind
The Dolby Surround signal format
drove the growth of surround in the
home with Dolby Pro Logic, which
Closed Doors
uses matrixing to AVION home theater furniture is more than just a pretty
derive front-center face. Yes, it’s a sleek design. But it’s what you don’t
and rear-surround see that makes AVION a true original. With hidden
signals from the front integrated features like speaker and media storage
left and right chan- compartments, an easy-access back panel, hidden
nels. Dolby Pro Logic wheels, flow-through ventilation and an optional flat
II is the latest version,
panel TV mount, AVION is ready to meet the demands
while Dolby Pro
of the most challenging entertainment systems.
Logic IIx expands
matrixed surround to
7.1 channels.
Dolby moved
beyond the matrix-
ing trick to develop
a new format that
delivered each chan-
nel discretely using
what is commonly called “compres-
sion,” although “data reduction”
might be more precise. Originally
called AC-3, now Dolby Digital,
To locate a dealer near you, visit www.bdiusa.com
that format is officially mandated
in both the federally sanctioned
DTV standard and the DVD
Setting the standard for
high performance furniture.
 hook me up
Consortium’s specs for the existing
standard-definition DVD-Video for-
mat. Its 6.1-channel version, code-
veloped with THX, is Dolby EX.
Dolby Digital Plus is billed as an
extension to Dolby Digital. For back-
wards compatibility with the Dolby
Digital equipment in 30 million sur-
round receivers and 60 million set-
top boxes, Dolby Digital Plus signals
are converted to Dolby Digital at the
relatively high data rate of 640 kilo-
bits per second (Dolby Digital usually
operates at 192 to 448 kbps) through
S/PDIF outputs, better known as
digital optical and coaxial. Dolby
Digital Plus will travel first class via
the new HDMI interface.
To reduce audible
artifacts, Dolby Digital
Plus uses a few fancy
new tricks, which focus
on specific flaws that
become more percepti-
ble as the bit stream nar-
rows. High-frequency
elements present in
more than one channel
benefit from more efficient “channel
coupling.” Highs also benefit from
“spectral extension,” which focuses
on metadata specifically related to
high-frequency synthesis.
Fleeting transient elements,
including percussive thumps, benefit
from “transient prenoise processing.”
Continuous tones, so often ragged-
sounding in lossy for-
mats, get the additional
clarifying data they need
by triggering a special
filter that provides fur-
ther improvements in high-frequency
and transient response. Dolby gives
this the catchy name of “adaptive
hybrid transform processing.”
Unlike previous audio codecs,
Dolby TrueHD is a lossless format,
meaning there is no “data reduction”
as with the original Dolby Digital. At
its core is MLP Lossless, the same
high-rez technology that animates
DVD-Audio. With the vastly superior
transfer rate that both BD and
39 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
HD-DVD will have to offer (up to
24 megabits per second on BD),
Dolby TrueHD is able to deliver
sampling frequencies from 48 to
192 kilohertz and 16- to 24-bit data
strings. (Consider that a CD’s sam-
pling frequency is 44.1 kHz and uses
a 16-bit string.) Since Dolby
TrueHD decoders can decode a two-,
six-, or eight-channel playback,
audiophiles’ dreams for high-rez
sound is slowly becoming a reality.
The HD-DVD format specifica-
tions mandate the use of Dolby
TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.
BD specs require the original Dolby
Digital and allow Dolby TrueHD
and Dolby Digital Plus as an option.
Either way, your new high-def DVD
player—in whatever format—will
mesh with your existing surround
receiver or preamp/processor.
DTS-HD Master Audio
Jurassic Park (1993) was to DTS what
Star Wars was to Dolby—a mile-
stone marking the company’s
entrance into cinematic surround
Curve Your
sound. Terry Beard is DTS’s Ray
Dolby. He founded the company on Enthusiasm
a shoestring in 1990 and later got
You’ve heard that good things come in small packages?
funding from Universal Studios,
Steven Spielberg, and others. DTS Well, the ASPECT flat panel TV stand is what we call a
is now one of several surround stan- good thing for small packages. Perfect for a flat panel
dards in theatrical exhibition along TV up to 32", its ultra-cool design is only one of the
with Dolby Digital, Dolby SR, and many features to get you excited. ASPECT includes a
Sony Dynamic Digital Sound. Until TV mounting bracket, ingenious wire management, a
recently, the company’s official component shelf, and even a rotating base so you
name was Digital Theater Systems; always have the best view.
now it’s officially just DTS.
The DTS codec for home sur-
round is named DTS Coherent
Acoustics—although, again, on
spec sheets it’s just DTS. On paper,
at least, it supports up to 2,048
channels (that’s not a typo!) at reso-
lutions beyond 192 kHz.
After a brief vogue in DTS-
encoded CDs, DTS rode into home
theater systems on the coattails of
the DVD-Video format, despite the
To locate a dealer near you, visit www.bdiusa.com
fact that the DVD Consor tium
originally specified eight channels
of Dolby AC-3 and no DTS. But
Setting the standard for
high performance furniture.
 6

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 hook me up
the DTS people lobbied hard to get
their codec supported, first by
high-end pre/pros, then by
receivers and DVD players.
DTS-HD is the latest wrinkle in
DTS branding. Not so much an
extension as a consolidation, it
includes all the Coherent Acoustics
formats—DTS, DTS ES Discrete,
DTS ES Matrix, DTS Neo:6, and
DTS 96/24—plus a new lossless
format that supports up to 7.1 chan-
nels and a sampling frequency of
192 kHz. That’s more than four
times that of the CD format. DTS-
HD was initially known as DTS++
(although the term didn’t spread far
beyond the company’s engineers).
The 5.1 configuration of DTS
first made inroads into DVD’s
Dolby Digital–sanctioned territory
by offering consumers a higher data
rate and, according to the DTS peo-
ple, audibly smoother sound.
Dolby, of course, hotly disputes
this, and the two companies have
traded shots in various white papers
memorable mainly for their amus-
ingly polemical tone.
DTS ES Discrete was a major
coup—it was the first 6.1-channel
surround format to encode the
rear-surround channel discretely,
without depending on the fakery of
matrixing. DTS ES Matrix derives
the rear-surround with matrixing,
as does Dolby EX.
For stereo sources, DTS offers
DTS Neo:6 as an alternative to
DPLII/IIx. It adapts a two-channel
signal to 6.1 channels.
41 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
DTS 96/24 is something of a
paradox. It’s a lossy format, but
one that encodes sound in strings of
24 zeros and ones and with a sam-
pling frequency of 96 kHz. Oh, and
it’s a surround format. You’ll find it
nesting in some DVD-Audio and
DVD-Video titles as the alternate
soundtrack (in lieu of Dolby
Digital). That’s the cool thing about
the DVD-Audio format: The lossy
alternate track gives you a good
taste of what the lossless track
sounds like. Too bad the format
isn’t more popular.
The PC gets the DTS treatment
in DTS Connect. It includes DTS
Interactive, which encodes all audio
into a 1.5-Mbps bit stream that
travels via S/PDIF digital output
to any DTS-enabled surround sys-
tem. For stereo content—whether
it’s MP3, WMA, or uncom-
pressed CD—there’s DTS Neo:6.
PC-delivered DTS can be either
software- or hardware-based (built
into a card). DTS also has a pres- Support your
ence in gaming via PlayStation2.
BD and HD-DVD both man-
date the original DTS we’ve come
loved ones
to know and love on standard- That new flat screen may as well be part of the family
definition DVDs. The other ele- with as much time as you’ll be spending with it. Give
ments of the DTS-HD package are it the attention it deserves by putting it on something
optional but tantalizing. just as impressive. Like ICON from BDI. Strong steel
construction and floating glass shelves provide a sturdy
The Audiophile Toast? and elegant home for your new arrival. And if you
The Blu-ray disc and (to an only
want to take your baby for a spin, there’s even a model
slightly lesser extent) HD-DVD are
that swivels!
pretty fat balloon glasses. So, there’s
also room for lossless and uncom-
pressed surround to swish around
with the lossy formats.
Blu-ray Disc requires 7.1-channel
96-kHz/24-bit PCM and allows
5.1-channel 192/24 PCM. The
acronym stands for pulse code mod-
ulation, and it’s a much expanded
version of the same digital language
used in the Compact Disc.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if BD and
HD-DVD succeeded where DVD-
To locate a dealer near you, visit www.bdiusa.com
Audio and SACD failed—putting
high-rez surround on every rack?
Audiophiles would drink to that.
Setting the standard for
high performance furniture.
 HT TA L K S T O . . .
ROB E RT RO D R IG UE Z

for me just to sit there and cut it.

While I’m doing that, I’m also
writing music.
DO YOU EVER SLEEP?
No, that’s the one drawback!
[big laugh] I sleep during the day,
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc.

actually. That’s one of the big

secrets, is I work at night. I get
so much done at night, because
there’s no distractions.
YOU ASSEMBLE YOUR OWN DVD
EXTRAS, TOO?
I put those together myself. When
people come over to the house,
I take them into my edit room,
and I show them a little behind-
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/COMPOSER/ the-scenes stuff. I want it to feel
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR/VISUAL-EFFECTS like that. I work at home, and so
my editing setup is there in the
SUPERVISOR ROBERT RODRIGUEZ MIGHT WELL BE garage, and so is my mix stage.
THE HARDEST-WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS. It’s like having a home studio.
AS AN ESTABLISHED AUTEUR, IS IT ODD TO UNDERTAKE AN ADAPTA-

M
uch like the guitar-playing hero of his Mariachi tril-
ogy, Robert Rodriguez is a one-man army—a vet- TION OF SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK?
eran moviemaker well versed in all of its disciplines. I like jumping back and forth between doing things that I
Success born of unending creativity has led to unmatched completely originate on my own, like the Mariachi movies or
creative freedom at his own Troublemaker Studios, far from the Spy Kids series, and then doing other people’s scripts. Like
the stodgy bureaucracy of Hollywood. Somehow, he found I did From Dusk Till Dawn, which was Quentin Tarantino’s
some time to talk to me about his work, including the cease- script, The Faculty, which was a Kevin Williamson script, and
lessly stunning Sin City. then Sin City. I thought, “Wow, I can actually add something
by Chris Chiarella to this. I can bring this to life in a way that I don’t think any-
one’s figured out how to do yet.”
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR ONE PERSON TO HANDLE SO MANY RESPON-
SIBILITIES IN MAKING A MOVIE? WHEN DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER SIN CITY?
I guess because I started that way, on El Mariachi. And usu- I had been reading it since 1992. After I finished Spy Kids 3-D
ally, when you go to film school, everybody does one job, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, I looked at it again, having
and you learn that. But, on Mariachi, I did all those things learned so much about effects and lighting and thought, “Oh
and really enjoyed them. my God, I can make this now!”
COULD YOU EVER CHOOSE ONE?
No, man, because they’re all tied together, and you’re not
doing them all at the same time. The actual production process
takes so long that, when you’re writing, you’re just writing.
And sometimes I’m writing music while I’m writing the script,
already thinking about how the movie is going to sound, and
doing some production-design drawings. And then, when it’s
time for directing, I’m directing, and I’ve always operated the
camera anyway when I’m shooting. Part of my directing style is
to be right there near the actor, operating the camera, so I’m
doing the lighting and the camerawork. Since I was there on
the set, I know where all the footage is, so it’s just more organic Sin City

42 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

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HT TA L K S T O . . .
HOW IN GOD’S NAME DID YOU EVER CAST MARV IN SIN CITY? HE’S
A FORCE OF NATURE.
I remember I was talking about the movie with Sylvester
Stallone, and I said, “Hey, you’d make a great Marv!” And
he said, [impersonates Stallone] “I remember that charac-
ter!” I started reading the book, and, just as I started read-
ing it, I thought, “Oh, wait a minute; I know who this is.
This is Mickey Rourke!”
ON SET, WAS IT TOUGH SHARING THE REINS WITH FRANK MILLER?
Not at all. I thought, if he didn’t mind hanging
around, he should just be there the whole time.
That way, I’d have the only guy who’s ever been
to Sin City right there on the set! And I knew
the actors would love that, because he’d be able
to tell them things about the characters that
aren’t even in the books.
DID YOU EACH HAVE YOUR OWN CHAIR,
YOU AND MILLER?
Oh yeah, everybody has their own chairs! Except
my chair’s usually behind the camera. Frank
would usually be behind the monitor, watching
everything, so I would know when I got the
shot, and the actor could tell. Then we’d go over
to see, “Does Frank like it?” Frank would walk
out from behind the monitor with this big, goofy
smile on his face, and we’d know.
IN PREPRODUCTION, HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT TO
BUILD AND WHAT TO ADD LATER, IN POST?
Everything was added later, actually, in order to
give it that look and that particular lighting you
have to use in black-and-white. You can’t sepa-
rate objects by color like your eye does. It has
to be all by shape and by lighting. All black-
and-white movies really are more gray-and-
white. They’re washed out a lot, because you
can’t get the really stark black-and-white from every object.
But you can if you do it in CG like that.
AND THEN HOW MUCH OF YOUR TIME WAS SPENT HELPING THE
ACTORS TO VISUALIZE WHAT THEIR SCENES WOULD ULTIMATELY
LOOK LIKE?
We would spend more time just looking at the book and
going, “This is where you are here, you’re in the middle of the
street, you’re in an alley,” and they would put themselves
there. It’s almost like being in theater, where you’ve got mini-
mal props and you have to imagine the rest. In the whole
scene Quentin did with Benicio Del Toro and Clive Owen in
the car, there’s no car there—it’s just a steering wheel. I put
the car in later, and you can’t tell.
44 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
ROB E RT RO D R IG UE Z
WHY THAT SPECIFIC SCENE FOR TARANTINO, ANYWAY?
That one seemed like a self-contained little short
film, in a way. And he’d be able to work with
two really cool actors at the same time. And he
was available for that episode. Had it been the
previous episode—because he had to go be the
jury president at Cannes—it was probably going
to be the opening sequence of the Bruce Willis one.
LOOKING AT THE CAST OF SIN CITY AND BACK OVER YOUR PREVIOUS
FILMS, YOU SEEM TO HAVE A VERY LOYAL GROUP OF ACTORS WHO
COME BACK.
Yeah, there’s a great freedom to being outside of the Hollywood
system—it’s really just about the work. People
come down here, and it’s just creative playtime.
They don’t have a bunch of studio heads down
there all giving their notes. And word like that
spreads around, and people hear about that.
THAT SOUNDS AWESOME. WHAT’S YOUR ADDRESS?
Austin, Texas. Just come down, right there:
Troublemaker Studios. As soon as you leave the
airport, you see the big sign. [laughs]
WHY IS DIGITAL MOVIEMAKING SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?
I just worked with film for so long, and, by the time you deal
with effects and having to do opticals—it’s just such a pain in
the butt. Digital was an answer to all those things. And the
best things about it, especially because I’m doing my own
lighting: You can see the full-resolution image while you’re
on the set. You can’t do that with film. You’re working in a
visual medium, yet you can’t see what you’re doing when
you’re shooting film. It’s like painting with the lights off.
SURE, THE TECHNOLOGY’S GOTTEN SO GOOD, WHY NOT GO DIGITAL?
The Pixar guys would say, “Technology pushes art, and art
pushes technology.” And when you use the technology, it opens
up so much more creative avenues. A lot of people really
understood what I was talking about when they finally saw Sin
City, because they couldn’t have made that movie on film.
Spy Kids
 




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 Matt Mahuran
The New Prime Time
With technology on their side, TV viewers are demanding more control over
the use of their time, and the industry is responding. BY ADRIENNE MAXWELL
October 20, 2005, is a day that will live in television infamy—the day that Apple introduced the video-
enabled iPod and set off a chain reaction amongst broadcasters and content providers that might forever alter the landscape of TV viewing. The
video iPod certainly wasn’t the first portable video player, nor was the iTunes Store the first Website that let you legally download video content for
a fee. But, much as the original iPod did for music, the video iPod introduced the concept to a mass audience.
From a home entertainment perspective, the most compelling aspect of this event is the effect that Apple’s partnership with the Walt Disney
Company would have on the rest of the television industry—and beyond. Disney’s decision to make popular ABC shows like Lost and Desperate
Housewives available for purchase and download through the iTunes Store benefited both companies. In the first two months, Apple logged more
than 3 million video downloads. True, the store also offers music videos, Pixar short films, and some Disney Channel programming, but perus-
ing the site’s top downloads in those early months confirmed that the TV content was the main attraction.

46 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

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 The New Prime Time
Those numbers weren’t lost on other
content providers, all of which are eager
to stay ahead of the digital revolution,
lest they suffer the same fate as their
music counterparts. The video iPod pro-
vided immediate confirmation that video
on demand is clearly in
demand by a formidable
segment of the viewing
public, and the speed with
which other prime-time
players responded with on-
demand options of their
own is truly staggering. In
the final months of 2005,
the major studios and
broadcasters bombarded
us almost daily with new
models of content deliv-
video iPod
ery. In case having a life
caused you to miss any of the news, we’re
here to help. To quote from one of my
favorite movies, The Princess Bride, “Let me
explain. No, there is too much—let me
sum up.” Essentially, we can divide these
new models of content delivery into two
categories: Internet and video on demand.
Internet Offerings
In the beginning: As I mentioned, the
ability to legally download video con-
tent from the Internet wasn’t born with
the iTunes Store. Established sites like
Provider Network/Studio Shows
AOL Warner Alice, Kung Fu,
Wonder Woman,
and more
Apple ABC, Disney, Desperate Housewives,
Pixar, NBC, Lost, The Office,
Sci-Fi, USA Monk, and more
Comcast CBS CSI, NCIS,
The Amazing Race,
Survivor
DirecTV NBC, USA, Sci-Fi, Law & Order: SVU, Monk, On demand
FX, Fox Battlestar Galactica,
The Shield, and more
Vongo Starz Various movies
and TV shows
VuGo Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants, Stream from Web No
Cartoon Network Rugrats, Unfabulous
48 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
www.cinemanow.com and www.movielink.com
provide legitimate access to mainstream
content from studios like Disney, Fox,
NBC Universal, Sony, and Warner
Brothers. In the case of popular movies,
access usually means you pay a one-time
rental fee to download the film to your
computer, where it remains only for a
limited time. Transferring the film to a
portable player is often prohibited. Tele-
vision content on these sites has thus far
been limited; CinemaNow offers classic
shows like Ozzie & Harriet, while
Movielink offers American Chopper and
various TV documentaries.
A few consumer electronics companies
have already attempted to cash in on the
blossoming popularity of Internet video. Lost
they have yet to strike a chord with the
Akimbo offers a subscription service that
masses—in particular, the TV lover. We’ve
lets you download Internet content from
been forced to rely on standard content-
mainstream channels like Turner Classic
delivery channels, which work fine—until
Movies, BBC, the Discovery Channel, and
you miss an episode or two. Then you have
the History Channel, as well as dedicated
to wait for the rerun or DVD, hope some-
Internet sources like www.ifilm.com, to a
one records the show, or pay a visit to an
media player that is connected to your
illegal peer-to-peer download site. The first
home entertainment system. Akimbo
two aren’t desirable for viewers, and the
recently struck a deal with Microsoft to
latter isn’t at all desirable for content
add the service to Media Center PCs.
providers. The increasing popularity of
Again, though, the content usually remains
high-speed Internet access has made video
on the player only for a limited time.
downloads a more viable alternative, but,
While these options may have appeal for
with the technology, so comes the exploita-
computer-savvy movie fans and people
tion. NBC estimates over 430,000 illegal
whose tastes lie outside the mainstream,
downloads of its Sci-Fi Channel
Viewing Option Commercials? Cost
hit Battlestar Galactica each week.
Stream from Web Yes Free Clearly, a legal alternative is
needed. Enter the video iPod.
The video iPod: The iTunes
Download No $1.99 Store gives you a centralized loca-
tion to find and download com-
patible video for your computer
On demand Yes $0.99
and iPod—no more searching all
over the Web to find content and
No $0.99–$2,99 hoping you aren’t doing some-
thing illegal. Plus, you own the
content that you purchase. Most
Download No $9.99/month music videos, shorts, and TV
episodes cost $1.99; the TV
$2.99 episodes are commercial free and
become available the day after the
The New Prime Time
episode airs on its network. While you can
watch the video on your PC or Mac, the
resolution is tailored to the video iPod, at
about 320 by 240.
Following Disney/ABC’s lead, NBC
Universal has added many shows from
their repertoire, including Law & Order,
The Office, Battlestar Galactica, Monk, and
sketches from Saturday Night Live and Late
Night with Conan O’Brien, plus classic
Universal shows like Knight Rider and
Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In January,
Disney announced plans to add even
more content, including shows like
ESPN’s SportsCentury, ABC’s America’s
Funniest Home Videos, and the classic
Schoolhouse Rock shorts, as well as free
ABC News downloads. Highlights from
all four of the Bowl Championship Series
NCAA college football games were made
available the day after they aired on ABC.
In2TV: Warner Brothers and AOL
have teamed up to develop the In2TV
online network, which you can find at
http:// television.aol. com/in2tv. In2TV
will allow you to stream DVD-quality,
full-screen versions of classic shows from
Desperate Housewives
the Warner catalog—such as Welcome Back,
Kotter, Alice, Wonder Woman, and Babylon 5—
to your computer. The service is scheduled
to begin in “early 2006” but was not yet up
and running as of January 31. Warner plans
to offer up to 100 shows in the first year,
and other studios may join the fray with
classic content of their own. The service is
free, but remember, you’re streaming the
content, not downloading it. Also, each
episode will include four 15-second com-
mercials that you can’t bypass.
The VuGo: Basically a video iPod for
kids, the $120 VuGo by Hasbro is a
portable player with 128 megabytes of
memory, plus an SD card slot that allows
for up to 2 gigabytes of additional memory.
You can record content directly from your
TV to the VuGo; the content is protected
so that only the player that recorded it can
play it back. Nickelodeon and Cartoon
Network provide content for download at
www.vugo.com. For $2.99, you can download
commercial-free episodes of SpongeBob
SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, Foster’s Home for
Imaginary Friends, and others.
Vongo: Not to be confused with VuGo,
Starz Entertainment Group developed
Vongo, and it lets you download unlimited
movies, concerts, and TV shows from
www.vongo.com for a $9.99 per month.
Most movies will be available for down-
load at the same time they air on the Starz
premium cable channel, around six
months after the DVD release. However,
Starz also plans to make some movies avail-
able sooner for an extra fee of $3.99 per
title. In addition to viewing these titles on
your PC, you can transfer them to up to
three portable devices running Microsoft’s
Portable Media Center software.
Video on Demand
Programming flexibility isn’t reserved
only for the Web-savvy TV lover. Several
deals have emerged between the net-
works and cable/satellite providers to
make popular shows available on demand.
Unlike pay-per-view, in which you must
tune in at a specific time to watch a
50 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
SpongeBob SquarePants
desired program, video on demand lets
you order a movie, documentary, exer-
cise program, etc.—sometimes for a
fee—to watch when you want. Cable
providers have had on-demand services
in place for a while now, while satellite
providers have recently jumped aboard.
CBS and Comcast: Beginning in January,
Comcast began offering four of CBS’s top-
rated shows on demand: Survivor, NCIS,
The Amazing Race, and CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation. Each episode costs $0.99 and
includes commercials you can fast-
forward through. The shows are available
a few hours after they air—but only to
Comcast digital-cable subscribers in mar-
kets served by one of 17 owned-and-
operated CBS stations—such as Chicago,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco. At this
time, the programs are only available in
standard definition, so subscribers to
Comcast’s HD programming packages
can’t view them in high definition.
NBC, Fox, and DirecTV: Beginning in
March, DirecTV subscribers can order
programming from NBC, USA Network,
the Sci-Fi Channel, Bravo, and FX—such
as Law & Order, Monk, Battlestar Galactica,
and The Shield. There’s one catch, though:
To enjoy the on-demand programming,
customers must own the new DirecTV
Plus satellite receiver, which has a built-
in 160-hour DVR to which DirecTV auto-
matically downloads several hours per
week of programming. It’s a standard-def
receiver, but DirecTV plans to release an
HD model in mid-2006. For $0.99, you
can view the NBC Universal shows with-
out commercials; the content will appear
the morning after the show airs and will
remain on the hard drive until the next
 trio

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The New Prime Time
week’s episode airs. For $2.99,
you can order episodes of FX’s
The Shield and Rescue Me two days
before they air on the network.
At CES 2006, DirecTV also
announced that, later this year,
they will make five Fox shows,
including 24 and Prison Break,
available for $0.99, six to seven
days after they air.
The Road Ahead
Picture a day when you no longer
have to navigate extensive program
guides—bypassing those channels
you pay for but don’t want—
while in search of programs you
like. Imagine only paying for the
channels or, better still, the pro-
grams you want. Is a television
system that’s 100 percent on
demand really that far away?
DirecTV Plus
The broadcast status quo is
under attack. The video iPod
and other new forms of on-
demand viewing are merely a
continuation of the battle that
first began with the VCR but
gained momentum with the
DVR—launched by consumers
who understand that the real
prime time is on their own time.
But another battle is brewing
to the east. Late last year, the
FCC testified before Congress
that it might be in consumers’
best interest if cable companies
offered individual channels
instead of the bundled program-
ming packages we all love so
much. In the most ironic of
twists, FCC chairman Kevin
Martin stated this position in a
52 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
Senate hearing about indecency
issues, suggesting that parents’
desire to restrict what their chil-
dren can watch might best be
accomplished through à-la-carte
programming or at least themed
programming packages geared
toward the family.
What may have begun out of a
desire to limit freedom of choice
could have precisely the opposite
effect, collapsing the rigid struc-
ture of current cable and satel-
lite programming. Time Warner,
Comcast, and DISH Network
have already announced “family-
friendly” programming pack-
ages, with others likely to
follow suit. DISH Network took
the à-la-carte idea one step fur-
t h e r d u r i n g recent rate
n e g o t i at i o n s with Lifetime
Entertainment: Unhappy with the
rate increase Lifetime was propos-
ing, DISH Network offered to
accept the rate as long as they only
had to provide the channel to
those people who want it, as
opposed to paying for its inclusion
in bundled packages. Indeed, the
fortress is beginning to crack.
A third battle is launching
from cyberspace. Internet-based
television, or IPTV, has arrived,
and, if the show floor at CES
2006 was any indication, it will
definitely make its presence felt
this year. Tune in next month as
we take an in-depth look at
IPTV—the companies, the prod-
ucts, and the services that are
aiming to deal the knockout blow
to the broadcast status quo.
 +

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Visit our website for more information and to find your local dealer

The Ed Sullivan Theater
Gets a Really Wide Shoe
HT goes inside the Late Show with David Letterman’s HD transition.
BY MICHAEL FREMER
It’s been more than 40 years since the
piercing screams of shrieking adolescents
ricocheted off CBS Studio 50’s brick-
lined catacombs. But, walking the narrow
basement hallways of the 78-year-old
New York City historical landmark where
the Beatles made their American debut
on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9,
1964, it’s easy to imagine those screams
still reverberating. The music still does.
Throughout its 78 years, the studio
has witnessed a rich and varied sam-
pling of entertainment history. In addi-
tion to the indelible Ed Sullivan show,
the game shows What’s My Line?, To Tell
the Truth, Password, and The $10,000
54 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
Pyramid were taped there, as was the
’80s sitcom Kate & Allie.
Located at 1697 Broadway and
renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater during
the long-running show’s 1967–’68
season, CBS purchased the television
studio (it had previously been leased)
when David Letterman moved to the net-
work from NBC back in 1993. CBS
extensively refurbished and remodeled
the theater, changing it from a 1,200-seat
venue to a more cozy 400 and adding
acoustical treatment and lighting
improvements. Because of the building’s
historical status, all of the architectural
changes are reversible. The Ed Sullivan
Photography courtesy of Everette Collections
Theater has been home to the Late Show
with David Letterman since 1993.
When NBC converted that other late-
night talk show to HD a few years ago, I
called my friend Vinnie Favale, CBS’s East
Coast vice president of late-night program-
ming, and asked him when Letterman’s
show would go HD. (You may know
Vinnie from his frequent appearances on
The Howard Stern Show.) Vinnie told me I’d
be the first journalist to know.
Vinnie called back in April of 2005 to
let me know that they had transferred
the show’s production to a mobile studio
in a truck parked on 53rd Street so that
the HD upgrade could take place while
 Great theater deserves a great setting.
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and The Union of Form and Function are trademarks of Sanus Systems.

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clear view of great choices. For example, Sanus Accurate Furniture stands out with a clean, contemporary design that is perfect for today’s TV and AV
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 The Ed Sullivan Theater Gets a Really Wide Shoe
Ed Sullivan Theater
they continued to record the show in the
Ed Sullivan Theater.
Four months later, on August 29,
2005, after the show’s usual two-week
summer hiatus—during which time all
systems were tested and proven ready to
go—the Late Show with David Letterman
broadcast its first show in high defini-
tion, and history was once again made in
the venerable theater.
Early that fall, CBS publicist Kim Izzo
invited me to tour the facilities accompa-
nied by Howell W. Mette, vice president
of engineering, and John E. Ferder, direc-
tor of studio and postproduction systems
engineering. Afterward, I was privileged
to spend a half hour interviewing Late
Show producer/director Jerry Foley.
I spoke with Mette and Ferder outside
the building, in the basement “rack
room,” and in the production control
and editing suites.
MICHAEL FREMER: TELL ME ABOUT THE LEAD-
UP TO MOVING THE PRODUCTION TEAM OUT
OF THEIR COMFORTABLE CHAIRS AND INTO A
REMOTE TRUCK.
56 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
Howell W. Mette: The planning began a
couple of years ago, because we knew it
was going to be complex. We knew we
had to build some new technical space,
because, over the years, more and more
devices were added into the mix of pro-
duction tools. It made sense to build a
new rack room and build it ahead of time
so we’d have that space to work with when
we made the transition. That way, we
could prewire a lot of that equipment
before they even moved out to the truck.
MF: AND DID THIS NEW EQUIPMENT REQUIRE
MORE OR LESS ELECTRICITY?
HM: It’s basically a wash. The equip-
ment became more efficient over the
years, but I don’t know that we’ve actu-
ally taken measurements. My inclination
is to say that it’s a wash. But there are
some things we have to do differently for
high definition. Because the bandwidth
is so high, all of the interconnections
between the control room and the base-
ment and the editing facility on the sev-
enth floor are on fiberoptic connections
rather than copper.
MF: COULD YOU ROUTE THAT THROUGH THE
CONDUITS THAT EXISTED?
HM: Well, one of our subprojects was to
clean out the shaft that goes between the
basement and the seventh floor. We literally
took out some old abandoned, um, pipes.
MF: I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY
COMEDIANS.
HM: No, we didn’t find any of those!
But there were a lot of little subplots to
the whole story.
MF: IT MUST BE A GOOD FEELING WHEN YOU’RE
DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS, NOT TO SIMPLY
BE CHANGING ONE THING OR ANOTHER BUT TO
BE REALLY CLEANING HOUSE COMPLETELY AND
STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
HM: Absolutely. Other than the physical
space we have to work with, this gave us a
green field to start fresh and build it the
way we really think it ought to be built.
MF: ONCE EVERYTHING’S IN PLACE—AND IT’S
MORE THAN SIMPLY FLIPPING A SWITCH—DID
YOU DO REHEARSALS WITHOUT DAVE HERE
TO JUST SEE IF EVERYTHING WORKED?
HM: It’s not so much a matter of Dave
being involved or not, because we had
replaced the cameras on the stage two
years ago. They were already high defini-
tion. That was part of a normal update,
and we were using a downconverted
output. Two years ago, it made no sense
to buy a standard-definition set of cameras.
MF: WERE YOU TAPING IN HD?
HM: No. The only thing here that was
high definition prior to this project
were the cameras.
MF: DID THE LIGHTING AND THE SET HAVE
TO CHANGE?
HM: No. A lot of people think you’re
going to be able to see scratches and nicks
and things like that, but it’s not really an
issue. The sets are built well enough.
MF: THEY’VE OBVIOUSLY BEEN WELL TAKEN
CARE OF, BECAUSE, EVEN IN STANDARD
DEFINITION, YOU COULD TELL IT WAS CLEAN.
 The Ed Sullivan Theater Gets a Really Wide Shoe
Control Room
IT IS OVERSTATED HOW MUCH MORE YOU
CAN SEE ON PEOPLE’S FACES, TOO. PRETTY
MUCH WHAT YOU COULD SEE BEFORE YOU
SEE IT IN HD.
HM: The only thing that they have to
do is be mindful of their aspect ratios,
so they have to take care not to have
things visible in the periphery that they
don’t want viewers to see.
MF: HOW LONG DID THIS TRANSITION TAKE
TO COMPLETE?
HM: We moved them out of the truck
and back into the control room during
their normal two-week vacation period
back in August. That was a bit of an
exercise unto itself, but, by that time,
the new audio booth had already been
shadowing the operation in the truck.
Everything had been debugged, so it was
really just a matter of disconnecting the
truck and normalizing the stage back to
the control room.
MF: WAS THERE A SERIOUS LEARNING
CURVE INVOLVED IN BECOMING FAMILIAR
WITH THE NEW EQUIPMENT?
HM: Absolutely. All of the editing is now
done in a nonlinear platform [hard-drive
58 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
based] as opposed to video-
tape. The audio operator had
to learn his new audio con-
sole, the technical director
had to learn his new switcher,
and the graphics operator had
to learn new operations. The
new equipment doesn’t work
in fundamentally different
ways from the older equip-
ment, but it’s still something
you have to get used to. And
our team has far greater capa-
bilities now.
MF: ARE YOU BROADCASTING
IN 5.1 NOW?
HM: Not quite yet. They
want to learn to walk before
they run, plus the music
mix for the band has not yet been
upgraded. That’s the next thing.
MF: WELL, THAT’S A BIG THING THEN,
BECAUSE THE BAND IS AN IMPORTANT PART
OF WHAT GOES ON THERE.
HM: Well, yes, but there was only so
much that we could bite off. But that will
get done. And then they’ll begin to do the
whole show in 5.1. But the new audio
booth is completely 5.1 capable.
MF: SO, FOR NOW, IT’S A STEREO MIX, BUT
THERE’S A SURROUND SOUND ANALOG
MATRIX?
HM: No. It’s just a stereo mix.
Edit Room
MF: WHEN DO YOU THINK THE
CHANGEOVER WILL HAPPEN?
HM: I can’t tell you precisely. It’s
on the road map.
MF: WAS THERE A LOT OF PRES-
SURE TO GET THIS DONE BECAUSE
THE COMPETITION WAS DOING
HD EARLIER?
HM: Well, we took our conver-
sion to HD part by part. Almost
all CBS prime time is in high def-
inition now. The only prime time
that is not in high definition are the real-
ity shows and news magazines. We’re
doing a lot of sports in high definition,
and one or two of the soap operas are in
high definition. So, the next logical thing
to do was Late Night.
MF: YOU KNOW WHEN THIS WHOLE HIGH-
DEFINITION REVOLUTION STARTED, THE
NAYSAYERS—AND THERE WERE A LOT OF
THEM—SAID, “THIS IS NEVER GOING TO
HAPPEN BECAUSE THERE’S NO PROFIT MOTIVE
IN THIS. THERE’S NO REASON WHY A BROAD-
CAST COMPANY WOULD INVEST MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS FOR THIS WHEN THERE’S NO
RETURN,” AND YET LOOK AT WHAT'S HAP-
PENED. DO YOU SEE A REASON WHY THAT
PROGNOSTICATION WAS SO WRONG?
HM: I think that those people did not
understand that we could not remain an
analog medium when everyone else is
going digital.
MF: IS PEER GROUP PRESSURE A LOT OF IT?
CORPORATE PRIDE?
HM: I think it’s a matter of remaining
competitive. If we’re going to compete
with all the other forms of digital media,
we had to step into the 21st century.
[At this point we go inside, and head into
the basement to the rack room.]
MF: NOW, WHEN YOU PLAN A PROJECT LIKE
THIS, DO YOU CONTACT ALL THE VARIOUS
COMPANIES THAT COULD SUPPLY A GIVEN
PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND TRY THEM ALL
OUT? OR DO SALESPEOPLE COME IN AND
 The Ed Sullivan Theater Gets a Really Wide Shoe
DO A DEMO FOR YOU AND SHOW YOU WHAT
THEY CAN DO? THERE MUST BE MULTIPLE
COMPANIES COMPETING FOR THE SAME
PLACE ON THE RACK.
HM: All of the above. I mean, there are
major players that you go to. We go to
trade shows and look at the new tech-
nologies that are out there.
MF: NAB [NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
BROADCASTERS]?
HM: Exactly. We get those that are of
potential application into our lab over at
the broadcast center and test them, so,
when we have a new project that comes
along, we don’t have to choose between
every possible vendor. We’ve narrowed it
down to two or three.
Forgive me for interjecting a personal note
here, but, in 1994, after I returned home from a
Janis Ian concert at the now-defunct Bottom
Line in New York City, I turned on my television
in the middle of Late Night and found David
Letterman goofing on me! How’s that? I had
narrated one of those “I am now speaking to
you from the right channel” audiophile test
CDs, and somehow the disc made its way to
one of the show’s writers. Parts of my narration
became a running gag throughout the show as
part of the ongoing “Dave’s Record Collection”
segment. The next day, I got calls from friends
across the country who actually recognized my
voice! And there was a 3,000-copy sales spike
over the next few days, simply because Dave
had held up the disc for a few seconds!—MF
MF: AND YOU’VE DONE THAT BY READING
THE TRADE PUBLICATIONS AND TRYING THE
STUFF OUT?
HM: We would never install anything
without it first coming through our
labs or coming for an actual demon-
stration. We would never just rely on
reading the literature. We stay up to
date all year long, as well as at NAB,
as to what manufacturers are up to and
if and how their new technologies may
be applicable to us.
MF: AS FAR AS RELIABILITY GOES, DO YOU
RELY ON PEER GROUPS—DO YOU GO TO AN
60 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
NAB SHOW AND TALK TO OTHER ENGI-
NEERS IN THE FIELD ABOUT WHETHER
THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH A CER-
TAIN PIECE?
HM: Sure.
MF: SO, IT’S SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENS
ON THE CONSUMER SIDE IN THAT SENSE.
HM: In addition, Viacom is a large
organization, and we have colleagues
in facilities in Los Angeles and at all
of the 38 or something television sta-
tions that we own who have experi-
Michael Fremer at the Ed Sullivan
ence with the equipment.
MF: IF THE POWER GOES OUT, DO YOU HAVE
MF: AND IS THERE A REGULAR NETWORKING GENERATORS OR SOMETHING?
RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PEERS AT OTHER
STATIONS WHERE YOU SHARE NOTES? OR DO
HM: Not here, because there’s simply
YOU JUST DO THAT INFORMALLY? no place to put a generator. If the city
loses power, we do have generators at
HM: It’s informal through trade organi- the broadcast centers. We can operate
zations like SMPTE [The Society of completely off the grid and, in fact,
Motion Picture and Television Engineers] during the hot months, Con Edison
and at NAB, and, as people move asks us to go off the grid and onto
around, we know people at other net- the generators.
works. If we need to know something,
MF: SO, DO YOU HAVE THE KINDS OF GROUND-
we can make a phone call.
LOOP PROBLEMS THAT WE AT HOME SOME-
TIMES DO?
MF: I’M TRYING TO LET CONSUMERS UNDER-
STAND THAT WHAT GOES ON IN THEIR WORLD
GOES ON IN THIS WORLD TOO, IN TERMS OF
HM: We have strategies for mitigating
FINDING OUT ABOUT PRODUCTS, AND READ- these. One of the problems we used to
ING REVIEWS, AND FAMILIARIZING YOUR- have that we no longer have is when we
SELVES WITH MANUFACTURERS. I’VE READ were using CRT monitors. There’s a
SOME OF THE PRO MAGAZINES, AND THEY’RE subway that runs right next to this build-
VERY SIMILAR TO THE CONSUMER MAGA-
ing, and, every time a train would go by,
ZINES. IT’S A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, OF
COURSE, BUT YOU HAVE THE ADVERTISING, the monitors would go crazy.
THE REVIEWS, PRODUCT PITCHING…
MF: WAS IT BECAUSE OF THE MAGNETIC
INTERFERENCE?
HM: The vetting of the products for
us is critical, of course, because it’s HM: Yes, from the magnetic fields.
much more expensive for us, and the
MF: AH, SO THAT’S NOT A PROBLEM ANY-
consequences of failure are much
MORE. SO HOW IS THE RELIABILITY OF ALL
more significant. OF THIS NEW GEAR?
MF: WHICH BRINGS UP A GOOD QUESTION:
HM: We’ve had pretty much no problems
HOW MUCH REDUNDANCY IS BUILT INTO
THIS WHOLE SYSTEM? ARE THERE DOU-
since we got on the air. Of course, we’ve
BLES OF EVERYTHING IN CASE SOMETHING only been on the air for around eight
GOES DOWN? weeks. As far as the [HD] cameras are con-
cerned, with the fiberoptic camera cable,
HM: There aren’t doubles of every- we’ve had that installed since about August,
thing, but there are backup strategies for 2002, and we’ve had zero problems.
all the critical areas of the operation.
 Your living room.

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Tel.: (514) 259-1062 • Fax: (514) 259-4968 • info@totemacoustic.com • www.totemacoustic.com
from the

64 70

78 104

SPOTLIGHT SYSTEM PG 64 Our Test Gear OUR RATINGS

SYSTEM
Era Design 4 Speaker System, >Audio Precision System Two 2532
Dual Domain Each product is
AudioControl Maestro M2 Pre/Pro, rated on a scale of
>Fluke 189 multimeter
and AudioControl Savoy Amp 50 to 100 in five
Trendy yet rebellious. >Leader LT-446 HDTV test generator categories: build
>Leader LV5700A waveform monitor quality, value, fea-
HIGH PERFORMANCE PG 70 tures, performance,
Sony VPL-VW100 LCOS Projector >LG OS-9020A oscilloscope
and ergonomics. The
Forget these teeny-tiny 1080p TVs. It’s time for high rez on a big screen. >LinearX loudspeaker measurement
system overall rating is an
PMC OB1 Speaker System average, with each
Home theater audio with a pro-studio heritage. >Minolta LS-100 luminance meter
category receiving
>Photo Research PR-650 SpectraScan
MIDRANGE PG 78 colorimeter
the following weight:

Anthony Gallo Acoustics A’Diva Ti >Staco variable transformer Performance: 35%

Speaker System 3PN2210B (22-amp)
Value: 25%
Great balls of fire.
>TecLab TWS-1510 test benches
Features: 15%
Crystal Acoustics TX-D12 Build quality: 15%
Speaker System Ergonomics: 10%
All the THX in China.

Sherwood Newcastle R-965 We also color-code

A/V Receiver each ratings box to
The great gray lady. reflect a certain
price class:
ENTRY LEVEL PG 100
PURPLE > High end ($$$–$$$$)
GPX HTD2204 HTIB BLUE > Midrange ($$–$$$)
Excelling at being cheap. Visit the “How We Test” link on our
GREEN > Entry level ($–$$)
Website for a detailed explanation of
CONVERGENCE PG 104 our ratings system and a list of our
reference gear.
Video Without Boundaries www.hometheatermag.com
MediaREADY 5000
READY or not, here comes another PC for the HT. www.hometheatermag.com > Home Theater / April 2006 63
from the
test bench
Era Design 4 Speaker System,
AudioControl Maestro M2 Pre/Pro, and
AudioControl Savoy Amplifier
Trendy yet rebellious.
BY MARK FLEISCHMANN
The audio industry seems
about to leap off a cliff. Permit me
to suggest that this may be a rash
decision. True, component audio
sales have diminished, but that’s
no excuse for the industry to aban-
don its principles and give up on
sound quality. What consumers
are rebelling against is not good
sound but bad design. They’ve
had enough of big, dumb, room-
hogging speakers. “It doesn’t suit
the room, but it sounds good”
64 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
SPOTLIGHT SYSTEM
doesn’t cut it anymore. “It looks
as good as it sounds” is the win-
ning combination.
Era’s Design 4 speaker system is
small enough to harmonize with a
space-saving video display and
won’t drag down a lovingly
designed space. The future of
high-end home theater belongs
to products like this, the ones
that inspire pride of ownership—
the same feeling you get from
a sleek flat-panel display, an
iPod, a Porsche, or an Italian suit.
My review samples, in a glossy
$$$—$$$$
blond-sycamore veneer, were the
best-dressed speakers ever to visit
my listening room.
Among the ways in which the
Design 4 speakers defeat expecta-
tion is bass. Unlike most satellites of
similar size, their midbass response
reac hes the 80-to-100-her tz
crossover common in home theater
systems. That gives your system a
chance to sound more substantial. A
high-end receiver might work, but
it would not be overkill to run these
little speakers with an outboard
multichannel power amplifier
like the AudioControl Savoy,
mated in this Spotlight System with
AudioControl’s Maestro M2 sur-
round preamp/processor.
Pre-Review Listening
Era is a company based in Bellevue,
Washington, and owned by Signal
Path, which also handles Musical
Fidelity electronics. Four models
make up the Era line. The Design 4
Cordero Studios
line includes the Design 4 monitor,
with a single 4-inch woofer, and
the Design 4 LCR, with two. Era
also has a Design 5 line, which
includes two slightly larger models
with 5-inch woofers. Era’s woofers
are made of RF-PC, a custom-
made composite of randomized
fiber with a damped polymer skin.
Kevlar fibers toughen up the Sub 10
subwoofer’s driver. Meanwhile,
Era’s tweeters are Japanese-
made silk domes. The price for a
5.1-channel set, with the 10-inch
Sub 10, is $2,500 for the Design 4
and $3,500 for the Design 5.
While the Eras waited their turn
in my review queue, I set up a pair
of the Design 4 monitors on my
desk with an ancient Onix 50-watt
integrated stereo amp and another
manufacturer’s subwoofer. I used
this 2.1-channel system for casual
listening and, increasingly, to get a
pre-review fix on the tonal balance
of the satellite speakers before they
moved over to my 5.1-channel ref-
erence rig. Heeding Era’s instruc-
tion, I dialed in a 50-Hz crossover.
The result was so gratifying that I
let it run for a month.
Two things grabbed me immedi-
ately. One, of course, was the bass
response. Design 4’s 4-inch woofer
is not just aggressive but, given
enough juice, truly powerful. Let-
ting the satellites take over a larger
portion of the rhythm section at a
lower crossover gave drums a
brawny and well-integrated feel
that made the little Onix perform
almost like a muscle amp. My
2.1-channel system had never
sounded so big—and this was with
the same tiny sub I always use. I
played a good dozen CDs by the Fall
just to hear Steve Hanley’s bass
pounding alongside Mark E. Smith’s
acid-tongued vocals. One weekend
turned into a Led Zeppelin festival.
Midrange was the other grabber.
Although the speakers were
only 2.5 feet apart, they pro-
duced a huge—and I mean huge—
soundstage that leaped across the
room to my armchair. It played
havoc with my evening reading.
Even when I sat with a book in my
lap, my eyes would often stick in
one spot. I’d get up and play disc
after disc without turning a page
for hours. The breathing of Japanese
shakuhachi flutists took on vivid
shape and modulation, like brightly
colored tropical birds fluttering
around a large greenhouse.
The sonic properties of the dri-
vers contributed to these effects.
But the crucial aspect was their
interaction. Era says the tweeter
is flat out to 17 kilohertz and
AT A GLANCE
These listings
are based on
the manufac-
turer’s stated
specs; the HT
Labs box
below indi-
cates the
gear’s perfor-
mance on our
test bench.
>SPEAKER:
Type:
Tweeter (size in inches, type):
Woofer (size in inches, type):
Nominal Impedance (ohms):
Recommended Amp Power (watts):
Available Finishes (Both):
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
Weight ( pounds):
Price:
HT Labs Measures: Era Design 4 Speaker System
> Satellite Sensitivity:
82.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
> Center Sensitivity:
87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the
Design 4 satellite ( purple trace), Sub 10 subwoofer
(blue trace), and Design 4 LCR center channel (green
describes it as “accurate” rather
than “reticent.” Even so, it was a
lot less bright than nearly any
other speaker I’ve heard in years,
and that allowed the amp to pour
a lot more power into the speak-
ers before I got to the “ow, that
hurts; turn it down” moment. In
fact, when I did get there, it was
more like “Wow, that’s exhilarat-
ing but loud enough.”
ERA DESIGN 4 SPEAKER SYSTEM
> SUBWOOFER: SUB 10
Connections: Dual speaker-level, line-level in/out
Enclosure Type: Sealed
Woofer (size in inches, type): 10, mineral-filled copolymer
cone, 2.5-inch voice coil
Power Rating (watts): 300 RMS, Class AB
Crossover Bypass: Yes
Available Finishes: Sycamore, Rosewood, Cherry,
Black Gloss
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 18.75 x 14.2 x 12.5
Weight ( pounds): 68.5
Price: $1,000
DESIGN 4 DESIGN 4 LCR
Two-way, monitor Two-way, center
1, silk dome 1, silk dome
4, fiber-Kevlar composite cone (1) 4, fiber-Kevlar composite cone (2)
8 6
50–120 50–150
Sycamore, Rosewood, Sycamore, Rosewood,
Cherry, Black Gloss Cherry, Black Gloss
9.6 x 5.8 x 6.8 5.8 x 15.8 x 6.8
10.6 15.2
$600/pair $500
trace). All passive loudspeakers were measured with
grilles at a distance of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input
and scaled for display purposes.
The Design 4’s listening-window response (a five-
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal and
vertical responses) measures +1.73/–2.44 decibels from
200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point is at 90 Hz,
and the –6-dB point is at 72 Hz. Impedance reaches a
minimum of 6.73 ohms at 203 Hz and a phase angle of
–57.21 degrees at 120 Hz.
The Design 4 LCR’s listening-window response mea-
C
sures +2.04/–1.86 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average
of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses mea-
sures +1.96/–2.82 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB
point is at 88 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 69 Hz. Imped-
ance reaches a minimum of 4.48 ohms at 244 Hz and a
phase angle of –55.21 degrees at 136 Hz.
The Sub 10’s close-miked response, normalized to
the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3-dB point
is at 29 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 25 Hz. The upper
–3-dB point is at 104 Hz with the low-pass switch set
to off and the EQ switch set to on.—MJP
 ERA DESIGN 4 SPEAKER SYSTEM, AUDIOCONTROL MAESTRO
from the test bench M2 PRE/PRO, AND AUDIOCONTROL SAVOY AMPLIFIER

[
To perform this trick,
the power supply tracks
NEED A DISPLAY? the incoming signal and
We recommend the following
varies the rail voltage
displays to mate with this
Era/AudioControl system: for the output devices as
needed. The output
Sony KDS-R50XBR1 Rear-
Projection HDTV, $4,000 devices run cooler, so
Resolution: 1,920 by 1,080 there is no fan, and the
Best video connection: HDMI amp runs dead quiet
Weight: 94.81 pounds
even when used in an
Panasonic PT-AE900U open rack (like, say,
LCD Projector, $3,199 mine). It ran cooler
Resolution: 1,280 by 720 than my disc player.
Best video connection: HDMI
Weight: 7.9 pounds
While the Savoy isn’t
**Please remember that if you exactly cheap, don’t
decide to use a projector, you will forget to factor in both
also need to purchase a screen.
direct and indirect
energy savings. Because
the amp draws less power, it wastes
A Smarter Amp less power—and because it doesn’t
The Design 4 LCR has a sensitiv- fight your air conditioning, the
ity rating of 87 decibels, which is potential savings are even greater.
on the low side of average, and the Now that climate change is a real
Design 4 satellites are a power- threat and power bills are sky-
loving 84 dB. My reference rocketing, the Savoy increasingly
re c e i ve r h a s e n o u g h l ow - defines how home theater amplifi-
frequency oomph to power even cation can and should work.
full-range speakers, but some On the back are plastic-nut bind-
others may not, so your best bet ing posts that accepted the entire
may be a multichannel amp like length of my Monster banana plugs
the AudioControl Savoy. (a good thing—I hate it when the
The Savoy is a Class H amplifier plugs jut out). The sensitivity switch
design. That makes it more effi- has three settings—one for maxi-
cient than the Class AB amps that mum noise reduction when used
power most receivers and multi- with the matching preamp, one for
HIGHLIGHTS
Era Design 4 Speaker System:
 Small but potent satellites
 True audiophile performance
 As beautiful as speakers ever get
On the front, next to the power-
on/standby button, is a display
button that adjusts the action of the
blue vertical LED power indicators.
AudioControl’s Savoy amp and
Maestro M2 pre/pro both offer a
choice of balanced XLR connec-
tions (for long cable runs) or
unbalanced RCA connections (for
the rest of us). The Maestro M2
features broadcast-quality video
multiplexing, 250-megahertz
video passthrough, and an exten-
sive library of commands for
touchscreen interfaces.
Also based out of Washington,
AudioControl has a broad range of
core competencies, including whole-
house-audio products, pro analysis
tools, car-audio products, and home
theater products—including the
famous Diva room equalizer. It’s the
kind of company that leavens exper-
tise with humor. In lieu of mere
manuals, the Savoy comes with a

95
channel amps, because it dissipates THX gear, and one for higher-gain Professional Installer’s Consciousness
less power in the form of heat. preamps from other manufacturers. Guide, and the Maestro M2 with an

ERA DESIGN 4 SPEAKER SYSTEM OVERALL RATING

Build Quality Value Features Performance Ergonomics
> Stunningly beauti- > A top-drawer sur- > Custom woofer of > Genuine midbass > Space-saving form
ful and lustrous wood round system for the randomized fiber cov- response rare in small factor suits any kind of
veneers cost of an indifferent ered with a polypropy- satellites display
flat-panel TV lene skin
> 1-inch-thick MDF > Velvety midrange > Living with this kind
enclosures > Buying whole system > Japanese silk-dome and treble of beauty is easy and
saves $200 tweeter pleasurable

98 94 98 96
Era’s Design 4 satellite and

91 Design 4 LCR speakers are

among the best I’ve ever heard
from any manufacturer at any
price. The company is right in
General information tune with the trend toward
smaller form factors but rebels
Design 4 Speaker System, $2,500 for 5.1 channel set; Design 4 Monitor Speaker, $600/pair against compromises in midrange
Design 4 LCR Speaker, $500; Sub 10 Subwoofer, $1,000 > Era, ( 704) 391-9337, www.signalpathint.com and bass. These drop-dead
Dealer Locator Code ERA speakers stunned me.

66 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com


[
HIGHLIGHTS
AudioControl Maestro M2
Pre/Pro and Savoy Amplifier:
 Class H amp circuitry runs cool
and doesn’t waste watts
 Pre/pro compatible with touch-
screens and other control devices
Owner’s Enjoyment manual. The
latter’s five-year warranty warns:
“This is the best product we know
how to build, but, if you strap it to
the front bumper of your Range
Rover, something will break.”
It Feels Like 3 A-MMM
By the time the Era speakers and
AudioControl electronics joined
the suitably heavyweight Integra
DPS-10.5 universal player in my
rack, I came to realize that mating
them was a great idea. The Savoy
and Maestro M2 had a leanness that
complemented the speakers’ warm
voluptuousness. Together, they
defeated expectation in a way that
brought constant delight. They were
not bright, reticent, or anything in
between—they abandoned that
linear continuum entirely.
In its place was a combination of
up-front detail and laid-back depth
that made me sit up and blink. Gen-
erally, only one of those two quali-
ties is dominant. Rarely have I heard
both qualities so strongly present at
the same time. It was as though
someone had switched on lamps,
one after another, while walking
deeper and deeper into the sound-
stage, as the wall behind the speak-
ers disappeared. Each voice and
instrument was fully realized with
texture and shadow. I started visu-
alizing the distances of microphones
from lips and guitar amps, and I
wasn’t trying to be clever and
analytical—the amount of informa-
tion coming out of familiar test
tracks was simply overwhelming.
The Epics SACD from Telarc is a
compilation of well-known movie
soundtracks recorded in surround
by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati
Pops Orchestra. My favorite pas-
sage is the celesta-solo opening of
“Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Here
it was not just a charming tinkle
but a glowing presence that seeped
AT A GLANCE
> FEATURES
Processing Modes:
Proprietary:
THX Certification:
Audio D/A Converter:
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
Weight ( pounds):
Price:
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s stated specs; the HT Labs
box below indicates the gear’s performance on our test bench.
HT Labs Measures: AudioControl Maestro M2 Pre/Pro
> Analog frequency response in Stereo Direct mode:
+0.11dB at 10 Hz; +0.05dB at 20 Hz
–0.17 dB at 20 kHz; –1.07 dB at 50 kHz
> Analog frequency response with signal
processing:
–0.46 dB at 10 Hz; –0.11 dB at 20 Hz
–0.20 dB at 20 kHz; –53.90 dB at 50 kHz
into the concert hall’s acoustic
environment in three dimensions.
The brass fanfares of “Parade of the
Charioteers” from Ben-Hur were
crisp and slightly acerbic.
Smooth jazz and pop balladry are
the stuff of which Najee’s My Point of
View is made. What made my head
turn was the sophistication of the
SACD release’s surround mix. The
surround channels are used for more
than ambience, but, while I nor-
mally don’t greet surround-intensive
mixes with enthusiasm, here it’s so
adroitly rendered that it’s infectious.
AUDIOCONTROL MAESTRO M2 PRE/PRO
> CONNECTIONS
Inputs:
Video: HDMI (2), component video
( 3), S-video ( 5), composite
video ( 5)
Audio: Coaxial digital ( 3), optical dig-
ital ( 3), 7.1-channel analog
(1), stereo analog ( 7), AM/FM
Outputs:
Dolby: Digital 5.1, EX, Pro Logic IIx Video: HDMI (1), component video
DTS: DTS, ES Matrix, ES Discrete, (1), S-video ( 3), composite
Neo:6 video ( 3)
6 DSP modes, mono Audio: Coaxial digital (1), optical
No digital (1), stereo analog (4),
24-bit/192-kilohertz 7.1-channel XLR preamp (1),
5.25 x 17 x 15.5 7.1-channel RCA preamp (1)
30 Additional:
$2,399 RS-232 (1), 12-volt trigger ( 3),
By IR thejack ( 3)
The above chart shows the frequency response of the
left (aqua), center ( green), LFE ( purple), and left sur-
round (red ) channels at the preamp outputs of the
Dolby Digital decoder. The left channel measures
+0.04 decibels at 20 hertz and –0.08 dB at 20 kilohertz.
The center channel measures +0.04 dB at 20 Hz and
–0.08 dB at 20 kHz, and the left surround channel
measures +0.04 dB at 20 Hz and –0.08 dB at 20 kHz.
The LFE channel, normalized to the level at 40 Hz, is
+0.05 dB at 20 Hz, reaches the upper –3dB point at
110 Hz, and reaches the upper –6dB point at 118 Hz.
Response from the multichannel input to the main
output measures +0.11 dB at 10 Hz, +0.05 dB at 20 Hz,
–0.17 dB at 20 kHz, and –1.02 dB at 50 kHz. The
analog THD+N is less than 0.031% at 1 kHz with a
100-millivolt input and the volume control set to 83.
Crosstalk with a 100-mV input was –80.41 dB left to
right and –79.67 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise
ratio with a 100-mV input from 10 Hz to 24 kHz with
“A” weighting was –118.49 dBrA.—MJP
 ERA DESIGN 4 SPEAKER SYSTEM, AUDIOCONTROL MAESTRO
from the test bench M2 PRE/PRO, AND AUDIOCONTROL SAVOY AMPLIFIER

By the time the Eras wafted the and the effect wouldn’t have been as My curiosity about the bass angle
insistent chorus of Najee’s “3 AM” effective if the Eras hadn’t coaxed remained. Could the Eras hack it
into the back of the room—“it feels just the right velvet timbre out of playing full range without a sub? I
like 3 A-MMM”—I was hooked, Najee’s seductive voice. ran the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound-
track of Batman Begins with and
AT A GLANCE AUDIOCONTROL SAVOY AMPLIFIER without a 50-Hz crossover. Letting
the sub fill out the bottom pro-
duced the most traditionally
home theater–worthy effect, as
expected. But, even without the
sub, the speakers pulled enough
low-frequency information out of
> FEATURES > CONNECTIONS the soundtrack to keep up with the
Number of Channels: 7 Inputs: XLR (7), RCA (7) story’s dramatic momentum. With
Power Rating (watts per channel): 150, into 8 ohms Outputs: Five-way binding posts (7) string-bass lines, at such a low
Frequency Response: –0.2 dB from 2 Hz– Additional: None crossover, the sub added solidity,
50 kHz
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 5.75 x 17 x 15.75 fullness, and roundness, but the
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s stated
Weight (pounds): 41 specs; the HT Labs box below indicates the gear’s perfor- speakers were musically intelligi-
Price: $2,499 mance on our test bench. ble by themselves.
HT Labs Measures: AudioControl Savoy Amplifier Just in case you haven’t noticed,
I loved this month’s Spotlight
10
Into 4 ohms, the amplifier reaches 0.1% distortion at System. The amount of listening I
5 376.8 watts and 1% distortion at 413.8 watts. An input gave the Era Design 4 speakers
2
level of 76.60 millivolts was required to produce an
1
0.5
output of 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load, indicating an
went way beyond the normal quota
0.2
0.1 overall gain of 31.36 decibels using the RCA input and for reviewing. And, although they
0.05
%
0.02
gain setting A. With gain setting B, the gain was 28.89 dB thrived with my various reference
0.01
and with gain setting C, the gain was 26.15 dB. When
0.005

using the XLR input, a level of 152.50 millivolts was

amps, they coaxed the most vivid
0.002
0.001
0.0005
required to produce an output of 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm textures with the AudioControl
0.0002

0.0001
load, indicating an overall gain of 25.39 decibels with Savoy and Maestro M2. Put these
50 100 150
W
200 250 300
gain setting A. With gain setting B, the gain was 22.96 dB products around your display and
and with gain setting C, the gain was 20.21 dB.
> All channels driven continuously into 8-ohm THD+N from the amplifier was less than 0.012% at in your custom gear closet, and I
loads: 1 kHz when driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load using think you’ll agree that hi-fi, as it
0.1% distortion at 169.3 watts the RCA input. When using the XLR input under the same was once quaintly known, has come
1% distortion at 178.4 watts conditions, THD+N was less than 0.013%. Crosstalk at
1 kHz driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load was –90.51 dB
back into style. Saying consumers
> Frequency response: no longer appreciate good sound is
left to right and –89.67 dB right to left using the RCA
–0.03 dB at 10 Hz; –0.00 dB at 20 Hz
inputs and –90.65 dB left-to-right and –93.90 dB right- the ultimate act of cynicism.
–0.07 dB at 20 kHz; –0.51 dB at 50 kHz
to-left using the XLR inputs. The signal-to-noise ratio
with 2.83 volts driving an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz to 24 kHz
* Audio editor Mark Fleischmann is
This graph shows that the Savoy’s left amplifier channel,
with two channels driving 8-ohm loads, reaches 0.1% with “A” weighting was –101.42 dBrA using the RCA also the author of the annually updated

91
distortion at 236.5 watts and 1% distortion at 255.3 watts. input and –98.39 using the XLR input.—MJP book Practical Home Theater
(www.quietriverpress.com).

AUDIOCONTROL MAESTRO M2 PRE/PRO AND SAVOY AMPLIFIER OVERALL RATING

Build Quality
> Class H circuitry
makes the powerful
amp less weighty
> Casual, utilitarian
look
Value
> Moderately priced
versus other competing
separates
> Factor in potential
energy savings, and
you’ve got a nice deal
Features Performance Ergonomics
> Innovative amplifica- > Amp has gumption, > Interfaces designed
tion design as well as efficiency for installers and maybe
savvy consumers
> It has the flexibility > The pair delivers
your installer (and you) crisp midrange, > Plain menu graphics
need in high-end home extended detail
theater

89 95 90 92 85 AudioControl’s Savoy and Maestro

M2 combine high performance
with the increasingly signifi-
cant advantage of energy effi-
ciency. The days when it was OK
General information for an amp to double as a space
Maestro M2 Pre/Pro, $2,399 > Savoy Amplifier, $2,499 heater are behind us. This is
what home theater’s future
AudioControl, (425) 775-8461, www.audiocontrol.com > Dealer Locator Code ACT
looks (and sounds) like.
from the
test bench HIGH PERFORMANCE
Sony VPL-VW100 LCOS
Projector
Forget these teeny-tiny 1080p TVs. It’s time for high rez on a big screen.
BY GEOFFREY MORRISON
I’ve been saying it since the
first 1080p displays hit the market:
There’s no need for 1080p on a
screen smaller than 65 inches. Your
eye just can’t resolve that kind of
detail at the distance just about
everyone sits from their TV.
Resoundingly, no one cared. Where
that level of detail is really useful is
with projection. With a screen of
90 or 100 inches, you can use every
bit of detail you can get. Texas
Instruments was pretty candid about
not needing to rush in to a 1080p
front projector chip. After all, where
was the competition? At CEDIA
70 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
2005, Sony forced their hand. OK,
I honestly don’t know if Sony’s
announcement had anything to do
with TI’s timeline, but I found it
interesting that, at CEDIA, there
were no 1080p DLP front projec-
tors, and, at CES three months later,
there were a half dozen. Sony’s
bombshell was their announcement
of the VPL-VW100 LCOS 1080p
front projector. At $10,000, it’s a full
$2,000 to $3,000 less than the 720p
DLPs. Projector sales are 90 percent
numbers, and 1080p is a big one.
Looking the Part
With few exceptions (InFocus), a
$10,000 product needs to look like
something you spent $10,000 on. Of
course, picture quality is important,
$$$—$$$$
but the projector will be hanging in
your theater (or sitting in your living
room) for everyone to see. It needs
to dress for the party. Here, Sony has
succeeded greatly. The lines are
smooth, the build quality is tight,
and, in reality, it looks even more
expensive than it is. I’m a particular
fan of the thermal management
(pun intended). Cooling the bulb
is one of a projector’s most difficult
design aspects. It’s easy to cool with
a fan, but, to do it quietly, conve-
niently, and cost effectively, while
maintaining aesthetic appeal, is not.
The VPL-VW100’s designers get
a special mention for coming up
Cordero Studios
with a simple, attractive, and pre-
sumably effective solution. There are
vents at the top and bottom of the
front of the case. They are ducted
back through the length of the case
to a huge exhaust port in the back.
It’s all integrated and masked incred-
ibly well. It also makes for an
extremely quiet projector.
The whole top slides to garner
access to replace the bulb, which
you’ll have to do every 2,200 hours
or so. Brace yourself: Bulb replace-
ments are a brutal $1,000.
Setup
The remote is identical to the
one that comes with the $3,500
VPL-HS51 LCD projector. That’s a
little weird given the difference in
price, but, if the costs were cut there
rather than somewhere in the light
path, I’m OK with that. It is backlit XV-Z12000 Mark II projector I the screen, it looks more like at
with glow-in-the-dark light and reviewed last month could “only” least 3,000:1 than 251:1.
input buttons. It also demonstrates muster 3,632:1. With the iris off,
Sony’s aversion to direct-input but- the image brightens back up to just Color, Again
tons, but the projector has a setting over 15 ft-L, and the black level Like the previous incarnations of
to scan through only those inputs increases, as well, to 0.005 ft-L, Sony’s SXRD, the color points aren’t
with active video signals. The menus which any math flunky will tell you accurate. Also like the other SXRDs,
are slightly more difficult to navigate is 3,000:1. The ANSI contrast ratio colors are oversaturated but, for the
than those of most Sony products, is surprisingly average at 251:1. On most part, don’t really drift away
but they’re detailed and have just
about every adjustment you’d want. AT A GLANCE SONY VPL-VW100 LCOS PROJECTOR
You use the remote to control focus, > CONNECTIONS
zoom, and lens shift (vertical only). Inputs:
You have to be near the screen to Video: DVI (1), HDMI (1), D-Sub
focus the projector, as there is no 15-pin (1), component
way you can see the pixel edges > FEATURES video (1), S-video (1),
Type: SXRD (LCOS) composite video (1)
from the projector’s location (or Audio: None
Native Resolution / Aspect Ratio: 1,920 by 1,080 / 16:9
from your seat, for that matter). Lamp Life: 2,500 hours Outputs:
Different Lenses Available? No Video: None
Is It On? Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 6.9 x 19.5 x 22.6 Audio: None
Weight ( pounds): 41.8 Additional: 12v Trigger (1), RS-232 (1),
The VPL-VW100 offers the best Ethernet RJ-45 (1)
Price: $10,000
black level we’ve ever measured in
a digital product. At 0.001 foot- HT Labs Measures: Sony VPL-VW100 LCOS Projector
lamberts, it pushes the measure-
ment limits of our Minolta LS-100 7500 0.7
Sony Green

light meter. I’ve checked with one 0.6 Green

of our sister publications who also 7000

0.5
Color Temperature

has a VPL-VW100 review sample,

0.4
and their results were nearly iden- 6500
D6500 K Sony Red
Red
tical (their screen is of a different 0.3

Color Temp - Before

size and material than ours). An 6000
Color Temp - After
0.2
DTV Phosphors

auto iris is built in, as in the SXRD 0.1

D6500
Color Temp - Before
Sony Blue
RPTVs that share much of the 5500
20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Blue
Color Temp - After

0
VPL-VW100’s innards. With the IRE 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

auto iris in Auto mode, the projec-
tor puts out 15.18 ft-L. You don’t
need a calculator to see that this
means a contrast ratio of 15,180:1.
Once again, that’s the best we’ve
measured in a digital product.
As with all products with an auto
iris, this doesn’t tell you the full
story of the projector’s actual con-
trast ratio. With the iris turned
on, which locks the iris into one
position, the black level rose to
0.002 ft-L, and the light output was
reduced to 7.627 ft-L. This equals
a contrast ratio of 3,814:1. For
comparison, the excellent Sharp
0.001 15.18 pretty close to accurate with brighter images. After
> Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio—15,180:1; making adjustments using the Photo Research PR-650,
ANSI Contrast Ratio—251:1 the gray scale measures within 94 Kelvin of D6500, the
accurate color temperature, across the entire range.
> Measured Resolution with the Leader LT-446:
The right chart shows the gray scale (or color
480: 480 (per picture height)
temperature) relative to the color points of the dis-
720p: 720 (pph)
play’s red, green, and blue liquid-crystal-on-silicon
1080i: 1080 (pph)
panels in the Normal color mode. These are off those
specified by SMPTE. Red is oversaturated. Blue is
> DC Restoration (poor, average, good, excellent):
Excellent somewhat oversaturated and slightly greenish-blue.
> Color Decoder (poor, average, good, excellent):
Green is very oversaturated. In the Wide color mode,
the color points shift slightly and, for the most part,
Excellent
become slightly less accurate.
> Measured Color Points: After calibration, and using a full-field 100-IRE white
Red Color Point: x=0.671, y=0.325 (15.18 foot-lamberts) and a full-field 0-IRE black (0.001 ft-L),
Green Color Point: x=0.280, y=0.684 the contrast ratio was 15,180:1 (on an 87-inch-wide,
Blue Color Point: x=0.135, y=0.062 1.0-gain Da-Lite Da-Mat screen). Using a 16-box checker-
board pattern (ANSI contrast), the contrast ratio was
The left chart shows the VPL-VW100’s gray scale rela- 251:1. The best contrast ratio was achieved in the
tive to its color temperature at various levels of inten- Dynamic picture setting with the auto iris setting.
sity, or brightness (20 IRE is dark gray; 100 IRE is bright Standard mode and Cinema mode had the same black
white). The gray scale as set by the factory, in the level but dropped peak light output by approximately
middle color-temperature mode and the Cinema picture 6 percent and 12 percent, respectively, from the light
mode, measures slightly cool with dark images and output created in the Dynamic mode.—GM
from the test bench SONY VPL-VW100 LCOS PROJECTOR
from their proper respective colors.
In other words, green is just really
green, not yellowish-green or bluish-
green. The Wide color mode further
increases the distance between the
color points and SMTPE specs. The
color decoder is excellent, though.
As with the other SXRD displays,
this one creates a sort of über-vibrant
image. Solid colors are almost a little
too colorful. While it isn’t accurate,
it doesn’t look bad.
Scaling, a Whole Lot of It
Scaling is crucial in any display and
even more so in a 1080p display, as
there are almost six times as many
pixels as there are on a DVD. The
VPL-VW100 does an excellent job.
It internally upconverts DVDs about
as well as an external upconverting
DVD player—at least as far as detail
goes, that is. The component input
had a small amount of noise, a kind
^ The Sony remote
is backlit and will scan of grain that wasn’t apparent when
through only your inputs
with active video signals.
I used the HDMI or DVI inputs,
which were very smooth. The com-
ponent input also had a disappoint-
ing amount of steps and noise in the
gray ramp from Video Essentials. This
was noticeable with actual video
material, as well. It was more than
I expected from a $10,000 projec-
tor, but it was far less than that of
many digital displays. While it’s not
bad enough to completely avoid the
analog inputs, I’d advise you to use
digital when you can.
Deinterlacing was fairly average.
The 3:2 pickup wasn’t very fast,
and video processing showed some
jagged edges with the waving-flag
SONY VPL-VW100 LCOS PROJECTOR
Build Quality Value Features
> Loose cover mars an > 1080p for less money > Auto iris works
otherwise well-built case than some 720p extremely well
> Thermal manage- > Looks more expen- > 1080p on HDMI and
ment exceptionally well sive than it is DVI (from a DVD player,
thought out anyway)
93 92 91
General information
VPL-VW100 LCOS Projector, $10,000 > Sony Electronics, (877) 865-SONY, www.sonystyle.com > Dealer Locator Code SNY
[
scene on Silicon Optix’s HQV
Benchmark DVD. Turn off the Digital
Reality Creation (DRC). It adds
more jaggies.
Sooooo Much Detail
Now, this is what 1080p was made
for. More than any previous 1080p
display, the extra resolution over
720p is instantly noticeable. There
are moments when the additional
detail is simply stunning. Unfortu-
nately, for now, these moments are
all most people will get out of the
VPL-VW100’s doubled pixel count.
With this projector, you have a dis-
play with a native resolution that far
exceeds the program material just
about everyone will put on it—and a
screen size that uses it. DirecTV,
DISH Network, just about every
cable provider, and even some broad-
cast stations compress the hell out of
their HD signals. While this may not
be as noticeable on a 42-inch plasma,
on a 90-inch screen showing 1080p,
every drop in bit rate or resolution
is very noticeable. Even if the
camera that shot the scene was
slightly out of focus, you’ll see it with
the VPL-VW100. Quite simply, the
display outclasses the source. And it
will, at least until Blu-ray (or, ahem,
HD-DVD) comes around.
1080p
One of the most disappointing
aspects of nearly every 1080p display
we’ve reviewed is their inability to
accept a 1080p signal. HP and Epson
seemed to be the only companies
that understood that any TVs bought
Performance Ergonomics
> Truly excellent black > Backlit remote works
level and contrast ratio decently
> With the right > Menus are detailed
source, the level of but somewhat annoying
detail is astonishing to navigate
96 90
HIGHLIGHTS
 The first “affordable” 1080p
front projector
 Amazing black level and con-
trast ratio
 Excellent case design
today will likely still be in use six
months later, when there will be
plenty of 1080p content—not to
mention that anyone with an HTPC
has 1080p content now, and lots of
it. With the VPL-VW100, Sony
takes steps to remedy this shortcom-
ing. Steps, but not a total fix. The
HDMI and DVI inputs will accept a
1080p signal from a DVD player.
The DVI input will usually take a
1080p signal from a computer, but
the HDMI won’t at all. The PC input
maxes out at 1,920 by 1080i, or
1,400 by 1,050 if you want to talk
4:3. You can disable overscan and
move the image vertically and hori-
zontally on the screen, allowing you
to see every pixel from a computer.
So, hooking up an HTPC isn’t fool-
proof, but it’s possible and will work
great when it does.
You Don’t Need That
Kidney...
What can I say? Despite its faults,
the VPL-VW100 is a beautiful and
incredible-looking projector. This
is the first time I’d wholeheartedly
say you should go for 1080p over
93
720p. If you have the means, go for
it. It’s that good.
OVERALL RATING
The black level and contrast ratio
are the best we’ve measured in a
digital display, and the detail is
astounding. It looks amazing,
and it’s less expensive than just
about every high-end DLP pro-
jector (which are only 720p).
The Pure Sound of Life

1 8 F u l l e r P l a c e , B r o o k l y n , N Y 1 1 2 1 5 , U S A , Te l 7 1 8 7 8 8 4 4 1 1
from the
test bench
PMC OB1 Speaker System
Home theater audio with a pro-studio heritage.
BY ROGER MAYCOCK
When I received the call to
review PMC’s OB1, CB6, GB1,
and TLE1 home theater loud-
speaker system, I was excited. The
British company enjoys a stellar
reputation throughout the profes-
sional audio community, and
prominent clients, including
Dolby Labs, BBC Radio, Capital
Records, and Village Recorders
use their equipment. The oppor-
tunity to discover how PMC’s con-
sumer equipment performs was
more than a bit intriguing.
74 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
HIGH PERFORMANCE
In professional recording studios,
PMC (Professional Monitor
Company) loudspeakers are fre-
quently paired with Bryston power
amplifiers—another prominent
name in recording-studio circles.
The two companies enjoy a coop-
erative arrangement in a number of
areas, and this holds true in the
consumer division. The TLE1 sub-
woofer, for example, uses Bryston
electronics. So, here I was, about
to spend hours listening to some of
my favorite material on equipment
derived from that used in top
recording studios. Armed with high
expectations, I was ready.
Setup
I configured my evaluation system
in the following manner: Two
OB1s served as front left and right
speakers, while the CB6 was my
center-channel speaker. I used
two GB1s as left and right sur-
rounds, and the TLE1 subwoofer
filled out the low end.
As for first impressions, this
system’s finish and visual appeal are
nothing short of world-class. My
system was finished in a rich cherry
veneer. Additional finishes include
maple and oak, with other veneers
available upon special order. Both the
OB1 and GB1 include removable
pedestals with adjustable spikes for
optimizing the loudspeakers’ posi-
tioning. Needless to say, when you’re
facing an MSRP of $13,446 for a
speaker system, you want it to blend
tastefully with your home’s décor.
$$$—$$$$
Rest assured, this system speaks vol-
umes about design aesthetics.
A Closer Look
A common design characteristic of
every PMC loudspeaker is the
company’s proprietary Advanced
Transmission Line (ATL). You can
best visualize ATL as an intricately
structured tunnel within the loud-
speaker enclosure, segmented by
multiple folds that span the length
of the cabinet. This passageway
Cordero Studios
starts at the low-frequency trans-
ducer and concludes its journey by
venting through a front port—
enabling placement close to walls.
ATL’s claimed benefits include
improved driver control with lower
distortion, more responsive bass,
and lower bass extension. As an
added benefit, this design also
results in additional bracing to the
enclosure, making it more rigid.
The OB1 tower is a three-way
design with a 1-inch, Ferrofluid-
cooled soft-dome tweeter, a 3-inch
soft-dome midrange driver, and a
6.5-inch woofer constructed with
a cast-alloy chassis. Input connec-
tors include three sets of gold-
plated binding posts that facilitate
triamp operation. The CB6 center-
channel loudspeaker is essentially a
reconfigured OB1 that uses a
square plate to mount the tweeter
as opposed to the OB1’s round
plate. This design change enables
the manufacturer to fit the tweeter
in the optimum position for the
cabinet’s horizontal orientation.
 The GB1 loudspeaker is a two-
way design that incorporates a
1-inch, Ferrofluid-cooled soft-
dome tweeter coupled with a
5.5-inch woofer that also employs
a cast-alloy chassis. Input con-
nectors include two sets of gold-
plated binding posts that facilitate
biamp operation.
The TLE1 subwoofer is an active
design featuring Bryston power
amplification and crossover elec-
tronics. Power is rated at 150 watts.
The enclosure utilizes twin
6.5-inch woofers—each utilizes a
cast-alloy chassis. In addition to bal-
anced (XLR) and unbalanced
(RCA) inputs, the TLE1 has provi-
sions for level control, 360-degree
phase adjustment, and selec-
table rolloff (40 hertz to 155 Hz at
12 decibels per octave). The unit is
magnetically shielded.
While the CB6 and TLE1 are
magnetically shielded, the OB1
and GB1 are not, although mag-
netic shielding is optionally avail-
able for the latter two.
Listening Impressions
For my evaluation, I ran both the
OB1s and GB1s in passive mode—
although, as I noted previously,
necessary provisions exist for
biamp or triamp operation. For
general stereo, I began with
Highlights from the Julian Bream
Edition. The acoustic guitar’s ability
to spotlight overtones makes it one
of my favorite choices for loud-
speaker evaluations, and the OB1s
did not disappoint. The re-creation
of the hall was delightful, and
the system’s ability to reproduce
Bream’s subtle performance
nuances was breathtaking. Har-
monics were crystal clear and well
balanced in respect to the funda-
mental tones being played. The
OB1s delivered a smooth listening
experience throughout the entire New York Philharmonic. The
frequency range. OB1s exhibited excellent stereo
To check imaging and dynamic imaging with an evenly dispersed
contrast, I listened to the first move- soundfield. Off-axis listening is
ment of Schubert’s Symphony surprisingly similar to on-axis
No. 8 in B Minor performed by the sound. The system’s ability to
AT A GLANCE PMC OB1 SPEAKER SYSTEM
> SUBWOOFER: TLE1
Connections: Balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA)
Enclosure Type: Transmission line
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5-inch, paper cone
Power Rating (watts): 150 (RMS)
Crossover Bypass: No
Available Finishes: Cherry, Maple, Oak
These listings are based on the Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 21.6 x 7.8 x 21.5
Weight ( pounds): 38.5
manufacturer’s stated specs; the HT
Labs box below indicates the gear’s Price: $3,199
performance on our test bench.
> Speaker: OB1 CB6 GB1
Type: Three-way, tower Three-way, center Two-way, monitor
Tweeter (size in inches, type): 1, soft dome 1, soft dome 1, soft dome
Midrange (size in inches, type): 3, soft dome 3, soft dome N/A
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5, doped* 6.5, doped* 5.5, doped*
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 6 6 8
Recommended Amp Power (watts): 300 max 300 max 150 max
Available Finishes: Cherry, Maple, Oak Cherry, Maple, Oak Cherry, Maple, Oak
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 40.4 x 7.9 x 12.8 7.3 x 23.6 x 11.8 34.2 x 6.1 x 9.2
Weight ( pounds): 47 25 23
Price: $5,199/pair $2,799 $2,249/pair
* coated with a liquid plastic to stiffen paper or fabric while remaining compliant
HT Labs Measures: PMC OB1 Speaker System
measured with grilles at a distance of 1 meter with a
2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.
The OB1’s listening-window response (a five-
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
and vertical responses) measures +1.81/–2.31 deci-
bels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point
is at 55 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 47 Hz. Imped-
ance reaches a minimum of 4.74 ohms at 107 Hz
and a phase angle of –90.18 degrees at 67 Hz.
The CB6’s listening-window response measures
+1.34/–2.41 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An average of
axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures
C
+1.32/–2.48 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point
is at 53 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 45 Hz. Impedance
> L/R Sensitivity:
86 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz reaches a minimum of 4.90 ohms at 174 Hz and a
phase angle of –34.11 degrees at 85 Hz.
> Center Sensitivity: The GB1’s listening-window response measures
85 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz +2.26/–2.65 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point
> Surround Sensitivity: is at 108 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 51 Hz. Imped-
87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz ance reaches a minimum of 6.50 ohms at 263 Hz and a
phase angle of –41.90 degrees at 4.3 kHz.
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing The TLE1’s close-miked response, normalized to
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3-dB
the OB1 L/R ( purple trace), TLE1 subwoofer ( blue point is at 57 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 49 Hz. The
trace), CB6 center channel ( green trace), and GB1 upper –3-dB point is at 165 Hz with the roll-off con-
surround (red trace). All passive loudspeakers were trol set to maximum.—MJP
from the test bench PMC OB1 SPEAKER SYSTEM

handle large changes in dynamics
was equally inspiring. As the
orchestra leaped from pianissimo
to fortissimo and back, the OB1s
took every change in stride.
For popular music, I listened
to selections from Steely Dan’s
Everything Must Go and the debut
recording from smooth-jazz artist
Euge Groove. In all cases, the OB1s
delivered clear and detailed repro-
ductions that were impeccably well
balanced throughout the frequency
range. The tic of drummers’ high-
hat and other high-frequency con-
tent was clear and never harsh. The
system reproduced vocals and other
midrange material faithfully, with a
warm character I found to be most
appealing, if a bit euphonic.
Low-frequency reproduction
was generally excellent. The
OB1s produce clear, articulate
bass lines that enabled me to hear
notes as opposed to thumps. For
classical music, the OB1s were
terrific. For popular music, the
bass was certainly there, but it
seemed slightly clinical—until I
added the TLE1.
As you would expect, the addi-
tion of the TLE1 subwoofer added
a commanding presence to the
system’s low-frequency response,
but it’s really more than that. The
TLE1 not only adds substance but
[
You’re Surrounded!
As a 5.1 surround system for listen-
ing to DVD or SACD recordings, I
can best sum up the inclusion of the
CB6 center channel and the GB1
surrounds by the exclamation “right
on!” Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a
Face” and the Blue Man Group’s
“PVC IV” both yielded a thoroughly
convincing surround experience.
With guitar pickings and keyboard
pads emanating from all corners of
the room, Billy Idol’s vocal delivery
through the CB6 was well balanced
and natural sounding, yet it cut like
a knife through butter in relation to
everything else. Likewise, the Blue
Man Group’s percussive cacophony
was full sounding, vibrantly alive,
and emanated from everywhere.
The theatrical presentation of the
day was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Let’s
face it—if you’re interested in a
surround system, you want it to
render battle scenes, explosions,
and the like as though you were
there. With the volume cranked
up, this system’s reproduction of
the opening confrontation was
nothing short of sensational.
Explosions shook the room, clank-
ing metallic sounds were every-
where, and laser blasts soared over
my head. I experienced pure,
HIGHLIGHTS
 Natural, detailed sound with
superb imaging
 Enclosures exhibit excellent fit
and finish
In Conclusion
Every aspect of this system makes
PMC’s attention to detail evident.
Overall sound quality is among the
most pleasantly balanced, detailed,
and lifelike I’ve encountered in a
home system. With first-rate on-
and off-axis sound and depth of
character, it’s hard to find fault
with this system.
While low-frequency reproduc-
tion was, for the most part, excel-
lent, the system cries out for the
inclusion of the TLE1 subwoofer
when playing popular music.
Without the sub, the reproduction
of bass lines and kick drums just
isn’t as convincing as I had hoped
for. And, while I encountered
no image skewing on my video
display, I can’t help but feel that,
for the system’s price, magnetic
shielding should be standard on
all enclosures.
All things considered, PMC’s
home theater loudspeaker system
will reward its owners with sonic

95
brings out a depth of character that unadulterated, sonic madness— performance that will have them
my ears were yearning for. and it was exhilarating. grinning from ear to ear.

PMC OB1 SPEAKER SYSTEM OVERALL RATING

Build Quality
> Speakers feature
world-class fit and finish
> CNC precision-
machined Medite
panels are veneered
inside and out
Value Features Performance Ergonomics
> While there are less > TLE1 provides level > OB1 provides even > Pedestals for OB1
expensive systems, they control, 360-degree dispersion with excel- and GB1 are removable
don’t perform like this phase adjustment, and lent on- and off-axis and include adjustable
selectable rolloff listening floor spikes
> The sonic equivalent
to a 5 Series BMW > TLE1 provides bal- > ATL delivers respon- > Variable crossover
anced (XLR) and unbal- sive, articulate low- control
anced (RCA) inputs frequency performance
that’s never thumpy Featuring first-rate fit and finish
with world-class visual appeal

97 92 93 97 94
that blends with any décor, this
terrific-sounding PMC loud-
speaker collection will impress.

General information
OB1 Tower Speaker, $5,199/pair; CB6 Center-Channel Speaker, $2,799; GB1 Monitor Speaker, $2,249/pair
TLE1 Subwoofer, $3,199 > PMC USA, ( 949) 861-3350, www.pmcloudspeakers.com > Dealer Locator Code PMC
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from the
test bench
Anthony Gallo Acoustics
A’DivaTi Speaker System
BY STEVE GUTTENBERG
Anthony Gallo Acoustics’
speakers had me thinking about
the old Humpty Dumpty nursery
78 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
MIDRANGE $$–$$$
Great balls of fire.
rhyme. If you’ll recall, after
Humpty took a nasty fall and was
smashed to pieces, all of the king’s
horses and men could never make
him whole again. Following my
cracked-up analogy, two- and
three-way speakers break up the
sound, sending it through woofers,
midranges, and tweeters (and still
sound great), but they can’t ever
really make the sound perfectly
whole again.That’s why full-range,
single-driver speakers are the Holy
Grail for some audiophiles. Enter
Anthony Gallo Acoustics’ latest
set of balls, the new A’Diva Ti
satellites, which get awfully close
to that ideal. Heck, the wee
A’Diva Ti is almost full range. Its
3-inch titanium/paper driver
covers all frequencies from about
90 hertz to 22 kilohertz!
Cordero Studios
The A’Diva Ti system I’m
reviewing here comes with five
A’Diva Ti satellites and Gallo’s new
TR-2 subwoofer. (Extra satellites
go for $275 a pop.) It’s truly amaz-
ing how big this little speaker can
sound, but Anthony Gallo has been
refining “round” sound longer than
anybody. He had, well, the
smarts to go where other design-
ers feared to tread and promulgated
the advantages of spherical speak-
ers.The gambit wasn’t just to look
different—round speakers get
around many of the inherent struc-
tural and acoustical problems of
boxes, which, in varying degrees,
adversely affect the sound. Gallo’s
hardened-steel, spherical cabinets
are incredibly rigid, which mini-
mizes their impact on the sound
of the A’Diva Ti’s 3-inch driver.
The A’Diva Ti system goes for
$1,975, but Gallo’s standard
A’Diva, Nucleus Micro Ti, and
Nucleus Micro systems are more
affordable alternatives.
Original Thinking
The A’Diva Ti is an upgrade from
the original and still-available
A’Diva. The prime difference is
that the new speaker uses a paper-
damped titanium driver devel-
oped by Gallo that delivers
deeper bass and higher highs and
has a larger voice coil for improved
power handling. Internal wiring is
pure high-end nirvana—the Teflon-
coated, silver-clad, oxygen-free
copper cable is silver-soldered to
the driver and the five-way bind-
ing posts. The 3-inch driver is
precisely torqued into place with a
bolt from the rear end of the
sphere. The A’Diva Ti’s other big
advantage over two- and three-way
speakers is that it doesn’t impose a
maze of resistors, capacitors, and
inductors between your ampli-
fier and its titanium/paper driver.
The A’Diva Ti has remarkable
transparency—you can hear that in
the way it reproduces the sound of
drums and percussion instruments.
Treble air and sparkle are first rate,
and the A’Diva Ti reproduces the
tactile qualities of the transient
attack and the impact of drums’
resonant bloom in precisely the
right proportions, so you don’t just
hear drums—you feel them.
Gallo’s patented S2 technology
allows the A’Diva Ti speaker and
the TR-2 subwoofer to produce
more bass than conventional
designs. Here’s how it works: The
cabinets of the sats and sub are
packed with polyolefin flakes (they
look like snow flakes) that absorb
more energy than commonly used
wool or synthetic stuffing materi-
als.The flakes’ density causes them
to mimic a volume typical of a much
larger enclosure, which allows the
driver to produce deeper bass, and
the flakes minimize the perfor-
mance-degrading reflections within
the cabinet itself. The A’Diva Ti
speaker is fitted with a stainless-steel
AT A GLANCE
SPEAKER:
Type:
Driver (size in inches, type):
Nominal Impedance (ohms):
Recommended Amp Power:
Available Finishes:
Dimensions:
Weight (pounds):
Price:
HT Labs Measures: Anthony Gallo Acoustics
A’Diva Ti Speaker System
> Satellite Sensitivity:
80 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of
the Nucleus A`Diva Ti satellite ( purple trace) and
grille. The speaker is available in
black, white, silver/grey, and
brushed stainless-steel finishes.
Gracefully curved floor stands,
on- and in-wall brackets, as well as
on- and in-ceiling brackets cover all
installation contingencies.
Anthony Gallo used the same
form-follows-function design
ANTHONY GALLO ACOUSTICS A’DIVA TI SPEAKER SYSTEM
> SUBWOOFER: TR-2
Connections: Stereo speaker level in and out;
stereo line-level, in and out
Enclosure Type: S2 technology
Woofer (size in inches, type): 10, cone
Power Rating (watts): 250 RMS, 500 peak
Crossover Bypass: No
Available Finishes: Silver, Black
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 12 x 10.75 x 13.5
Weight ( pounds): 36
Price: $700
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s stated specs; the HT
Labs box below indicates the gear’s performance on our test bench.
A’DIVA TI
One-way
3, titanium/paper
8
60–120 watts
Matte Black, Matte White, Silver/Grey, Stainless Steel
5-inch sphere
1.8
$275, $300 in stainless steel
the TR-2 subwoofer (blue trace). The passive loud-
speaker was measured with its grille at a distance
of 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input.
The A`Diva Ti’s listening-window response (a five-
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
and vertical responses) measures +1.45/–3.97 deci-
bels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. An average of axial
and +/–15-degree horizontal responses measures
+1.54/–3.87 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3dB point
is at 124 Hz, and the –6dB point is at 103 Hz. Imped-
ance reaches a minimum of 7.89 ohms at 356 Hz and
a phase angle of –37.98 degrees at 174 Hz.
C
The TR-2’s close-miked response, normalized to
the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3dB
point is at 49 Hz and the –6dB point is at 36 Hz. The
upper –3dB point is at 126 Hz with the crossover
control set to maximum and the Bass Boost switch
set to 6 dB.—MJP
from the test bench NUVISIONGALLO
ANTHONY NVX32HDU LCD HDA’DIVA
ACOUSTICS MONITR
approach for the TR-2 subwoofer
and nixed the standard cube shape
in favor of a cylinder.The steel cab-
inet feels positively inert. It has a
front-firing, 10-inch woofer and a
250-watt-rated amplifier.The man-
ufacturer designed the TR-2 to son-
ically match the A’Diva Ti.
I assembled the A’Diva floor
stands in less than 10 minutes and
wired up the entire system in
another 10. Due to the speaker’s tiny
size, clearances around its gold-
plated binding posts are pretty tight
but workable.The trickiest part of
the setup was achieving a smooth
blend between the A’Diva Tis and
the TR-2.You know how that goes:
Over the first couple of days, as I
played tons of CDs and DVDs, I was
constantly tweaking the sub’s
volume level, crossover setting, and
bass-equalization switch, which lets
you run the sub flat or with 3 or
6 decibels of bass boost at 35 Hz.
I have a large room, so I started with
the 6-dB position, and it certainly
sounded powerful, but the bass
gap between the A’Diva Tis and the
TR-2 was impossible to smooth out.
A setting of 0 dB felt lightweight,
and 3 dB was the best compromise,
but the midbass gap was still there.
Then Anthony Gallo suggested
moving the sub from my usual spot
in the left corner of the room over
to the middle, between the left and
ANTHONY GALLO ACOUSTICS A’DIVA TI SPEAKER SYSTEM
Build Quality Value Features
> Hardened steel ball > Little speakers rarely > Uniquely innovative
cabinets with titanium/ sound this big design principles
paper drivers
> The TR-2 sub is the > Spherical cabinet
> Super-solid cylindri- ideal partner for the minimizes internal
cal steel sub A’Diva Ti satellites standing waves and
image-smearing diffrac-
tion
94 90 94
General information
A’Diva Ti Speaker System, $1,975 > Anthony Gallo Acoustics, (800) 459-4183, www.roundsound.com > Dealer Locator Code ANY
80 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
TI SPEAKER SYSTEM
right front A’Diva Ti speakers, and
that perfectly smoothed out the
blend. Once I nailed it, the synergy
between the A’Diva Ti speakers and
the TR-2 was exceptionally good.
I also discovered that the balls
sound best when I aimed their
titanium/paper drivers directly
toward the listening position.
On a Roll!
The stainless-steel spheres orbiting my
home theater really came to life when
I played the final installment in the
StarWars epic, Revenge of the Sith.The
continuousness of the imaging
between the five A’Diva Tis was evi-
dent as the full-throttled starships
flew seamless arcs around my room.
Imaging was razor sharp, and the
delineation of layered depth in John
Williams’ bombastic score was
superb.Their microstature notwith-
standing, the A’Diva Tis rolled
through the terrifying opening assault
on the Saving Private Ryan DVD with-
out a scratch. Dialogue was com-
pletely free of any overt chestiness but
was resolutely full-bodied and natural.
George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for
Bangladesh set the standard for benefit
concerts over the following decades.
George and Ringo were there, along
with Eric Clapton,Bob Dylan, and an
all-star band.The five A’DivaTi speak-
ers unfurled a vast soundstage,and the
applause sounded especially realistic.
Performance Ergonomics
> The teensy satellites > So small, they can go
and sub yield a beauti- just about everywhere
fully balanced, “ballsy”
sound > Gallo offers a stand,
on- and in-wall/ceiling
> Laser-sharp, highly mounts
focused imaging with
remarkable spatial
depth
95
[
HIGHLIGHTS
 Gallo’s mini balls’ spectacular
soundstaging abilities
approach state of the art
 Audiophile-grade, lifestyle-
friendly speakers
The TR-2 subwoofer perfectly
reproduced the growling texture of
Viktor Krauss’ bass on jazz guitarist
Bill Frisell’s new East/West CD.This
live recording sounds incredibly
live, and Frisell’s nimble-fingered
fretwork dazzles at every turn. But,
hot damn, when Krauss’ bass dips
way, way down to the lowest regis-
ters, the TR-2 really delivered the
goods. Acoustic or electric basses
have a vivid, palpable presence that
you rarely get with sub/sat–based
systems. Music and home theater
chops sounded equally impressive.
When I stop and think about the
A’Diva Ti system’s spectacular
sound and look at the tiny, jewel-
like speakers, I just have to scratch
my head. How all that sound
comes from something that small
is beyond me. Anthony Gallo is
awfully good at what he does,
and I have the feeling that his best
93
works are yet to come.
OVERALL RATING
95 Anthony Gallo’s round-sound
speakers just keep getting
better and better. The A’Diva Ti
takes a purist approach to
lifestyle design and aces out
pricier micro speakers.
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 PRESENTS

Strange
Magic!
Renowned
magician
Penn Jillette
talks theater.

PLUS:
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Easy steps to an wholehouse haven
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 HOW TO NAVIGATE AVI
DIY READER HOME THEATER
AudioVideoInteriors.com
As you read the magazine, you will notice an
BY KIRK BLUTH, HOMEOWNER
AudioVideoInteriors.com logo in the margin
next to certain underlined text, which represents a Web-
exclusive story. Go to our Website, and you will see the
same text as a link that you can click on for additional
features, installer portfolios, biographies, and more!
M y interest in home theaters stems from my
father. Like anyone brought up by a good
father, I wish to be like him and take inter-
est in things that he finds interesting. One hobby of
his is audio/video stuff. Several years ago, he turned a
How It Works for You little-used living room in the basement of his home
You’ll find the “How It Works for You” sidebar in every
into a home theater. He had professional installers do
audio/video interior in AVI. This helps you immediately
identify how you can relate the principles and ideas you the work, and I was amazed
see in the pages of AVI to your own budget, space, and at the results: a drop-down
lifestyle. tensioned screen, an HDTV
projector, and top-quality
AUDIO VIDEO INTERIORS picture and sound. I wanted
TABLE OF CONTENTS / APRIL 2006 to have a home theater, too.
In the middle of my Air
84 DIY HOME THEATER
This homeowner used some creative resources to build
> Force service at Hill AFB,
a South Dakota palace of moviegoing for his large family. Utah, my family and I
decided to build a home. I
86 LEAP FORWARD JUST THE EIGHT
Multiroom A/V, Internet OF US had plans to build a dedicated home theater under the
access, and simple user inter- Bluth has found a garage. Financial issues, including medical-school
faces, all by shaping a box
into a pre-wired system! great way for his loans, a family of seven to feed, and limited military
By Adrienne Maxwell eight-person family income caused these plans to end up on the back
to congregate in burner. Two years later, I finished my military obliga-
88 PENN JILLETTE’S one place—their tion, and we moved to rural Webster, South Dakota.
MAGIC THEATER
home theater. We built a new home, and this time I was determined
The talkative half of
magic’s most famous duo For more images, to make the home theater happen! We designed our
has a theater that reflects go to
own home, and the basement home theater fit right
his personal reality. www.AudioVideo
By Dan Daley into the plans. I had the contractor lower the founda-
Interiors.com.
tion 4 feet to give the room some depth. I had read
that square rooms are poor choices for home theaters,
but, with a degree of oppositional defiance, I set out
to make a square 25-by-25-foot home theater.

My Budget
Construction/materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,600
Sound Board, drywall, painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,600
Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,200
Electric wiring/lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,700
Lutron GRAFIK Eye 2400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $350
Marantz SR7200 receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $599
Marantz VC8100 disc changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $599
DVDO line doubler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $500
Sharpvision XV-Z90U projector (demo model) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,200
SEE WHAT’S ONLINE THIS MONTH! DISH Network 811 HDTV tuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $400
Exclusive New Content: Klipsch synergy speaker system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,300
• Ask the Experts: Interior designers sound off on Da-Lite 58-by-104-inch electrol cosmopolitan screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $720
designing a home theater. Niles IR repeater system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $320
• Home Theater Builder: How to construct your room. Wiring/cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $800
• Are You Safe?: The latest on home security systems. Couches/Love Sacs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,100
• Plus: New products galore! Recliners (12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $960
Tables/lamps/phones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $230
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29,178
Sitting with my dad in the home theater..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Priceless!!!
84 Audio Video Interiors / April 2006 • www.audiovideointeriors.com
 I had the plans in my mind and had put them onto
paper. I wanted stadium seating, I thought the addition
of balconies would break up some of the sound prob-
lems of a square room, and my children wanted a stage
that they could perform on. I was able to incorporate
these into the plan. There is even an overlook from the
entrance hallway into the home theater. My big con-
cern was who would install it. I am not gifted in the art
of electronics and wiring. There was no one in the area
who did professional installations, so I studied and
learned all I could about doing it myself. I gained con-
fidence and decided I could probably do it.
I started gathering the gear before we even left Utah.
I bought my projector, receiver, and DVD changer from
Performance Audio (the guys who installed my dad’s Shopko. I bought 12 of the chairs for $80 each. For now, ROMAN REGALITY
theater). After we got settled in South Dakota, I bought a couple of giant Love Sacs provide seating in the bal- A large family requires a
my speakers and IR repeater system at Best Buy, pur- conies. The total seating cost just over $3,000. The large theater. Bluth’s is
chased the speaker wire (PR4) at Kimber Kable of room can seat over 25 people very comfortably. complete with bal-
Ogden, Utah, and ordered my projector screen and The sound is excellent. There are no echo problems conies and a stage that
Lutron GRAFIK Eye projector on the Internet. whatsoever, despite the square room. I had 0.75-inch his children like to per-

I showed my home theater room plans to the contrac- sound board placed behind the drywall of the ceiling form on when the

tor of our home, Greg Johnson of Johnson Construction. and walls. Three of the four walls are cement, which screen is rolled up.

He thought I was weird and a little crazy but agreed to also helps contain the noise in the theater. This keeps
build the three levels, the two balconies, and the stage. the wife happy. The lack of windows and eggplant walls
I picked up 10 columns at a local hardware store and make for good home theater viewing.
had them painted at Hahler’s auto-body shop. The guy My family enjoys the room for watching movies and
at Hahler sprayed on the tan paint, dried it, then applied putting on plays, and we even use it as a conference room
the eggplant-colored paint. While the second color was for work and community meetings. I might have even
still wet, he wrapped Saran Wrap around it and pulled convinced our contractor to build his own home theater.
it off as it dried. It provided a nice marble effect. While The best part of this whole process was when my dad
the room was all studs and columns, I had to quickly go came out for a visit, and he and I got to sit in the home
to work before the drywallers came and closed every- theater together and watch a movie. Awesome!
thing off. I needed 250 feet of speaker wire, compo-
For more images of Kirk’s theater, please visit our Website
nent cables, and IR repeater wires, which would all at www.AudioVideoInteriors.com.
converge in the next room. Once the drywall and
painting was done, I anxiously hooked up my gear and
was pleased that I hadn’t forgotten anything. I crossed
my fingers as I connected and tested the IR repeater
system. It worked! I also found that the drop-down
electric screen can be fully viewed from any seat,
including under the balconies. I was pleased.
The furniture was the next challenge. I had seen
these motorized home theater seats for the rich and
famous at $2,400 each and gasped at the cost! If I were
to fill this theater with 16 or so of those chairs, it would
cost $40,000, putting me way, way over budget. I found
three nice couches at Slumberland furniture and some
comfortable, inexpensive reclining chairs on sale at
 LEAP FORWARD
Multiroom A/V, Internet access, and simple user interfaces,
all by shaping a box into a pre-wired system!
BY ADRIENNE MAXWELL
H ome entertainment is evolving, and it’s affect-
ing the way we build our houses and plan our
living spaces. It begins when first we tire of
painfully slow dial-up Internet access and make the
switch to broadband or DSL. Next, we realize that it’d
be nice to have that Internet access on more than just
one computer in the home, so we add an Ethernet
switch or router, and a network is born. We soon dis-
cover how quickly we can download music and movies
A COZY DAY FOR from the Internet, and we figure out how simple it is
A MOVIE
What could be better than
to share files of all sorts—be they data, music, or
watching a networked MPEG photos—between computers through our new net-
clip of Spider-Man 2 on work. And, ultimately, we find ourselves asking, “How
this South Carolina home’s do I get my A/V system in on this action?” (And then
LE&AP digital media sys- questions about how that will affect the interior of
tem on a lazy, foggy
your home logically follow.)
afternoon? Go to
www.AudioVideo The answer is a digital media system, and it’s becom-
Interiors.com for more ing a hot commodity. Some manufacturers take the dig-
images. ital media player approach—like Roku, D-Link and
TiVo, who create devices that work with your com-
puter. You stream content over a wired or wireless net-
work from the computer to the player, which connects
directly to the A/V system. Others make digital media
servers—such as ReQuest, Escient, Kaleidescape, and
86 Audio Video Interiors / April 2006 • www.audiovideointeriors.com
iMuse—which have their own hard drives. You load
content onto the hard drive, which sends the content
to players or “clients” around the home.
But Dedicated Devices Inc. (DDI), in partnership
with Leviton, has created a true category buster, a
system that doesn’t just work with an existing home
network—it is the home network. The Leviton
Entertainment and Applications Platform (LE&AP)
offers the enhanced functionality and stability of a
standalone media server with the flexibility and com-
munication benefits that a home network provides.
The company has opted to sell this product in a
unique way, circumventing the consumer outlets and
targeting a very specific area within the custom-install
industry: the structured-wiring marketplace.
Structured wiring is a planned wiring method in
which your home’s communication and entertainment
cabling (telephone, television, Internet, audio, security,
etc.) originates from one central location (such as the
basement) and is then intelligently fed out around the
home. Rather than snaking new cables through your
walls each time you add a system, such as multiroom
audio or home networking, a structured wiring setup
puts the needed cables in place while the walls are open,
during the home’s construction or during a remodel.
At the centralized location resides a hub, like
Leviton’s SMC Series 420, which has a modular
design that allows you to easily add the devices you
want—Ethernet switches, A/V distribution boards,
amplifiers, or media servers—and then connect the
pre-installed incoming and outgoing cables.
Dedicated Devices targets this specific market seg-
ment because it’s growing fast. “Most CEDIA dealers
are familiar with structured wiring and will direct the
customer to get it if at all possible,” says DDI’s David
Belove. “We’ve developed a unique hardware design for
a unique channel—for structured-wiring cabinetry
from companies like Leviton, On-Q, and GE. These
companies have thousands of installers.” Leviton is one
of the largest providers of structured-wiring systems,
so a media server designed to fit quickly and easily into
a Leviton structured media center will get installers’
attention. DDI’s goal, says Belove, is to get to the
 HOW IT WORKS FOR YOU
homeowner before they have to go to Best Buy
or CompUSA to buy a media server. Everything
you need is already built into your home.
Structured wiring can accommodate future
add-ons, and it gets the hardest part of any
multiroom installation—the wiring—out of
the way in advance.

Two in One
At the heart of the LE&AP is the Digital
Distribution Center (DDC, $2,250). Yes, it is a
media server with an internal 120-gigabyte hard
drive, plus four USB ports to connect additional
hard-drive modules, allowing more than a ter-
abyte of total storage. It’s also a multiswitch
with one WAN port to feed in your broadband
or DSL signal, eight LAN ports (expandable to
253) to send that signal around the home via
Cat-5, and the necessary firewall protections for secu-
rity. It doesn’t have wireless ability, but you can attach
a wireless router to an LAN port for Wi-Fi.
The DDC can store digital music (MP3, WMA, and
WAV), photos (JPG and BMP), and movies (MPEG-1,
-2, and -4). DDI is working on adding compatibility
with more formats, such as AAC. The system also
supports the Rhapsody online music service; sub-
scribers can access Rhapsody radio and download
songs directly to the DDC for listening all around the
home. It also lets you blend streaming Rhapsody songs
with your personal collection.
Although this product is designed to be incorporated
into a structured-wiring system, you don’t have to do
so. It can easily replace the router in your existing net-
Photography courtesy of DDI

work, and it took me only a few minutes to set it up as
a standalone product. Simply connect your broadband
or DSL cable to the DDC’s WAN port, connect your
computer via Cat-5 to one of the LAN ports, access the
DDC’s Network Media Manager interface, and follow
some simple setup instructions.
Notice the lack of a disc tray on the DDC. Instead of
loading content directly onto the server, you transfer
existing digital content from your computer(s) to the
DDC over the newly established network. Windows
2000 or XP users can download the ActivLink soft-
ware that automatically finds, organizes, and trans-
fers your computer’s media content to the DDC.
Others, including Mac users like myself, must input
the content manually by dragging-and-dropping the
files onto the network. The server uses Gracenote
music-recognition service to automatically identify song
info. Once the content is on the server, you no longer EASY LISTENING
need to keep your computer booted up and running— The casual porch (above) has
a big plus compared with basic digital media players. in-wall speakers that pump
out music coming directly
I encountered some minor glitches during the transfer
from the DDC in the utility
process. Music files with unrecognizable characters, such room—a perfect setup for a
as the “?” in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, interrupted music backyard barbecue.
transfer. When I dropped my complete iPhoto library
folder on the server, it didn’t organize the pictures cor-
rectly; so, I deleted them and transferred each subfolder
one at a time without incident. (According to DDI, a
recent firmware upgrade has since fixed these problems.)
Having a centralized server also means that your content
is safely backed up, should your computer crash.
Don’t stop now! Log onto www.AudioVideoInteriors.com for
the rest of this story.
 PENN JILLETTE’S MAGIC THEATER
The talkative half of magic’s most famous duo has a theater that
reflects his personal reality. BY DAN DALEY

GETTING PRIMARY
Two rows of red and yel-
low recliner couches face
the stage in Penn Jillette’s
home theater, which also
P enn Jillette’s home theater is, like his entire house, not what you’d expect. The Slammer, a 6,000-square-
foot monument to eccentricity and a macabre sense of humor, sprouts out of the Nevada desert a few
miles from Las Vegas, where Penn & Teller perform their remarkable feats of illusion nightly at the Rio
Hotel & Casino. From the outside, behind a chain-link fence, it looks like a Frank Gehry vision of Blade Runner in
pastel. “Frank Lloyd Wrong,” someone comments as we drive up to the gate. Within the courtyard, which has
doubles as a professional
seemingly endless new additions under construction to accommodate an 8-month-old daughter and another on
recording studio.
the way, multicolored astroturf and red and yellow concrete patios add to the sense that this is as much an adult
playground as it is a residence—a very adult playground, given Jillette’s well-known affinity for the scatological and
the salacious. His personal recording studio, Vintage Nudes, is named for a table on which classic playing-card
pinups from the Bettie Page era—in various stages of dishabille—frolic beneath seven layers of polyurethane.
And they’re a Disney cartoon compared to the deck of starkly graphic black-and-white ones—of the sort that
used to be sold under the counter in Tijuana—enshrined in a frame in the control room. Jillette's most recent film,
the appropriately scandalous The Aristocrats, was one of the New York Times choices for best film last year.
88 Audio Video Interiors / April 2006 • www.audiovideointeriors.com
 MAXIN’ AND RELAXIN’
Behind the two rows of
recliner couches is a cush-
ioned platform (left) where
Jillette and guests can
spread out. The design
scheme consisting of mostly
solid colors is clearly an
extension of Jillette’s
vibrant, in-your-face per-
sonality. His equipment
rack (below) houses, among
other things, a TiVo that
is connected to another
TiVo in the master bedroom
so that whoever gets to one
first is in control of televi-
sion viewing in both spaces.

But his home theater is more playroom than screening

you’re placing your talent before people everyday
Photography by Studio Southwest Photography

room: two rows of sleek red and yellow recliner couches

through tube and lens, does the lens look back at you
lead up to a cushioned platform. After a button push on
like Nietzsche’s abyss? Or is it a busman’s holiday,
the Crestron remote drops the shades, dims the lights,
where suspension of disbelief might as well be a pro-
and powers up the Runco projector (which illuminatesgrammed macro on the Crestron?
a 96-inch Stewart screen) and the Lexicon MC8 proces- The cinema seduced Jillette at a young
sor causes the Genelec speakers, Snell surrounds, and
age—he worked as a marquee changer at
Genelec subs to rumble to life, the 6-foot-6-inch illu-
the Garden Theater in his hometown of
sionist gracefully plops himself onto the platform. Greenfield, Massachusetts when he was a
For all his great gear, Penn Jillette doesn’t regard him-
teenager. “My hair was too long to be an
self as a connoisseur of home theater technology; in fact,
usher, but I still got to see all the movies for
he’s neither technoid nor Luddite. What this filmmaker,
free,” he remembers, while digging into a
performer, and director does get a kick out of is the fact
bowl of popcorn fresh from the kitchen a
that, to one degree or another, we’ve reached the point
few feet away from his personal bijou. “But
where everyone can share his ultimate experience— I figured out some things early on. When I
making a movie and then getting to watch it. got my first great stereo system—a pair of
“The kinds of technology breakthroughs that brought
Dahlquists, a Yamaha amp, and a B&O
about The Aristocrats are more important than the ones
turntable—the first record I put on was
that came with Star Wars or King Kong,” he says. He’s
Never Mind the Bollocks, and I realized then
referring to the handheld cameras and near consumer-and there that I was playing that record back
level digital audio equipment that The Aristocrats was
on equipment that was better than what the
made with—and the Pro Tools editing and mixing Sex Pistols had when they made the record.
system that was used sits 50 feet away from where the
So, I really think Marshall McLuhan could not have been
film was in part assembled. “The cost of video and audio
more wrong—the medium is not the message. The
technology has come down by two orders of magni- message is the message. I watch movies because I like
tude,” he says. “A film that used to cost $3 million to
the content, not because of the special effects. Psycho
make can now be done for $30,000.” was a step back in terms of filmmaking technology, but
it changed how movies were made, much like The Texas
The Filmmaker as Film Watcher Chainsaw Massacre, a great movie, and my all-time
But that’s what I wanted to ask Jillette about. How favorite, Dawn of the Dead. It’s emotional and political,
does an entertainment-media professional regard the and George Romero is a genius. The special effects are
main entertainment system in his own home? When done with sweat and genius, not technology.”

IT’S JUST A PLACE TO
CALL HOME Still, he likes the dark, communal environment of
Jillette's home is like an the traditional cinema. “I’d rather see Die Hard on open-
explosion of primary and ing night in a 1,000-seat theater in Time Square,” he
pastel colors. It’s almost declares. “I want to get pushed by the crowd in line. I
like one giant piece of art want to hear people react.” That’s why the Slammer’s
deco. For more pictures home theater can get nice and dark, and no seat holds
of Jillette's haven, visit less than two people. Its elements and design come
www.AudioVideo from the casual input of dozens of friends and fellow
Interiors.com movie/music buffs, including Mike Jones, an extraor-
dinary jazz pianist who duos with Jillette on stand-up
bass (which is tinted, like Jillette’s three Cooper Minis,
in a striking “stripper pink”) as the warm-up act for the
Penn & Teller’s stage show. “People like Jonesy are the
ones who push the theater’s technology forward,” says
Jillette. “I keep getting advice, and then one day I’ll tell
someone it’s time to upgrade.”
The Pre-Engineered Theater
Most recently, that someone was David Frangioni,
owner of Audio One, who had previously designed
Jillette's recording studio
HOW IT WORKS FOR YOU
Express Yourself.
The theater, unlike a living room or kitchen where visitors form
first impressions and value judgments, is a place where you are
free to be yourself. It is a place where suspension of disbelief is
the primary goal. So, creating a world that is you—on steroids—
can make it that much more fun and engaging.
Consider Pre-Engineering.
Many custom installers will pre-engineer a system in their facil-
ity to make sure that all the components will sound good as a
unified system. However, the room environment affects how
the system will look and sound. So, make sure you take a good
listen once the system is installed in your home.
90 Audio Video Interiors / April 2006 • www.audiovideointeriors.com
in early 2004, so he was familiar with the magi-
cian’s remarkable residence. Like any retrofit pro-
ject, the challenge would be to integrate the tech-
nology upgrades with items, such as acoustical
treatments, that would remain in their place.
(The theater doubles as a recording space—five
jazz records have been recorded there using the
controlled acoustics designed by architect Colin
Summers.) The renovation was compounded, how-
ever, by a tight deadline—the revamped theater
needed to be ready for Jillette’s famous “24 Party,”
where he and guests spend a full day and night
watching a preview disc of the entire forthcoming
season of the Fox network series 24.
“Changing out projectors, processors, and screens
is harder on a retrofit than in a new theater, because
you have to figure out how to make sure the new and
existing components, like the lighting system, all
work together seamlessly,” says Frangioni, who has
done theaters and studios for other celebrities, includ-
ing Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Frangioni’s protocol for this is to “pre-engineer”
components at his shop in North Miami. “The concept
of a custom installation is defined by having some-
thing that’s very specific to the individual theater
owner,” Frangioni explains. “So, what you want is to
be absolutely certain that a given combination of com-
ponents will work together before you put them in.”
Frangioni will choose from a collection of brands—
Stewart for screens, Lexicon for audio processors,
Runco for projectors, for instance, and then decide
which specific models will work best in each situa-
tion. The key, he stresses, is to have them assembled
before and to have experienced how they interact.
“That’s the essence of pre-engineering,” he says.
“When you have a high degree of confidence in your
technology foundation, there are a lot of things you
can comfortably do on the fly on site.”
Penn Jillette is a man of many quirks, and the theater
has a few, as well, such as a rack-mounted TiVo that’s
shared between the theater and the master bedroom.
“The deal is that whoever gets to it first from
whichever room controls the TiVo for both spaces,”
says Frangioni, adding with smile, “It’s not what
you’d call an orderly household.”
WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Log onto www.AudioVideoInteriors.com to continue
reading about the eccentric entertainer’s home theater.
from the
test bench MIDRANGE $$–$$$
Crystal AcousticsTX-D12
Speaker System
All the THX in China.
First-generation
THX blossomed
in the high-end
sphere. The first
companies to make
THX-certified
s p e a ke r s we r e
a l re a dy m a k i n g
great ones, with or
without certifica-
tion. Even now, the
list of THX speaker
makers reads like
an industry honor
roll.That list is now
one name longer.
The hardwork-
ing Greek native
who owns Crystal
Acoustics has spent
the past few years
preparing factories
in China to make
THX-certified (and
other) speakers.
The THX-Center,
the THX-Dipole,
and the two subs
in the TX-D12
system have been
certified THX
Select—that is, for
rooms of up to
2,000 cubic feet.
The system comes
with your choice of subs: either the
BY MARK FLEISCHMANN 12-inch THX-12SUB reviewed
here or the 10-inch THX-10SUB.
www.hometheatermag.com > Home Theater / April 2006
The TX-FS front tower speaker is
designed to be used with THX Select
subwoofers, according to its carton,
but it does not include the THX logo
on its rear nameplate. “This is not a
THX-certified product,” the carton
adds in teeny type. According to
THX, an early version of the TX-FS
was submitted for certification but
wasn’t certified.To soft pedal this
point would be unjust to the manu-
facturers who have worked hard to
get THX certification for every
speaker model sold within a set.
There is, however, a THX-F3
speaker whose certification is
pending but likely, according to
Cordero Studios
both THX and Crystal Acoustics.
It has three woofers and two ports
on the front baffle, as opposed to
the two woofers and no ports on
the tower reviewed here.
Up Against the Wall
The TX-FS’s unique status natu-
rally drew my attention. Crystal
has opted for a sealed enclosure
and a lean approach to bass so that
this speaker can sit close to the
wall—and as near as possible to
the surface of an LCD or plasma
display. Near-the-wall placement
would normally emphasize bass.
Crystal shifts that part of their
workload to the subwoofer, rec-
ommending a sub crossover of
100 to 120 hertz. That level is
more common in compact sub/sat
91
 from the test bench NUVISION
CRYSTAL NVX32HDU
ACOUSTICS LCD HD
TX-D12 MONITOR
SPEAKER SYSTEM

sets and notably higher than the part of the back wall nearest the The other speakers have points of
80 Hz that THX normally speci- floor. (I placed the sub among the interest. Only one woofer sits at the
fies. The THX-12SUB’s two big front speakers, per the THX Web- front of the THX-Center, although
ports are on the rear, right at the site, not next to the sofa, per two ports flank it.The THX-Dipole
bottom edge, firing straight at the Crystal’s manual.) has a tweeter on either side but
limits itself to one woofer and one
AT A GLANCE CRYSTAL ACOUSTICS TX-D12 SPEAKER SYSTEM port, both on the front surface.
Rated sensitivity is all over the place,
> SUBWOOFER: THX-12SUB ranging from a very high 93 decibels
Connections: Line-level, mono input
Enclosure Type: Dual vented
for the front L/R, to 90 dB for the
Woofer (size in inches, type): 12, treated-paper cone center, to 88 dB for the rear.
Power Rating (watts): 100 RMS, 200 peak There’s one more thing I haven’t
Crossover Bypass: No mentioned, although the photo may
Available Finishes: Cherry, Silver
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 18.5 x 13.25 x 8.5
already have piqued your interest.
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s Weight ( pounds): 67 The tweeters in the front left,
stated specs; the HT Labs box below indicates the
gear’s performance on our test bench. Price: $599 center, and right speakers ride in a
separate aluminum housing on top
of the enclosure. This design fea-
> SPEAKER: TX-FS THX-Center THX-Dipole ture, rarely seen outside the pricey
Type: 2.5-way, tower Two-way, center 2.5-way, dipole
Tweeter (size in inches, type): 1, silk dome 1, silk dome 1, silk dome (2) stuff, always has a major impact on
Woofer (size in inches, type): 6.5, fiberglass cone (2) 6.5, fiberglass cone 6.5, fiberglass cone sound. Whether you prefer the
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 4 4 8 result is a matter of taste.
Recommended Amp Power (watts): 20–150 20–100 20–100
Available Finishes (all): Cherry, Silver, Wenge Cherry, Silver, Wenge Cherry, Silver, Wenge
(dark) Vinyl; High-Gloss (dark) Vinyl; High-Gloss (dark) Vinyl; High-Gloss Time for Listening and
Piano Black Piano Black Piano Black Experimentation
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 43 x 10.3 x 10.8 w/base 9.25 x 21 x 7.75 13 x 12.25 x 7.25 The speakers proved to be a tad
Weight ( pounds): 78 20 36
Price (*some finishes extra): $499/pair* $299* $449/pair*
overzealous, used in my familiar test-
subject positions, in an arc 2 to 3 feet
out from the wall—as the designer
HT Labs Measures: Crystal Acoustics TX-D12 expressly asked me not to do. As
Speaker System predicted, they needed the influence
of room boundary gain. I ran
THX-Dipole surround (red trace). All passive loudspeak-
ers were measured with grilles at a distance of 1 meter through my basic vocally domi-
with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes. nated test tracks, threw in
The TX-FS’s listening-window response (a five- Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Vienna
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
and vertical responses) measures +1.86/–1.61 deci-
Philharmonic) to make sure, and
bels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point found the string sound to be some-
is at 94 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 74 Hz. Imped- what wearing. During casual break-
ance reaches a minimum of 4.14 ohms at 302 Hz and
in listening, though, and at very low
a phase angle of –27.73 degrees at 136 Hz.
The THX-Center’s listening-window response mea- volumes, I rather enjoyed this setup.
sures +0.77/–3.20 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. An aver- My packed room perimeter
age of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal responses
C

makes near-wall placement well-

measures +0.78/–2.58 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The
> L/R Sensitivity: –3-dB point is at 75 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 63 Hz. nigh impossible—at least with
92.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.46 ohms at 238 Hz floorstanding speakers and in
> Center Sensitivity: and a phase angle of –36.64 degrees at 120 Hz. relation to the front-projection
90 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz The THX-Dipole’s three-face averaged response
measures +2.51/–4.97 dB from 200 Hz to 10 kHz. The
screen—so I looked for alterna-
> Surround Sensitivity: –3-dB point is at 81 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 67 Hz. tives. One thing that helped a little
87.5 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz Impedance reaches a minimum of 5.31 ohms at 15.2 kHz was tweeter tweaking. Crystal’s
and a phase angle of –36.69 degrees at 114 Hz.
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing
The THX-12SUB’s close-miked response, normal-
close-miking of all woofers) frequency response of the
ized to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower
TX-FS L/R (purple trace), THX-12SUB subwoofer (blue
–3-dB point is at 31 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 29 Hz. 92 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
trace), THX-Center center channel ( green trace), and
The upper –3-dB point is at 209 Hz.—MJP
from the test bench NUVISION
CRYSTAL NVX32HDU
ACOUSTICS LCD HD
TX-D12 MONITOR
SPEAKER SYSTEM
top-riding tweeters are hinged and
can turn 45 degrees in either direc-
tion.This enabled me to toe in the
woofers toward the middle of the
sofa while aiming the tweeters at
the sides of the sofa, effectively
reducing on-axis exposure in the
sweet spot. I also turned the tweet-
ers outward, toward the corners of
the room, but, while all of this was
great fun, it didn’t quite give me
the consistency I craved.
Finally, I arrived at a less than ele-
gant solution. My Rotel RSX-1065
receiver is not THX certified but
does borrow an idea from THX—a
cinema re-equalization setting.
When I switched it on, the strong
metallic midrange changed charac-
ter to something more calming and
comfortable at emotionally fulfill-
ing volume levels.Aside from some
occasional A/B-ing, I left the re-EQ
on for both movies and music.
Mad Toys and Englishmen
Once I’d worked out these issues,
the sound proved to be engaging.
It was great for indulging in my
addiction to background music,
delivering clarity even at very low
levels. (More mellow or forgiving
speakers usually bore me in this
context.) At higher volumes, espe-
cially with mixed-vocal music, the
sound provided reliable separation
and, with re-EQ on, stood up to
foreground listening levels with all
but the harshest recordings.
CRYSTAL ACOUSTICS TX-D12 SPEAKER SYSTEM
Build Quality Value Features
> Tweeter in pivoting > Top-mount tweeter > Silk-dome tweeters,
aluminum enclosure rare in budget speakers fiberglass woofers
> Plastic-nut binding > Less costly than > Wide array of fin-
posts many THX-certified ishes available
speakers
> Steel base for towers
89 92 91
General information
TX-D12 Speaker System, $1,499 for 5.1-channel set with 12-inch sub; TX-FS Tower Speaker, $499/pair
THX-Center Center-Channel Speaker, $299; THX-Dipole Surround Speaker, $449/pair; THX-12SUB Subwoofer, $599
Crystal Acoustics, ( 301) 317-6326, www.crystal-acoustics.com > Dealer Locator Code CRY
With movies, the front speakers
[
enabled steady side-to-side pans.
Front-to-back imaging was not quite
as strong—presumably because
Crystal has designed the dipole sur-
rounds to be more diffusive. Still,
the climactic car-chase scene of Toy
Story sent dizzy-whizzing sounds into
every corner of the soundfield, and I
was suitably entertained.
Punctuating the intense flashback
sequences in The Jacket, with Adrien
Brody, were split-second clusters of
vicious slashing sounds that tore so
rapidly through the soundfield that
I barely registered their direction.
With less up-front directionality in
a vaguer set of speakers, these
sounds would have blended better
but shocked less. I felt unnerved, as
the filmmaker intended.
“Senses Working Overtime,” from
XTC’s English Settlement, brought
everything I needed the speakers to
achieve into focus.The re-EQ cir-
cuit kept Terry Chambers’ tam-
bourine from jumping out of the
front left speaker and grabbing me
by the throat. (I don’t like it when
tambourines do that.) EQ-ing cost
me a little ambience and moved
Andy Partridge’s vocals back a
couple of inches but also enlarged
the soundstage. I stopped worrying
about the sub’s relatively modest
amp when I heard Colin Moulding’s
bass line come bounding out of it.
My last concern was the 100-Hz
crossover. With large speakers, I
Performance Ergonomics
> Tweeter-on-top > Designed to sit next to
sound the wall, complementing
a plasma or LCD panel
> Relatively high
crossover places more > Slim profile
demands on sub
> Vinyl-covered
90 88
HIGHLIGHTS
 Tweeter-on-top construction
 Towers designed for near-wall
placement
usually prefer the customary THX
crossover of 80 Hz, but that took
some of the velvety vocal beauty
out of Nick Drake’s Made to Love
Magic. Crystal allows up to 120 Hz,
but that was too dark and heavy—
not only for Drake’s resonant voice
but for the lower strings of his
acoustic guitar. I got the best
results at 100 Hz, and, because I
kept the sub just to the right of the
center speaker, these two channels
held together well.
Can You Top This?
Crystal Acoustics makes a credible
debut with the TX-D12 speaker
system. The ambiguous aspects of
its partial THX certification should
certainly not obscure the fact that
this provocatively engineered prod-
uct delivers tweeter-on-top con-
struction and treble clarity for just
$1,499.Who else can top that?
* Mark Fleischmann is the author of
90
Practical Home Theater, available
through www.quietriverpress.com.
OVERALL RATING
Crystal Acoustics charges into the
THX speaker market with a mav-
erick design that’s affordable,
thanks to China’s manufacturing
efficiency. Top-mount tweeters,
usually found in more expensive
speakers, are a major feature.
Place these speakers close to a
wall-mounted flat-panel televi-
sion, and they’ll produce a sharply
drawn soundfield.
 from the
test bench MIDRANGE
Sherwood Newcastle R-965A/V Receiver
The great gray lady.
BY MARK FLEISCHMANN
Consumer expectations are a
pointed stick.You can almost hear
manufacturers of surround receivers
going, “Ow, ow, ow! Do you really
expect us to provide seven amp
channels and a silicon forest of sur-
round modes—and make it all easy
to set up?” Yes, yes, and yes.
Most manufacturers keep up
with the ever-expanding wish list
by regularly turning over models,
introducing new ones as often as
once a year. Sherwood takes a
slightly different route with the
new R-965, and, by the way, I call it
that to distinguish it from the old
R-965.The old one had some qual-
ities and performance parameters
worth preserving. So, the new one
96 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
$$–$$$
keeps the old model number and its
basic design but throws in some
attention-getting new features.
Existing units are upgradeable with
the new auto-setup and lip-sync
functions at no extra charge; adding
room equalization costs $100.
The new feature most likely to
bridge the chasm between the old
model and surround newbies is
automatic setup and channel cali-
bration. As with several compet-
ing models, you can plug a small
microphone into the back of the
new model, listen to the receiver
spit out test tones, then marvel as
it adjusts itself.
The setup routine includes
seven-band parametric room
equalization that precisely sets both
center frequency and width. And
it provides lip-sync correction
for that awkward moment when
you realize that the fancy video
chips in your new projector are
causing the dialogue to be off.
The Gray Lady Is Beautiful
It would be hard to overstate the
attractiveness of the gray matte-
aluminum faceplate. Elegant and
understated, it puts black boxes
and excessively mirror-finished
products to shame.
Front panel controls include two
large knobs, one for volume, the
other for selecting surround
modes.You can adjust input selec-
Cordero Studios
tion and most other chores for
mundane daily use via the main
exposed buttons—which are
metallic, pointy, and fun to touch.
Sherwood felt that their Pure Audio
mode was worth emphasizing with
one of these more prominent but-
tons. It provides a pure analog
stereo sound with all video and dig-
ital audio circuits shut down.
Flip down a door, and you’ll see
that a bunch more advanced fea-
tures are adjustable, including
cinema EQ and the full range of
Dolby Pro Logic IIx controls.
You’ll want to adjust them right
away because the unit ships with
center width and dimension at
their minimum settings; I prefer
middle settings for both.
The rear panel is well organized.
Seven amp channels serve nine
pairs of speaker jacks. The dual
side-surround jacks let you place
one set of speakers at the sides of
the room for movie listening and
another set closer to the rear for
music listening.You can reassign the
single set of rear-surround jacks for
second-zone use.
One new back-panel option is a
USB jack to accept input from a
portable music player. Conspicu-
ous in their absence are HDMI,
DVI, and FireWire jacks, so, if your
video display uses these newer-
generation interfaces, it’ll have to
connect directly to signal sources.
Sherwood is wary of the constantly
evolving HDMI standard and did
not want to ship a product that
consumers might regard as
“broken.” However, for $300, you
can add the HDMI-Link, a separate
component-to-HDMI transcoding
switcher with component in, two
HDMI ins, and one HDMI out.
The remote control is Sherwood’s
RNC-510, which bears an amazing
resemblance to a Universal Remote
Control product. It has a black-
and-white LCD, pleasantly rounded
bubble buttons, and a very logical
layout.The center navigation wheel
is one piece, which makes hitting
enter in the middle a bit tricky.
Power is rated at 140 watts
into one channel and 120 into
two channels.
The Gray Lady Is Amiable
Next, it was auto-setup time. I
mounted the supplied microphone
to a tripod in the prime listening
position and let ’er rip. She ripped
rather loudly—I literally ran for
my Howard Leight ear protectors.
The manual says to evacuate small
children from the room before
activating the launch sequence. If I
were you, I’d also grab the pets
and run for it.
Each channel got two pink-
noise tones, one with strong
high-frequency content—which
made it correspondingly more
painful—and a second duller one. consistently. My speakers are dif-
After the initial tones made the ferent distances from the side
rounds, a second set ping-ponged walls, and that usually puts most
back and forth between the front auto-setup receivers out of whack
left and right, then between the in at least one channel, but the
rear left and right speakers. Sherwood aced this tricky situa-
Apparently, loud tones produce tion. It correctly identified my full-
good results. This was the first frequency speakers as large by
receiver that measured my speaker comparing their low-frequency
distances and sizes accurately and response to the crossover:Anything
AT A GLANCE SHERWOOD NEWCASTLE R-965 A/V RECEIVER
> CONNECTIONS
Inputs:
Video: component video ( 3), S-video
(6), composite video (6)
Audio: USB (1), coaxial digital (2),
optical digital (4), 7.1-channel
analog (1), stereo analog (8),
phono + ground (1)
> FEATURES
Outputs:
Processing Modes: Dolby: Digital 5.1, EX, Pro Logic IIx,
Video: component (1), S-video ( 3),
Virtual Speaker; DTS: DTS, ES,
composite ( 3)
96/24, Neo:6; Other: 12 DSP modes,
Audio: coaxial digital (1), optical
four-channel stereo, matrix
THX Certification: No
digital (1), stereo analog (4),
7.2 preamp (10)
Audio D/A Converter: 24-bit/192-kilohertz
Number of Amp Channels: 7 Additional:
Power Rating (watts per channel): 120, into 8 ohms, 2 channels driven RS-232 (1), 12-volt trigger (2),
Frequency Response: –3 dB from 10 Hz to 100,000 kHz IR jack (2)
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 7.75 x 17.4 x 17.75
These listings are based on the manufacturer’s
Weight ( pounds): 51.8 stated specs; the HT Labs box below indicates the
gear’s performance on our test bench.
Price $2,000
HT Labs Measures: Sherwood Newcastle R-965 A/V Receiver
This graph shows that the R-965’s left channel, from
CD input to speaker output with two channels driving
8-ohm loads, reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 134.0 watts
and 1 percent distortion at 167.1 watts. Into 4 ohms, the
amplifier reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 229.7 watts
and 1 percent distortion at 261.8 watts.
Response from the multichannel input to the speaker
output measures –0.59 dB at 10 Hz, –0.23 dB at 20 Hz,
–0.08 dB at 20 kHz, and –0.52 dB at 50 kHz. THD+N
from the amplifier was less than 0.013% at 1 kHz when
driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load. Crosstalk at 1 kHz
driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load was –92.89 dB left
> Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm
to right and –86.76 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise
loads:
0.1% distortion at 128.3 watts
ratio with 2.83 volts driving an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz
to 24 kHz with “A” weighting was –98.31 dBrA.
1% distortion at 155.7 watts
From the Dolby Digital input to the loudspeaker
> All channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads: output, the left channel measures –0.48 dB at 20 Hz
0.1% distortion at 109.6 watts and –0.62 dB at 20 kHz. The center channel measures
1% distortion at 126.0 watts –0.35 dB at 20 Hz and –0.65 dB at 20 kHz, and the left
> Analog frequency response in Pure Audio mode: surround channel measures –2.03 dB at 20 Hz and
–0.81 dB at 20 kHz. From the Dolby Digital input to the
–0.75 dB at 10 Hz; –0.29 dB at 20 Hz
–0.07 dB at 20 kHz; –0.51 dB at 50 kHz line-level output, the LFE channel is –0.14 dB at 20 Hz
when referenced to the level at 40 Hz and reaches the
> Analog frequency response with signal processing: upper 3-dB down point at 97 Hz and the upper 6-dB
–1.82 dB at 10 Hz; –0.65 dB at 20 Hz down point at 107 Hz.—MJP
–0.62 dB at 20 kHz; –59.01 dB at 50 kHz
from the test bench NUVISION NVX32HDU
SHERWOOD LCD
NEWCASTLE HD MONITOR
R-965 A/V RECEIVER
under the crossover is labeled
large, and anything over it is small.
You can set the crossover before or
after auto setup, and, if you’re curi-
ous, you might even use the setup
routine to roughly gauge your
speakers’ in-room bass response.
Once the process is complete,
the R-965 stores the channel
levels, and the menu lists all of
them at zero. So, if you make fur-
ther manual adjustments, the auto-
set levels are your reference points,
not the factory-set levels.There is
no way to tell what the auto-set
levels are.You cannot inspect the
EQ settings, either. It may be pos-
sible to hear them being set by the
second round of test tones, but I
wouldn’t advise taking the risk.
The Gray Lady Is Up-Front
Since I could only gauge the EQ by
listening, I started my primary test
disc with the menu in front of me
so that I could switch the EQ in
and out.The first thing I listen to is
always a six-voice a cappella
chorus—“Stars in My Crown”
from Waterson:Carthy’s Common
Tongue.When I switched the EQ in,
all six voices seemed to take a step
toward me. I could differentiate
each one of the voices more easily.
The sound was brighter. Evi-
^ Sherwood’s RNC-510
remote (above) has an LCD
dently, Sherwood’s EQ circuit felt
and bubble buttons. The
that my heavily damped room
R-965 also comes with a needed a little more emphasis in
separate remote for a sec- the upper region. I could more
ond audio zone.
easily hear the faint tape hiss sur-
rounding Bill Morrissey’s vocal in
SHERWOOD NEWCASTLE R-965 A/V RECEIVER
Build Quality Value Features
> That gray matte- > There’s auto setup, > Seven-band EQ with
metal finish gets me and then there’s auto adjustable Q and center
every time setup that really works frequency
> Warning: Heavy con- > HDMI support is an > Auto setup, supplied
struction ahead! added-cost option mike
95 88 92
General information
R-965 A/V Receiver, $2,000 > Sherwood America, (800) 962-3203
www.sherwoodusa.com > Dealer Locator Code SHR
[
the first few seconds of “Time to
Go Home” from Night Train. And
the overall volume level was sub-
jectively louder, although, with
EQ, it was more likely that just
some frequencies were louder.
Eminem’s movie vehicle 8 Mile
includes several electrifying crowd
scenes in which aspiring fictional
rappers put themselves on the line.
With the EQ off, I felt as though I
were listening to a recording of a
crowd scene. With the EQ back
on, I was in the thick of it, and each
heckling voice seemed to be just a
few feet away. Here there was no
downside—the EQ heightened the
emotion of every scene, including
both music and dialogue.
Moving to the opposite musical
extreme, The Chorus is a French
melodrama starring a squadron of
boy sopranos. The high voices
achieved better separation with EQ
but also took on a sharper edge,
which led me to drop the volume.
I achieved a more mellifluous and
unified choral sound and higher
volumes with the EQ off.
What would happen if the auto
EQ worked in tandem with
cinema EQ? Cinema EQ did soften
the edge, but not as much as leav-
ing the auto EQ off.
On the whole, I felt that the auto
EQ made my system sound more
vivid but also made it trickier to
use; changing volume as I changed
material took greater forethought.
Anyhow, my experiments may
not be entirely germane.After all,
Performance Ergonomics
> Natural midrange > Auto setup makes it
much easier to set up
> Clean, unhyped treble
> Remote’s joypad
enter button takes
some practice
95 90
HIGHLIGHTS
 Old flagship sets sail with new
features
 Now has auto setup, seven-band
room EQ, and lip sync
 Sounds as impressive as it looks
your room acoustics are likely to
differ from mine, and the auto EQ
might respond in an entirely differ-
ent way. Of course, you always
have the option to do what I did—
run the auto setup, listen to the
EQ, and then decide whether you
want to live with it.
Without EQ, the receiver
achieved a fine balance between the
leading edge of its midrange and
fleshing out the inner detail.Treble
was well developed but not hyped.
The lower midrange and upper bass
were clean, natural, and unsweet-
ened. This receiver doesn’t need
any fancy tricks to perform well in
a decent-sounding room.
The Gray Lady Is Sensible
In an industry infected with the
deadly featuritis virus, Sherwood has
made judicious choices, updating a
good chassis with features that make
a difference.The new and improved
R-965 delivers reliably strong sound
matched by superb looks. Its easy
setup should help this receiver play
with a broad audience, including
92
both surround neophytes and more
critical high-end users.
OVERALL RATING
Sherwood updates thier top-line
R-965 with automatic setup and
equalization. Even without EQ, it
has a natural sound that should
appeal to listeners with high stan-
dards. While it lacks HDMI, in
every other respect, it’s every-
thing a great receiver should be.
from the
test bench ENTRY LEVEL
GPX HTD2204 HTIB
Excelling at being cheap.
BY GEOFFREY MORRISON
One of the several local elec-
tronics stores within throwing dis-
tance from our studio is a chain
called Fry’s Electronics. It is a
nerd’s heaven, a kind of Best Buy,
CompUSA, and a local computer
repair shop all thrown in a Cuisinart.
Every week, the much-heralded
Fry’s ad announces what loss lead-
ers they will have on sale that
week. This could be a $99 com-
puter, a $20 hard drive, a $1,000
plasma, or really anything that they
have only two of that they can sell
quick and use to sucker people into
coming to the store. Their regular
sales can be pretty good, too. For
example, this home-theater-in-a-
box, complete with a subwoofer
100 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
$–$$
and a progressive-scan DVD player,
was only $60. They also had an
interlace-only model for $47, but
I mean come on, this is a home-
theater-in-a-box we’re talking
about here. Lets not be cheap.
The Sucker (Me)
I found the only one left in the store
buried behind a stack of other
HTIBs. I asked the salesman to write
me up for it, and he denied they had
one. “So, what’s that?” I asked. “Oh,”
he said. As we braved our way
through the stacks of higher-priced
items (like a DVD box set and a
toaster), he asked me what I would
be using it for. I could tell by his
voice that he wanted to talk me
into something better. I replied,
half joking, “I’m going to destroy it.”
He didn’t get it. “Oh, so you’re
going to use it in a spare
room?” “No,” I responded.
“I mean I’m going to blow it
up.” He nodded slowly. “So
you want the extended
warrantee with that?” he
asked. I passed.
The Box
The HTD2204 comes in a
colorful box. The unit itself
isn’t. It’s the kind of semi-
gloss silver that just screams
Wal-Mart rollback. The
DVD player sports a pop-
top that usually opens on
the second try and buttons
that click like those on a
clock radio. The hard
power button sticks out from the
front like a nubbin. There is no dis-
Cordero Studios
play. The back has component
video, S-video, and two composite
video outputs. Impressively, it also
has a coaxial digital output. The
5.1-channel analog out sends CD
audio and Dolby Digital 5.1 to the
sub, where the amp resides. There
is no DTS decoding. Because of the
modular nature of this system, you
can only put the DVD player in
standby from the remote. You can
only turn off the subwoofer/amp by
a hard switch on its front.
Interestingly, the manual is
better written than most of the
top-tier brands’ manuals. On
the back, there was advertising
for other GPX products, includ-
ing embroidered GPX polo
shirts. I ordered two.
 Turns out I didn’t need to blow it
up, as the unit I bought didn’t work.
Returning things to Fry’s is the kind
of fun usually reserved for tax
season and flights with small chil-
dren. Color me impressed that they
took it back with little struggle.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have any
left…in the state. I had to order one
from the Web. Due to looming
deadlines, I had it overnighted. Cost
of HTIB: $60. Cost of overnight
shipping: $56.71. Oh, yeah.
Take Two
The second HTD2204 arrived on
schedule, and I started everything
over. When I hooked it up to our
Leader LV5700A waveform moni-
tor, I found that the composite
output has a nearly flat frequency
response. In other words, this
DVD player—which has paint and
plastic so thin you can see the laser
through the closed cover—has
better resolution than most “real”
DVD players. The component
output slightly boosts the high
video frequencies, but still without
noticeable rolloff. What I found
really impressive is how interlaced
the progressive-scan output was.
In fact, it was completely inter-
laced. According to the manual,
the component outputs are pro-
gressive all the time. It was time
for a phone call. After a brief wait,
an extremely friendly support
person pointed out that there was a
button on the remote to switch
between progressive and inter-
laced. What can I say? I’m a rocket
surgeon. So much for a well-written
manual. In progressive mode, the
DVD player does things to the
video, the likes of which I have
never seen. The highest frequen-
cies are boosted to a level nearly
30 percent higher than the lowest
frequencies. This I had to see.
Video
I hooked up the DVD player to the output has tremendous ringing. It’s
$10,000 Sony VPL-VW100 projec- too bad, too, because it has
tor I reviewed in this issue. I can say extremely fast 3:2 pickup, and its
with strong certainty that this was video processing is just a tad below
the first (and last) time this has ever average. In other words, it’s sur-
happened. The interlaced output prisingly decent, except for the
looks OK, but the progressive-scan brutal ringing along the edges.
AT A GLANCE GPX HTD2204
> SUBWOOFER
Connections: Speaker outputs ( 5),
Line-level analog inputs (6)
Enclosure Type: Vented
Woofer (size in inches, type): 5.25, paper cone
Amplifier’s Power Rating (watts): 75 x 1; 26 x 5
Crossover Bypass: N/A
Available Finishes: Gray
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 11.5 x 7 x 12.8
Weight ( pounds): 12.5
Price: $60 for whole system
SPEAKER
Type: Single-driver satellite
Tweeter (size in inches, type): N/A
Midrange (size in inches, type): N/A
Woofer (size in inches, type): 3, paper cone
These listings are
Nominal Impedance (ohms): 4
based on the manu-
Recommended Amp Power (watts): 20 facturer’s stated
Available Finishes: Gray specs; the HT Labs
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 4.1 x 4.1 x 4.2 box below indicates
the gear’s perfor-
Weight ( pounds): 1 mance on our test
Price: $60 for whole system bench.
HT Labs Measures: GPX HTD2204
(purple trace) and subwoofer (blue trace). The passive
loudspeaker was measured at a distance of 1 meter
with a 2.83-volt input and scaled for display purposes.
The satellites’s listening-window response (a five-
point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal
and vertical responses) measures +8.33/–5.26 deci-
bels from 300 hertz to 10 kilohertz. An average of axial
and (+/–15-degree) horizontal responses measures
+8.41/–5.25 dB from 300 Hz to 10 kHz. The –3-dB point
is at 267 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 244 Hz. Imped-
ance reaches a minimum of 5.85 ohms at 531 Hz and
a phase angle of –17.19 degrees at 326 Hz. Sensitivity
C
averages 87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz.
The subwoofer’s close-miked response, normalized
> Two channels driven continuously into 8-ohm to the level at 80 Hz, indicates that the lower –3-dB
loads: point is at 59 Hz and the –6-dB point is at 50 Hz. The
0.2% distortion at 3.5 watts upper –3-dB point is at 127 Hz.
1% distortion at 4.0 watts
Crosstalk at 1 kHz driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm
> Two channels driven into 4-ohm loads: load was –65.32 dB left to right and –66.26 dB right to
left. THD+N from the amplifier was less than 0.041 per-
0.2% distortion at 4.7 watts
1% distortion at 5.8 watts cent at 1 kHz when driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm
load. The signal-to-noise ratio with 2.83 volts driving
This graph shows the quasi-anechoic (employing close- an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz to 24 kHz with “A” weight-
miking of all woofers) frequency response of the satellites ing was –103.37 dBrA.—MJP
 from the test bench GPX HTD2204 HTIB

Audio

The audio and speaker cables that
are supplied in the box are color
coded, as are all the inputs and out-
puts. I remember when this was a
shock on high-end HTIBs. The
HTD2204 has a simple and effec-
tive speaker-level adjustment, but
there are no test tones. It also has
two selectable stereo modes and a
5.1 mode that, with CDs, creates
a five-channel-stereo effect.
Allegedly, the speakers are ampli-
fied. Listening to them does not
prove this conclusively. Put a pair of
headphones on a desk, and you can
approximate this system’s volume
level and sound quality. At maxi-
mum volume, it is just below a
comfortable listening level. You can
turn up the subwoofer (or any other
AT A GLANCE GPX HTD2204 HTIB
> FEATURES
Compatible Playback Formats: DVD,DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, CD,
CD-R/CD-RW, MP3, JPEG
Possible Playback Resolutions: 480p/480i
Processing Modes: Dolby Digital 5.1
Number of Amp Channels: 0
Power Rating (watts, per channel): None; amp in subwoofer
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches): 2.7 x 11.8 x 9
Weight ( pounds): 2.8
Price: $60 for whole system
[
speaker) by reducing the level of the
others, but then the system is really
quiet. This is good, as the system
isn’t loud enough to be annoying. I
can best describe the overall sound
quality as nasally. It sounds as
if someone arbitrarily removed
such frequency ranges as “lower
midrange,” “treble,” and “bass.”
What high end it has is bitey and
peaky. Although marketing depart-
ments have led many to believe that
ports mean big bass with just one
5.25-inch driver on the side, this
isn’t the case here. There is some
bass, but not a lot, and it’s not very
deep. The satellites are matched,
which is good. As quiet as they are,
there is some distortion when
movies really get going, implying
that they need to be even quieter.
> CONNECTIONS
Inputs:
Video: None
Audio: None
Outputs:
Video: Component video (1),
S-video (1), composite
video (2)
Audio: coaxial digital (1),
5.1 analog (1)
These listings are based on the manufac-
turer’s stated specs; the HT Labs box
below indicates the gear’s performance
on our test bench.
HIGHLIGHTS
 Well…the price
Most Joking Aside
In all, the HTD2204 does a great
job mimicking an actual home
theater system. In all honesty,
though, I love this thing. Its terrible
performance aside, if someone
wants a home theater system and
this is what they can afford, great.
Any home theater is better than no
home theater. Anyone who can
afford better, should. For the price
of three DVDs, though, you can
get surround sound. How great is
that? The beauty of this system is
its ease of use (including helpful,
friendly, and intelligible phone
support) and upgradeability. There
isn’t one part of this system that is
proprietary. The DVD player can
be used on its own. The subwoofer
can be used as a standalone, as
can the speakers (although not
with too powerful a receiver). As
an incredibly inexpensive entry-
level system, the HTD2204 suc-
ceeds. As in, it works and gives
you a base to move up from. And
that is one thing that this system
really excels at: It makes you want

76
to upgrade, and really fast.

GPX HTD2204 HTIB OVERALL RATING

Build Quality Value Features Performance Ergonomics
> The first one didn’t > It has a progressive- > No DTS > Makes sound > Excellent color-
work, but the second scan DVD player and coding of inputs and
one did gives you an entire home > Progressive scan > Progressive-scan out- outputs
theater system for less put rings like a cheap bell
> It feels as cheap as than $60 > Remote was laid
it is out by someone who
doesn’t use remotes

78 96 84 56 85
What can I say? As bad as it per-
forms, it does work. And, for
$60, what more did you expect?
What’s surprising is that, in some
General information ways, it performed better than
expected. If this is all you can
HTD2204 HTIB, $60 > GPX, ( 314) 621-3314, www.gpx.com > Dealer Locator Code GPX afford, go for it. Otherwise, don’t.

102 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

TRUST YOUR SENSES

F E AT U R E S
Golden Ear Award - 2004
The Absolute Sound
Golden Eye Award - 2004
The Perfect Vision
Wide Dispersion

3D Audio

Low Resonance Cabinets

Time Coherence

Hand Crafted

Amplifier Optimized

[helicon family]

I N A DM I R AT I O N O F M U S I C

www.dali-usa.com

DALI Loudspeakers 3957 Irongate Road B e l l i n g h a m , WA 9 8 2 2 6 Te l : 3 6 0 - 7 3 3 - 4 4 4 6 Fax: 360-733-0080 ben@dali-usa.com

from the
test bench
VideoWithout Boundaries
MediaREADY 5000
READY or not, here comes another PC for the HT.
BY CHRIS CHIARELLA
PCs and home theaters have
long posed the old square-peg/
round-hole quandary to consumers,
as the fundamental incongruities
have slowed the adoption of poten-
tially sophisticated, versatile com-
puter gear into the living room.
Expanded functionality brings with
it an increased level of complexity
that more proactive, simplified
operating systems like Microsoft’s
Windows Media Center Edition
have only begun to address. Of
course, the hardware itself needs to
104 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
CONVERGENCE $$–$$$
be powerful enough to provide a
glitch-free user experience, as well.
Video Without Boundaries
(VWB) furthers the recent trend
of consumer electronics–styled
machines (read: horizontal black
boxes) driven by computer CPUs.
It’s designed to fill the shoes of var-
ious home theater components from
a central location, while adding
next-generation features like home
networking and high-speed Internet
access. VWB has built the Linux-
based MediaREADY 5000 Advanced
Digital Media Center around a
1-gigahertz processor. It offers many
uses, including a media jukebox
to manage music, movies, and
photos, plus you can rip CDs to the
160-gigabyte hard drive. It gives you
the freedom to surf the Web at high
speed or download/stream video
and watch it on TV, and it has a basic
interlaced DVD player with karaoke
functionality.VWB then takes things
a step further with its own com-
plementary portable audio/video
player, the Flyboy, which can con-
nect to and receive data from the
home unit. Worth noting is that
neither device is dependent upon
the other; the home unit mates
successfully with many portables,
Cordero Studios
and the Flyboy can swap data with
any PC that has at least Windows
98. Or it can connect directly to
audio/video sources without a
computer at all. Firmware and
applications are upgradeable via
the Internet, a Smart Card (not
included) allows conditional-access
applications such as e-commerce,
and the PCMCIA card slot can
enable wireless operation via an
optional Wi-Fi adapter card.
Powering up the system requires
well over a whole minute, during
which time the screen fills with a
blur of highly technical text.You can
only turn the unit on from full-off
mode by pressing the power button
on the front of the unit itself. Both
the remote and the keyboard can
send the MediaREADY 5000 into
standby mode, during which the
LED panel reads “sleep,” a screen-
saver appears on the TV, and, most
importantly, the fan remains active.
I left the room for a while to see if
the fan would stop and eventually
forgot that I would be checking its
status—until I returned an hour
later and wondered, “What is that
noise?” Overall, the MediaREADY
5000 is extremely loud, and the
chassis’ venting on the top right
limits users as to what else they can
stack on top of it. Powering off,
again by the front-panel button only,
is also a slow process by consumer
electronics standards.
Around back, the MediaREADY
5000 is somewhat reminiscent of a
PC, with a wide range of ports,
including an analog-cable/antenna-
TV tuner-cum-video capture card.
It performs video encoding and
decoding in hardware, audio decod-
ing in hardware, and audio encod-
ing (i.e., conversion to MP3) in
software.The video-input card also
accepts a satellite receiver’s S-video
or composite and analog stereo
output. An IR-blaster port resides
on the rear panel, but my product
sample didn’t include an actual
blaster. Even so, the MediaREADY
5000 downloads the channel lineup
for a specific cable/satellite service
provider within your geographic
location, although the final selec-
tion of specific channels in your
particular programming package is
up to you.This can be a chore if you
receive hundreds of channels, as I
do. I’ve suggested in the past that
such products should create short-
cuts for different programming
packages (for example, one click
checks off all of the channels associ-
ated with DirecTV’s Total Choice
or Total Choice Premier). So far,
though, the only response has been
crickets chirping. Otherwise, the
onscreen setup is a fairly quick and
intuitive process, with typically
obvious answers and helpful hints.
The Experience
Establishing a proper connection to
my home network was a laborious,
nonintuitive procedure with sev-
eral complicated steps. From the
Media Library page, I selected
Library Directories, then Add New
Directory, where a long list of fold-
ers with names like “mnt,” “root6,”
and “/.” confronted me. Even after
I followed all instructions, my
shared files did not appear right
away, and I needed to hit Library
Refresh again.The relative elegance
of the user interface had disap-
peared by this point, a far cry from
the simpler, frequently icon-driven
interface of Windows Media
Center Edition. The controllers
provided yet another obstacle:The
layout of the remote and keyboard
are quite different, and responsive-
ness was unreliable. It was also
aggravating at times, particularly
during controller-intensive duties
like Web navigation.
Thankfully, the MediaREADY
5000 is powerful enough to
AT A GLANCE
> FEATURES
Supported Audio Formats:
Supported Video Formats:
Hard-drive capacity:
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches):
Weight ( pounds):
Price:
mu l t i task,
but beginning
another job
interrupts
video stream-
ing. Then, for
example, a
b i g s t at u s
window
appears in the
middle of the screen while a CD is ^ The MediaREADY
ripping in the background. The 5000’s media jukebox
manages your music,
MediaREADY 5000 copies CDs to movies, and photos.
the hard drive (conversion to MP3)
at about only three times the CD’s
actual length—a one-hour CD takes
about 20 minutes—and I later dis-
covered fatal errors on multiple
tracks. Despite a live Internet con-
nection and the automatic insertion
of correct title and artist info, cover
art was not supplied, a fact made
conspicuous by the otherwise
empty “no art available” rectangle on
the music-playback screen.
Although games are listed as one
of the MediaREADY 5000’s fea-
tures, they are of the online variety,
those titles available for free from
Games.com. No dedicated gaming
controller is available. Like most of
the sites I visited via this Web
VIDEO WITHOUT BOUNDARIES MEDIAREADY 5000
> CONNECTIONS
Inputs:
Video: Composite video (3), S-video (2)
coaxial cable (1)
Audio: Analog stereo (2), analog
stereo minijack (1)
Outputs:
Video: Composite video (1), S-video (1)
component video (1), VGA (1)
Audio: Digital coaxial (1), digital
optical (1), 5.1 Analog (1),
analog stereo (1)
Additional:
MP3, WAV
USB 2.0 (4), FireWire (2),
MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Real
Com1 Serial (1), microphone
160 gigabytes
in (2), PS/2 keyboard/mouse,
4 x 16 x 13.3
100-megabit Ethernet port (1),
18.5
PCMCIA Type II slot (1), Smart
$699
Card slot (1)
from the test bench NUVISION
VIDEO NVX32HDU
WITHOUT LCD HD MONITOR
BOUNDARIES MEDIAREADY 5000
browser, Games.com was resized,
showing only a fraction of the page
and was therefore difficult to navi-
gate. I headed over to AOL to check
my e-mail, but, due to a crowded
page layout, most of what I saw at
any given time was banner ads.
MediaREADY’s own e-mail is a
touted feature, too, and requires you
to set up a new account with a new
address. Text can also be tough to
read when you use a connection
other than component video, with a
sometimes distracting screen-door-
type effect. Even this device’s own
menu graphics can show a definite
flicker. DVD playback quality is aver-
age. It’s in no way spectacular but
doesn’t display much of the nasty
digital look common to PC-based
video solutions, either.TV record-
ings in MPEG-2 were on a par with
other DVRs I’ve tried—respectable
yet noticeably compressed and
^ Chris enjoyed using
the remote’s trackball largely limited by the source mate-
for navigation.
rial. VWB has announced their
Media On Demand movie down-
loads via the Internet, which were
not available at press time.
Media to Go
The ports on the front of the
MediaREADY 5000 allow easy
connection of portable media play-
ers, a bidirectional filling station of
sorts. For my test, I used an Apple
iPod nano, a Sony PlayStation
Portable, a Creative Zen Portable
Media Center, and of course the
VIDEO WITHOUT BOUNDARIES MEDIAREADY 5000
Build Quality Value Features
> Durable all-metal > Superior connectiv- > High-speed Internet
housing with tight fit ity, form factor, and access, home network-
and finish all around controllers; otherwise, ing, TV tuner, jukebox,
a good $700 PC would and PVR
have it beat
> Lots of inputs and
outputs
88 82 85
General information
MediaREADY 5000, $699 > Video Without Boundaries, ( 954) 691-1688, www.vwbinc.com
MediaREADY Flyboy. This VWB-
[
branded, $349 portable MPEG-2/
MPEG-4–based video player and
recorder, MP3 jukebox, and JPEG
photo viewer boasts a 20-GB
hard drive plus SD card slot and a
3.5-inch LCD screen. The Flyboy
connects to a computer or the
MediaREADY 5000, or it can cap-
ture video directly from any source
with composite video output (gotta
love that analog hole) and play
material back on a TV, if desired.
Upon attachment of my pow-
ered-up iPod, I was soon given the
onscreen option to copy files to or
from it, or simply stream content
from the iPod to my home theater.
Again, I found myself sorting
through folders and subfolders I
never knew existed, this time
within my own iPod (“f00”…?), to
access my tunes. It’s too bad the
MediaREADY 5000 doesn’t auto-
matically detect music, photos, and
video instead. But I did move well
over a gigabyte of music from flash
memory to the MediaREADY
5000’s hard drive in only ten min-
utes and then enjoyed those songs
at my leisure. However, the master
track list reduced all titles to only
six characters. I couldn’t success-
fully access PSP video content, but
PSP music continued to stream as I
copied photos, a fun and easy
process. The MediaREADY 5000
didn’t recognize the Creative Zen
Portable Media Center at all—a
Performance Ergonomics
> Ripping, burning, > Onscreen menus
and booting speeds welcoming at first,
all less than stellar; eventually confusing
multitasking a strain
> Trackball remote
> Noisy enough to call quick to master, key-
attention to itself board less so
72 78
HIGHLIGHTS
 A custom PC targeted for the
living room, with its own
unique interface
 Streams, captures, and shares
audio, video, and photos—
more or less
 Exploiting Internet and network-
ing features can be a challenge
pity since it is a dedicated
audio/video device.
I was hoping for some sort of
enhanced compatibility between
the MediaREADY 5000 and the
Flyboy, but the MediaREADY 5000
only recognized the Flyboy by the
generic name “media/external/
sda2.” The product also had diffi-
culty detecting the files on the
Flyboy, even those samples pre-
loaded by VWB.And, when I tried
to copy some of these nonexistent
files, I was told “Error trying to
perform the copy: null.” Not “files
not found.” This basically encapsu-
lated my primary frustration with
the MediaREADY products: an
inherent crudeness, as if some guy
overseas in a lab coat who does-
n’t get out much wrote the cru-
cial user interface.A high-definition
MediaREADY box is apparently on
79
the way. Let’s hope that there are
other refinements planned, too.
OVERALL RATING
The MediaREADY 5000’s advan-
tages are plain. It has lots of
ports and functions in an attrac-
tive, CE-style package, but lim-
ited power and some rough
edges prevent it from being a
truly seamless upgrade to your
home theater, at least in its
present incarnation.
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 CRITIC’S COUCH movies and music reviewed

ON THE SHELF
MARCH DVDS ANNOUNCED AFTER LAST MONTH’S DEADLINE
March 7th:
The Buster Keaton Collection (Sony Pictures)
Den of Lions (Dimension)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner Brothers)
Howl’s Moving Castle (Disney)
Midnight Cowboy Collector’s Edition (MGM/UA)
Police Woman: The Complete First Season (Sony Pictures)
The Shaggy Dog (Disney)
Stagecoach (Sony Pictures)
The Tenants (Sony Pictures)
Undertaking Betty (Buena Vista)
Walking Tall: The Complete Series (Sony Pictures)
The Warrior (Sony Pictures)
March 14th:
Chasing Ghosts (Sony Pictures)
The Cutter (Sony Pictures)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo: The Little Black Book Edition (Buena Vista)

Come and Join the Good Night, and Good Luck (Warner Brothers)
Grosse Pointe: The Complete Series (Sony Pictures)
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete First Season (Sony Pictures)
Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio (DreamWorks)

Masquerade
She Spies: The Complete First Season (Sony Pictures)
VIP: The Complete First Season (Sony Pictures)
March 21st:
Bewitched: The Complete Third Season (Sony Pictures)
Gaiman and McKean come through with flying colors. by Ryan Vincent Bukowski: Born Into This (Magnolia)
Capote (Sony Pictures)
Chicken Little (Disney)
Leaving my first theatrical viewing of MirrorMask, I was reminded of the dream sequence The Confessor (Sony Pictures)
in the middle of Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound, where Salvador Dali was given carte Derailed (Genius Products)
Dreamer (DreamWorks)
blanche to design a surrealist dream. It’s a great sequence. Sixty years later, a top-notch The Dying Gaul (Sony Pictures)
visual artist and an accomplished storyteller had the limitless potential of computer- Gidget: The Complete Series (Sony Pictures)
Huff: The Complete First Season (Showtime)
generated imagery at their disposal. It’s as if Dali had been given today’s technology, but, Keane (Magnolia)
instead of melting clocks and big crutch-like sticks, there’s Dave McKean A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Magnolia)
Ring Around the Rosie (Sony Pictures)
and Neil Gaiman’s lexicon of sphinxes, monkey-birds, and fish. The Squid and the Whale (Sony Pictures)
You might know Gaiman from, among other works, the acclaimed comic White Shadow Season Two (20th Century Fox)
The Young Riders Season One (MGM/UA)
book Sandman and his best-selling novel American Gods. McKean, meanwhile,
March 28th:
created multimedia cover art for much of Sandman’s run, along with illustrat- Godzilla: Monster Edition (Sony Pictures)
ing other graphic novels. MirrorMask, designed and directed by McKean, with Godzilla: The Series (Sony Pictures)
Stay (20th Century Fox)
the screenplay and co-story credit going to Gaiman, is McKean’s feature- The Story of Qui Ju (Sony Pictures)
length debut, and, thanks to Jim Henson Productions, he and his team had APRIL DVDS ANNOUNCED BY PRESS TIME:
total control. They just had to make it for $4 million. According to the special
April 4th:
features, they shot on location for 10 days and with the actors in front of a blue 9 to 5 Special Edition (20th Century Fox)
screen for 20, followed by months of work for McKean and his 15-person postproduction The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (20th Century Fox)
Bee Season (20th Century Fox)
crew. So let’s add it up: $4 million, 30 days, 15 digital artists, one amazing film. Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Sixth Season (Sony Pictures)
MirrorMask’s visuals are like nothing you’ve ever seen. The DVD’s 1.85:1 anamor- Dirty (Sony Pictures)
Little Manhattan (20th Century Fox)
phic presentation offers a color palette that is mostly muted, with some scenes so dark, The Mel Brooks Box Set Collection (20th Century Fox)
it’s like they were candlelit. Therefore, MirrorMask will best be viewed in a dark room Planet of the Apes: The Ultimate DVD Collection (20th Century Fox)
Silver Streak (20th Century Fox)
on a system with deep black levels. Iain Ballamy’s score ranges from the creepy to the The World’s Greatest Lover (20th Century Fox)
soft-jazzy. While I could have done without the Kenny G–like soprano sax, the percus- April 11th:
sion fits beautifully and gives the disc’s Dolby Digital 5.1 track a good workout. Cirque du Soleil Corteo (Sony Pictures)
Cyber Wars (New Line)
Special features include one commentary, four interview segments, exceptional fea- In Living Color: Season Five (20th Century Fox)
turettes covering one particular day of shooting, and two effects sequences, plus some Puerto Vallarta Squeeze (New Line)
The Tennessee Williams Film Collection (Warner Brothers)
poorly shot Q&A sessions from the San Diego Comic-Con and Sundance.
April 18th:
Anyone who appreciates imagination, stim- The Boondock Saints (20th Century Fox)
ulating visuals, surrealism, and the power of film Dead Bodies (Magnolia)
Klepto (Magnolia)
as something that can harness years of dedicated Match Point (DreamWorks)
artistry into a career-defining film will love The Ringer (20th Century Fox)
The Robert Altman Collection (20th Century Fox)
MirrorMask. And, if you’ve got kids, that’s even
better, because they’re bound to love it, too. April 25th:
American Dad (20th Century Fox)
Mercenary for Justice (20th Century Fox)
www.hometheatermag.com > Home Theater / April 2006 109
Reba Season Three (20th Century Fox)
Laurel and Hardy Giftset (20th Century Fox)
The Wedding Singer Totally Awesome Edition (New Line)
 CRITIC’S COUCH

Reference CORNER
Kinda Scary
These two are about more
than gore.
by Chris Chiarella

As I realized after a recent From the Staff question, horror

movies need not be blood curdling to be memorable. More
importantly, they require style. Witness Sam Raimi’s Evil
Dead 2 (now in The Book of the Dead 2 edition from Anchor
Bay), wherein the incomparable Bruce Campbell once again
battles the ne’er-do-well nonliving—replacing his right
hand with a chain saw along the way and inadvertently pro-
pelling himself back to medieval times. Overall, this is a
much better-looking film than its nano-budgeted predeces-
sor, yet there is still occasional evidence of film grain in the
process shots and elsewhere. The 1.85:1 anamorphic video
includes a thin black line at the top and the bottom to fill out
the 16:9 frame, flaunting strong colors, no halos, minimal arti-
facting, and strong blacks worthy of the spooky nighttime exte-
rior scenes. The picture does reveal an odd tendency to quiver
in what should be a smooth, slow, 360-degree pan through
mostly vertical trees starting nine minutes in. Otherwise,
though, this new Divimax, high-definition, director-supervised
video master is impressive from start to finish. The Dolby Digital
5.1 remix is unchanged from the previous release, and that’s
fine, as separation remains clean and bass ample. Also ported over are the commentary from
Campbell, Raimi, and others, plus a making-of that concentrates mostly on the makeup effects.
The one new extra is “Evil Dead 2: Behind the Screams,” a montage of on-set photos narrated
by self-proclaimed genius Tom Sullivan, who also designed the “bound in human flesh” cover
here to match The Book of the Dead edition of the first film. ED2 is available individually or pack-
aged with the back-again ED “Book” in a nifty collectible set.
Renowned director Dario Argento’s first film, the little-seen Bird with the Crystal Plumage, is
still an engaging thriller, despite the cinematic glut of thrillers. It has a unique voice and urgency,
regardless of its clearly Psycho-inspired ending. Shot by three-time Oscar-winner Vittorio Storaro,
with music by five-time nominee Ennio Morricone, Bird follows an American writer unraveling the
mystery of a knife-wielding serial killer overseas. For this new special edition, Blue Underground
offers multiple audio options: Dolby EX, Dolby Surround, and the original mono, in both English
and Italian, plus an English-only DTS ES track. The clarity of the dialogue is superior in the
English tracks—otherwise the Italian counterparts were virtually identical—while the English
DTS track is slightly fuller and more spacious than the Dolby. All of the remixes introduce dis-
crete effects such as sirens, doors closing, and cars in the distance. There are definitely issues with
the anamorphic 2.35:1 image, as compression artifacting on background textures can be severe
enough to introduce unwanted colorations when played on some DVD decks, and a foggy scene,
for example, takes on an unnaturally digitized look and feel. But the Italian scenery is lovely, and
the palette works wonders with the garish 1970 hues: a victim in deep red, a killer in bright yellow,
and much more. We’re treated to a commentary by two journalists and a second disc containing
interviews with Argento, Morricone, Storaro, and costar Eva Renzi.

110 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com


DVD: The Yards Exclusive Unrated
Director’s Cut—Miramax
The Yards is a moody little film noir that,
while pretty to look at, doesn’t become
the movie it desperately wants to be. It’s
cut cleanly from the Mean Streets cloth, as
it tells the story of Leo (Mark Wahlberg,
barely making eye contact with anyone),
a recently paroled thief. Leo’s attempts to
go straight run afoul by his Uncle Frank
(James Caan, sporting a nice mustache)
and best friend
Willie (Joaquin
Phoenix), both
shady charac-
ters involved
in the corrupt
world of rail-
road contrac-
tors. There’s
also some
creepy sexual
undertones
between Leo
and his cousin Erica (a pre-Oscar Charlize
Theron). The visuals (in anamorphic
2.35:1) seem kind of foggy, which seems
to be the director’s intention but does not
look very good. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is
the highlight of the entire package, pro-
viding a rich soundscape that achieves
what the film as a whole could not.
The special features on this edition are
full of backslapping and self-indulgence.
There’s a brief behind-the-scenes fea-
turette, a look at the visual inspirations
behind the design of the film, a round-
table discussion with the actors, some
deleted scenes, and a commentary track.
All are just as dry as the film itself. But
it sure is swell to see these filmmakers
all getting along for a film they all believe
in—several times over. The film is nice
to look at but adds nothing new to the
genre.—Michael Prince
HIGHER-FI
Jackson Browne—Running on
Empty (Warner Brothers)
[DVD-Audio]
This DVD-Audio has been a long time coming.
Many a planned release date came and went
before this one finally hit the shelves back in
November, but I assure you that it was worth
the wait. The high-resolution, multichannel
audio soundtrack allows an already great album
to realize its full potential.
Running on Empty was a bold experiment: This
album that chronicles life on the road was
recorded on the road—on stage, in hotel rooms,
and even on the tour bus—during Browne’s 1977
concert tour. The lyrics paint an immensely inti-
mate portrait of the lifestyle, for better and for
worse, and the musicianship is outstanding, espe-
cially considering the circumstances under which
the songs were recorded.
The wonderful fidelity of the high-resolution
audio, mixed from the original multitracks, gives
a rich immediacy to the music and vocals, while
the multichannel soundtrack shifts deftly between
a concert perspective and a more enveloping style
that puts you in the middle of the action, as if you
were on the journey and in the room as those
incredible jam sessions took place.
Further enhancing that sense of intimacy are
the many photos included on the disc, taken by
Joel Bernstein to chronicle the tour. These behind-
the-scenes photos are the perfect video compan-
ion to an album that is essentially an audio diary.
The two-disc package also contains a stereo-only
CD, but, now that Running on Empty has come
alive for me in surround sound, I don’t think two-
channel will ever suffice.—Adrienne Maxwell
 CRITIC’S COUCH
DVD: The 40-Year-Old Virgin Unrated
—Universal
Forty-year-old retail employee Andy Stitzer
(Steve Carell) loves sci-fi, comic books,
video games, magic, and action figures, but,
alas, he’s given up on loving women. After
he is unable to come up with a convincing
tale of sexual conquest for his coworkers,
they form a mission: get this geek laid.
The unrated 40-Year-Old Virgin’s DVD
box claims: “Now Lasts 17 Minutes Longer.”
As large parts of the film were improvised,
certain scenes have been given more room
to breathe by director and Freaks and Geeks
creator Judd Apatow. Apatow and Carell
cowrote Virgin, and together they’ve given
us such turns of phrase as “tackling
the gazelle,” “Borked,” “pursedogs,” “the
spank bank,” “ho runner,” and “pulling
that number,” plus new meanings for
“Streisand,” “Stevie Wonder,” and “I had
some Cream of Wheat.”
The DVD’s audio is in Dolby Digital
5.1 with 1.85:1 anamorphic video.
While the disc looks great, there was a
noticeable layer change in the middle of
dialogue during
chapter 14. One
hopes that this will
be corrected on
future pressings.
In terms of spe-
cial features, this
thing is just chock-
a-block. There’s an
entertaining audio
commentary with
Apatow and nearly the entire
cast, a gag reel, “Line-o-Rama,” featuring
alternate lines from some of the funniest
moments, and tons of deleted and extended
scenes. This is on top of the aforemen-
tioned 17 minutes and “My Dinner With
Stormy,” in which actor and coproducer
Seth Rogen interviews porn star Stormy
(who makes an appearance in Andy’s
guilt-filled fantasies). Truly, this DVD has
more bang for your buck.—Ryan Vincent
112 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
DVD: Flightplan—Buena Vista
I don’t like to sleep on airplanes. Some-
thing about the idea of napping among
hundreds of strangers condemns me to
wakefulness from takeoff to landing. Get-
ting some shut-eye won’t be any easier
now that I’ve seen Flightplan, director
Robert Schwentke’s taut thriller in which
a little girl appears to have vanished in
the midst of a trans-Atlantic flight.
While the plot does ask us to suspend
our disbelief to a degree, it would be a
crime to miss a movie this good looking
and well acted. Jodie Foster turns in a
tour-de-force performance as an aero-
nautics engineer who turns the plane
upside down in search of her missing
daughter. You just can’t
look away.
Working with a limited
color palette and in the
tight quarters of the plane,
director Schwentke creates
a minimalist’s delight in an
anamorphic 2.35:1 frame.
Small details like the eerie
morphing faces in a multi-
cultural video boarding
announcement or a heart drawn in fogged
breath on a windowpane stand out.
James Horner’s original orchestral score
is spine tingling, while Dave McMoyler as
supervising sound editor deserves signifi-
cant kudos for making the sound effects
and music mesh so perfectly with the
action. Every rattle and thud keeps you on
the edge of your seat wondering whether
a wing will fall off or a body materialize.
The dialogue and accompaniment come
through delightfully clear in both the Dolby
Digital 5.1 and DTS audio options.
Extras include a detailed commentary
track by Schwentke and nearly an hour of
behind-the-scenes featurettes on the story,
cast, and effects, making for a solid if not
spectacular DVD package. Overall, this is
first-class entertainment.—Aaron Dalton
 THE B O X O F F I C E
The Mob Box Set
Donnie Brasco, Snatch, Bugsy,
and The American Gangster get
new life on DVD.
By Aaron Dalton
Other than sharp dressers, money-making rackets,
and folks getting whacked, the four organized-crime
movies in The Mob Box have less in common than
you might imagine. Where Bugsy serves up glam-
our on a silver platter, Donnie Brasco slouches in
1970s-period grit. Snatch cops an attitude with fancy
editing and frenetic action, while The American
Gangster takes a cold, factual look at the rise of
organized crime in early 20th-century America.
Let’s start with the weakest disc in the
collection: Bugsy. The film is a biopic about New
York gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, who
apparently hated his nickname and threatened
those who used it to his face. The movie traces
Siegel’s dangerous attraction
to Hollywood glamour and
Vegas dreams. When Siegel
gets a little too much public-
ity and the casino goes over
budget, the plot thickens.
Unfortunately, Bugsy
hasn’t aged very well over the
last 15 years. The supposedly
A-list cast led by Warren
Beatty and Annette Bening turn in beautiful but
never believable performances. Bugsy did win
Oscar gold for its costumes and set design, which
makes for some pretty 1.85:1 anamorphic video,
but unfortunately the Dolby Surround sounds ter-
rible. Certain scenes were actually accompanied
by a sort of snap-crackle-and-pop effect that
reminded me of a breakfast cereal. (As an aside,
composer Ennio Morricone seems to have bor-
rowed wholesale from his own score to 1987’s The
Untouchables.) There are literally no extra fea-
tures on the disc, unless you count a few trailers
of other Warren Beatty pictures.
After having sat through the self-absorbed
Hollywood mugging of Bugsy, it was refreshing
to plunge into Snatch, the
ludicrous London tale of
the criminal mayhem that
ensues as various players vie
for a really big diamond.
Masterfully directed by Guy
Ritchie, the film is one long
series of inventive camera
moves and effects—action
sped up, slowed down, cut,
twirled, and spun until you
don’t know which way is up.
The mostly British cast is
great, with Americans Dennis
Farina and Brad Pitt both
turning in plum perfor-
mances. Viewable in either
1.85:1 anamorphic or 1.33:1
versions, the movie is a
visual treat. Look for the
scene where Pitt’s character Mickey goes down
in the boxing ring and ends up underwater by the
time he hits the canvas. The Dolby Digital 5.1
and Dolby Surround audio options provide clear
dialogue nicely balanced with a hipster sound-
track. Alternatively, you can choose to listen
to commentary by Ritchie and his producer. The
disc does allow you the option of turning on an
icon that lets you view deleted scenes as you
watch the movie (but the scenes are not all
assembled in one place). In addition to the stan-
dard subtitles, you can also choose to view spe-
cial “pikey” subtitles to make some sense of Pitt’s
otherwise unintelligible dialogue.
Whereas Snatch is constantly in motion,
Donnie Brasco draws you into the story slowly,
just like its main character, an undercover FBI
agent who spent years infiltrating the New
York mafia. This is the most sophisticated
movie in the set from several angles—the acting
by leads Al Pacino and Johnny Depp is superb,
and the rest of the cast (Anne Heche and
Michael Madsen in particular) is just as strong.
The digitally mastered 2.35:1 anamorphic pic-
ture looks to be in mint condition. Audio options
include Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround, com-
mentary from director Mike Newell, and an
unusual option called “Isolated Musical Score”
that just plays the background music while the
characters’ lips move. A rich trove of extras
includes two separate featurettes on the making
of the movie and the true story on which it is
based, as well as a collection of deleted scenes
(with optional commentary).
A final 48-minute documentary disc offers a
Dennis Farina–narrated history lesson on the rise
of organized Italian and Jewish crime syndicates
in New York City in the early 20th century. Although
much of the presentation consists of still pictures,
the reality of the material makes the crime-scene
photos more disturbing than any of the fictional-
ized violence shown on the other discs. This is a
bare-bones disc—the archival footage from the early
years of the last century is often just as jumpy or
scratchy as you would expect. The strong narra-
tion by Farina keeps the story moving forward in
dramatic fashion. There are no extras on this disc.
So, is The Mob Box worth your hard-earned let-
tuce? The American Gangster doesn’t seem to be
available separately on DVD, so, if you’re a big
Farina or mafia-history fan, the box set purchase
might make sense for that reason alone. Other-
wise, you might just want to buy whichever one or
two movies sound like they would most appeal to
you. Buying separately has certain advantages,
since the versions in The Mob Box Set don’t always
have as many extras as the versions available sep-
arately. The new Deluxe Edition of Snatch, for
example, contains a whole second disc with a
making-of featurette, storyboards, and a photo
gallery that are completely missing from the single-
disc version in The Mob Box. Ironically, the mes-
sage of The Mob Box may be that sometimes you
do better as an individual than as part of a group.
 Televisions Have Evolved.
Has Your Furniture? CRITIC’S COUCH
• Casters DVD: Roll Bounce—20th Century Fox DVD: Four Brothers—Paramount
To blast off his 1970s roller-boogie film, Revenge is a dish best served cold, and, in
director Malcolm D. Lee (Undercover John Singleton’s Four Brothers, it’s taken
• Removable Backs Brother) chose R&B hits like Parliament’s rather literally. Set in the icy tundra of
“Flashlight,” Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day,” Detroit in the wintertime, the film follows
• Interchangeable and Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “Superman four foster brothers who return home to
Door Panels Lover.” But that is early in Roll Bounce, exact vengeance upon the killer of their
when our heroes are rulers of the South- mother. Led by tough brother (although
• High Capacity side Chicago roller rink that they call they’re all tough) Mark Wahlberg, the
Media Storage home. As that arena has closed, Xavier brothers hunt down those responsible.
aka “X” (Bow Wow) and his friends travel After one of the weak-
• Internal Lighting to the cool kids’ rink, Sweetwater, where est expository scenes
disco reigns. While hormones rage, X in recent memory, the
and his crew of underprivileged adoles- movie picks up steam
• Whisper Fan cent misfits try to make Sweetwater their and delivers a solid
Ventilation
own. The jarring musical shift into disco experience.
reflects the boys’ alienation, but the South- The film is gritty,
• Integrated Surge siders keep on moving, which is what this and it shows—more
Protection coming-of-age/roller-disco/dance-off so in luxurious ana-
spectacular will make you want to do. morphic 2.35:1. This
• Articulating Anamorphic 2.35:1 video and the is a well-shot film,
Cantilever Arm film’s colorful 1978 costumes and produc- and the home theater
tion design fit perfectly, but it’s the Dolby accentuates it. It pre-
• R/L/C/Sub Digital 5.1 that takes center stage. Good- sents crisp images of
Speaker Storage natured dialogue, fantastic sound design, a cold and bleak urban landscape, with an
and jazz great Stanley Clarke’s supremely old-school soul soundtrack to match. The
funky score propel Dolby Digital 5.1 sounds fantastic.
• Steel Perforated the film, with bass All of this culminates during the
Shelves
flourishes that will snow-storm/car-chase sequence,
make your woofers easily the high point of the movie
• Internal Wire just sing. and a fantastic ride for your system.
Management Special features It looks great and sounds great, too.
include three com- There are a fair amount of deleted
• Fully Assembled mentaries, deleted scenes, as well as some interesting
scenes, lackluster documentaries about achieving the
• Screwed and behind-the-scenes look of the film and the genesis of
Glued Joinery featurettes, a fun the idea. There’s also a really fascinat-
featurette on skat- ing short doc about the film’s climac-
• Made in the USA ing competitions tic shootout. Additionally, there is
held to promote the movie, a lengthy gag a commentary track from Singleton that
reel, and a music video. didn’t put me to sleep, which is better
Bow Wow shines, as does Chi McBride than I can say for most commentary tracks.
as his father. Lee’s direction is confident, In the end, I can recommend this disc.
and the script is strong, save for a weak Singleton crafted a good, old-fashioned
climax. If you can appreciate the athleti- Western set in the most industrial city
Award winning home theater cism of skating and are a fan of bumpin’ in America.—Michael Prince
furniture designed exclusively for ’70s jams, sho’ nuff you can bounce to
Plasma, DLP, and LCD TVs. this!—Ryan Vincent

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114 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com

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DVD: Lord of War—Lions Gate
If you think you hate your day job, wait
until you meet Yuri Orlov. Based on actual
events, Lord of War follows the illustrious
career of this quietly charismatic arms
dealer as he travels the world hocking his
explosive wares. Take caution, however;
writer/director Andrew Niccol’s got a
moral agenda up his celluloid sleeve, and
Cage does an excellent job deliver-
ing his message. Orlov may never
have pulled a trigger on his own
accord, but he is nevertheless a
warlord—or rather, a lord of war,
as one character prefers it.
The anamorphic 1.78:1 presenta-
tion has outstanding color, although
the picture appears grainy in dark
shots. There is also an interesting mix
of digital images fused into the film
so smoothly that you must discern
carefully to see if what you’re looking at is
in fact real or CGI. The score by Antonio
Pinto is a joy to hear on the Dolby Digital
5.1 soundtrack
and flows nicely
against the back-
drop of the ironi-
cally musical
clang of bullets.
Don’t bother
searching around
for special fea-
tures. With the
exception of
movie trailers,
the extras are
reserved for the Special Edition release.
You may just fall victim to this marketing
ploy and reserve your Andrew Jacksons
for that version instead.
If you’re looking for a movie typical of
the action/war genre, this is not the one
for you. However, if you can appreciate
black humor laced with a philosophical
bent, then Lord of War makes a decent addi-
tion to your arsenal of DVDs.
—Aimee C. Giron
ÛÛ?KI
DVD: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Special Edition—Sony Pictures
Emily Rose is dead. That is a fact. The
question asked is, whose fault is it? Was it
lack of medical treatment or something
unexplainable, something supernatural
that caused her demise? Part courtroom
drama, part horror film, this movie is
truly scary and delves into the question of
where faith fits into a
world where someone
must always be held
accountable. Deeply
religious, the entire
Rose family believes,
as does Father Moore
(Tom Wilkinson), that
it is most definitely a
demonic possession
and not a mental dis-
order that is at the
root. Moore attempts an exorcism,
and Emily’s subsequent death is pinned
on the accused and now-jailed priest. GYj lkÛ<phj]kkÛ`YkÛgn]jÛ~Û
Laura Linney as his defender Erin Bruner Ym\ag£na\]gÛhjg\m[lkÛafÛklg[cÛYf\Û
j]Y\qÛlgÛk`ahÛÛ:YddÛ~¤¤¤~Û
is a skeptic, but her involvement in this
lg\YqÛgjÛnakalÛhYj lk¤]phj]kk[geÛ
case and the events that follow show lgÛ_]lÛqgmjÛ^j]]Û[ghqÛg^ÛgmjÛf]oÛ
her another side.  Û[YlYdg_
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is excep-
tional and shocks at the appropriate times,
and the 2.40:1 anamorphic picture por-
trays the brightly lit courtroom and
the blacks, oranges, and shadows of the
terror beautifully. Extras are so-so. They
include a director’s commentary, one
deleted scene, and three featurettes, but
only the one on the film’s visual design
was above ordinary.
The performances are fantastic all
around, and, as the title character, Jennifer
Carpenter lends a harrowing depiction.
Knowing that it’s based on a true story
from the 1970s makes it even more creepy
and frightening. Refreshingly restrained
with regards to gore, and nonjudgmental
and reverent with respect to the spiritual
aspect, this is an unusual and original
horror experience.—Tony DeCarlo
Jgmj[]Û:g\]
 CRITIC’S COUCH
DVD: Grey’s Anatomy Season One
—Buena Vista
Hmm, a medical show featuring a lot of
hot, young people…and that guy who
played the geek in all of those ’80s teen
movies like Can’t Buy Me Love and Loverboy
as the heartthrob surgeon. Count me out.
On the surface, Grey’s Anatomy didn’t
seem to bring anything new to the already
crowded table of TV medical dramedies.
But the show’s prime spot after Desperate
Housewives on Sunday nights allowed it to
occasionally make its presence known on
my TV, and I found myself being reluc-
tantly drawn in. The characters are engag-
ing, the cast is talented, and the writing is
surprisingly sap free. Now I’m hooked.
Since the show was a midseason replace-
ment for ABC, this two-disc set only con-
tains nine episodes, all of which were origi-
nally shot in HD and served up in Dolby
Digital 5.1. That makes for a high-quality
DVD presentation, with a nicely detailed
anamorphic 1.78:1 image and a fairly robust
soundtrack that
doesn’t do too much
with the surrounds
but does bring the
show’s great music—
from artists like Rilo
Kiley and Tegan and
Sara—to life. The
bonus content is less
than impressive for
a TV-on-DVD set:
commentary for just
one episode (the pilot), a short behind-
the-scenes featurette, and a fair amount of
deleted scenes—divided into featurettes
called “Anatomy of a Scene” and “Dissecting
Grey’s Anatomy” to make you think you’re
getting something more.
Overall, though, this is a solid set,
worth picking up if—like me—you wrote
this show off prematurely and want to get
caught up.—Adrienne Maxwell
116 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
DVD: Underworld Two-Disc Unrated
Extended Cut—Sony Pictures
Make no mistake—this is the exact same
edition that was released over a year ago.
The only difference is the addition of a
third disc (despite the package’s Two-Disc
status) touting the virtues of the recent
sequel Underworld: Evolution. As it stands,
the movie is still
rather weak.
Underworld is
a film about the
ongoing battle
between vam-
pires and were-
wolves (here,
called Lycans),
and how the very
attractive vam-
pire Selene (Kate
Beckinsale) falls in love with the Lycan
Michael. All flash, no substance per-
fectly sums up the movie.
However, flash is all right when
you’re watching it in crystal-clear
perfection. The movie is gorgeous to
look at—like a graphic novel come
to life in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. And,
with the sheer amount of gun fight-
ing in the film, the Dolby Digital
5.1 does its job and whizzes those
bullets past your head.
The special features are abundant
on this two-disc set. Again, they’re
the same ones on the previous edition.
About an hour and a half of documen-
taries chronicle the look, the effects, and
the stunt work. There’s also a generic
music video, a look at the mythical crea-
tures in real life, and director and actor
commentary tracks. The Underworld:
Evolution disc is pretty flimsy and works
better as a coaster. But there is a neat
comic book that comes with the package.
Overall, it’s a lot of effort for something
that’s been available for a while now. Still,
it looks really good.—Michael Prince
 One for All ONE
Before you run out to buy some new, exciting product you’ve seen Onkyo USA
Optoma
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Outlaw Audio OUT
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Cinepro CIN Madrigal MAD Tascam TAS
Classé Audio CLS Magnepan MAG TDK USA TDK
Communications Specialties COM Marantz America MAR Technics TEC
Control4 CON Mark Levinson MRK Terk Technologies TER
Creative Labs CRL MartinLogan MLN Theater Automation Wow! TAW
Crestron Electronics CRE Maxent MAX Theta Digital THE
Crystal Acoustics CRY MB Quart MBQ Thiel Audio THI
Dali Loudspeakers DLI McIntosh MCI Thomson THM
Da-Lite Screen DAL Meridian MER Tivoli TIV
D-Box Technology DBX MiCon Audio MIC Toshiba America Consumer Products TOS
Definitive Technology DEF Miller & Kreisel Sound M&K Totem Acoustic TOT
Denon Electronics DEN Mirage Loudspeakers MRG Triad Speakers TRI
Diamond Case Designs DCD Mission MIS Tributaries TRB
DreamVision DMV Mitsubishi Digital Electronics MSU Universal Remote Control UNV
DVDO DVO Monitor Audio MNT V, Inc. VIN
Dwin Electronics DWI Monster Cable MON Vandersteen VDR
Dynaudio DYN Mordaunt-Short MOR Vantas VAN
Earthquake Sound EAR Morel Co. Ltd. MRL Velodyne Acoustics VEL
EchoStar/DISH Network ESR Myryad/Artech Electronics MYY Vidikron VID
Edge Audio EDG NAD Electronics of America NAD Vienna Acoustics VIE
ELAN Home Systems ELA Nakamichi America NAK ViewSonic VWS
Energy Speaker Systems ENY NEC NEC Visual Systems Research VSR
Epos EPO Nikada NIK Wharfedale WHF
Epson EPS Niles Audio NIL Wireworld WWR
Era ERA niro1.com NIR Xantech XTH
Extron EXT Nola by Accent Speaker Technology NOL Yamaha Electronics YAM
Now Hear This NHT Zenith Electronics ZEN
NuVision NUV ZVOX Audio, LLC ZVX

www.hometheatermag.com > Home Theater / April 2006 117

 DEALER LOCATOR
Authorized Dealers
AK- Alaska A/V: Juneau• Magnolia: Anchorage.
AL- Audio Insight: Huntsville• Cohen’s Electronics: Montgomery• Fidler HiFi: Mobile• Hooper’s: Audio Video
Birmingham• Kincaid TV: Tuscaloosa• Tennessee Valley Protection: Huntsville. CALIFORNIA Gwinnett TV Audio Resource #
AR- Custom Audio Video: Little Rock• Solutions Home Entertainment: Hot Springs. (southern) Innovations Audio Video Sales and Service
AZ- Audio Plus: Prescott• Jerry’s Audio Video: Phoenix, Scottsdale• Magnolia: Chandler, Boca Raton, FL 33431 since 1977. The finest home entertainment
Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson• The Specialists: Tucson• Ultimate Electronics: Glendale, 391 Killian Rd. shopping experience in
Phoenix Metro Area, Scottsdale. audio-video-innovations.com
CA- Access to Music: San Rafael• Accurate A/V: S. Lake Tahoe• Ahead Stereo: Los Angeles• Sunny’s Home 561-338-7280 Lilburn, GA 30047 New Orleans and the Gulf
Audio Concepts: Long Beach, San Gabriel• Audio Video City: San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria• Theater Custom theaters & more (770) 921-0000 South. Professional system
Boots Camera: Fresno• Century TV: Garden Grove• Convoy Big Screens: San Diego, San Marcos• www.gwinnetttv.com design, in-home installation
Creative Stereo: Santa Barbara•David Rutledge Audio: Rancho Mirage• Discount Sales: Ontario• Covina, CA 91724 Let AVI turn your vision DEN, ELA, FUJ, LUT, MIS, MSU,
Magnolia: Costa Mesa, Dublin, Elk Grove, Folsom, Irvine, Los Angeles, Marin City, Milpitas, (626) 966-6259 into a reality and the best equipment in
MON, NHT, PNX, POL, RSD, SAM,
Mission Viejo, Modesto, Murrieta, Palm Desert, Pasadena, Pleasant Hill, San Carlos, San Diego, www.sunnycomp.com/ SAS, SNY, STW, TOS, XTH, ATI,
every price range.
San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Tustin, Union City,
Westminster, Yorba Linda• Magnolia A/V: Colma, Costa Mesa, Emeryville, Palo Alto, Roseville, theater.php AUD, CHA, CLP, CVN, DAL, HIT, JVC,
3133 Edenborn Ave.
Sacramento, San Francisco, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Santa Monica, Santa Rosa, Torrance, ARC, B&K, CEC, DMV, JML, LGE, MLN,
RTI, SHA, TER, ZEN, CRE, IFY, LUT,
Metairie, LA 70002
Woodland Hills• Pacific Coast A/V: Corona Del Mar• Paradyme Audio/Video: Roseville, Sacramento• RCA, PAN
Performance Audio: San Francisco• Systems Design: Redondo Beach• Visual Sound: La Habra.
CO- Advantage Sight & Sound: Montrose• Axxis Audio: Durango• Central Electronics:
MSU, RGP, T + A, YBA Creative Media (504) 885-6988
Designs # www.audioresource.com
Steamboat Springs• Magnolia: Aurora, Broomfield, Lakewood, Littleton, Lone Tree•
Pro Home Systems: Grand Junction• Soundtrack: Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver & ASC, B&K, B&W, Billy Bags,
Suburbs, Ft. Collins• Summit Electronics: Frisco. Winner of CEDIA’s
CT- Audio Etc: Orange• Carstons Stereo/Video: Danbury• Magnolia: Danbury, Manchester• Best Home Theater Award. CLS,CRE,FUJ,KIN,KRE,MLN,
Planet TV: Stamford• Roberts Audio Video: New London• Stereo Shop: Hartford• Westfair TV: ILLINOIS MER, Middle Atlantic, Musical
Fairfield. Elite Custom 4160 NW 1st Avenue #15
DC & Washington Suburbs- Myer-Emco. Audio Video Fidelity, NIL, PIO, RGP, ROT,
Boca Raton, FL 33431 RUN, SLD, SAM, SON, STW,
DE - Hi Fi House: Wilmington.
FL- Absolute Sound: Winter Park• Audio Center: Deerfield Beach• Audio Connection: Ft. Myers• 5505 Moreno Avenue (561) 392-1153 HTmarket.com Transparent Cable, TRB, VTL
A/V in Paradise: Key West• Bill’s A/V Innovations: Vero Beach• Bob’s TV: Ocala area• Hoyt Stereo: Montclair, CA 91763 Home Theater Marketplace
Jacksonville• Magnolia: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Plantation• Palm Audio: Destin• Seagull Electronics: www.creativemediadesigns.com
Juno Beach• Solutions Enterprises: Bonita Springs (Naples)• Sound Components: Coral Gables• (909) 931-2835 Custom Showroom
Sound Ideas: Gainesville• Sound Insights: Jenson Beach• Sounds & Cinema: West Palm Beach• www.elitecustomaudiovideo.com AAS, ATL, CAN, CRE, DEN, DI-
3257 N. Sheffield Avenue
Stereotypes: Daytona Beach• Tropical Video: Rockledge• Wee-do Home Theater: Pensacola. AMX, B&W, BRY, CAN, DAL, HIT, ITG, RECTV, EXCIENT, FUJ, LUT, MAR,
Suite 103 MAINE
GA- Audio Warehouse: Savannah• Evolution Home Theater: Atlanta• FusionPoint: Macon• MID, ATL, MSU, NIL, PNX, PAN,
Magnolia: Alpharetta, Atlanta, Buford, Kennesaw• Merit TV: Columbus• Stereo Connections: KRE, MON, NAD, PDM, PIO, REV, ROT, Chicago, IL 60657
Valdosta• Stereo Shop: Martinez. PAR,ROC, SHA, VUTEC
HI- Elite Electronics: Honolulu• Magnolia: Honolulu. RUN, SPE, STW, VEL, TRB, XLO Custom home theater sales & Custom Home
IA- Audio Vision: Sioux City• Nielsens: Spencer• Sound World: Mason City. installation. Visit our Theater Systems &
IL- Abt Electronics: Glenview• Barrett’s Home Theater: Algonquin, Naperville• Good Vibes: showroom by appointment
Champaign• Magnolia: Aurora, Chicago, Deerfield, Downers Grove, Kildeer, Niles• Sherman’s: Automation
Normal, Peoria, Peru• The Shoppe: Bradley• Sound Forum: Lake in the Hills• Sound Living: and website anytime.
Chicago• State Line Satellite: Rockford• Sundown A/V: Springfield• Ultimate Electronics: 168 Pleasant Street, Suite 2
Fairview Heights. Sound Factor* Home Theater In State: (773) 244-1986
Route #1
IN- Classic Stereo: Ft. Wayne• Kings Great Buys: Evansville• Magnolia: Indianapolis, Noblesville•
Ovation Audio: Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis.
34 years of excellence in Productions, Out of State: (888) 764-9273
Brunswick ME 04011
KS- Accent Sound: Overland Park• Advance Audio: Wichita• Audio Junction: Manhattan• audio and home theater. Inc. *# Fax: (773) 244-1986
(207) 373-1147
Kansas Audio Video: Topeka. http://www.htmarket.com
KY- Entertainment Solutions: Crestview Hills• King’s Great Buys: Owensboro• Magnolia: Lexington• 17265 Ventura Blvd. Imagination... www.customhometheater.biz
Ovation Home Cinema & Sound: Lexington. Encino, CA 91316 Designed to Perfection ATL, SUN, INF, NEC, Optoma,
ADA, AER, DVO, EAR, INF, ITG, LGE,
LA- Acadiana Security Plus: Broussard• Alterman Audio: Baton Rouge, Mandeville, Metairie• (818) 501-3548 Berkline, Audioquest, STW,
Home Theater Concepts: Slidell• Mike’s Audio: Baton Rouge• Wright's Sound Gallery: Shreveport. State of the Art Home DVDO, HAR, JBL, SAM
LUT, MCI, MNT, PIN, RBH, REV, RSD,
MA- Cameras Inc.: Arlington (Boston)• Home Smart Home: North Attleboro• Magnolia: Also Located at: Theater Rooms, Multi Room SEL, SON, STW, SUN
Braintree, Danvers, Dedham, Framingham, Hyannis, North Attleboro, Seekonk, Watertown• 2 S. Rosemead Blvd.
Nantucket Sound: Hyannis• Percy’s: Worcester• Pittsfield Radio: Pittsfield. Audio & Video, Outdoor
MD- Gramophone: Baltimore, Columbia• Magnolia: Annapolis, Columbia, Gaithersburg, Pasadena, CA 91107 Audio Design, Wholehouse INDIANA
Timonium• Myer-Emco: Bowie, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Rockville• Soundscape: Baltimore. (626) 577-4945 Automation, Fiber Optic
ME- New England HiFi: Scarborough. 2936 Wilshire Blvd. MARYLAND
MI- Contemporary Audio: East Lansing• Court St. Listening Room: Saginaw• Hod’s Home Theater: Designed Lighting Advanced Home
Waterford• Paragon Sound: Ann Arbor• Paulson’s: Farmington Hills• Pecar's:Troy(Detroit)• Santa Monica, CA 90403
Superior Sound: Grand Rapids• Today’s Audio: Flint. (310) 264-5457 *Showroom by appointment Technologies
MN- Audio Designs: Winona• Digital Communications: Rochester Dostal Electronics: Inc. Applied Media
Hutchinson• Magnolia: Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Oakdale, Richfield• AUQ, B&W, BEL, CON, DEN, Parkland, FL 33076
Ultimate Electronics: Minneapolis & Suburbs. Phone: 954-753-9997
Specializing in the design, Concepts, Inc.
DYN, EPS, FUJ, GRA, KRE, LEX, installation, integration and
MO- The Entertainer: Jefferson City• Independence A/V: Independence• Q-Audio & Video: www.appliedmediaconcepts.com
Cape Girardeau• Ultimate Electronics: Ballwin, Fenton, Independence, St. Peters. LIN, LOV, MAR, MCC, MON, NAD, hometheaterproductions.com
programming of Media Waldorf, MD
MS- Ideal Acoustics: Starkville• McLelland TV: Hattiesburg• Something Southern: Oxford. NIL, NHT, PIO, ROT, SHA, STW,
MT- Rocky Mt. Hi Fi: Great Falls• Vann’s Inc.: Billings, Bozeman, Hamilton, Helena, Kalispell, Rooms, Home Theaters, (866) 843-8185
SUN, TAR, THL, VEL
Missoula. Multi-room music systems,
NC- Anderson Audio: Morehead• Audio Designs: Raleigh• Audio Unlimited: Jonesville• and lighting control DAL, CHA, CLP, CVN, EPS, DEF, DEN,
Audio Visions: Wilmington• Comtec: Asheville• Elite A/V: Lewisville• Freeman’s Stereo Video:
Charlotte• Intelligent Electronics: Raleigh• Sound Systems: Charlotte. systems through simple, EPS, FAR, GLC, HAR, HIT, INF, JBL,
ND- Custom Cinema & Sound: Horace (Fargo). Audio Command user friendly automated JVC, NEC, PAN, PHL, PIO, SEL, SPE,
NE- Custom Electronics: Omaha. DELAWARE System, Inc. *# control systems. STW, TEC
NH- Magnolia: Nashua, Salem• State Street Disc.: Portsmouth. The finest custom installation
NJ- 6th Avenue Electronics: East Brunswick, Jersey City, Livingston, Paramus, Springfield, Showroom by appointment
West Long Branch, West Paterson, Woodbridge• Camera and TV Stop: Medford• Hi Def: Blink Later Home worldwide for more than 25
Freehold, Wall• Magnolia: East Hanover, Manalapan, Paramus, Princeton, West Patterson• years. Michigan City, IN
Monmouth Stereo: Shrewsbury. Cinema Store (219)-874-3333
NM- Ultimate Electronics: Albuquerque. Newark, Delaware 19702 6590 W. Rogers Circle MASSACHUSETTS
NV- Magnolia: Carson City, Las Vegas, Reno• Ultimate Electronics: Las Vegas. Boca Raton, FL 33487 www.advancedhtinc.com
877-blinklater
NY- Aarlington Audio: Poughkeepsie• Audio Breakthroughs: Manhasset• Audio Den: Lake Grove• phone: (561) 997-0550 Brands Sold: ADA, AMX, B&W,
Clark Music: Latham, Syracuse• Hi Way HiFi: Ithaca• JSG Audio Video: Binghamton• Magnolia: www.blinklater.com New England Home
fax: (561) 997-0552 CRE, DBX, DAL, ELA, EPS, EXT,
Huntington Station, Riverhead, Setauket, West Nyack, Westbury• Media Room: Bedford Hills• ATH, BENQ, BST, BOX, DAL, DEN, Theater, LLC
Park Ave. Audio: Manhattan• Rowe Photo: Rochester• Speaker Shop: Amherst• Stereo Exchange: www.audiocommand.com ITG, JMS, JBL, LEX, LGE, LUT,
Manhattan. JBL, NEC, OPT, PAN, SNY, UNV Littleton Common
AIN, ADC, AMX, ACT, B&W, BST, M&K, RBH, ROT, RUN, RSD,
OH- Absolute Theater: Powell• Audio Arts: Youngstown• Audio Craft: Cleveland, Mayfield Hts., 23 Stevens Street
Westlake• Audio Etc.: Dayton• Belden Audio: Canton• Classic Stereo: Lima• Magnolia: Findlay• BRY, CAN, CLP, COM, CRE, DAL, SAE, STS, STW
Ohio Valley Audio: Cincinnati• Ovation Audio: Cincinnati• Stereovisions: Columbus• DWI, ESR, EXT, FAR, FUJ, JLC, HIT, Littleton, MA 01460
Threshold Audio: Newark• Unique Home System: Cincinnati. IFY, ITG, JMF, JBL, 997-5800 RE,
OK- Magnolia: Tulsa• Tumble Inn: Muskogee• Ultimate Electronics: Oklahoma City, Tulsa. (978) 952-8555
FLORIDA LEX, LOE, LUT, MAR, MR997-5800
OR- Kelly's Home Ctr.: Salem• Magnolia A/V: Beaverton (Portland), Clackamas. www.newenglandhometheater.com
PA- Audio Junction: Pittsburgh• Audio Lab: Fairless Hills• Audio & Video Expressions: MCI, MON, NEC, NIL, PNX, PAR, LOUISIANA
South Hampton• Creative Audio Video: Selinsgrove• Ed’s TV: Hatfield• Hi Fi House: Broomall, PIN, PIO, REV, ROC, ROT, RUN, info@newenglandhometheater.net
Jenkintown• Listening Post: Pittsburgh• Palmer Audio: Allentown• Park Audio & Video: Altoona, Stram Electronics’ SAM, SHA, SEL, SNE, SON, SNY, ARC, ART, ATL, DEN, DWI, ELA, EPS,
Duncansville• Pat’s Stereo: Greensburg• Stereo Barn: Wyomissing (Reading)• Stereo Shoppe: SAE, STW, SUN, TER, ROS, VEL,
Williamsport• Stereoland: Natrona Heights• Studio One: Erie• Wee Bee Audio Video: Lancaster. FIN, INF, LGE, M&K, MNT, MRL, NAD,
RI- Magnolia: Warwick• Stereo Discount Ctr.: Providence.
Home Theater YAM Custom Audio & NHT, PAR RGP, RSD, SLD, SAS, SEN,
SC- Audio Warehouse: Beaufort, Bluffton• Custom Theater & Audio: Murrells Inlet•
Fusion Systems: Greenville• Upstairs Audio: Columbia• Whole House Audio & Video: Aiken.
Gallery Video by Poole# TNY, UNV, WRF ZVX
SD- Sound Pro: Rapid City• Sound Pro’s: Mitchell. The north shore’s premiere
Tampa's most beautiful
TN- College HiFi: Chattanooga• Hi Fi Buys: Nashville• Modern Music: Memphis• showroom - Established GEORGIA retailer for high-end audio and
Sound Room: Johnson City. video equipment
TX- Audio Video: College Station• Bjorn's: San Antonio• Bunkley's Sound Systems: Abilene• 1988. Professional Quality NEW JERSEY
Don’s TV: Tyler• D-Tronics: McAllen• Home Entertainment Inc.: The Woodlands• Systems with by 1815 N. Columbia St.
Home Theater Store: Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Friendswood, Houston, Southlake• Krystal Clear: The Home
Dallas• Magnolia: Farmers Branch, Fort Worth, Frisco, Grapevine, Plano• Marvin Electronics: appointment services. Theater Store Covington, LA 70433
Ft. Worth• Matt Panter Home Theater: Waco• Mesa Home Systems: Austin• Metex: Laredo• Tampa's largest AMX and
390 Barrett Parkway, Suite #C
(985) 892-4500 Audio/
Mike Massey, Inc.: Odessa• RNS Sound & Vision: Harlingen, McAllen• Sound Perfection:
Frisco• Soundquest: El Paso.
Vantage Lighting Control
Kennesaw, GA 30144 Fax: (985) 892-9625 Connection
UT- Alpine Communications:Alpine• Crazy Bob’s: St. George• The Theater Experience: Sandy. dealers. (770) 792-0250 www.customaudioandvideo 615 Bloomfield Ave.
VA- Audio Connection: Virginia Beach• Audio Video by Design: Williamsburg• Audiotronics: 2825 S. MacDill Ave. http://www. .com Verona, NJ 07044
Roanoke• Home Media Stores: Richmond• Magnolia: Fairfax, Leesburg, Reston, Springfield, theHomeTheaterStore.TV 973-239-1799
Sterling, Vienna, Woodbridge• Myer-Emco: Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Sterling, Tyson’s Corner. Tampa, FL 33629 ARC, B&K, BRY, CAN, DEN, DWI,
VT- Toner’s Satellite: Milton. 813-831-8551 STEALTH ACOUSTICS, RAVA, ENY, EPS, FUJ, JAM, JMS, MAR, www.audioconnect.com
WA- Bunch-Finnegan TV: Kennewick• Horizon A/V: Anacortes• Magnolia A/V: Seattle & Suburbs, DEN, ITG, SUN, ADC, MNT, TNY,
www.HomeTheaterGallery.com MOR, NIL, PAR, PIO, RGP, SEL, Audioquest, Cardas, Cary,
Silverdale, Tacoma• Pacific Sight & Sound: Wenatchee. ENY, ANY, EAR, MTX, DWI, DMV,
WI- Audio Video Pros: Onalaska• Barthel TV: Saukville, Sheboygam Falls• Flanner’s A/V: AIN, AMX, ATL, ADA, CAN, EXT, INF, EPS, SHA, MAR, IXOS, LUT, SNE, STW, TNY, TRB, VEL, VONS, ProAc, Vandersteen B&W,
Milwaukee• Hi-Fi Heaven: Green Bay• Suess Electronics: Appleton• Sound World: Wausau• FUJ, JBL, MAR, NIL, PAN, PAR, PNX, MON, VEL UNV, ROC, STW, XLO KIM, LEX, LNN, MAG, NIL,
Team Electronics: Manitowoc. ROC, RUN, SON, SNY, STW, TRI, RCA, SAM, MSU, APPLE
WV- Mack & Daves: Huntington. PSA, PSB, ROT, SLD
VEL, WWR, XTH, ZEN
WY- Electronic Design Assoc.: Jackson.
Puerto Rico- Precision Audio: San Juan.
Canada- Adrenalin Audio: Edmonton, Alb.• Advance Electronics: Winnipeg•
Audio Video Innovations: Dartmouth, N.S.• Bay Bloor Radio: Toronto• Canadian Sound: Brampton,
Ont.• Environment Electronique: Westmount, Que.• Furniture Factory Outlets: Thunder Bay, Ont.•
Geniers: Vernon, B.C.• K&W Audio: Calgary• Kebecson: Montreal• La Boutique Electronique:
Montreal• Lipton’s Elect.: Newmarket, Ont.• Stereo Plus: Ottawa, Ont.• StereoLand: Windsor, Ont.•
The Sound Room: Vancouver, B.C.• Unifi: Waterloo, Ont.
Mexico- Contact Productos Exitosos S.A.: Mexico City.
www.definitivetech.com
118 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com * Indicates Certified Home THX Dealer
# Indicates CEDIA Dealer

Hi Def of
Freehold, Inc.
Entertainment Systems for
Every Home
3585 Route 9 N Shoprite
Plaza
Freehold, NJ 07728
(888)-HiDEF-4U
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Hi-Def of Wall, Inc.
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Manasquan, NJ 08736
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TER, TIV, TOS, TRB, UNV, VEL, VIE
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694 Main St.
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Phone: (516) 997-5800
Fax: (516) 997-2195
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Cleveland, OH 44145
All personnel are Custom Middletown, NY 10941
music & theater systems (216) 431-7300
Installers not salesmen. for discriminating clientele. 845-692-9000
Fairlawn, OH 44333
414 New York Avenue CEDIA-certified. www.nysshometheater.com
Huntington Village, NY 11743 (330) 867-7771
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www.HomeTheaterMag.com
Page # Manufacturers Page # Manufacturers Page # Manufacturers

53 . . . . . Audiophile Systems 49 . . . . . Gallo Acoustics 19 . . . . . Projector People

www.audiophilesystems.com www.avspeakers.com Phone (877)845-0042
www.projectorpeople.com
95 . . . . . Audioquest 13 . . . . . Halcro
Phone (949) 585-0111 Phone (702) 270-9307 45 . . . . . PSB Speakers
www.audioquest.com www.halcro.com Phone (888) 772-0000
www.psbspeakers.com
35, 47 . . B&W Loudspeakers 120 . . . . Home Theater Interiors
Phone (800) 370-3740 Phone (800) 494-4020 73 . . . . . Pure Acoustics
www.bwspeakers.com www.HTInteriors.com www.pure-acoustics.com

38 . . . . . Bass Industries 116 . . . . Hsu Research 33 . . . . . Revel

Phone (800) 346-8575 Phone (800) 554-0150 (781) 280-0300
bassind.com www.hsuresearch.com www.revelspeakers.com

37, 39, . BDI 52 . . . . . Impact Acoustics 14 . . . . . Salamander

41 Phone (800) 428-2881 Phone (877) AV-EXPERT Phone (800) 350-6859
www.bdiusa.com www.impactacoustics.com
55 . . . . . Sanus Systems
112 . . . . BenQ 5 . . . . . . Intel Phone (800) 359-5520
www.benq.us/2005HT.com www.intel.com/viiv www.sanus.com

12 . . . . . Canton Electronics Corp. 36 . . . . . Jamo 81 . . . . . Schroers and Schroers

Phone (888) 442-3269 Phone (847) 465-0005 Phone (800) 798-2568
www.cantonusa.com www.jamo.com www.mstate&m-state.com

111. . . . . CinemaShop.com 93 . . . . . Klipsch Audio Technologies 77 . . . . . Signal Path

Phone (866) 243-1001 Phone (800) KLIPSCH www.signalpathint.com
www.cinemashop.com www.klipsch.com
110 . . . . Soundations
15 . . . . . Crutchfield 61 . . . . . Lexicon Phone (201) 943-2404
Phone (800) 555-8347 Phone (781) 280-0300 www.soundations.com
www.crutchfield.com www.lexicon.com
8 . . . . . Stargate Cinema
10 . . . . . Crystal Acoustics C4 . . . . . LG Electronics Phone (866) 684-3843
Phone ( 301) 317-6326 www.LGusa.com/PlasmaDVR www.stargatecinema.com
www.crystal-acoustics.com
9 . . . . . . Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. 11 . . . . . Sumiko
119 . . . . CSA Audio Design Phone (877) 258-8766 Phone (800) 301-0799
Phone (973) 744-0600 www.lutron.com www.sumikoaudio.net/vienna-
www.csaaudiodesign.com acoustics3
51 . . . . . Mark Levinson
120 . . . . CustomHT 21 . . . . . Tannoy
Phone (800) 246-5006, ext. 00 17 . . . . . Monitor Audio Phone (519) 745-1158
www.customHT.com Phone (905) 428-2800 www.inquiries@tannoyna.com
www.monitoraudio.com
103 . . . . Dali Loudspeakers 62 . . . . . Totem Acoustic
Phone ( 360) 733-4446 25 . . . . . NAD Electronics Phone (514) 259-1062
www.dali-usa.com Phone (800) 263-4641 www.totemacoustic.com
www.NADelectronics.com
99 . . . . . Datacolor 82 . . . . . Vidikron
Phone (800)554-8688 7 . . . . . . NHT Phone (888) 4-VIDIKRON
www.spydertv.com www.nhthifi.com www.vidikron.com

C2-3,. . . Definitive Technology, LLP 18 . . . . . Onkyo 40 . . . . . Velodyne

57, 59, 118 Phone (410) 363-7148 Phone (201) 785-2600 Phone (408) 465-2800
www.definitivetech.com www.onkyousa.com www.velodyne.com

114 . . . . Diamond Case Designs 29 . . . . . Panasonic

Phone (800) 616-5354 Home Theater (ISSN 1096-3065) April 2006, Vol. 13, No. 4. Copyright 2006
www.panasonic.com/projectors by PRIMEDIA Specialty Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Published monthly
www.diamondcase.com by PRIMEDIA Specialty Group, Inc., 6420 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
90048-5515. Periodicals Postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and additional
43 . . . . . Paradigm mailing offices. Canada Publications Mail Sales Agreement No.
27 . . . . . Elan Phone (905) 632-0180 40008153. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Deutsche Post
Phone (877) 289-3526 GM, 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. Subscription rates for
www.paradigm.ca one year (12 issues): U.S., APO, FPO and U.S. Possessions $23.94,
elanhomesystems.com Canada $36.94 (price includes surface mail postage to Canada and GST-
reg. no. 87209 3125 RT0001). All other countries $38.94 per year. POST-
115. . . . . Parts Express MASTER: Please send address changes to Home Theater, P.O. Box
16 . . . . . Elite Home Theater Phone (800) 338-0531 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.
Phone (604) 575-8310 www.parts-express.com Mailing Lists: From time to time, we make our subscriber list available
www.elitehts.com to companies that sell goods and services by mail that we believe
would be of interest to our readers. If you would rather not receive
C3 . . . . . Polk Audio such mailings, please send your current mailing label or an exact copy
to: Home Theater, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 420235, Palm
69 . . . . . Ethereal Cable Phone (410) 764-5275 Coast, FL 32142-0235.
Phone (866) 839-9187 www.polkaudio.com Subscription Service: Should you wish to change your address or
www.etherealhometheater.com order new subscriptions, you can do so by writing to: Home Theater,
P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.

Information listed in this index is done so as a courtesy. Publisher is not liable for incorrect information or excluded listings. Advertisers should contact their sales representative to correct or update listing.
 CURTAIN CALL
What Do You Stand For?
T
he world of home theater features a vast array of confus-
ing terms and concepts. But the industry is aware of the
problem and has attempted to remedy it by offering con-
sumers a vast array of confusing acronyms instead. Try to
sort through these on your own, and you’ll likely end up
frustrated, angry, and, if things go very poorly, grimy, oil-
covered, and hungry. (Not likely, I admit, but it’s best to
be prepared.) To help you avoid such an end, I offer this,
my Guide to Understanding Home Theater Acronyms,
or GUHTA, (pronounced just like the Dutch cheese).
ATSC: Advanced Television Systems Committee, the
international organization responsible for establishing
digital broadcast standards, or sometimes, Always Take
notice of Spouse’s Command. The latter refers to the
wisdom of heeding a wife’s strong advice that you not
bring “those damn ugly speakers into my living room
where they’ll clash with the settee that I just had reuphol-
stered, in case I have to remind you!”
CRT: Cathode-Ray Tube, or the Condescension and
Rudeness Treatment, referring to the training program
required of all salesmen who work at those snobby audio
“salons.” You know, the frequently damp-smelling little
stores that peddle audio cables as thick as dryer hoses and
cement pucks that you place on your CD transport to
reduce jitter. The ones where you’re likely to hear a sales-
man say, “Sure, you can buy that low-end receiver…if you
hate music and want to make it sound like a cat mauling a
scratching post. If you want Trane and Bird and Lady Day
to sound like they’re coming out of a cracker box. If
you want Beethoven to sound like Bartók. Then, by
all means, buy that Japanese home
theater receiver.”
DPL: Dolby Pro Logic, the
surround sound decoding
scheme, or, occasionally,
Digital Panty Lines, a play
on the term “visible panty
lines,” or VPL. The Digital
Panty Lines algorithm
allows the user to decrease
(or increase, if that’s your
thing) the severity of visible
panty lines in older television
122 Home Theater / April 2006 > www.hometheatermag.com
by Michael j. Nelson
shows and movies, especially those from the 1970s star-
ring Lauren Hutton or Mary Tyler Moore.
DSP: Digital Signal Processing, or sometimes Devious
Subwoofer Purchase. This refers to any subwoofer
upgrade done while one’s spouse is out of town, which,
when later noticed by the aforementioned spouse, is
then explained away with a “What, that? No, that’s the
same sub we’ve always had.”
HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface, or, on
occasion, Hotly Debated Movie Interlocution. For exam-
ple, conversations between two people trying to decide
whether to rent Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Deuce
Bigalow: European Gigolo. Also, very, very rarely Hot
Damn! Meat Insurance! (Meaning and origin unknown.)
LFE: Low-Frequency Effects, the .1 in 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1
surround sound schemes. Or, Lousy Friggin’ Electronics,
a standard epithet frequently uttered when one is twisted
in half and bent double, braced with one hand against the
wall, the other trying to thread speaker cable into the
little tiny hole that is one-half inch underneath the other
little tiny hole in the binding post of one’s receiver while
attempting to tighten it with the same hand.
PCM: Pulse Code Modulation, or Piece of Crap Movie,
as in, “The only movie left at the video store is Constantine,
but I wouldn’t see that PCM again if it were a choice
between that and death by hanging!”
SACD: Super Audio Compact Disc, Sony’s high-
bandwidth music CD. Or, often, Sadly Antiquated Control
Device. For example, that faux-wood-grain Fisher receiver
you bought when you were 17, through which you
endlessly listened to your Supertramp Breakfast in
America 8-track.
THD: Total Harmonic Distortion. Also, Totally Hosed,
Dude, a common phrase heard when attempting to return
a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc, or, extremely rarely, Dave’s
Vertical Donut) player to the 18-year-old clerk at a big-
box retail store when the player is one day out of warranty.
* Michael J. Nelson is the former host and head writer of
Illustration by Joe Goebel
Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the author of three
books, most recently the novel Death Rat! (HarperCollins).
He has contributed commentary tracks for Fox’s re-release of
Reefer Madness, as well as the classics Night of the Living
Dead and Carnival of Souls.
 Five surround sound channels.
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For The Complete Story Behind
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