Internet & Home Theater News

by | Jul 4, 2005 | Audio News | 0 comments

Supreme Court Rulings Support Corporate Interests – Life is
going to be more difficult for Internet independents due to two Supreme
Court decisions last week which squash products that compete against
Hollywood and telecommunication giants. The ACLU argued that the
rulings portend a scenario where broadband giants  control web
sites, email and Internet phone services – turning the Internet away
from its role as an inexpensive forum for public expression accessible
to independent voices.

Hollywood Not Suffering Due to Less Movie Attendance
– A recent
survey said that three out of four Americans prefer to watch movies at
home rather than in a theater. Not a surprise with the cost of
big-screen TVs coming down and the ease of achieving just as good or
better sound with them in the home than in a typical theater.  For
many people who seldom hit the theatrical venues, Tuesday night is
opening night, because that’s when the new DVDs become available for
rent or sale. And home-viewing will become an even better experience
when hi-def DVDs come on the scene at the end of this year.

Is this destroying Hollywood? Not by a long shot. Many movies today
make much more money from DVD sales and rentals around the world than
from the original theatrical showings.  Then there are showings on
HBO or Showtime premium channels. And don’t forget that the owners of
some of those studios also own consumer electronics corporations who
make the gear on which you might be watching their DVDs.  So
don’t  believe Hollywood is in a slump due just to box office
receipts. 

Sony Introduces Pseudo-Surround Platinum DVD System
– Speaking of
one of those consumer electronics companies, Sony has developed their
2.1 channel surround sound DAV-X1 Platinum DVD Dream System. It uses a
proprietary front surround technology to separation of signals between
front, center and rear channels from only two front speakers and a
powered subwoofer. The DVD/SACD player uses an HDMI interface with a
display and offers video upscaling to 720p or 1080i resolution. 
Another system, the DAV-FX100W Dream System, features wireless
technology for the floor-standing surround speakers, a 1000-watt
digital amp system, and a five-disc slot-loading changer mechanism in
the DVD/SACD player.

Pioneer Includes Multichannel Calibration in HT Systems
– Pioneer
has launched (so far only in Asia) a new series of home theater systems
with their Multichannel Acoustic Calibration System. A supplied mike
automatically measures the soundfield and electrically equalizes the
speaker distances, timbre and sound pressure levels for a smoother and
more even surround field. Another option is Direct-Diffuse technology,
which allows placing the surround speakers atop the front speakers and
delivering surround sound thru wall and ceiling reflections.

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