April 2004

Features CES Showstoppers The biggest Consumer Electronics Show      Video       Huge-screen plasma TVs and OLED displays caught our attention.      Convergence                  TVs with printers and PC games without a PC. It was that crazy.      Audio       Amps go digital, and so does Gibson’s high-tech Wurlitzer jukebox. First Look: Va-Va-Voom! HDTV owners rejoice! The Voom satellite service delivers the most high-def channels anywhere, anytime. Home Theater Made Easy Ready to go in minutes: home theater packages from Denon, Panasonic, and Pioneer, each with a special twist. Top 6 A/V Urban Legends Exposed! Heard the one about the leaky plasma TV? We dispel a few home theater myths with hard facts. Spotlight: You’re Surrounded! Midprice speakers from JBL, Phase Technology, and Sapphire that envelop you with sound.

Test Reports Panasonic  PT-AE500U HDTV front projector Hitachi DV-RX5000U DVD recorder Onkyo TX-NR901 digital surround receiver Marantz Exclusive!  DV6400 universal DVD/SACD player User’s Report: Escient Exclusive! FireBall DVDM-100 DVD and music manager Quick Take  Table radios from Boston Acoustics, Cambridge SoundWorks, and Teac Quick Take  Antex SRX-3 TriplePlay Sirius satellite receiver The Cutting Edge  Time-Shifting Manna from Heaven Dish Network’s DVR 921 HDTV receiver/recorder

Entertainment Movies Seabiscuit, City of God, American Wedding, Thirteen, Matchstick Men, more Music Norah Jones, Courtney Love, Starsailor, Probot, remixing Led Zeppelin and James Taylor, more Games Final Fantasy XI Online, Max Payne 2, NFL Street, Mission: Impossible, Deus Ex, more

Departments Track One Bob Ankosko A note from the editor Random Play DVD-Audio and SACD news, car navigation options, 15 minutes with Nelly Furtado, more Feedback Readers sound off New Products The latest home-entertainment gear Q&A Ian G. Masters Ask the expert Tech Talk David Ranada Blu’s clues Digital Horizons Ken C. Pohlmann The schizoid gizmo guy The Custom Installer John Sciacca How to install an IR repeater Road Gear Mike Mettler Mobile showstoppers S&V Picks TV goes DVD with Dick Van Dyke, Wiseguy, more

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