video-magazine-1995-10

["IFTHE SOUND ISEARTH SHATTERIN KG .5 System KG 3.5 System Enjoy the most exciting home theater experience imaginable - no matter what your space or budget! A favorite of audio enthusiasts for more than 50 years, Klipsch speakers are uniquely designed to deliver the essential elements of true home theater sound. High efficiency, broad dynamics with low distortion, controlled directivity and flat frequency response come together for accurate and powerful music and movie soundtrack reproduction. Each system is endowed with specific performance attributes, like the award winning Klipsch THX\u00ae System or the epic series featuring a D\u2019 Appolito driver configuration and world famous Klipsch horn technology. If you want audio and home theater sound that\u2019s so real you can feel it, visit your local authorized Klipsch dealer for a demonstration. Or call our toll free number for the name of the dealer nearest you. Klipsch: 1-800-KLIPSCH The Legend Continues... epic series CF1 System Klipsch THX\u00ae System Corporate Offices and Customer Service: 8900 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1220 Indianapolis, Indiana U.S.A. 46240 1-800-KLIPSCH * FAX (317) 581-3199 *Manufacturer\u2019s Suggested Promotional Price. Made in America since 1945 \u00a9 1995 Klipsch Inc. CIRCLE NO. 70 ON READER SERVICE CARD","My, how they\u2019ve grown. semana ie nae Soe Our Diamond Vision Stadium Screen, seen exclusively at 26 of the nation\u2019s top Seiteeex an stadiums, is among the largest television images ever created (over 50 million sports :j fans a year watch one, so it helps to be big). MITSUBISHI Like its big brother, our 40-inch Our 145 2-sq. ft. Diamond Vision\u00ae Stadium Screen. tube TV is the only one of its kind, and the largest tube TV you can buy, made exclusively by Mitsubishi. With a screen size of 768 square inches\u2014a full 31% bigger than a 35-inch and an overwhelming 120% bigger than a 27-inch-\u2014it brings the action from the stadium right into your living room. at birth? But size is just part of the story. Our 40-inch television also has a brighter picture, higher contrast, and a longer life than just about anything else out there. To own a Diamond Vision Screen, you'd have to buy your own stadium. But for considerably less, you can experience Diamond Vision excitement on the world\u2019s only 40-inch tube TV. The only place you can buy our remarkable 40-inch TV is at an authorized Mitsubishi dealer. For the location of one in your area, please call 1-800-937-0000, Ext. 843. =\u2019. MITSUBISHI Our home version, the world\u2019s only 40-inch tube TV. THE BIG SCREEN COMPANY\u2122 CIRCLE NO. 52 ON READER SERVICE CARD","i Sh3 ANPLINER - Music Video NHT\u2019s VT-2 system is a stellar performer HOME THEATER HAS GALLOPED INTO A PERIOD OF for front, center, or surround use), two maturity that we might refer to as its Golden Age. Though dedicated center-channel speakers, a the action is frenetic regarding DSS packages, AC-3 quasi-dipole surround, and three pow- surround sound, and the upcoming DVD, the dust has ered subwoofer models. Each speaker largely settled in the speaker domain. Clever manufacturers have is finished in a durable, formica-like learned to design speakers that are capable, flexible, and practical black laminate. For this review, NHT for home theater. From Radio Shack\u2019s $300-a-pair Pro LX5 sent me the best of the bunch, -includ- satellites to five-figure multichannel surround systems from JBL, ing a pair of VT-2 towers ($1,750 a pair), the VS-2 center ($450), one Snell, Vandersteen, and others, high- middle ground. Neither budget system SW3P powered subwoofer ($1,350), performance speakers in all price nor assault on the state-of-the-art, it and a pair of HDP-1 quasi-dipole sur- ranges await the intrepid home-theater simply performs like gangbusters. rounds ($380 a pair). At $3,930, the builder. NHT\u2019s VT-2 Audio\/Video Ref- system is far from inexpensive, so my erence System seeks home theater\u2019s NHT\u2019s home-theater line includes expectations were high. two tower models, a satellite (suitable A deceptively large speaker, the VT-2 is, in effect, two separate speakers that share a single enclosure. A sealed, BY ANTHONY CHIARELLA","shielded midrange\/tweeter subassem- rectly below the front speaker grille, scribed above). And that appears to be bly occupies the upper portion of the and it offers two modes\u2014vIDEO and good advice. While I enjoyed the large, slender front baffle, while a ported, AUDIO. While AUDIO delivers the pre- side-firing woofer utilizes the remain- cise image focus that audiophiles de- diffuse soundfield vIDEO conveyed, in der of the enclosure. Four feet tall and mand, VIDEO diffuses the soundfield a mere 7.75 inches wide, the VT-2\u2019s el- and de-localizes individual images in my home theater system, where the egant face belies the fact that this order to minimize \u201ccognitive disso- speaker is a substantial 18 inches deep nance,\u201d a phenomena whereby the lis- VT-2s stood right next to a 50-inch and weighs a hefty 66 pounds. tener perceives an audio image as dis- rear-projector, I found that AUDIO grant- proportionately large compared to the Two significant physical characteris- ed sharper steering of Dolby Pro Logic tics\u2014the location of the woofer and Unlike many tweeter\u2014differentiate the left and right speakers, NHT\u2019s elements, greater focus, and more in- models in a pair: Mirror-imaged for op- front trio timal treble focus, each speaker should held together volving special effects. (The lack of be set up so that its tweeter is closest to across a wide woofer shielding had no effect on my the inside edge of the front baffle and seating area. its woofer is facing out at the closest TV\u2019s picture.) side wall when you\u2019re looking at the video image. Say the VT-2s are placed, Designed to accompany the VT-2, the speaker from its front. The VT-2 sits on for reasons of performance or decor, a conical metal feet; cables connect to good distance to either side of a mid- VS-2 employs the same midrange\/ five-way, bi-wirable binding posts. size to small TV set (one with a 32- inch or smaller screen); if a character in tweeter array as its big brother. Though If you want your home theater to do a movie fires a gun, cognitive disso- as well with music-only programs as it nance may cause the acoustic image of its acoustic-suspension enclosure, does with movies and other video pro- the gunshot to sound more like\u2019a can- grams, know that the positioning of the non shot. NHT tames this phenomena which measures 7.75 x 19 x 8 inches system\u2019s main speakers will have a sig- by letting you change the slope of the nificant effect on the system\u2019s perfor- VT-2\u2019s crossover: The AUDIO-mode (h\/w\/d), is somewhat larger than the av- mance\u2014and that finding a single loca- slope of 12 dB per octave drops to 6 dB erage center-channel speaker (especial- tion that enables the mains to perform per octave with VIDEO. optimally in both types of listening ly in the width category), the VS-2 fit scenarios (video and audio) can be dif- The VT-2\u2019s owner\u2019s manual suggests ficult. The problem is that the imaging that the VIDEO mode works best when just fine on top of my 50-inch rear-pro- requirements differ for home theater used with smaller TVs, where the and \u201cstraight\u201d audio. NHT\u2019s solution to speakers are placed relatively far from jector. : this dilemma is to empower VT-2 own- the set\u2019s sides (as in the scenario de- ers with the ability to optimize the Sonically, the VT-2 and VS-2 are cut speaker for either scenario with a sim- ple flick of a switch. from the same cloth. Smooth, dynamic, The switch in question is located di- and utterly revealing, these speakers leave little to be desired\u2014even after re- peated exposures to the best their com- petition has to offer. I was especially impressed by the NHTs\u2019 uncommon ability to maintain a balanced tonal presentation across a wide seating area. In short, you can comfortably fit a large number of people into these speakers\u2019 sweet spot. (NHT recom- mends three VS-2s for those putting to- gether an AC-3-based home theater.) Is such a large center-channel speaker necessary? In answer, I\u2019ll point out that the center speaker is responsible for handling the bulk of a movie\u2019s dialogue and that, with Dolby Pro Logic, as much as 70 percent of the total audio signal is routed through the center channel. This evidence indicates that you need a good center speaker. Most people can\u2019t accommodate a large floor-standing center speaker, of course. Given the VS-2\u2019s broad fre- quency response (75\u201421,000 Hz +3 dB), natural tonal balance, impressive power handling, and thunderous output capabilities, it\u2019s a remarkably versatile performer that sounds bigger than its size suggests. Home-theater builders should find that it\u2019s a natural for center- channel duty, and its admittedly extra- wide stance should only stick out on TVs with 30-inch or smaller screens. Images produced by the VT-2\/VS-2 trio were wonderfully delineated. Voices, music, and sound effects were presented with startling accuracy. Fine details were reproduced so well that the NHTs could serve as a reference for 52 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","speakers that tend to bury details. If the SW3P and your satellites. whisper pressed to describe the character that And the SW3P\/SA-3 combination they impose upon the final perfor- awwhisper mance, I\u2019d say that their presentation is definitely added something to block- up-front and immediate, with a slightly busters like Jurassic Park and True @ forward quality in the upper midrange Lies. Try the scene in Jurassic Park (explaining, at least in part, their em- where you see the puddle in the T. whisper phasis of fine details). Rex\u2019s footprint rippling before you hear whisper the monstrous rumble of his approach. Note that the VT-2s needed more am- My epiphany came when I added the Now with plification than their 88-dB\/W\/m sensi- SW3P\/SA-3 to a strict audiophile mu- nhanced Sound Circuitry tivity rating would suggest. Even at sic system: They provided plenty of moderate levels, a 100-watt-per-chan- low bass, but didn\u2019t muddle the airy, Introducing the nel receiver couldn\u2019t keep pace with the open sound of my satellites. There was VT-2s\u2019 dynamic demands. Clearly, no unwelcome boominess or over- VOLUME STABILIZER\u2122 quality as well as quantity is needed in hang\u2014just quick, powerful, pitch-de- terms of power\u2014as I found when I re- fined bass to the bottom of the audio that lets you hear the whispers placed the receiver with a standalone spectrum. In-room measurements and stops you from preamp and a 120-watt-per-channel showed that the sub stayed flat down to power amplifier. The benefit to NHT\u2019s 24 Hz. cringing at the bangs. moderately power-hungry design is that It\u2019s an innovative, low cost solution these speakers are capable of an exhila- The system is fleshed out by the to home video volume control prob- rating dynamic range. From the soft HDP-1 quasi-dipole surround speakers. lems because it automatically sound of raindrops hitting the surface The HDP-1, which measures 9.25 x increases the volume of the audio of a puddle to the shattering of a win- 5.75 x 5.75 inches (h\/w\/d), is testimony source during soft passages and dowpane and the colossal train wreck in to NHT\u2019s penchant for unique design reduces volume during loud pas- The Fugitive, the VT-2s present the to- solutions. As opposed to typical dipole sages. You'll hear every word of tality of a song or a movie sequence surrounds, wherein a woofer-plus- dialogue and every bar of music with an uncanny sense of proportion. tweeter pairing is located on the speak- while the VOLUME STABILIZER Given a high-quality large-scale sound- er\u2019s front and rear baffles, the HDP-1 softens the sounds that are track and sufficient amplification, the uses a single 3-inch cone driver front normally too loud. NHTs\u2019 prowess can be both intoxicat- and rear plus one 4.5-inch woofer posi- Whether you use a satellite dish, a ing and addictive. To use the VT-2s un- tioned directly below a custom mount- home theater system, or just a der such circumstances is like holding ing bracket on the side baffle. Since the VCR, you can put the remote con- the keys to a new Lamborghini: The HDP-1 is meant to be hung (using the trol aside. Now with four models to power is yours to unleash at will. bracket) opposite the listening position choose from. on a room\u2019s side wall, with about an The VT-2 also impresses with serious inch between the speaker and the wall, Call or write for our low-frequency extension and impact\u2014 the woofer and the wall generate \u201cslot- so much so that I honestly don\u2019t know loaded\u201d bass down to about 100 Hz. FREE who might need a powered subwoofer The overall effect was airy and envelop- (even one as capable as the SW3P ing, as it should be\u2014and fully the equal paper on \u201cDynamic Range; turned out to be). The VT-2s are rated of the better bipolar or dipolar designs When less is more.\u201d to go down to 25 Hz and, in my 35- I\u2019ve heard. foot-long room, were only 3-dB down CSNO6RO2IEANE.RRACVDLIEECRE at 28 Hz. Some video and audio pro- NHT\u2019S SYSTEM PROVED EXTREMELY SAT- grams contain information below 28 For more information ask your dealer or Hz, of course, but do you need to hear it isfying, whether I was enjoying sur- call or write: so bad that you\u2019ll spend the money on, and devote precious living space to, a round-encoded movies or selections Technolog subwoofer? from my music collection. The VT-2 2035 Carraige Hill Road If you answered an immediate, rabid Allison Park, PA 15101-3350 \u201cyes!\u201d to that question, know that the towers provide a strong sonic presenta- SW3P subwoofer is ready to take you 1-800-366-9290 all the way down. Note that the SW3P tion, but do a fine job with subtle de- is actually a passive subwoofer that In Mexico call 525-669-4999 comes with the SA-3 amplifier\/cross- tails and timbres. The VS-2 center\/ over. The SW3P takes a 12-inch driver and houses it in the front baffle of a 19- satellite speaker is the ideal comple- inch cube. The SA-3 incorporates a 250-watt-rated power amp and controls ment. The HDP-1s would be a fine ad- for high- and low-pass crossovers as well as phase and level circuits. These dition to any system, and they\u2019re an es- controls add flexibility to the system, as they let you find an ideal blend between pecially good match with the VT-2s and VS-2. And the SW-3P\/SA-3 combo can ably fill in virtually all of the bottom octaves in any system that lacks them. Taken together, the system is even greater than the sum of its all-around excellent parts. Considering their im- peccable quality and honest value, these are the home-theater speakers I\u2019d recommend to a friend. @ VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 53","SEP TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN rs 9: GOP 3: 30P 10: 00P Iw OT Math ... Who Needs It?! Sharp\u2019s 35VX-G2000 combines a 35-inch TV Math ... Who Needs It?! with a Hi-Fi VCR {MON 3: OOP 1 hour A large number of people with exciting Jobs use math every day in their work. mEducation. (CC) BeBioWeeteeeresnee GED HOETEGS) ce. GD) (7: 25P) [MON SEP 7 SHARP \u201cElSaTj \u2018 \u2018 \u2018Vs AND VCRS ARE INSEPARABLY LINKED. THEY GO and equipped VCR runs about $550 these days, we can loosely peg the cost of the together like Tracy and Hepburn, Michael Douglas 35VX\u2019s TV portion at about $1,829\u2014 the entry point, give or take a few wey victim roles, Inspector Clouseau and \u201cminkeys.\u201d In the late bucks, for a 35-incher. Clearly, Sharp wasn\u2019t trying to break any performance \u2014 80s, manufacturers started building these two components benchmarks with the 35VX. Conve- nience and good basic performance are into a single chassis, and they never looked back. Most early its design goals. TV\/VCRs were portables with small screens and only a few The 35VX looks no bigger than most 35-inch TV sets; it measures 28.25 x features, and they were usually found in the trunks of cars owned 31.75 x 22.4 inches (h\/w\/d). The VCR is built into the bottom and sits in be- by salespeople. Now larger screens and a generous array of tween the forward-facing stereo speak- ers. A round power switch is located convenience and performance features method. Both can be operated by a sin- just to the left of the VCR tape slot, are commonplace, so the TV\/VCR gle remote. Some space savings are and a set of A\/v input jacks are located seems like a viable alternative to a sep- usually apparent. And some cost sav- just below it. The basic VCR transport arate TV and VCR in even relatively ings should be apparent, too, since the controls are located to the right of the sophisticated home-theater systems. manufacturer can use fewer materials tape well. Below them, four red LED No other TV\/VCR makes this claim as to finish the product. One obvious status lights indicate power\/wake-up strongly as Sharp\u2019s 35VX-G2000, downside: You'll lose the services of timer, recording, program timer, and both components if one needs fixing. TAMPER PROOF activation (more on that which has a 35-inch screen, a four- But we\u2019re also wondering whether this in a bit). A flip-down panel below the head Hi-Fi VCR, and a decoder for combo product cuts some corners com- tape well offers buttons for record, vol- StarSight\u2019s on-screen program-guide pared to otherwise similar, but sepa- ume, and channel up\/down plus micro- subscription service. rate, TVs and VCRs. With these processor RESET. thoughts in mind, I gave the 35VX- The on-paper benefits of the G2000 ($2,379) a thorough evaluation. TV\/VCR concept are pretty convinc- ing: The components are pre-connect- Considering that a StarSight- ed, utilizing a direct, high-quality BY CLIFF ROTH","Since the 35VX has only one tuner, it can only be deactivated by entering a FACE WiIaiit S&S you can\u2019t watch one program while PIN-type code. recording another. And there\u2019s no PIP BASIC WIS feature\u2014an unusual omission for a The set\u2019s on-screen menu is accessed screen this big. The basic audio system by pressing the remote\u2019s MENU button. VUPYPCIVItUre includes the built-in speakers men- There are 11 choices from this main tioned previously, an amplifier that\u2019s menu: CLOSED CAPTION, TIMER, VIDEO Ken Crane\u2019s Is The Largest rated to deliver 5 watts per channel, ADJUST, AUDIO ADJUST, REPEAT PLAY, Laser Disc Mail Order and a simple ambience synthesizer CLOCK, AIR\/CABLE, LANGUAGE, PB BLUE that\u2019s conveniently accessible from the BACK, CH MEMORY, and CH SEARCH. The Retailer In The U.S. remote. timer can be set to the WAKE UP or SLEEP mode, with the latter adjustable We Stock Setup is simple. You just plug in the to 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes. VIDEO Every Title! single AC cord, attach an antenna, and ADJUST accesses the basic picture con- youre in business. You can also plug in trols (more on them in a bit). The Au- - Fastest Availability On New Titles! a cable-TV lead, of course\u2014a \u201ccable DIO ADJUST menu turns the set\u2019s speak- * Most Orders Shipped Same Day! mouse\u201d is on hand to change channels ers on and off and has TREBLE, BASS, * 20% Discount On All Titles! on a cable box. Other back-panel con- BALANCE, and RESET adjustments. The * Free 2nd Day Air UPS Shipping nections include one S-Video input and REPEAT PLAY menu offers three choic- one RCA A\/V input set, one line-level eS\u2014OFF, TAPE BLANK, and TAPE END. In The Continental U.S.A. A\/V output set, an audio output, and an The AIR\/CABLE menu has three cable * Visa, Mastercard, Discover, IR input for the cable mouse. choices\u2014STD, HRC, and IRC. LANGUAGE AMEX, Checks, And C.O.D. can be set to English, Spanish, or * $1.50 Handling Charge The remote control has a nice layout French. PB BLUE BACK, similar to an LD and comfortable feel. There are two player\u2019s \u201ctheater\u201d mode, displays a Per Order Shipped. sets of cursor controls\u2014one for basic blue screen and mutes the audio when operation, the other for the handy Star- no video signal is detected or the VCR O%NOW SAVE Sight system. The StarSight controls let hits an extended stretch of blank tape. you navigate the guide\u2019s program grid; The CHANNEL MEMORY and CHANNEL Suggested Retail On seven other buttons access other Star- SEARCH functions don\u2019t work when Sight functions. [For details on Star- StarSight is activated. \u00ab Every Pre-Ordered Sight, see \u201cIn-Sight,\u201d page 65.] The re- New Release mote\u2019s INTRO SCAN buttons, located For those who choose not to sub- behind a slide-down panel, let you au- scribe to StarSight, the built-in timer * Every Title In Stock tomatically scan the first 5 seconds of system can record up to five events. In \u00a2 Every Back-Order each program on a multi-program tape; addition to the channel number you this feature also displays the day, time, want to record, you can also select a Includes FREE and channel number of each recording, 2nd Day Air Shipping handy if you don\u2019t immediately recog- source (by entering an A\/V input) and a nize a program. The nearby TAMPER tape speed. Daily, weekly, Monday to PROOF button activates a lock that can Friday, and Monday to Saturday op- be used to keep kids or other mischie- tions are available; the remote\u2019s CON- vous types from changing your pro- FIRM button will access a display indi- gramming commands; once activated, cating your programming choices. A menu system is provided for basic VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 55 PHONE US AT... 1-800-624-3078 1-800-626-1768 1-714-892-8369 (Fax Number) ForA Free Catalog Write Or Visit Our SuperStore Ken Crane\u2019s LaserDisc 15251 Beach Blvd. . Westminster, CA 92683 CIRCLE NO. 37 ON READER SERVICE CARD","Plug In... picture setup, but it\u2019s pretty cumber- ToThe Toshiba Home some. To get to the basic picture con- Theater Seminar. trols, you have to use a separate set of Presented In Conjunction With Video Magazine. plus\/minus buttons to scroll down to Horizontal resolution: TV, 400 lines; VCR, VIDEO ADJUST, then press SET to go into 240 lines ty oe a sub-menu, then scroll to your op- sture S\/N (VCR): unweighted video, 45.4 B (SP), 40.9 dB (EP); weighted video, & tions\u2014PICTURE, COLOR, BRIGHT(ness), 8 dB (SP), 48.4 dB (EP); chroma AM, \u2014 TINT, SHARP(ness), F. COLOR (for \u201cflesh color\u201d), or RESET\u2014then press SET for 6.3 dB (SP), 42.8 dB (EP); chroma PM, \u2014 2 dB (SP), 42.7 (EP) If You Want The Home the item you want to adjust, and, finally, r temperature: before calibration, use the plus\/minus buttons to make the 0\u00b0 K; after calibration, 6,775\u00b0 K one adjustment. To get to another picture en brightness: before adjustment, control, you have to renavigate the en- 5 footlamberts; after adjustment, You Need Some Home tire menu. One bright spot: Each pic- ture parameter uses a handy numerical scale. : Toshiba is hitting the road with one of The model I evaluated was a prepro- the most exciting educational programs ever. Toshiba Home Theater Seminars will duction prototype. Using the A Video that darker scenes would appear more guide you through every aspect of select- blue than lighter scenes. The unit was ing, purchasing and setting up a Home Standard test disc, I set PICTURE to 50, also producing 51.5 footlamberts of COLOR to 66, BRIGHT to 32, TINT to 40, light. Calibration brought the tempera- eater System. Free gifts and refresh- ture down to 6,775 degrees K, and we ments will,be offered to all participants, and SHARP to its 0 mark. F. COLOR has adjusted light output down to 18 foot- plus the chance to win exciting prizes. three settings\u2014RED, NORMAL, and BLUE. lamberts (50 on the PICTURE setting). At \u201c(H9o:m0e0-T1h0e:a0tAe0Mr) 101\u201d- The RED position made all fleshtones this point, the 35VX tracked the gray scale fairly well, and these adjustments If you're new to home theater and look similar, while BLUE gave a bluer, increased vertical resolution from 400 need a better understanding of the key to 500 lines. In addition, color rendi- concepts, please join us at for this I- cooler cast to the image. To my eye, tion was noticeably improved, though dot crawl was still evident. our introductory session. Then stay for NORMAL did the best job of producing a the full course which starts at 10:30 AM. The audio system was average for an variety of believable fleshtones, though entry-model big-screen TV, as I discov- ered when I popped in a VHS copy of there was slightly less variation than Lifestyles of the Ramones and cranked the volume all the way up to maximum I\u2019ve seen with some other sets. At this for their 1978 hit, \u201cI Wanna Be Sedat- point, over-the-air TV looked very ed.\u201d Even at top volume, the sound filled the room and was undistorted, good, VHS tapes looked only decent at but, like most TV sound systems, it was thin and tinny sounding; raising the the sp speed (and a notch below that at bass setting to near maximum (it start- ed distorting at the top setting) im- \u201cBuying and anding Your EP), and laserdiscs looked good. proved things somewhat, but optimal Home Tb seie seco\\\" tonal balance was still lacking. As al- (10AM:-13:000PM) Though the set\u2019s color decoder ways, you need a separate surround- sound system if you want truly good The ultimate home theater seminar. seemed only average, the screen\u2019s ge- audio performance. Those back-panel Industry experts will take you through variable audio outputs make that a sim- the essentials of audio and video technol- ometry was very good. Convergence ple and convenient task. ogy, with special emphasis on making the nehchoices in selecting and using today\u2019s seemed reasonably tight, too, consider- sophisticated home theater components. ing the screen size. Jitter rendered pic- tures virtually unviewable in the VCR\u2019s pause and slow-motion modes; this problem should be ironed out in full production models. Course Tuition Of$15 Covers One Or Both Seminars. It\u2019s tough to overstate the impact a big screen makes. You fall under its All Seminars Take Place on Saturday Mornings spell even when you\u2019re watching noth- Date Location Retailer ing but a talking head\u2014when viewed September 16 Detroit ABC Appliance on a 35-incher, David Brinkley and Dan September 30 Seattle Incredible Universe October 14 Hartford _Bernie\u2019s Rather have an imposing, Wizard of October 21 Denver The Big Picture October 28 Nationwide Various Oz-like bearing that makes the news November 4 Houston Videoland November 11 Omaha Nebraska Furniture Mart scarier than it normally is. Close-ups on sex symbols can be amazingly seduc- SIMPLICITY AND CONVENIENCE ARE tive. Cityscapes and pastoral vistas in- really what the 35VX-G2000 is all vite or repel with unprecedented force. October 28: Special Nationwide Seminar Via about. It isn\u2019t a worldbeater in terms of Satellite Uplink To Over 200 Store Locations. Call 1-800-709-4400 For Details. And you better be prepared when you performance, but that\u2019s not what Sharp slap on a big action flick\u2014explosions, was after. What you get is good (not collisions, and melees can literally great) all-around performance, a huge Call 1-800-709-4400 rough you up. The 35VX offers this im- screen, and a Hi-Fi VCR with the op- |oyan oe-lelatercsoottervan mererteleynwatere! pact in spades. tion to add the extremely handy Star- Registration Information. TV calibrator (and VIDEO contribu- Sight program guide in one reasonably tor) Kevin Miller measured the 35VX\u2019s sized package for one very reasonable color temperature at 8,040 degrees price. Videophiles need not apply, but Kelvin (high output) and 10,150 de- anyone else might fall for the 35VX\u2019s Seminars Will Resume In January. grees K (low output), which indicated sheer bang-for-the-buck stance. | Call 1-800-709-4400 or Check 56 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO Stereo Review For 1996 Schedule.","Ever notice that the more a video VCR. Which is Digital Noise Reduction is played, the fuzzier the image especially impor- becomes? You've certainly noticed tant on big screen that old videos have more \u201csnow\u201d and projection than new videos. And until now, TVs. To sharpen the only thing you could do was sit quality further, the back and watch. M781 features 6 Toshiba introduces video heads and 2 Digital Noise Reduction audio heads. At 19 (DNR), microns wide, the \u201cSnow\u201d and interference seen on older, worn tapes. (Simulated picture) Toshiba's advanced DNR restores them to almost original condition. available ONE | video only on the Toshiba \u2122 heads are the that the M781 is the difference M781 VCR. The DNR world\u2019s narrowest, ensuring a between watching an old movie circuit examines clear signal. You could even say and enjoying a classic. DNR circuit - Take a close look at Digital Noise Reduction, the most advanced TthoeshbirbaainsM78b1e.hind the epiaccthuref,ramfiendsof tthhee noise elements and removes them video technology available. You'll - restoring old and worn tapes to see that it takes the worst video near their original clarity. It also on the shelf to demonstrate the sharpens dull, faded video images. TOSHIBAIn Touch with Tomorrow best VCR on the market. With the DNR circuit engaged, Until then, that warm, fuzzy the M781 offers the finest picture feeling should be telling you playback quality of any VHS Toshiba America Consumer Products, Inc., 82 Totowa Road, Wayne, NJ 07470 something. http:\/ (www. toshiba . com CIRCLE NO. 65 ON READER SERVICE CARD","LEFT. nee BiG SCREEN TV. > geuouen, PAG Nos (acs i MO aoewf e A ac A A ME \u2014a 4teCENTER 3Ss weoomoe beer F CASSE CHANNEL. meen emma ene nt DECK (AUZIO) LPALSAEYRER DI(SAK\/V) A~ CFcEaErDevi(sA\/rVe) . aWnar (VAnN,n C(PauBPiLoA)YER 72| (TAUUNDEIRO) Make Your Audio\/Video System The Best It Can Be. Whether designing the ideal home theater system or For instance, the B&K AVP 2000 A\/V Control Center making your present system even better, B&K amplifiers, offers eight simple-to-use personal memory presets that preamplifiers and audio\/video control centers with Dolby _allow you to easily customize your audio\/video system. Pro Logic* are the best investments you can make to A single command instantly gives you music, movies or guarantee that your entire system will be the best itcanbe. __ satellite, cable or TVbroadcasts tailored to bring you B&K components, recognized as the best in their class, optimum audio\/video performance. outperform receivers as well as similar components cost- Visit a B&K dealer today. You'll see and hear how ing considerably more. Their remarkable value is the result |B&K components can make your audio\/video system of B&K\u2019s uncompromising the best it can be. pontine csen B&K Audio\/Video Control Centers Call 1-800-543-5252 engineering and Feature Dolby Pro Logic \u00a2 Time Link manufacturing quality. for the dealer nearest you. * \u201cDolby\u201d and \u201cPro Logic\u201d are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. B& K Components Designed, Engineered and Made in the U.S.A. B&K Components, Ltd. * 2100 Old Union Road, Buffalo, NY 14227-2725 USA \u00ab In NY (716) 656-0026 * Fax: (716) 656-1291 CIRCLE NO. 27 ON READER SERVICE CARD","itachi\u2019s 32UX8B 32-inch direct-view TV ($1,099) com- bines UltraVision artificial-intelligence circuitry, an Ul- traBlack dynamic-focus picture tube, and a three-line digital comb filter. Other features include a multipage illuminated remote, trilingual on-screen displays, a Dolby Surround de- coder, a special speaker system, \u201cquick-freeze\u201d PIP, and an output jack for an optional 900-MHz wireless speaker trans- mitter. The set, which measures 26.3 x 31.1 x 22.3 inches (h\/w\/d), also features three A\/V jacks, including one S-Video input jack. Circle 104 on reader service card |\u201ddecent VSX-99 ($2,100) is the first A\/V receiver to incorporate a Dolby Surround AC-3 demodulator\/ decoder; Dolby Pro Logic and five DSP surround modes are also provided. The 99 has an AC-3 input, a coaxial digital-video input, and five gold-plated A\/V inputs, in- cluding two S-Video jacks and a front-panel set; preamp outputs are on hand for the center and sub channels. The 99 is rated to deliver 100 watts into each of five channels in surround mode. Features include multi- room\/multisource control with an input for an IR-re- peater. Circle 105 on reader service card amaha\u2019s DDP-1 ($599) is the first standalone Dolby Surround AC-3 decoder\/demodulator. The processor is equipped with optical digital, coaxial, and RF inputs. Fea- tures include a test-tone generator, variable surround- and center-channel delay, separate level controls for the left and right surround speakers, and a variable low-frequency- effects (LFE) filter for each channel. Digital signals pass through 20-bit D\/A converters before they hit the DDP-1\u2019s outputs. Circle 106 on reader service card C ambridge SoundWorks\u2019 Ensemble IV home-theater speaker package ($380) is said to be ideal for movie buffs or music lovers on a budget. Compatible with Dolby Pro Logic surround-sound systems, the En- semble IV consists of five identical satellites and a pas- sive (nonpowered) bass module. The magnetically shielded satellites measure a mere 4 x 4 x 3.6 inches (h\/w\/d) and house a 3-inch driver. The bass module mea- sures only 6.5 x 8 x 12 inches (h\/w\/d) and houses a 5.75- inch long-throw woofer with dual voice coils. Circle 107 on reader service card VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 59","mod quad > W idikron\/Faroudja\u2019s VP-400 line-quadrupler ($20,000) is said to convert a conventional 525-line interlaced NTSC signal into a progressively scanned 2,100-line-per- frame signal without showing any scan lines. The 400 in- corporates a Super-NTSC decoder, special comb filters, dot-crawl and hanging-dot error correction, and band- width-expansion circuitry. It can accept multiple NTSC- composite, Y\/C, and\/or composite video input and output signals in the RGB or TTL Multi-Sync format. A high-scan- rate monitor is required. Circle 108 on reader service card < a plug for processing MC\u2019s AV81HT-THX A\/V preamplifier\/surround-sound | processor ($1,200) is THX-certified. Processing modes include Dolby Pro Logic and THX\u2019s enhancement of Pro Logic. Four video inputs, eight audio inputs, three video out- puts, and six audio outputs (including one subwoofer output; all are buffered unity-gain types) are on tap. The compo- nent\u2019s modular design allows processing upgrades; a plug-in Dolby Surround AC-3 decoder module should be available \u2014 sometime this fall. Circle 109 on reader service card dolby double > enon\u2019s AVP-8000 A\/V preamplifier\/tuner\/processor ($3,500) performs Dolby Surround AC-3 as well as Dolby Pro Logic decoding and is THX-certified for both surround methods. All surround processing is performed in the digital domain. Eleven video inputs and outputs are on tap, including 10 S-Video jacks. Signals passing through any of the nine audio inputs are processed by 20- bit A\/D converters. A special RF input accepts the corre- sponding output from an AC-3-ready laserdisc player. The 8000's left, center, right, and subwoofer outputs employ 20-bit D\/A converters, while the rear channels employ 18- bit D\/A converters. Circle 110 on reader service card < on trak \u2122 CA\u2019s F35673MB 35-inch direct-view TV set ($1,499), which is new to the ColorTrak Plus line, is loaded with convenience features. Commercial Skip uses a timer to let you channel-surf during commercial breaks, taking you back to the original channel at a user-defined interval (such as 30 or 60 seconds). Channels can be labeled with their station\u2019s call letters, for easy identification. Driven by the LSI-circuit T- chip chassis, the set employs an \u201coptimum-contrast\u201d screen, a dark-glass picture tube, and an analog comb filter. Aspect ratio is 4:3. A full-featured wireless remote control is sup- plied. Circle 111 on reader service card 60 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","BRR em BeerBRE 2\u2019 UK fomVale nlolaat-mial-1eir-)mexe)aalele)al\u2014lalk NYiaveLUl(olihvaslel ol-|seommmnlelinatolal(ollm iam Oxo)alex\u2014 4) Whether you're considering adding to your existing music system. or creating a sophisticated home theater system from scratch. Marantz offers a full range of pure high saCel\u2014dbhaemmereyerh olesat-yelccumcet-tarooyenle)telcmoletccic-teveltatem-yesb tae) quality and ease of use. Music listeners will appreciate the superb sound of our award winning CD players and CD changers, both of which benefit from shared technologies such as Bitstream D\/A conversion. Philips digital servo laser mechanisms, and audiophile attention to detail\u2014such as co-axial digital output port on our popular CD players and changers. \u2014 \u2014 Home theater fans can assemble a complete system EE ane [By including our Home THX? certified A\/V tuner-controller \u201cEY \\\\ eee l= revere plo\\\\iusar-Venle)iti(yacme-le\\\\e Melee MolUimes'-mo\\\\-(e <-\\\\or- mu leemeleelcg ee Marantz components such as our Hi-Fi VCR. laser disc wy 7;a ~\u2014scombi player. and analog and digital cassette decks. For remote control convenience. Marantz products employ the patented RC-5 digital serial remote control system for | |a | inf j precise component-to-component communication. \\\\ _s.. g| eee || | ania @) 18 TE oeere SEEDED H ae) | a| 15% s> * . \u00a5 pute oe vest sl ose> e Sh63. io seen \u00bb [ooer f2 aFas :EE a WUEva-vebe-am oyaeyelblorswr-ba-mmolettlam colmeet-iu ollesel-cjamcie-vetet-tael of reliability. Marantz audio and A\/V components feature a three year parts and labor warranty. and our VCR and personal LCD TV both feature a one year parts and labor limited warrantv. Audition the superb line of Marantz components at your specialist A\/V dealer soon. BRR em BP cn ERE ZZ: = PURE HIGH FIDELITY 440 Medinah Road Marantz America, Inc. Roselle, IL 60172-2330 Tel. 708-307-3100 * 708-307-2687 Fax THX is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Lid.","GokdStar dae \u00a9 a ce( si G oldStar\u2019s GVR-E469 four-head Hi-Fi VCR ($550) incor- porates a decoder for the StarSight on-screen pro- gram-guide subscription service. The E469, which mea- sures 3.2 x 14.2 x 12.1 inches (h\/w\/d), also features auto clock setting and fixed audio-level meters for visual verifi- cation of audio recording levels. The multibrand remote can control TVs as well as the VCR and is equipped with a shuttle wheel. Circle 112 on reader service card max headroom > &K\u2019s V-75 powered subwoofer ($625) features the Active Headroom || Maximizer circuit, which is said to assure maximum output and wide dynamics without clipping or other audible distress. The sub\u2019s 12-inch driver is rated to extend down to 20 Hz, and its dual polyamide voice coils and undercut core are said to minimize distor- tion. The built-in amplifier is rated to deliver 75 watts rms. Active low-pass and passive high-pass filters are supplied to smooth system interaction. The V-75 also offers level and phase controls. Circle 113 on reader service card 4 exact cha harp\u2019s VC-H948U Hi-Fi VCR ($440) features the 19- micron Exact-Track video-head system, which is said to assure high-quality recordings even at the slow- est recording speed. The VCR features front-panel A\/V inputs, a shuttle ring, an auto head cleaner, the VCR Plus+ programming system (complete with cable-box control), and a shuttle-equipped universal remote con- trol. The center-mounted mid-drive chassis is said to re- duce vibration and improve both video and audio per- formance. Circle 114 on reader service card very di8gital > he 61-inch TP61E80 ($4,300)\u2014Toshiba\u2019s newest TheaterView rear-projection TV\u2014employs the very digital 2C chassis, which is said to improve overall perfor- mance and durability. The 61E80 constantly monitors and adjusts key picture parameters to keep images sharp and bright. The digital convergence system can be adjusted with the supplied wireless remote control. Twelve favorite channels can be grouped and scanned at the touch of a button. The 61E80 also features a color-temperature con- trol, extended data services (EDS) reception, and speaker- terminal connections for its built-in center-channel speak- er. Circle 115 on reader service card 62 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","It doesn\u2019t matter where you put them, what you use them for, or how you decide to mount them, Solids perform. m Why? Because they're acoustically engineered by world-renowned B&W Loudspeakers. The same people who created the legendary B&W Matrix 801 \u2014 the speaker used for nearly eighty percent of all classical recordings. w Solids produce superb, high quality sound that transcends their size and price. The HCMI, for example, can handle an impressive 150 watts of power. So you can crank up the volume with minimum distortion. It\u2019s also magnetically shielded and equipped with acoustic voice-matching technology. To ensure accurate, true-to-life sound \u2014 for music or movies. = And Solids\u2019 clean silhouette and small footprint means they fit into your room without cramping your style. Place them horizontally or vertically on a shelf, floor or table. Even attach them to your wall or ceiling. Then sit back and savor the sound. a Call 1.800.370.3742 for the name of the Solid dealer nearest you. You'll discover that Solid speakers deliver outstanding performance and value \u2014 wherever they stand. They play big. Rock Solid Sounds of America 54 Concord Street North Reading, MA 01864-2699 1.800.370.3742 TEL 1.508.664.4109 FAX CIRCLE NO. 49 ON READER SERVICE CARD","AT L E AST fe) U yAXe, From our value packed new TX-SV424 up to our breakthrough THX model O N TH E B TX-SV919, ONKYO has en '@)IVI E THEAT E RR a E OsE l written the perfect home theater script, = ee one with award-winning =a performances for both design and technology. i ogee Sel In the first few seconds ofthe movie you'll hear the ONKYO difference. Differences that only oversized transformers and discrete output stages can deliver. Differences that allow ONKYG receivers to supply the power hungry demands of today's special effects laden soundtracks. Whether you're listening to whispers or weapons. And as the movie develops, you'll find yourself in a multi-dimensional soundfield directly inside the on-screen action. That's because ONKYO utilizes the most advanced DSP technology, like the latest 24 Bit Microprocessforrom Motorola, | capable of taking the director's vision and making ityours. Simply put, with an ONKYO home theater receiver, movies stop being enjoyable\u2014and become memorable. So while you may not always'agree on what to watch, with ONKYO there's simply no argument. ONKYO USA CORPORATION 200 Williams Drive, Ramsey, NJ 07446 201-825-7950 E-Mail ONKYO @ NIS.NET CIRCLE NO. 72 ON READER SERVICE CARD","i} SHORTWARE In-Sight per\u2019s TV listings, as well as a time-of- grid\u2014you can group frequently day readout, is superimposed over the watched channels at the front, for ex- Samsung VR8905 program on the currently tuned TV ample, or group channels by theme. Hi-Fi VCR channel. The grid covers 1 hours\u2019 Channels can also be scanned by worth of listings. Above the grid, FEW YEARS AGO, THERE SEEMED TO you\u2019ll see a brief summary of the cur- sports, news, and movies themes. be a wide gulf between the abili- rently tuned program, which is high- In most other ways, the VR8905 is ties of Japanese- and Korean- lighted in the grid. The big cursor con- sourced VCRs, with the latter of- trol in the middle of the remote lets you fairly conventional, though the true fering very low prices but not as much navigate your way around the guide; jog\/shuttle dial is a bonus. It has a in the way of features and perfor- moving the cursor right or left steps rather square, boxy look. The green mance. Samsung\u2019s VR8905 Hi-Fi VCR through time, while moving it up and display panel is pretty busy (it includes proves how quickly that gap has nar- down steps through all of the available stereo VU level meters, though audio- rowed... and maybe disappeared alto- channels. When you stop on a program, input levels can\u2019t be adjusted), and it gether. In addition to offering cable- it\u2019s highlighted in the grid and its plot can\u2019t be dimmed or shut off entirely\u2014I box control and automatic clock set- appears in the program-summary box. sometimes found this distracting while ting, Samsung says the VR8905 ($549) The remote\u2019s two DAY buttons let you watching movies. Two small flip-down is the first VCR to come with a built-in step through up to a week\u2019s worth of panels hide A\/v input jacks as well as decoder for the StarSight on-screen listings. buttons for channel, line input, Tv\/vcR, program guide. record, and master reset, which clears Though both the StarSight decoder StarSight also makes programming the VCR\u2019s memory. and the clock-setting feature are built easy: Press GUIDE, step to the program into the 8905, you need some help in you want to record, and simply press When you\u2019re not using StarSight, the order to utilize them. Specifically, you the remote\u2019s RECORD button. StarSight remote\u2019s cursor controls double as a need to be within receiving range of a will ask what tape speed you want (sP shuttle control and as SKIP\/REPEAT but- PBS station (or have one in your cable or SLP) and whether you want to record tons; SKIP advances the tape by 30-sec- package) that a) includes StarSight\u2019s the program once, daily (Monday guide data as part of its vertical blank- through Friday), or weekly. Once ond intervals, while REPEAT can either ing interval (vBI) and b) broadcasts the you\u2019ve made these selections, pressing replay the last 5 seconds of a tape or extended-data services (EDS) time-of- RECORD a second time memorizes your rewind back to the 0:00:00 counter day signal (which also includes channel instructions. Up to 25 one-shot record- mark and start playing again (you can and program IDs). Most, but not all, ings and five daily or weekly record- select a REPEAT mode in the setup PBS network affiliates broadcast the ings can be programmed. (A conven- StarSight and EDs data simultaneously. tional, easy-to-use eight-event timer is menu). It\u2019d be a good idea to call your local on hand for StarSight-less on-screen Cable-box control comes in the form programming.) PBS station to find out if they do, or of a \u201ccable mouse,\u201d which plugs into plan to, before you seriously consider StarSight also lets you customize the the back of the VCR and is placed in this VCR (or any other StarSight- front of the cable box. The mouse can equipped product). It\u2019s hoped that the msung VR8905 control up to about 50 brands of cable proposed cutbacks in federal funding boxes (the manual provides a list). As for public television won\u2019t affect this 45678910 usual, you need to enter a code to tell technology rollout. Finally, StarSight the 8905 which box you have, and the data will flow into the 8905 only if you code varies depending on whether call StarSight and subscribe to the ser- you\u2019re using StarSight. The manual vice ($46.92 for 1 year or $84.96 for 2 could be clearer on the subject. years, plus a one-time $15 sign-up fee). The 50-button universal remote, One thing\u2019s certain: StarSight is which also operates 22 brands of TV worth the commotion. Press the GUIDE sets, was easy to use during daylight button on the VCR\u2019s remote and a pro- hours. But at night, with normal living- gram grid that\u2019s similar to a newspa- room lighting, many of the remote\u2019s la- bels were very difficult to read. Picture quality was good to very good at sp speed; technical editor VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 65","Lance Braithwaite measured a horizon- Deep Threat of wonders\u2014shielding, which means that you can set the sub up right next to tal resolution of 240 lines, unweighted Velodyne VA-1215X your TV set without degrading its pic- Powered Subwoofer ture. The back-panel level control has a video S\/N of 44.4 dB, weighted video lot of range, allowing it to accommo- s\/N of 51.1 dB, chroma AM S\/N of 44.8 | ELODYNE IS ONE OF ONLY A HAND- date any possible input scenario. ful of companies that have been dB, and chroma pM S\/N of 40.5 dB. At making high-quality subwoofers The 12-inch woofer fires out of the for many years, and they\u2019ve cabinet\u2019s front, which is covered by a EP, there was quite a bit of chroma proved time and again that they\u2019re ex- black fabric grille. The 15-inch passive perts at this endeavor. The VA-1215X radiator faces downward from the cabi- noise, most visible as flashing in red seeks to bring big, truly low bass into a net\u2019s bottom, which is held 2.5 inches relatively affordable price range. from the floor by small marble-finished image areas; the numbers here fell to The VA-1215X ($999), which mea- feet. The 1215X itself is finished in sures about 19 x 18 x 20 inches black wood veneer. 230 lines, 40.4 dB (unweighted), 40.5 (h\/w\/d), uses an integral 250-watt-rated power amplifier to drive a 12-inch Setup is easy if a system has a dedi- woofer. The woofer is assisted by a 15- cated subwoofer output: Just run one or inch passive radiator. An adjustable two RCA cables to the 1215X\u2019s line- (and defeatable) active crossover with a level input(s) and pick cutoff and level cutoff range of 40 to 120 Hz anda settings. If a dedicated line-level sub slope of 12 dB per octave is on hand to output isn\u2019t on hand, speaker wire for set the upper limit of the 1215X\u2019s oper- both channels must be run from an A\/V ating range. receiver, integrated amp, or power amp Features include both line- and speak- to the sub\u2019s speaker-level inputs. Next, er-level inputs and outputs (the speaker- another pair of wires must be run from level jacks are of the dual-banana vari- the sub\u2019s speaker-level outputs to the ety), a passive high-pass crossover that main or surround speakers. Then you can be used to filter a system\u2019s main or choose a level and, using the high-pass surround speakers at 80 or 100 Hz with a slope of 6 dB per octave, automatic filter, a main\/surround cutoff. activation when a signal is sensed at its The 1215X is a superlative per- inputs, an adjustable phase control, VIDEO and AUDIO equalization settings, former. It kicked out 109 dB sPL with a detachable power cord, and\u2014wonder my reference discs, and frequency re- sponse at the \u20143-dB point in my living room reached down to 26 Hz. The higher you set the active crossover\u2019s cutoff, the lower its slope will be. The VIDEO equalization setting adds about 3 dB of output above 50 Hz without af- fecting the crossover slope. dB, and 39.3 dB, respectively. Hi-Fi au- dio quality was very good to excellent; Velodyne VA-1215X the monaural linear-track audio was 678910 good at the sp speed, but only fair at COSMETICS . the slower EP speed. Special-effects picture quality was EASE OF USE 1 e very good, with just a bit of visible noise near the very top or bottom of the PERFORMANCE screen. The jog\/shuttle control offers a surprisingly good range of motion con- VALUE e trol: Variable fast-search speeds are 3x, 5X, 7X, and 9x at sp, though slow mo- tion is limited to just 4x. The frame- by-frame jog dial worked smoothly, The 1215X is just as impressive to the ear\u2014and your gut. Terminator 2 with no sudden jumps. Frame-by-frame and True Lies sounded incredibly au- thoritative, and Jurassic Park\u2019s T-Rex jogging is also available on the remote footstomps rocked the house. Acoustic bass instruments were portrayed with control. accurate size (string basses didn\u2019t sound wall-size), placement in the Overall, Samsung\u2019s VR8905 offers a soundstage, and timbre, with no buzzing, rattling, or obnoxious cabinet very good mix of features and perfor- noises obscuring subtleties. Organ runs mance. And StarSight is truly conve- were full, and the 1215X hung tough nient, especially for programming. My biggest complaint is that the remote\u2019s labels are too hard to read\u2014and that says volumes about how good this VCR really is. \u2014Cliff Roth 66 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","with the really low stuff. Special Fx VCR. Connectors for the second VCR scan the FM presets, and one to toggle CDs with lots of low-frequency content exist only on the front panel, and, curi- between mono and stereo FM recep- shook the couch and rattled the pictures ously, they\u2019re the only ones that are tion. All of the buttons are the same on my living room\u2019s walls\u2014all with gold-plated. Their placement is some- size and shape, and there are a lot of superbly stable and robust imaging and what of a nuisance: To wire a laserdisc them. They are, however, clearly staging; no one even suspected that the player or second VCR into the system marked and arranged fairly sensibly, sub was sitting behind the couch. and keep the wires reasonably well though they\u2019re not illuminated. concealed, you\u2019ll have to snake the ca- In short, Velodyne\u2019s VA-1215X is a bles under the receiver. Fortunately, The front panel is clean and neat, with great subwoofer. It combines deep, there\u2019s room to do that, but I\u2019d rather the input selectors arrayed below the loud, high-quality output with slick have jacks for the second input both display and the SURROUND selector just styling, a fairly small cabinet, full flexi- front and rear with a switch to toggle above the CD pad; activation of either bility, and a relatively reasonable price between them. of the two surround modes is clearly in- tag. It\u2019s sure to stand tall next to the dicated. Tuning buttons are off to the very best of its peers. \u2014Tom Nousaine The back panel does offer one left, the VCR 2\/CAMCORDER inputs off to switched convenience outlet rated at the right beneath the combination vol- Cost Conscience 100 watts max along with a pair of \u201cDi- ume\/tone\/balance knob. Normally, the gi Link\u201d connectors. These RCA jacks knob adjusts volume, but it \u201cconverts\u201d Sherwood RV-4050R facilitate interconnection with Sher- to the other functions when you tap the A\/V Receiver wood components bearing the DIGI LINK BASS, TREBLE, Or BALANCE buttons ar- II or DIGI LINK I logo. The link permits rayed to its left. This is an interesting >VE ALWAYS MAINTAINED THAT IT\u2019S these other Sherwoods to be controlled arrangement you usually see on car more difficult to design a good entry- from the remote that\u2019s supplied with stereo products. Two features I did miss: level consumer-electronics compo- the 4050R. a dedicated subwoofer output, and a nent than a no-holds-barred extrava- control for adjusting rear-channel delay. ganza. When cost is no object, en- The tuner can be tuned manually or gineers can build in quality to their automatically and has facilities to pre- The RV-4050R sounds bloody good hearts\u2019 content. No such luck at the set up to 30 stations in memory; it considering its price! Output power other end of the scale: Every time a maintains memory for a generous 2 weeks in case of power failure. The nerwood RV-405 OR feature, control knob, or input is added, presets can also be loaded automatical- 3 \u00e97 a bit of performance must be sacrificed ly with the first 30 stations in the band. to keep the component in the desired COSMETICS price range. It just ain\u2019t easy\u2014though The receiver\u2019s remote is a 55-button Sherwood\u2019s RV-4050R makes me want affair with separate groups of buttons was adequate, though it clearly had its to reconsider my hypothesis. This A\/v dedicated to controlling a CD player, receiver provides solid power, a nice an equalizer, and one or two cassette limits. The bottom end was solid with array of features, and fine performance decks (all Sherwoods). Controls for for an extremely reasonable price. these three devices account for 22 of my efficient full-range main speakers, the remote\u2019s 55 buttons. The 10-key The 4050R ($270) delivers 50 watts numeric keypad accesses station pre- and I really didn\u2019t miss the sub (though into each of the left, center, and right sets and track numbers on CDs, and six front speakers plus 20 watts total for buttons are dedicated to source selec- you need one to hear all of the sound two rear speakers in its surround, tion. Three pairs adjust MASTER, CEN- home-theater mode; when used to play TER, and REAR volume; another three on a laserdisc, videotape, or CD). The music in stereo, it\u2019s rated to deliver 60 select the surround-sound mode (OFF, 3 watts into each of two channels. This is STEREO, and PRO LOGIC). One button cy- Pro Logic decoder does a surprisingly solid, if not overpowering. cles through the CENTER MODE possibil- good job in view of the price of this re- Connections accommodate two A\/V ities (NORMAL, WIDE, Or PHANTOM in Pro Logic, NORMAL or WIDE in Dolby 3 ceiver. Low-level surround-sound ef- sources and three audio-only sources; you can record on one of each. Chances Stereo), another activates the auto-se- fects (for example, bird and animal are good that you won't find the lack of quencing test-tone generator, and a a phono preamp (and input) troubling. third\u2014mUTE\u2014attenuates the sound. Up sounds in a nature scene) came across RCA pin jacks are provided for all top are the power button, one to acti- video and audio connections; all video, nicely even when much louder sounds therefore, is conveyed in composite vate the SLEEP TIMER (10, 20, 30, 60, 90 form. There\u2019s one video output for the minutes and off), a third to dim or were emanating from my system\u2019s monitor and another for recording on a quench the display panel, a button to front speakers. On the positive side of the ledger, Sherwood\u2019s RV-4050R has decent out- put power, a fine decoder, and a com- plex but competent remote. Its limited number of A\/V inputs as well as its lack of a subwoofer output and rear-delay control may prove limiting, but that\u2019s for you to decide. What it does, it does well! This is a very good budget A\/v receiver. \u2014Alex Retsoff VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 67","- STEP UP TO POWER THEATER The HR-VP628U from JVC takes you to the next plateau in home video entertainment \u2014 Power Theater. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Let yourself be pulled into the action by the best available non-digital sound and superior-quality pictures. Your enjoy- ment starts more quickly than ever, with dramatically-increased tape winding speeds that cut transport function time nearly in half. Clean, timely recording is a sure thing with simplified timer programming. Program search and special effects are easily per- formed using the convenient Shuttle Plus control. Explore your creative side with pro- style editing features that make it easy for anyone to produce clean-cut, interesting videos \u2014 you can even add an original soundtrack. The power of the HR-VP628U, hidden beneath a refined, contemporary design, is always at the ready. So take that next step, and don\u2019t worry \u2014 JVC's leading the way. HR-VP628U Techinically Pexfect, Perfectly Stcrple FRO NMS\u2019 CIRCLE NO. 12 ON READER SERVICE CARD","TRENDS &2 TECHNOLOG Y The Ins and Outs of Upgrading an clude the special RF output, and a dedicated RCA jack will LD Player for Dolby Surround AC-3 be provided for passing the AC-3 bit stream to an AC-3 OLBY SURROUND AC-3 IS CLEARLY THE NEXT WAVE IN demodulator\/decoder. The good news is that any older, PCM-equipped laserdisc player can be retrofitted to include home-theater surround sound. Though it\u2019s cur- this RF output and RCA jack. rently encoded only on laserdiscs, AC-3\u2019s associ- Most LD-player manufacturers don\u2019t plan to provide ation with the video formats of tomorrow\u2014like the digi- retrofit services, however (McIntosh is the one exception we know of). And it\u2019s a very complex process, so it\u2019s any- tal videodisc (DVD) and high-definition television thing but a do-it-yourself procedure. In fact, an AC-3 up- grade should only be attempted by an experienced service (HDTV)\u2014indicate that it\u2019s here to stay. As we discov- technician. Note, too, that an AC-3 retrofit will void an LD player\u2019s warranty, though this may not affect many LD- ered [\u201cSurrounded,\u201d September 1995], that\u2019s terrific player owners, since the warranty has already expired on most players that might need upgrading. news from the perspective of sheer performance: AC-3 MSB Technology [see \u201cFit and Finished,\u201d page 70] is the and its six discrete digital channels are capable of con- only company we\u2019re aware of that\u2019s currently set up to perform the AC-3 upgrade. Other companies may offer veying stunning clarity, head-snapping effects, and this service, however, as AC-3-encoded LDs and AC-3 gear continue to hit the mainstream [see \u201cNew Tech,\u201d page breathtaking impact, a combination that readily surpass- 59]. If you hear that a company offers the AC-3 retrofit, we recommend that you ask to speak to a technician and es the formidable capabilities of a comparable Dolby Pro refer to the following technical description of the upgrade Logic-based system. The prospect of AC-3 poses many process to determine whether they real- ly know what they\u2019re doing. thorny questions for upgrade-minded home-theater own- ers, however. And because the laserdisc currently is the only medium that\u2019s being encoded with AC-3\u2019s digital bit stream, LD aficionados are asking most of them. The AC-3 bit stream is encoded in the space tradition- ally used for an LD\u2019s right analog audio track. That leaves AC-3-encoded LDs with only one monaural analog audio track (inserted where the left stereo channel used to be), though the discs also have conven- NEW TECHe71 AN AC-3-ENCODED LASERDISC DELIVERS the AC-3 bit stream as a quadrature- tional Dolby Surround encoding. Un- phase-shift-keying (QPSK) signal via an FM carrier at the frequency previously fortunately, the loss of the right analog used for the right analog-audio signal\u2014 nominally, 2.88 MHz. Signal voltage audio track means that owners of early- ranges from 50 to 200 millivolts, and signal level is \u201430 dB, +1 dB relative to generation LD players\u2014specifically, the video carrier. those without pcm digital audio sec- The LD player\u2019s laser reads the AC-3 bit stream as it would DPL, and it pass- tions\u2014can only hear AC-3-encoded es the bit stream to the point, or \u201cpin,\u201d that supplies the player\u2019s audio frequen- LDs in mono. Owners of PcM-equipped VIDEOTEST*72 cy modulation (AFM) RF output. This pin is located on an integrated-circuit (IC) players, on the other hand, can enjoy DPL soundtracks when playing AC-3- encoded LDs or, if the player has a special RF output and the home-theater system includes an AC-3 demodula- SHORTWARE\u00a974 tor\/decoder, AC-3 soundtracks. Most new laserdisc players will in- JBMIELYFLEFURSSTRATION VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 69","is information by calling theLD n'tespecially time-inten- eir qual \u00a5),but you also hive to pay _ n question. This pin becomes the sive, a competent technician with a light for labor, That usually runs about $50 to workload should be able to complete it in _ $75 anhour these days, so a total AC-3 d to the pin. The lead\u2019s other end less than an hour without hurrying\u2014 red to an add-on circuit board that upgrade shouldn\u2019t set you back more ples Dc biasing, buffering, and, pos- though the initial circuit-board design it- than $100 to $200 for a basic job. The and-pass filtering. price may escalate, of course, if only the c-biasing circuitry performs as a self may take several weeks. highest grade components and construc- ntrol, telling downstream equip- As far as cost is concerned, the parts tion are used. Use our description to quiz at an AC-3 bit stream is present. a prospective technician, and it should be When one is, the muting circuit is defeat- only run about $20 to $100 (depending nd adds between 4 and 5 volts pc money well spent. a DC impedance of 9,000 ohms +10 ; when a bit stream isn\u2019t present, \u2014\u2014Marc Horowitz ing circuit is activated and adds 0 volt pc with a pc impedance of FIT AND FINISHED 00 ohms +10 percent. Evaluating MSB\u2019s AC-3 Retrofit The signal should be buffered accord- ing to good engineering practice. This MsB TECHNOLOGY (415.747.0271) IS A RE- back, to see whether they fell off due to will prevent cross-contamination of sig- nals as well as protect the player. spected supplier of high-performance A\/v the upgrade or the cross-country trek. AC-3 spec doesn\u2019t require filtering QPSK signal, but it\u2019s a good idea components. They\u2019re also the only outfit Then I sent the unit to MSB via Federal downsides. Specifically, a 2.88- that nationally advertises their ability to Express\u2019 overnight service; enclosed was nd-pass filter can be used to signal purity. perform AC-3 retrofits on laserdisc play- a personal check for $445 and a simple they\u2019ve pre-engineered it, tech- won't have this board simply sit- ers. So we sent them a laserdisc player for note requesting an AC-3 upgrade. a shelf in their lab, however. AC-3 retrofitting without telling them who MSB received the D702 on a Friday. By \u201d power\u2014to run its \u2014from any convenient point in we were. Wednesday of the following week (not on yer.) | this board, another 75-ohm lead The first thing we did was purchase a Monday or Tuesday, when we\u2019d expected yuld be run to a standard RCA connec- tor;,a gold-plated jack is preferable for CLD-D702 LD player directly from Pio- it), the player appeared again in our of- he usual reasons. The jack is then d to the back panel of the LD neer. We selected the D702 ($1,200) be- fices. It was neatly packed and looked no and finished. This requires, of drilling a hole in an unused por- worse for wear. the player\u2019s back panel. that the AC-3 bit stream should Packed in the box red clear of the player\u2019s Cx noise- n circuitry, since it could intro- was a note from distortion in the AC-3 output. As an iony the technician could modify the MSB: \u201cYour AC-3 o that Cx is automatically dis- n the presence of an AC-3 bit connector is the new OU DECIDE TO PURSUE AN AC-3 UP- RCA connector on it pays to know your technician. - about the technician\u2019s training. the back of the unit. d out whether the company cov- ir work with a warranty; 90 days is It outputs a modu- d for repairs. You may also want Pioneer\u2019s CLD-D702 survived its trip under the knife lated RF signal with a bc bias for mute cause it has a PCM audio section, it lacks control... . Your output was measured to the special RF output, and its overall quali- be sure it meets all specifications and has ty makes it a likely candidate for this rela- been tested with a Dolby Laboratories- tively costly upgrade\u2014owners of less ex- approved test disc, demodulator, and de- pensive, lower performance players may coder. It sounded great.\u201d decide that replacing the player makes Lance and I popped the D702\u2019s cover more sense than upgrading. (AC-3-ready and took a good look inside. Close inspec- LD players start at under $500, and that tion revealed neat work and the use of a price may drop in the coming months.) high-quality circuit board and external, Next, I called MSB\u2019s La Honda, Califor- gold-plated RCA jack. Lance\u2019s measure- nia headquarters and told their operator ments showed no significant change in any that I needed my Pioneer CLD-D702 up- of the D702\u2019s performance parameters. graded to AC-3. The operator, who was Measurements taken from the new AC-3 very friendly, replied that if I sent them a output revealed a 4.1-volt pc signal with a personal check for $385 (they don\u2019t take superimposed AC carrier of approximately credit cards), I\u2019d have my player back, via 0.4 volts, which is well within the for- standard UPS ground service, in about a mat\u2019s specified range. Then we evaluated week. Deadlines hovered, so I asked if the modified LD player\u2014with Enlight- MSB provided rush service. Indeed they ened Audio Designs\u2019 TheaterMaster AC-3 did; an extra $60 would get the D702 back demodulator\/decoder, Harman Kardon to me 1 day after they received it. amplification and speakers, a Mitsubishi Before we sent the D702 out from our front-projector, a Dwin line doubler, and Manhattan offices, technical editor Lance the AC-3-encoded LD of Forrest Gump\u2014 Braithwaite ran it through the lab to make and were treated to stellar AC-3 perfor- sure that it was working perfectly (it was) mance. Except for the slightly slow turn- and to note its performance figures; we\u2019d around time, our MSB experience was an check them again after we got the player unqualified success. \u2014MH OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","harp\u2019s VL-H450U ($2,499), their flagship Hi-8 Viewcam, includes the Viewcamport, a docking base that provides easy hookup to a TV or VCR as well as continuous battery recharging. The H450U also features a 4-inch color LCD viewscreen with 112,320-pixel resolution, a rotating 270-degree vari- able-angle lens with 20x digital zoom, and digital image stabilization. Special effects include the abili- ty to take still-image shots as well as create 20-sec- ond-long messages and custom fades. Circle 119 on reader service card myhate HR-S7200U S-VHS VCR ($1,050) Bae SuperSwitch S-1000 ($89), from Dolgin Engineer- | ventures deep into the digital domain. ing, is said to save time and preserve quality while | It's said to record unusually clear and sharp you're editing and dubbing tapes. This S-VHS\/Hi8 junction images thanks to three digital Ics that opti- mize the video signal prior to recording. On box enables the user to bypass an unused special-effects the playback side, Dynamic Contrast technol- generator\u2014and the video signal degradation it causes\u2014__ ogy is said to improve picture contrast, with the push of a button. The box has S-Video and RCA sharpness, and detail. Editing features in- clude insert editing with a flying erase head, jacks and can be used as an A\/B two-input, one-output S- audio dubbing, and random assemble edit- selector. Circle 121 on reader service card ing. Circle 120 on reader service card : Supers [SSE BYPASS - ON wm dL OFF Niet Master 8-862 8mm camcorder ($1,520) is armed with a powerful Tri-Zoom capability\u201412x f\/1.6 optical power zoom, 2X image-enlargement digital zoom, and 1.5X \u201cinstant\u201d digital zoom\u2014that can produce up to 36- times magnification. The feature package includes a 0.25- inch CCD image sensor, electronic image stabilization, a col- or LCD viewfinder, a built-in character generator, and a wireless remote control. In addition to its standard Ni-Cd battery, the 862 can be powered by six AA alkaline batter- ies. Circle 122 on reader service card VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 71","Canon\u2019s ES2000 sets new standards in image control $12 AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES, IT\u2019S INEVITABLE cus override, and new external-mic and headphone jacks make the that you'll start to think about past attempts at ES2000 a more useful and user- capturing your festive get-togethers on video. Despite friendly package. concerted and valiant efforts, you\u2019ve probably had The FlexiZone image control sys- tem truly is remarkable, as it com- difficulties coping with focus and exposure realities: Some bines the benefits of manual and au- tomatic controls. This proprietary exposures may have been so muddy that you couldn\u2019t tell Uncle technology allows you to pinpoint a desired area of focus or exposure Bob from Aunt Irma (difficult, admittedly, even under the best anywhere within the finder. It oper- ates on three levels: focus, exposure, conditions). Your focus mechanism may have done more hunting and titling. It\u2019s engaged via the pro- gram selector (a round dial on the than Cousin Woody. And backlight- hit\u2014if not a grand slam\u2014a bases- ing problems may have obscured the loaded triple. side of the cam) and controlled by an eight-way rocker that has a concave, in-laws. (Darn!) You wonder aloud The ES2000 ($1,599) offers the thumb-cradling top (located on the why there isn\u2019t an easier way, a high-end features you want on a flag- smarter camcorder. Well, fret no ship model\u2014a color viewfinder, op- back of the cam). The rocker controls longer: Canon\u2019s ES2000 Hi8 cam- tical image stabilization, and a wire- a small white frame in the finder: corder represents a major qualitative less remote control, for starters\u2014as Push the rocker right, for example, change. If you appreciate innovation well as point-and-shoot simplicity. and the white frame moves right. as much as quality, this is one cam At the same time, it boldly remedies Anything and everything that falls you have to take out for a test drive. its predecessor\u2019s weaknesses. The within the frame is constantly moni- heart of the matter is Canon\u2019s unique tored for both focus and exposure. With the ES2000, Canon has done FlexiZone focus-and-exposure sys- what very few manufacturers do. Not tem and the cam\u2019s 20X optical zoom. FlexiZone lets you pinpoint the fo- content to simply improve upon last Together, they help the ES2000 push cus on any subject anywhere in the year\u2019s top-of-the-line ES1000, Canon the envelope on what you can ac- frame. This lets you keep a moving did the right\u2014and most difficult\u2014 complish with a camcorder. In addi- subject in focus without moving the thing: They jettisoned a model that tion, revamped playback controls, camcorder, eliminating unnecessary had some significant flaws and start- four exposure presets, a manual-fo- ed from scratch. And this time, they BY STEWART APPLEGATH","\u2018recting your audience\u2019s attention fron ES2000\u2019s 0.55-inch color LCD in the maximum zoom position that one area of the image to another with- viewfinder has a diopter and a gener- other manufacturers will need to emu- out changing the shot\u2019s overall compo- ous array of indicators. On it, tech edi- late Canon\u2019s system\u2014or go back to the sition. The system is also ideal when tor Lance Braithwaite measured 300 drawing board. positioning subjects off-center or fol- lines of horizontal resolution. Because lowing unpredictable action. of the lower resolution you get with I was also impressed with the LCD viewfinders, it was sometimes dif- ES2000\u2019s ability to focus on near-field Aside from offering a unique mea- ficult to see the FlexiZone\u2019s focus-shift objects, even when the lens is zoomed sure of creativity, FlexiZone helps to action when foreground objects in using the tele\/rocker control. Most solve problems that most shooters en- weren't close to the camcorder. As a camcorders require that you tele out to counter at one time or another: arbi- fix, you can move closer to the desired a wider angle before you can focus on trary, accidental, or inaccurate focus- foreground object or zoom in on it. In subjects close to the camcorder. ing, as a cam\u2019s focus system misses any case, after seeing how accurate the your intended subject and \u201cgrabs\u201d an- mechanism was upon playback, I used Canon has been a pioneer in optical other one instead. Another advantage is FlexiZone with confidence. gained by holding down the AE button i (located just above the rocker), which In addition to FlexiZone, the ES2000 BY THE NUMBERS controls the FlexiZone exposure. You also has a fully manual focus control. can direct the cam to lock in its expo- The button and vertical thumbwheel Measurements by Berger\u2014Braithwaite Labs sure reading from the area highlighted that control it can be used in all modes by the white FlexiZone frame; the ex- except full auto. The manual shutter- Horizontal resolution: Hi8, 390 lines; 8mm, posure will be determined by whatever 240 lines; camera, 450 lines; EVF, 300 lines falls within the frame. Overly bright setting options\u2014%o, Yoo, Yaso, Yoo, \u201c000, subjects, for example, will tell the cam Playback picture S\/N: unweighted lumi- to reduce its aperture. In this way, you Y~r,000, \/s,000, and '\/o00\u2014offer great flexi- nance, 44.3 dB; weighted luminance, can use FlexiZone and AE as a lockable 47.3 dB; unweighted video, 45.3 dB; backlight compensator. bility when you need to shoot fast- weighted video, 49.5 dB; chroma AM, moving or very bright subjects. 43.5 dB; chroma PM, 43.9 dB Canon has also enlisted the rocker to provide character selection for the The ES2000\u2019s other major innovation Minimum illumination: 11.2 lux for 50 IRE cam\u2019s two-line titler. Altogether, I is the 20x optical zoom, undisputably Audio frequency response: Hi-Fi, found the interrelated systems er- the longest optical zoom in the world. gonomically smart, friendly, accurate, Zooming from 4MM up to 80MM (the 20-15,000 Hz +0, -3 dB and easy to operate. As ingenious as equivalent of 37MM to 740MM on a Audio dynamic range: Hi-Fi, 72 dB FlexiZone is, however, Canon says that it\u2019s only the precursor to a next-genera- 35MM camera), this lens is designed to image stabilization, and our tests have tion version we\u2019ll see very soon [see get you closer to distant subjects and shown that optical stabilization gener- \u201cThe Eyes Have It,\u201d \u201cFast Forward,\u201d scenery, while retaining the image ally provides clearer pictures\u2014without page 13]. quality that\u2019s often sacrificed with digi- image cropping\u2014than the electronic tal zooms; minimum focusing distance variety. The ES2000 really needs a is % inch wide angle and 2.8 feet tele. high-quality stabilization system, giv- Canon says they achieved this balance en its high-power zoom. And its stabi- of range and image quality\u2014without lizer worked: Even at higher zoom set- increasing the cam\u2019s weight\u2014by using tings, it kept the image steady. Its ac- a lighter glass lens and an improved tion is smooth, too, and there\u2019s no lag configuration. Image quality is so good noticeable in the viewfinder or on the recorded image. You can\u2019t defeat the stabilizer in the full auto mode, and that makes good sense. In FLEXI (man- ual) mode, you trigger the stabilizer with the dual-purpose PLAY (playback) button. Once it\u2019s activated, the stabiliz- er engages as soon as you power up the camcorder\u2014one less thing to worry about when you want a fast start. The buttons running along the top of the ES2000 serve two masters: In CAM- ERA mode, they control ancillary func- tions like the titler, date, record search, and the stabilizer. Switch to VCR mode and they become regular playback con- trols. This combination saves space without unnecessarily complicating day-to-day shooting. The buttons are of practical size and their legends are easy to read, a vast improvement over those on the ES1000. Record-search and review functions (9X forward, 7X CONTINUED ON PAGE 91 VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 73","parent bs Raa . worked well\u2014it\u2019s smooth and accu- T\u2019S STRANGE HOW THE MOST OBVI- rate, and doesn\u2019t hunt once it reaches ous things are sometimes the easi- posure mechanism in the cam\u2019s own- its mark. Set the cam on wide angle est to overlook. Consider how long er\u2019s manual. It says the shutter speed and it\u2019ll focus as close as % inch. it\u2019s taken manufacturers to do is selected automatically, after which Manual focus is controlled by two the cam adjusts its iris accordingly. what RCA has done with its premier In practice, however, I couldn\u2019t get it RCA Pro942 8mm cam, the Pro942 ($999): It can to move above a 4sv-second reading be powered by ordinary AA alkaline in the viewfinder on a bright day, 12345678910 batteries. This is a brilliant addition even though the manual says its max- to a cam that looks great and has a imum setting is 400 second. COSMETICS - strong roster of features. Effects let you enhance scene tran- buttons on the back of the cam. I was immediately struck by the sitions and give you the option of Other features are in abundance: Pro942\u2019s sleek styling and balanced shooting a 16:9-shaped image. The ergonomics; it\u2019s beautifully put to- fade button controls a number of Date search helps you find material gether. The battery compartment can fades and wipes that kick in or out you\u2019ve shot on a particular day. hold either the rechargeable battery when you start recording or hit Quick review and edit search let you or six AAs. Two contoured brackets pause, respectively. In addition to the access your footage with the round inside the compartment flip up to standard (white) fade, there\u2019s a door playback selector on the back of the support the alkalines when they\u2019re wipe (horizontal bars coming togeth- camcorder. Audio and video dubbing being used. RCA says the brand of er) and an unusual combination as well as synchro-editing capabili- alkalines determines their longevity; zoom\/fade\u2014it simultaneously zooms ties can be accessed with optional new Duracells lasted for 30 minutes. out and fades up white when you equipment. The package includes a start recording, and it zooms in and functional wireless remote. And Like most of this season\u2019s higher- fades down white when you hit there\u2019s a battery-refresh function on end cams, the Pro942\u2019s viewfinder is pause. In each case, audio fades in the charger, which is not yet (but a color model. It\u2019s positioned at the tandem with video. should be) standard equipment on back of the camcorder, swings 180 high-end models. degrees, and stores smartly out of the The 942\u2019s autofocus mechanism way. It indicates all of the standard Picture performance was good for If your VCR has an indexing feature, it\u2019s the 8mm format. Technical editor information (zoom, exposure, date) easy to \u201ckill\u201d commercials when watching Lance Braithwaite measured approx- and has a time counter with memory a show you've taped. During your first imately 240 lines of horizontal reso- stop and time remaining. I needed to viewing, simply hit INDEX every time a lution for the VCR, and the Pro942\u2019s use the stalk\u2019s tint control to clean up commercial break ends. During subse- the finder\u2019s image; horizontal resolu- quent viewings, trigger INDEX and then tion is rated at 260 lines. FAST-FORWARD when the break begins; when it\u2019s over, your VCR will stop and all The 24x digital zoom kicks in at you have to do is hit PLAY. the end of the 12X optical zoom. As with all high-powered digital mecha- Igor Geisbacher nisms, the image increasingly deteri- Brampton, Ontario orates as you zoom past the optical\u2019s limit. A button in the middle of the zoom rocker adds a 1.5X \u201cinstant zoom\u201d; this comes in handy at points along the zoom continuum, when you don\u2019t have the time or patience for the regular zoom mechanism. Considering the big-zoom capabili- ties offered by the Pro942, you'll probably be using its electronic im- age stabilizer frequently. It crops the image slightly, but does a good job of steadying it, even at the highest zoom settings. One problem: I was unable to find an explanation of the automatic-ex- 74 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","\\\"capture cad ndasoundcacolor rendition was pleasing. Since Delrina Echo Lake camcorders regulate battery voltage _ The program enables you to create, 1234 678 down to 5 volts regardless of the power edit, or view a multimedia family al- COSMETICS source, performance shouldn\u2019t falter bum. You can also print out various when the AAs are used. (It certainly _ parts or download parts or the entire EASE OF USE didn\u2019t to the eye.) Audio perfor- thing to a CD-ROM disc or a diskette. mance\u2014the 942 is equipped with The program\u2019s interface mimics the PERFORMANCE monaural sound, and RCA output jacks rustic kind of desk that you might find are provided for transferring material to in a woodsy mountain cabin. The desk VALUE @ your VCR\u2014was average. contains navigational and control tools. 25 ONREADER SERVICE CARD Kudos to RCA for implementing a Since the underlying premise is that the simple but powerful idea. The ability multimedia presentations you\u2019ll be de- Each time you\u2019re done with a page of your story, you can add another page to run the Pro942 with common alka- signing are albums, everything in the by opening up the PAGES drawer. In ad- dition to a blank page, there are 18 line batteries means that you can use it package has a book motif. \u201cstationery\u201d styles to choose from. A fairly thorough HELP function is on virtually anytime you want\u2014not just Creating an album is fairly simple. hand. You can also get basic assistance from the \u201cBalloon Help\u201d displays, when its rechargeable battery is juiced. Clicking on the OPEN BOOK icon brings which give brief cartoon voice-balloon explanations of what each component The alkalines may not keep going and you to a \u201cTree Ring,\u201d where events can does when you touch one with the pointer. It\u2019s a good thing these are in- going and going, but they\u2019ll do a fine be set according to time or according to cluded, since Echo Lake\u2019s \u201cmanual\u201d provides only a rudimentary walk- job of carrying you through emergen- eight preset categories\u2014CAREER, EDU- through of the program\u2019s features. Tech support is available via an 800 number. cies. \u2014Stewart Applegath CATION, FAMILY, FRIENDS, HOME, Once you\u2019re done with a particular LEISURE, PERSONAL, and TRAVEL. The album, you can subsequently enjoy it, edit it, print out the text portions, or Memories Tree Ring serves as a Table of Contents download it to send to others. and launching pad for any new story Delrina Echo Lake you want to create. You can name a The PACKAGE mode lets you save an Multimedia Family Album story by typing it in the upper-left-hand album in its native format or as a \u201crun- time\u201d version that permits anyone with ELLING FAMILY STORIES IS THE corner of the page. To input text, hit- a Windows MPC to play the album whether they own Echo Lake or not. main reason most people buy cam- ting ENTER will bring you down into Note that the runtime option takes up a lot of diskettes, and may cause system corders. And editing your footage the page\u2019s body. Echo Lake supports conflicts on the receiving computer. The ability to create a \u201cslideshow\u201d of lets you weave a tale that spans TrueType fonts, so this text can be rep- an album, which could run as either an .AVI or .MOV file, would be more effi- generations. Multimedia computers of- resented by any accessible typeface. cient and less troublesome. fer even more potential, since they Clicking on the drawer marked ME- Delrina clearly was very determined to make the program user-friendly. And work with photos, text, audio, and cam- DIA lets you access Photo CD, .TIF, it is, in many ways. But, despite its need for a multimedia Windows envi- corder footage. Delrina seeks to bring .GIF, .JPG, .BMP, .WMF and AVI video ronment, many of the components in its all of these capabilities together in one files as well as .WAV or .MID audio files. interface aren\u2019t anything like Windows. And the choices Echo Lake gives you easy-to-use package. You can also link to other Echo Lake for documenting your family\u2019s history are too limited. Echo Lake is available for Windows stories or albums as well as files in oth- There\u2019s no doubt that an inexpensive, in both 3.5-inch diskette ($50) and CD- er programs, utilizing OLE (Object easy-to-use multimedia program for preserving family memories is a great ROM ($60) versions. Delrina recom- Linking and Embedding). Camcorder idea. And Delrina\u2019s Echo Lake suc- ceeds on many fronts. With a somewhat mends a 486\/33 Windows computer footage can be digitized with a video more logical interface and a few more options, they\u2019d have hit the bull\u2019s eye. running MS-DOS 5.0 or higher, an capture card. A sound card can be used \u2014Timothy Liebe SVGA monitor, 8 MB of RAM, a video to record live or prerecorded audio. A 2 et 5AN SSUES Se SOUR fi = Oelrinn Times U.S. PRESIDENT Family history in the making: a sample Echo Lake screen VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 75","ORIGINAL MASTER RECORDING OAIGINAL MASTER RECORDING ORIGINAL MASTER AECOADING\\\" \u2018 iLetA DISC i] \u2014VW\\\\\\\\\u2014 The GAIN System \u2014\u2014 UDCD 633 UDCD 635 4 GERRY MULLIGAN AND HIS meetssBEN WEBSTER ORCHESTRA UDCD 644 sE UDCD 639 UDCD 640 |efayaarapcfelebeletbale M\\\\mVhetjlemm Ujelercecol-MmromUsingecotton |im Your favorite artists sound surprisingly better on Ultradisc II\u2122. Why? Because Mobile Fidelity\u2019s mastering technology is a cut above\u2014and you can hear thedifference. As the creators of the 24k gold audiophile CD, we have developed major advances such as The GAIN eal a proprietary mastering system that uses the highest grade of digital technology available. Starting with the original master tapes, we are able to capture every last nuance of the original recording. What does this mean? You'll hear music like you\u2019ve never heard it before! Ultradisc II\\\"\\\"\u2014The ORIGINAL 24K Gold Audiophile Compact Disc. ONERT (O)UIiSetes(20)0) Wiroeyfol) pO) VN gd mia \u00a9 O)LO) 2NP-NIOIE, we fidelity 105 Morris Street * Sebastopol, CA 95472 \u00a9 800-423-5759 \\\\\\\\ iSoupndslab Contact us for in-depth technical information: email: [email protected] sionofMSL, inc. WWW URL address: http:\/\/enn.com\/gnn\/bus\/mfsl In Canada phone 800-267-1216","OFT VV IKE The latest and greatest on tape and disc STAR TREK GENERATIONS ee 4G T\u2019S CLEAR FROM STAR TREK GENERA- Horse sense: Generations\u2019 Shatner, Stewart ride into the new frontier tions\u2019 wonderfully hokey opening age make the THX-certified, AC-3-en- a lesbian musician, Mary-Louise Park- sequence\u2014in which retired Captain coded laserdisc quite the experience. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) fends Generations amply shows that there\u2019s er an uptight princess, Drew Barrymore off queries about senior citizenship plenty of life left where no Star Trek only moments before saving hundreds film has gone before. _\u2014Ken Korman a boy-happy free spirit. And, just as in of lives\u2014that we\u2019re in for a special treat with the series\u2019 seventh theatrical BOYS ON THE SIDE its spiritual antecedent, Thelma & adventure. Intended to pass the big- N THE MOSTLY PERKY BOYS ON THE screen torch from the original Star Trek Side (Warner; VHS, priced for rental, Louise, the journey depicted in Boys on cast to the Next Generation ensemble, cLv disc, $35), three mismatched the Side represents the ladies\u2019 libera- Generations (Paramount; VHS, priced women leave the grimy East Coast to for rental, CLV\/CAV discs, $45) may just strike out for the promise of the sun- tion from their repressive, male-domi- be the most satisfying Trek flick yet. baked West. Each is an easily identifi- Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart), Data able \u201ccharacter\u2019\u2014Whoopi Goldberg is nated lives. But the initial excitement (Brent Spiner), and the rest of the Next Generation crew seem so invigorated that comes with the loosening of their by their lush new surroundings, in fact, that you probably won\u2019t miss no-shows shackles is quickly overwhelmed by the like Spock (Leonard Nimoy) or McCoy (DeForest Kelley). On paper, the plot screenplay\u2019s soap-operatic handling of seems uniquely silly: The evil Dr. So- weighty subjects (pregnancy, AIDS) and ran (Malcolm McDowell) is willing to sacrifice millions of innocent people so the fairly pedestrian direction of Her- he can return to the Nexus, a mysteri- ous \u201cenergy ribbon\u201d that presents each bert Ross, the play-it-safe veteran of inhabitant with their own version of heaven. But thanks to a few doses of self-deprecating humor, everything meshes together beautifully; \u201cI take it the odds are against us and the situa- tion is grim,\u201d Kirk says before gamely agreeing to save the universe one last time. Outrageous surround effects and a gorgeous anamorphic widescreen im- The Goodbye Girl and the tear-jerking Steel Magnolias. Ross simply drops the ball when it comes to less-typical sub- jects (like Goldberg\u2019s sexual orienta- tion), which get talked about but aren\u2019t fully explored. And though the LD is presented in the proper 2:35:1 propor- tions, most shots appear framed for a facile pan-and-scan job. The LD trans- fer is somewhat disappointing, too, with muted colors and some mild grain- iness throughout the presentation. Bot- tom line: You just might be better off viewing Boys in the format that has only one side. \u2014Andy Wickstrom Wish fulfillment: Goldberg, Parker, and Barrymore in Boys VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 77","| SOFT \\\\\\\\R= SOFT VRE SOFT VRESOFT VIRESOFT RESO! THE MAKING \\\\ \u2018a OF JURASSIC PARK Baby doom: Mama (and Papa) Schwarzenegger has his hands full in Junior OICEOVER MAESTRO JAMES EARL Jones hosts and narrates MCA\/ to the TV broadcast (or the VHS re- as a clumsy labmate, Danny DeVito as Universal\u2019s The Making of Jurassic lease). Notable entries include a num- Schwarzenegger\u2019s partner, Frank Lan- Park (VHS, $25, cLv\/cav disc, $35), ber of go-motion sequences (all shown gella as a suspicious university profes- an enjoyable 1-hour special that, not sor, and Pamela Reed as DeVito\u2019s surprisingly, drew high ratings during in 1.85:1), storyboards for the picture\u2019s pregnant ex-wife. As usual for MCA, its network telecast last spring. There original climax, and some \u201ccute\u201d dino- the LDC-pressed LD, which is com- are oodles of clips from classic adven- humor scenes. Best of all, perhaps, is posed in the proper 1.85:1 ratio, looks the amateur videotape footage of an swell; kudos are also due for the sur- ture films like The Lost World (1925), obviously excited Spielberg and his en- round soundtrack. A pleasant diver- King Kong (1933), Jason and the Ar- thusiastic F\/x-team cohorts as they sion, Junior gives Schwarzenegger the gonauts (1963), and, of course, the big free-associate about visuals that might rare opportunity to kill nothing save 9 be scary or just plain cool to attempt\u2014 months\u2014or a little under 2 hours, de- \u201cJ\u201d itself, as well as interviews with di- they sound like a group of junior-high- pending on how you look at it. MN rector Steven Spielberg, author school kids anxiously waiting in line to Michael Crichton, and many of the F\/x see 1953\u2019s The Beast From 20,000 COBB wizards who helped make this di- Fathoms (that\u2019s a compliment, folks). T\u00b0 COBB MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE nosaur extravaganza the second-high- Overall, Making adds to Jurassic est-grossing movie of all time. The Park\u2019s already larger-than-life mythos. greatest baseball players of all time, but as this warts-and-all biopic most intriguing moments, however, are \u2014NMel Neuhaus takes great pains to show, he just the test footage and false starts, includ- wasn\u2019t a very nice guy, on the field or ing the amazing tale of what proved to JUNIOR off. In fact, he was known far and wide be the most frustrating effect to HE THING ABOUT IVAN REITMAN\u2014 for his mean disposition (he routinely achieve: how to get perfectly concen- Arnold Schwarzenegger come- sharpened his spikes for his feet-first tric circles to ripple in a glass of water, encounters on the basepath) and big- in order to signify the approach of the dies (remember 1988\u2019s Twins or otry. Tommy Lee Jones positively 1990\u2019s Kindergarten Cop?) is that chews scenery with this juicy role\u2014so T-Rex. On the LD (beautifully mas- if you\u2019ve seen the poster, you\u2019ve much so, in fact, that you probably tered and pressed by MCA and LDC), basically seen the movie. Ju- won\u2019t mind the film\u2019s herky-jerky pace. Side 2\u2019s bonus goodies let you see the nior (MCA\/Universal; VHS, Director Ron Shelton is a former mi- raw odds and ends that didn\u2019t make it priced for rental, CLv disc, nor-league ballplayer who\u2019s taken to $35), which follows the directing likable sports movies (Bull world\u2019s first pregnant man (Schwarzenegger) from arti- Durham, White Men Can\u2019t Jump), and ficial impregnation to term, his expertise comes in quite handy for is no exception. Fortunately, Cobb (Warner; VHS, priced for rental, it\u2019s also the most likable en- CLV disc, $40), especially during one try in the pair\u2019s collabora- extraordinary sequence that brings the tions, thanks to a strong national pastime of the \u201920s vividly cast that includes the cap- back to life. The film, which is present- tivating Emma Thompson","\\\\RESOFT WVIRESOFT WIRESOFT WVIKESOFT VVIKESOFTWVIK ed in 2.35:1 on LD, may not be a home- tainly ironic that Sir Bob\u2019s Unplugged reconstructing Dylan classics like run, but it\u2019s not entirely off base, either. sports more electricity than his two \u201cTombstone Blues\u201d and \u201cKnockin\u2019 on most recent studio albums, where his Heaven\u2019s Door\u2019 into toe-tapping back- \u2014KK accompaniment consisted only of porch duende. Though Dylan\u2019s vocal acoustic guitar and harmonica. During delivery has gotten extremely flat over BOB DYLAN this 73-minute program, Dylan is aug- the years, you'll be riveted by the nar- MTV Unplugged mented by a full band, including pedal- rative-driven \u201cJohn Brown\u201d and \u201cDeso- T\\\" MYSTERIOUS EVOLUTION OF A steel guitar, dobro, and Hammond or- lation Row.\u201d Shots of the mostly twen- gan. (These days, apparently, Un- tysomething audience reflect their certain Robert Zimmerman (Bob plugged means little more than \u201cno absolute reverence during these num- Dylan to you and me) continues with bers, though they do come to life dur- Bob Dylan: MTV Unplugged (Colum- electric guitar.\u201d) And the band is sharp, bia; VHS, $20, cLv disc, $25). It\u2019s cer- BILLY MADISON _ 1995. Adam Sandler, Bradley Whitfc -gette Wilson; dir. Tamra Davis. Dumb and Dumber heads into the classroom, as San dler must reattend\u2014and pass\u2014grade school in order to gain inheritance and the requisite life lessons. Surround. (PG-13) 90 min. VHS, priced for rental; LD letterboxed (1.85:1), $35. MCA\/Universal. BYE BYE LOVE -or ambush by kill-or-cure 1995. Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, Paul und Stereo. (R) 98 min. Reiser; dir. Sam Weisman. Three divorced buddies choose McDonald\u2019s as the desig- - nated meeting place to share the pain of child-rearing. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not quite a sequel to Diner. Dolby Digital Stereo. (PG- 13) 106 min. VHS, priced for rental; LD let- terboxed (1.85:1), $40. FoxVideo. CASPER 1995. Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle; dir. Brad Silberling. The friendly ghost became the summer's high- grossing surprise in a skillful mix of anima- tion and live action (Steven Spielberg execu- tive-produced), with plenty of baby-boomer TV icons adding nostalgia. Digital Surround. (PG) 101 min. VHS, $23; THX LD letter- boxed (1.85:1), $35. MCA\/Universal. CINDERELLA Soul kiss: Dafoe, Richardson in Tom & Viv 1950. Animated. Voices of Ilene Woods, William Phipps, Verna Felton; dir. Wilfred (Matthau) faces a conundrum that taxes his TOM & VIV Jackson. The latest rerelease of this immor- genius (and, periodically, the viewer's pa- 1995. Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson; tal beloved includes a newly restored print, a tience) to the limit\u2014finding the perfect mate dir. Brian Gilbert. T.S. Eliot\u2019s marriage to a making-of documentary, an illustrated story for his independent niece (Ryan). Dolby Sur- brilliant young lass energizes his work, but in a hardcover jacket, and artwork reprints. round. (PG) 92 min. VHS, priced for rental; their lives soon spiral out of control due to Stereo. (G) 76 min. VHS: $27, collector\u2019s set LD letterboxed (2.35:1), $40. Paramount. her failing health. Hi-Fi Stereo. (PG-13) 115 $80; LD full frame, $30, collector's set $100. min. VHS, priced for rental; LD letterboxed Disney\/Image. LOSING ISAIAH 1995. Jessica Lange, Halle Berry; dir. (2.35:1), $40. Miramax. DERSU UZALA Stephen Gyllenhaal. A powerful and painful 1975. Yuri Solomin, Maxim Munzuk; dir. Aki- drama about a tug-of-love battle between a WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING ra Kurosawa. Kurosawa\u2019s masterful tale of rehabilitated mother and her son\u2019s adoptive an old Japanese scout who takes a Russian parent. Dolby Surround. (R) 108 min. VHS, 1995. Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter survey team into uncharted Siberian territo- priced for rental; LD letterboxed (1.85:1), ry\u2014and helps them thrive\u2014fully deserved $40. Paramount. Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden; dir. its Best Foreign Film Academy Award. Mono, subtitled. (G) 137 min. LD letterboxed THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE Jon Turteltaub. A cute, if lightweight roman- (2.35:1), $70. The Criterion Collection. 1995. Nigel Hawthorne, lan Holm, Helen Mirren; dir. Nicholas Hytner. The cracked tic comedy about a train-station ticket-taker DON JUAN DE MARCO king\u2019s antics threaten to lose him the crown 1995. Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, Faye in this Oscar-nominated British import. Sony who\u2019s mistaken for a coma-victim\u2019s fianc\u00e9e Dunaway; dir. Jeremy Leven. A charming by his lovable, cloying family. One problem: She's actually fallen for the coma-man\u2019s brother. Bullock\u2019s presence will keep you wide awake. Dolby Digital Stereo. (PG) 113 min. VHS, priced for rental; LD letterboxed (1.85:1), $40. Hollywood. \u2014Josef Krebs VIDEO OCTOBER 1995 79","SOFT V\\\\\\\\RESOFT VIRESOFTVVIRESOFT VVIKESOFT WRESOI LABELS FOR LESS shakes a few hands in the front row af- run off with a schoolboy. In both of ter the encore, \u201cWith God on Our Side.\u201d these films, the characters bend the THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES, AND Arguably the grandfather of the format, rules and codes of French society to shiny new collections have invaded your Dylan successfully soups up his Un- suit the occasion with all of the wit they plugged and proves once again that he favorite video store, all of them eager to be can still shake up the norm. can muster. Finally, Froid (1979) takes it all to Bunuelian extremes, with its snapped up and transformed into the per- \u2014Mike Mettler characters driven by dream logic to fect gift. Paramount is more than glad to wander around an apartment complex help you get to know Jack Ryan (The Hunt 1 GOING PLACES in search of a killer, a doctor, or maybe for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and O GET OUT YOUR just a sane moment in which to take a rest. All three of these films are hilari- Present Danger), Eddie Murphy\u2019s three- HANDKERCHIEFS ous and poetic, and they question the headed Beverly Hills Cop series, and 1 BUFFET FROID logic by which we try to live our lives. Leslie Nielsen\u2019s Naked Gun trio ($15 each, What more could a film lover ask for? $45 set). Warner, meanwhile, offers clus- HIS THREE-FILM COLLABORATION BE- ters of Kevin Costner (The Bodyguard, A tween director Bertrand Blier and \u2014JK Perfect World, Robin Hood: Prince of actor Gerard Depardieu (Interama; Thieves), Robert De Niro (GoodFellas, VHS only, $150) creates a vivid por- CLIFFHANGER Mean Streets, Raging Bull), Mel Gibson trait of French society\u2014one that\u2019s ESCUE CLIMBER GABE WALKER (SYL- (Forever Young, The Man Without a Face, every bit as consistent as the picture of Italy created in the work of Fellini and Rosie: Stallone) attempts to thwart Maverick), Mel Gibson again, this time in a Mastroianni. Depardieu is given a limit- the schemes of high-tech thief Eric Mad Max triple play ($60 set), a seagoing ed range of roles (from thuggish slob to Qualen (John Lithgow) while stranded John Wayne (Blood Alley, Operation Pacif- only slightly more sensitive slob), but in Colorado\u2019s Rocky Mountains (as his uncommon gifts enable him to forge portrayed by Italy\u2019s Dolomites, actual- ic, The Sea Chase; $45 set), future-world completely individual characters. ly) in director Renny Harlin\u2019s riveting Places (1974) is a wonderfully shock- 1993 thriller, Cliffhanger. Pioneer Spe- Mean Streets\u2019 De Niro, Keitel ing and politically incorrect farce about cial Editions\u2019 feature presentation (CLV\/ CAV discs, $100; all-cAv discs, $125) is fun (Blade Runner, Freejack, Outland; $50 two anarchic deadbeats (Depardieu and identical to that of Live\u2019s less-expen- Patrick Dawaere) who steal from, mo- sive CLV\/CAV version\u2014it\u2019s got the same set), Steven Seagal (On Deadly Ground, lest, and generally force themselves dynamic sound and sharp, colorful pic- upon a petit-bourgeois society that still tures, which are framed at approxi- Under Siege; $35 set), Sylvester Stallone manages to seem more the aggressor mately 2.1:1. But Pioneer has the sweet than victim. Much of the plot revolves stuff that Live\u2019s version does not\u2014a (Cobra, Demolition Man, The Specialist, around the lovable thugs\u2019 attempts to mountainous array of extras. The com- liberate spiritually crushed women by mentary track from Harlin, who also Tango & Cash; $70 set), and, finally, way of sex. In Handkerchiefs (1978), oversaw this package, offers the usual Depardieu and Dewaere try to bring a directorial anecdotes as well as his phi- Robert Redford (All the President's Men, smile to the face of an unhappy wife. losophy on making violent action The Candidate, Jeremiah Johnson; $55 Depardieu befriends a stranger, encour- movies. Stallone himself took time out set). If all of that action doesn\u2019t quite move ages said stranger to sleep with his from filming Judge Dredd to provide wife, and even enlists him to help her you, Fox Lorber provides film for thought with an offering of Andrei Tarkovsky (An- drei Rublev, Solaris, My Name is Ivan; $20 each). Or perhaps you'd prefer to move into a more sophisticated neighborhood with MCA\/Universal\u2019s Carole Lombard (Hands Across the Table, The Princess Comes Across, No Man of Her Own, Su- pernatural; $15 each) and Barbara Stan- wyck (All | Desire, Remember the Night, The Great Man\u2019s Lady, Internes Can't Take Money, The Lady Eve; $15 each). But you'd better hurry\u2014there\u2019s so few shop- ping days left... . \u2014JK ing the country-funkified \u201cRainy Day Women #12 & 35\u201d (you know, \u201cEvery- body must get stoned\u2019). Dylan himself hides behind his shades and interacts with the audience only rarely, but he does address the gathering after a false start to \u201cLike a Rolling Stone\u201d and even Bait and switch: Going Places\u2019 Dewaere, Depardieu 80 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","NIRESOFT VVIRESOFT VVIRESOFT VV IRESOFT VVIRESOFT VVIRE insight into such key sequences as the ROBOCOP nating and informative, virtually gets film\u2019s terrifying opening scene, in OBOCOP (1987)\u2014PAUL VERHOEVEN\u2019S which a love interest (Michelle Joyner) eclipsed by the exhaustive text, still has a rather serious problem with a RR victen, satiric, SF cult classic, a fu- piece of climbing gear. The star also turistic hybrid of Dirty Harry and Me- frames, and programmable videoclips discusses with great passion and wit tropolis\u2014has at last been released in a the need to overcome his own vertigo. THX-certified widescreen version fully that discuss, explain, and reveal the se- And there\u2019s a stylish 59-minute \u201cmak- authorized by the controversial Dutch ing of\u201d featurette, presented entirely in director himself. And what a version it crets behind every major effect in the CAV, that utilizes split screens, dual au- dio tracks, and still frames. Two brief is! This RoboCop (The Criterion Col- picture. Extensive storyboards include scenes that were cut from the movie are quite thrilling: Stallone performs a lection; CAV discs, $100) contains all of some scenes that never made it to the king\u2019s leap across a chasm, then strug- the unexpurgated, bloody \u201cshock\u201d shots gles to scale a frozen waterfall. And a that were trimmed from the original\u2019s finished product, as when RoboCop novel comparison of the finished film release to avoid an X rating, and these with behind-the-scenes footage illus- additions are so significant that Robo- (Peter Weller) visits the gravesite of trates the value of Harlin\u2019s elaborate el- Cop nearly emerges as a totally differ- evator-mounted camera rigs and the ent movie. Flawlessly pressed in Japan, Murphy, his human \u201cdonor.\u201d One par- general difficulty imposed by the posi- tively freezing locations. These and mastered from pristine materials, and ticularly gripping sequence\u2014the other examples of Harlin\u2019s meticulous presented in a 1.66:1 ratio, this new attention to detail assure that the transfer shimmers with Jost Vacano\u2019s boardroom meeting where the proto- punched-up Cliffhanger will keep you clear metallic colors. But it\u2019s the mind- on the edge of your seat. boggling soundtrack, featuring Basil type robot brutally dispatches an exec- Poledouris\u2019 pulsating score, that is the utive\u2014even gets A\u2014B\u2019d with its filmed \u2014Chris Chiarella jewel in RoboCop\u2019s crown. And the ex- haustive supplementary section is sim- counterpart. All in all, this RoboCop ply a goldmine: Running commentary by Verhoeven and others, though fasci- should make your day. \u2014MN LITTLE WOMEN HUNNING THE ARCHAIC \u201c\u2018AMERICAN- $ smpier\u201d quality of the 1933 George Cukor\u2014Katharine Hepburn pro- duction, the current (and fourth) adap- tation of Louisa May Alcott\u2019s classic 19th-century novel Little Women (Co- lumbia TriStar; VHS, priced for rental, CLV disc, $40) also avoids the candy- YouNEVER KNOW WHEN YOU'LL NEED A FULLY CHARGED CAMCORDER BATTERY. Life\u2019s full of surprises. What shouldn\u2019t be a surprise is a dead battery just when you want to record that once-in-a-lifetime shot. * That\u2019s why we created the Lenmar RediCell\u2122, the only camcorder battery designed to keep on charging until you need it. Since it\u2019s a NoMEM\u00ae battery, it won\u2019t build up a memory like nickel-cadmiums, so it can remain charging day after day and always deliver 100% at a moment's notice. *\u00ae Sort of like your adrenaline. * Ask your Lenmar dealer for the new RediCell Battery. *\u00ae So you can be ready for whatever memorable event sneaks up on you next. PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS For the name of your nearest Lenmar dealer, and a catalog of our other Camcorder Performance Products call: 800\/424-2703 \u00a91995 Lenmar Enterprises, Inc. CIRCLE NO. 59 ON READER SERVICE CARD","| SOFTV\\\\RESOFVVTIRESOFT VRE SOFT VVRESOFT VVIRESOI coated Technicolor schmaltz of 1949\u2019s Bale, and Eric Stolz), in addition to PROGRAM SEARCH Mervyn LeRoy\u2014June Allyson effort. In- savvy veterans (Susan Sarandon, stead, this Little Women lies some- Gabriel Byrne, John Neville, and Mary Readers, help readers find these where in between the two as a sort of Wickes). This Little Women (which is missing links politically correct, literate Beverly presented in 1.85:1 on LD) is also no- Hills, 90210 rendition. The cast fea- table as being the first major-studio ef- Miss Tatlock\u2019s Millions (1948) tures an attractive batch of Generation fort that\u2019s been adapted (Robin Swi- Bette Brown 538 Main St. Xers (Winona Ryder, Samantha Mathis, cord), produced (Denise Di Novi), Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Oconto Falls, WI 54154 written (also Di Novi), and directed Tapes of Knots Landing\u2019s 1989-90 season, especially episodes with Penny Peyser (Amanda) Chris Tutts 1015 S. Ridge Ave. Arlington Heights, IL 60005 VANDERSTEEN AUDIO The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1952; official release or TV broadcast) Ken Wolf 12223 Fl. Woods Lane Orlando, FL 32824 Tapes of tap dancers like John Bubbles, Bunny Briggs, Honi Coles, Don O'Connor, and Eddie Rector Phase-correct Three driver, (any condition) main speaker 300 watt amplified subwoofer Patrick R. Kilcoyne \u201cThe standard \u201cRocks the ma we for affordable _ foundation.\u201d 18205 Ponciana Ave. speakers.\u201d Cleveland, OH 44135 Phase-correct Phase-correct main speaker center speaker The Idiot (1957) and The Brothers \u201cLegendary \u201cUltimate realism.\u201d Karamazov (1968) performance (in Russian, with or without subtitles) on both films and music.\u201d Oswald Ferrer 4405 NW 73rd Ave. Ste. 20-50001 Miami, FL 33166 Knight Moves (1993), Gunmen (1994), Highlander (1986), Universal Soldier Phase-correct (1992), The Horror of Dracula (1958) (Japanese laserdiscs or VHS copies wall-mount loudspeaker of same) Matthew Steven Plourde 83 Tanglewood Lane Ultra high- \u201cThe ideal Naugatuck, CT 06770 In its pursuit of per- performance surround fection, specialty audio has estab- phase-correct ls speaker.\u201d Tapes of Your Show of Shows, with Sid lished high-fidelity Caesar and Imogene Coca; Volumes standards that only main speaker 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 the best speakers (already have Volume 1-2) can reach. The ulitimate embodiment Clyde Bybee 3107 Porter of the VANDERSTEEN Wichita, KS 67204 boxless full-range design. \u201cIncomparable detail and resolution.\u201d Now your home theater system can meet these standards. A VANDERSTEEN (Gillian Armstrong) exclusively by phase-correct home theater system creates a coherent and expansive sound-field women. Geoffrey Simpson\u2019s gorgeous with exceptional detail and superior dialog intelligibility. You will hear why \u201cboxless\u201d is definitely better as the system's incredible realism heightens photography is finely reproduced in its your emotional involvement in your films. crystal-clear, Currier and Ives-ish tableaus, though the night-time interi- ors tend to suffer from oversaturated For almost 20 years, VANDERSTEEN AUDIO has built affordable loudspeakers true candlelit \u201crealism.\u201d The superb Dolby to both science and music. If you are looking for a system that convincingly reproduces every nuance of a film as easily as it conveys the essence of music, stereo soundtrack abounds with the we can direct you to your nearest carefully selected VANDERSTEEN dealer. proper sounds of the period, and it\u2019s el- egantly topped off by composer Thomas Newman\u2019s beautiful score. A DIMENSIONAL PURITY JDEI choice showcase, Little Women war- Please write or call for a brochure a | Fe,\\\" rants a big thumb\u2019s up. \u2014MN and the name of your nearest dealer. Ke) West Fourth St, Hanforel: ey\\\" 93230 2 (209) 582-0324 82 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO CIRCLE NO. 10 ON READER SERVICE CARD","S$\u2014 VIDEO\u2019S GUIDE TO aes TECHNOLOGY WARP JIVE from \u2018 IBM's 05\/2 Fails to Move an Immovable Object Win- y dows ELL, IT WAS A VALIANT EFFORT. Remember those commercials\u2014 3.1. Warp\u2019s the ones with the perky nuns, harried in- default desktop ' ternational businessmen, and the old is less confusing than the Russian guys, all of whom extolled the Windows Program Manag- \u201cSS plugged-in virtues of IBM and its new generation of computer products and ser- er, and it provides a rich, flex- vices? Though the commercials were ible computing environment. Its cute, the really interesting part was that the wizards at Big Blue felt compelled to \u201capplets\u201d (as in \u201clittle applications\u201d) remind us that they\u2019re cool. Hey, one of are nearly robust enough to write and the perky nuns told us that IBM was men- tioned in an issue of Wired! How cool can telecommunicate without the need for ad- you get? ditional software. And Lotus SmartSuite, an integrated word processor, spread- Sarcasm aside, IBM\u2014despite contin- ued success in the business world\u2014has sheet, database, and presentation pack- had a tough time in the last few years connecting with everyday folks like you age, has been available for OS\/2 at a hard- and me. Our homes are filled with clones to-beat street price of under $150. one seemed to admit that in the months Even in a universe in which Windows before Windows 95 came to town. Finally, of Big Blue\u2019s personal computers\u2014not the genuine article. And the vast majority 95 didn\u2019t exist, however, Warp couldn\u2019t of them use Microsoft\u2019s Windows operat- ing system. That\u2019s a lot of business IBM be mistaken for a perfect operating sys- only a few weeks before Microsoft\u2019s roll- wanted to regain. The OS\/2 Warp operat- ing system was their latest\u2014and, proba- tem. Lotus (recently acquired by IBM) out, IBM CEO Louis V. Gerstner basically was the only major software vendor to bly, last\u2014attempt to turn the tide, but the threw in the towel, deciding to concen- support OS\/2 in a big way, so Windows trate Big Blue\u2019s OS\/2 efforts on the com- Windows monolith, raised to Babel-like heights by the recent introduction of Win- 3.1, despite its being less versatile, still mercial server business. dows 95, refused to budge. One thing\u2019s certain: OS\/2 helped to offered a far greater range of software. Warp offered multitasking, multithread- ing, easy Internet access, and a clean in- Vendors might have flocked to OS\/2 if keep Microsoft on their toes, and that terface when it was released in the fall of 1994\u2014in short, most of what Windows Windows 95 hadn\u2019t been in the pipeline, made for a better Windows 95. Though a2oAS\u00b0 95 now offers a year later. IBM\u2019s recom- mended hardware requirements weren't a but it was, so they didn\u2019t. it\u2019s not much consolation, thanks, IBM. problem, either. They called for a 386 processor or higher, 4 MB of RAM, and 35 Though Windows programs can be run \u2014\u2014Charles Bermant to 55 MB of free space on your hard drive. (Okay, you\u2019d probably need a 75- under OS\/2, that fact never amounted to eo] i| 1) = MHz processor, 24 MB of RAM, and a much, Think about it for a second: It 500-MB hard drive if you really wanted Warp to fly.) Viewed in a vacuum, there- makes little sense to change operating fore, OS\/2\u2019s benefits justified the upgrade: It was clearly superior to anything out systems just so you can use the same old there before Windows 95 came to town. programs. The Warp-compatible Lotus OS\/2 certainly represented a step up programs, for example, aren\u2019t all that dif- ferent, functionally, from their Windows counterparts. OS\/2 also presented some obstacles to upgrading from Windows 3.1. Some Win- dows users who attempted the upgrade reported significant installation problems. They also said that they got better appli- cation and system support with Windows. OS\/2\u2019s biggest obstacle, of course, didn\u2019t have anything to do with technolo- gy per se. It can be summed up in one word: Microsoft. There was simply no way that Warp could coexist with Win- dows 95 in any significant fashion. No","SHORTWARE Speed Reader liver appreciably faster performance than the 3x NEC 3Xi playerI use. The Plextor 6PleX than older drives, particularly when. test. program. showed. that. the .6PleX 6X CD-ROM Player >s data and video are involved. _ was able to complete random seek op- S MULTIMEDIA SOFTWARE PROLIF- I saw the biggest performance differ- ence with multimedia games that jug- erations in 154 ms, while the 3X1 took erates, cutting-edge games with gle demanding video, audio, animation, 280\u00b0ms to perform the same tasks. full-motion video and animation and graphics. Loading scenery data in Throughput, which is critical for Microsoft\u2019s Flight Simulator, for exam- smooth video and animation playback, demand faster CD-ROM players. ple, was lightning quick. And the ani- was also impressive: The 6PleX\u2019s mated scenes and graphics in Lucas throughput of 829 kbps left the 3Xi\u2019s At issue is the player\u2019s ability to quick- Arts\u2019 Full Throttle played smoothly 437 kbps in the dust, and the 6PleX is ly find data and transfer it to the MPC. and without delay. Database searches well ahead of the rated 600-kbps The 6PleX, from Plextor, a well-re- were blindingly fast as well. It didn\u2019t throughput of most 4X models. hurt that I had a fast Pentium CPU garded maker of CD-ROM players, is working behind the scenes, but even a The external 6PleX is well designed, quick processor won't help if the CD- one of the fastest models you can buy. ROM player can\u2019t deliver data quickly. with a rugged chassis, easy-to-reach The 6PleX, which is available in ex- controls, and rubberized feet that keep AC) OM benchmark program the chassis from slipping during load\/ ternal and internal versions ($649 and unload drills. As mentioned, the 6PleX $549, respectively), is Plug and Play- is compliant with the Plug and Play compatible and among the first ox players to hit computer shops (PnP) spec, which means that, Mi- inexpensive, and man folk crosoft\u2019s new Windows 95. operating stem can automatically detect and OO [ectey surrouno | THX ACG PRO\u00bb LOGIC","configure the player during installa- tion\u2014provided your MPC itself sup- ports PnP. The 6PleX uses a caddy-fed mecha- nism that protects the player\u2019s internal mechanisms and optics from dirt. You have to place a disc in the caddy before you can play it, of course, and then in- sert the caddy in the drive\u2014a bit more work than loading tray-fed players. Un- fortunately, the door on the 6PleX doesn\u2019t lock when folded down, so in- serting a disc is a two-hand job. And the eject mechanism on the 6PleX liter- ally fires the caddy out the door COSMETICS Plex handy, perhaps, if you're especially co- player is still among the most difficult ordinated (and in a hurry), but inviting upgrades you can attempt to perform. 345678910 damage otherwise. (It always pays to use a diagnostic util- i ity to find out what resources are avail- t The external version comes with a able before installation.) | half-length scsi adaptor card, a connec- | tor cable, one disc caddy, and cus- In any case, Plextor\u2019s 6PleX is quick, tomized driver software for controlling reliable, and well built. And while it\u2019s e the unit. The internal unit adds brackets fairly expensive, it\u2019s among the best for mounting the half-height player in a models you can buy. If you need top- 5.5-inch drive bay. Though Plextor\u2019s notch performance, the Plextor 6PleX driver software and documentation are is an excellent choice. well executed, installing a CD-ROM \u2014Michael Desmond MOMENT OF mS) C ce \u201c Yiou can ffeeeell iit iinnyyour yssteymstem tthhe moment t yyoouututurrnn youyrour D Denon H Home ThTeheaatter on. TtThe experience off lliiffeelliikke soundsIsccaapfes reproduced by Denon\u2019s Surround-Sound through discrete Dolby\u2019 AC-3 and Pro Logic, Lucasfilm\u2019s THX\u201d and Denon\u2019s DDSC circuitry. This:is what sets:Denon\u2019s Home Theater components apart from the rest. D\u00e9non Advanced Hame Theater. The difference between watching and being there. Denoh Electronics\u2018a division of Denon Corporation (USA); 222 New\u2019Road;Patsippany, NJ 07054 (201)575-7810 The First Name in Digitat Home Theater CIRCLE NO. 75 ON READER SERVICE CARD","NEW TECH 1 IOMEGA says their Jaz HC-1200A video printer ($995) is said to offer high- removable drive is the ideal resolution dye-sublimation printing at an affordable solution for storing, transport- ing, and playing multimedia price. The 1200A, which is roughly the size of a tele- applications at home or on the go. The Jaz, which is phone answering machine, is said to output a photo-quality available in external (2 pounds; $599) or internal 4.2 x 3.2-inch print in 80 sec- ($499) configurations, ac- onds or less. Full-page im- ages and\/or 4- or 16-split cepts a 3.5-inch disc with ei- ther 1-GB or 540-MB capaci- multiscreen images can be ty. Specs include a 12-ms printed on a single sheet. average seek time, 17.5-ms Equipped with a special ther- average access time, 256-kB mal printing head, the 1200A read\/write cache, 6.73-MB- has a palette of more than mUI per-second sustained trans- 16.7 million colors and reso- 3 ene ARNE fer rate, and 10-MBps syn- lution of 142 dpi. Its compos- ite and S-Video inputs accept chronous\u2019 SCSI _ transfer NTSC signals, and it\u2019s rate\u2014fast enough, lomega equipped with a composite says, to deliver acceptable video output for connection full-screen full-motion video. The Jaz plugs into a standard to another video source, such SCSI port and is compatible as a monitor, VCR, or another with Windows 3.1, Windows printer. A wired remote con- 95, Macintosh, and OS\/2 op- trol is supplied. Printer media erating systems. 2 PACK- costs 70 cents per sheet. 4 ARD BELL\u2019s P133 Corner PANASONIC\u2019s Panamedia Computer ($2,900, monitor not included) features the 15 15-inch computer monitor Fast Media Key, which offers ($599) uses the company\u2019s pushbutton access to the Dome Speaker technology to MPC's built-in TV, phone, and pack stereo speakers and a radio applications. The TV microphone into its 15.1 x feature allows users to view 14.7 x 16-inch (h\/w\/d) chas- images from any video source; video images can be sis. The 15 features a 0.27- viewed in a PiP-like window millimeter dot pitch, 1,280 x while you\u2019re working within 1,024 resolution, and an anti- static, -glare, and -reflection another application. The hands-free phone includes a coating. lcon-based displays call-answering function. The can be set to one of five lan- guages, and two industry- FM radio has 24 memory po- sitions for favorite stations as standard color-temperature well as scan and seek con- settings are on tap via the trols. These applications can PanaColor control system. also be controlled via the The Panamedia 15 conforms supplied wireless remote. The P133 is configured with a to VGA, SVGA, XGA, and MAC 133-MHz Pentium processor, 16 MB of RAM, a 2.1-GB hard standards. | drive, a quad-speed CD- ROM player, and a 28.8-kbps \u2014$\u2014<\u2014<\u2014<\u2014\u2014\u2014$\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014 fax\/mnodem. 3 TOSHIBA's IOMEGA circle 127 PACKARD BELL circle 128 TOSHIBA circle 129 PANASONIC circle 130","A\u2019S CHOICE EW CAM M O D Fes VL-E37U 8MM VIEWCAMw\u2122ith 3\u201d Color LCD View Screen, 270\u00b0 VL-E47U 8M VIEWCAMw\u2122ith 4\u201d Color LCD Variable Angle Recording, 180\u00b0 Recording Message Instruction On-Screen View Screen, 270\u00b0 Variable Angle Recording, Display and Block Shot Recording. Low Reflectivity LCD (1%) for Outdoor use. 180\u00b0 Recording Message Instruction On-Screen Display Instant Playback with sound. BuiltIn Speaker with volume control. Infrared and Block Shot Recording Power Saving LCD OFF Function Remote Control. Built in Stand External Recording. BuilHn Speaker with volume control. Infrared Remote Control. Built in Stand. VL-H420U Hi-8MM VIEWCAM\\\"\u2122 with 4\u201d Color LCD View VL-H450U 1-8 VIEWCAMw\u2122ith Screen, Digital Image Stabilization (D.1.S.), 20x Digital Zoom. 4\\\" Color LCD View Screen, Viewcamport, Digital Hi-Fi Stereo. Low Reflectivity LCD (1%) for Outdoor use.Digital Image Stabilization (D.1.S.), 20x Digital Zoom. Neuro Auto STILL\/SNAP\/STROBE Function. Instant Playback with sound. BuilHn Speaker with volume Exposure. Digital Full Range Auto Focus. Builtln Speaker with volume con control. Infrared Remote Control. Built in Stand. trol. Infrared Remote Control. Built in Stand. Noiseless Still and Slow Motion. Available from Sharp's MULTI MEDIA World's Largest VR-MS1U The Viewcamteleport\u2122 enables transmission of full-colorstill video images over Independent Vieweam Dealer ordinary telephone lines. Easily, coneniently, immediately. 1104 Chestnut Street \u00a2 Philadelphia, PA 19107 GZ-P15U Ultra-Thin, Lightweight Color Video Printer Call Toll Free 1-800-477-1003 with Wired Remote Controll produces photo-quality prints on a wide variety of papers and textile transfers. RETURNS MAY BE SUBJECT TO A 10% RESTOCKING FEE. SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. ALLOW 2 - 6 WEEKS FOR BACK ORDERS. CIRCLE NO. 36 ON READER SERVICE CARD","SOFTWIRE WITH OPEN EYES venture game. Unlike many hybrid pre- newspaper, and the second,disc features Images From the sentations, however, Throttle integrates Art Institute of Chicago the best elements from both worlds, an on-screen boardgame where players Players assume the role of Ben, the OYAGER\u2019S GORGEOUS WITH OPEN principled leader of the Polecats motor= collect points in order to achieve \u201cthe Eyes: Images From the Art Insti- cycle gang who awakens unceremoni- tute of Chicago ($40) is an eye-popper: ously inside a dumpster and sets out to elusive goal of enlightenment.\u201d But Culled from the institution\u2019s impressive thwart the evil intentions of one Adrian fine-art collection, Eyes features over Ripburger, a sleazy vP for the all-pow- choose your path with care, brothers 200 pieces of art, including ancient erful Corley Motors. Ripburger\u2019s plan sculpture, Italian Renaissance-era is to modify his company\u2019s manufactur- and sisters\u2014Monopoly-like playing paintings, and works from the usual ing plant so it cranks out yuppie mini- modern-art suspects (Van Gogh, Picas- vans instead of two-wheeled hogs. cards. penalize cyber-hippies for such (And, while he\u2019s at it, he frames Ben so, Matisse, C\u00e9zanne, Man Ray, et al) and the Polecats for murder.) Ben, misdeeds as waking up naked in Golden right on up to a 1987 offering from meanwhile, has to do battle with mem- Buzz Specter. Each piece of artwork is bers of three other biker gangs. Simple Gate Park. (Bummer.) Overall, the presented full-frame, with designated mouse commands make the action easy areas that can be enlarged for a closer to control, even for neophyte gamers, Haight experience is a cool way to turn look at the brushstrokes or color detail. And don\u2019t worry about being stuck in 2- A major key to Throttle\u2019s success is on, tune in, and ROM out. (Mac\/Win- D when it comes to the sculpture\u2014you its shrewd use of vocal talent. Ripburg- er\u2019s voice is provided by Star Wars dows disc) \u2014Ken Korman Picasso\u2019s The Red Armchair (1931) alum Mark Hamill, while the other ac- tors create fully developed characters MYTHOLOGY can move a full 360 degrees around the that help bring the game up to a level of object to view it from a variety of an- professionalism that\u2019s seldom seen in An Introduction to gles. A timeline locates each work in its an interactive title. As far as the actual historical context, enabling the collec- gaming goes, brains and brawn will Greek & Roman Mythology tion to be broken down into 50-year pe- have to be put to use if you want to riods. The works can be grouped geo- move past Throttle\u2019s early levels. The HE IMPACT AND INFLUENCE OF graphically, too, by clicking on specific only knock is that experienced gamers world-map locales. And if you really may only need about 15 hours to get TF iholony can be found scattered like what you see, you can click on a through it all, but, even so, those hours camera icon and take \u201csnapshots,\u201d are guaranteed to go by at, well, full throughout the history of art, literature, which will delegate each shot to a per- sonalized, temporary scrapbook. The throttle. (MPC disc) and music, and it has passed on impor- Eyes have it. (Mac\/Windows disc) \u2014James K. Willcox tant life lessons and insights into the \u2014\u2014Josef Krebs HAIGHT-ASHBURY IN THE SIXTIES human psyche along the way. And FULL THROTTLE UMBLING TO LIFE WITH ALL OF THE N THE SURFACE, IT SEEMS SOME- while Mythology: An Introduction to what ironic that the low-tech, RR inspactof straight pipes on a fully back-to-nature hippie era would eventu- Greek & Roman Mythology ($198; chopped Harley, LucasArts\u2019 Full Throt- ally find a suitable home in CD-ROM tle ($50) is part cartoon, part action\/ad- Land. Then again, psychedelia achieved available only from Thomas S. Klise its purest forms of expression with wild music, day-glo posters, and swirling Company, 212.627.4099) serves mainly lightshows, and all of these elements suit the multimedia aesthetic like a lava as a school-level introduction to the lamp complements a crash pad. These and other heady concepts can be found lore of the early Greeks and Romans, on the two-disc Haight-Ashbury in the Sixties ($50), from Compton\u2019s New Me- adults will find that it offers an intrigu- dia. The first disc is devoted mainly to a lengthy interactive documentary by ing way to gain a foothold on this Allen Cohen, founding editor of The San Francisco Oracle, an alternative broad and fascinating subject. Mythology\u2019s design is fairly simple. You can jump back and forth between four main topic headings and their re- spective subsections; each subsection is an illustrated chapter that can either be listened to or read as hypertext. The hypertext offers even greater depth on the subject at hand, and \u201chot\u201d words (like ARISTOCRATIC) will be defined the moment you click on them. (A full glossary of terms can be accessed at any time.) Accompanying illustrations are a mix of historical artworks and utilitarian drawings. You can either sit back and watch Mythology un- fold like a documentary, or stop the proceedings and access explanations for anything you don\u2019t understand. There are also a number of games to play and tests to take to see how well you're absorbing the information. Per- sonally, I found these last two options invaluable in fueling my learning curve\u2014and that\u2019s no myth. (MPC, Mac discs) \u2014JK 88 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO","DIGITAL layer MMCDs requires a number of ad- THOUGH WE KNOW THAT THERE HAVE ditional steps. Sony claims that they CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 shouldn\u2019t significantly affect disc relia- been secret talks between Sony\/Philips bility or pricing, however. (ToC) information. A disc\u2019s TOC is writ- and Toshiba\/Time Warner, no one real- ten three times at fixed points in the IGA With dual-layer MMCDs, the pit pat- of each layer (three times for a single- tern of the \u201cbottom\u201d information layer ly knows what\u2019s happening at the top layer disc, six times for a dual-layer (layer 1) is replicated onto the disc\u2019s disc). The key is that the Toc is stored polycarbonate substrate with a metal level , as they say in the main data channel\u2014not in a sub- stamper. Next, a layer that\u2019s 20- to 40- code area, as it is with the music CDs. percent reflective and has a thickness of in Japan. Reportedly, the two camps In fact, MMCD doesn\u2019t employ a sub- 0.1 um is sputtered onto the substrate. code channel, leading to a modicum of Then liquid resin is applied to this se- have discussed the possibility of com- space savings. mi-reflective layer, and the pit pattern of the \u201ctop\u201d information layer (layer 0) bination DVD players that\u2019d play both The Toc for a single sector accommo- is pressed onto the liquid resin with a dates 100 tracks, but additional Toc second stamper. The resin is hardened MMCDs and SDs. That\u2019s great, since sectors can be added to accommodate by Uv radiation, using a 2P (Photo up to a whopping 65,536 tracks. Track Polymerization) process. Then a fully it\u2019d remove the risk of buying into a 0 contains an ISO 9660 Directory reflective aluminum layer is sputtered Structure, which allows MMCD players onto the second layer. Another Uv resin format that might prove short-lived\u2014 built for CD-ROM playback to access a is applied to form a protective top layer, disc\u2019s contents computer-style. The bot- and a label is printed across the top but it\u2019s not so great, since it\u2019d mean that tom line: More flexibility for more var- side. Reportedly, manufacturing toler- ied applications, and faster data access. ances for MMCDs are said to be twice we'd have to pay extra for a player that Disc Manufacturing. Single-layer that of the CD\u2014in other words, it\u2019s cru- has that flexibility. Clearly, if the for- MMCDs can be manufactured using cial for the manufacturing plants to traditional CD manufacturing tech- come much closer to the ideal every mats are similar enough to allow this niques. But the manufacture of dual- time they \u201cpress\u201d an MMCD. But this should be well within the grasp of exist- type of \u201ccombi\u201d player, they\u2019re sure as ing CD plants. hell similar enough to be merged into a common format. The situation is tense, and there\u2019s a heaviness in the air. We know the quake is coming, but who can say how it will shake out? Based on the available facts, though, one thing is clear: DVD has the technical potential to rock your world. Here\u2019s hoping that the complexities of MPEG-2 coding and DVD manufactur- ing\u2014not to mention industry politics and corporate pride\u2014don\u2019t get in the way of achieving every bit of that po- tential. \u2014Ken C. Pohlmann DO EXPRESSIONS LIKE THX, DOLBY PRO L\u00a2 , IN-WALL, MULTI-ZONE, TWEETER, AND SUB-WOO Home Theatre $ TAKES THE MYSTERY OUT OF PROVIDING THE BES F ROMA SINGLE CENTER CHANNEL TO A MULTI-ROOM MULTI-ZONE SYSTEM, H.TS. WILL PROVIDE THE BEST ADVICE AND THE BEST PRICE TO PERFECTLY FIT YOUR NEEDS. LUCASFILM SURROUND OUR PROFESSIONALS HAVE INSTALLED HOME THEATER SYSTEMS FOR SOME OF THE MOST RECOGNIZED NAMES IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS. OUR SALES CONSULTANTS WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE MAZE OF COMPONENTS $O YOU CAN GET THE SYSTEM THAT DOES WHAT YOU WANT IT TO DO AT THE PRICE YOU WANT TO PAY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR TECHNICIANS ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU hh YOUR INSTALLATION NEEDS AFTER THE SALE! a\u2014 WE CARRY MOST MAJOR BRANDS OF AUDIO AND VIDEO SPEAKERS, \u2018VAY RECEIVERS, VIDEO PROJECTORS, T.V.'S, VCR\u2019S, LASER-DISCS, CD-PLAYERS, PRE-AMPS, POWER-AMPS, CASSETTE DECKS, SATELLITE DISHES AND atime AMCOCSETSSODREIAELSE.RSEVDEONN\u2019HTARCDARRTYO! FIND BRANDS THAT APOGEE SLANT6 STEREOPHILE CLASS B (3) 12 INCH ALLS, NJ 07424 WOOFERS RECOMMENDED 95 DB URER COMPONENT SENSITIVITY v c PURPOSES ONLY RESPONSE 22-50 K +3 DB $1199","Now -- on LoserDis< ecoe WIDE SCENE ness required to completely frame the | image. Bg <a CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39 Other conversions altered a director\u2019s Other Top LaserDis<\u00a2 titles... install the extra-wide 2.66:1 screen re- vision, managing to anger more than a quired by CinemaScope. few filmmakers. Howard Hughes\u2019 Su- S1df iren perScope was a 2.1:1 (and, later, GENERATIONS To insure that The Robe could be 2.35:1) process whose anamorphic played by local operators who lacked squeeze was performed entirely in the Sana CNDEREIA an appropriately big screen, the film lab; it was used from 1954 through 1958 and enraged a number of famous CLAUSE Forrest (like The Big Trail before it) was shot directors. Robert Aldrich\u2019s 1.33:1 Vera two ways: in anamorphic CinemaScope LION KING Gump Cruz (1953) was released in 2.1:1 Su- and also in a regular (or \u201cflat\u201d) 1.33:1 perScope, and this not only soured DISCLOSURE version, which would fit on virtually all Aldrich on CinemaScope in general, existing screens. The process of shoot- but damaged his relationship with Vera OUTBREAK JUST CAUSE ing films two ways lasted all of 2 years, Cruz producer\/star Burt Lancaster; they when it became technically feasible to wouldn\u2019t work together again for al- LEGENDS INTERVIEW adjust \u2019Scope\u2019s 2.35:1 ratio to the most 20 years. Fritz Lang\u2019s 1.85:1 1.85:1 standard simply by masking the While the City Sleeps (1956) was given of the WITH THE top and bottom of the frame with black similar treatment; when asked about his FALL borders. American \u2019Scope pictures, Lang would VAMPIRE bark, \u201cI only made one CinemaScope The two-version approach was picture and that was Moonfleet!\u201d Prorcssmem. True Les fraught with problems of the time and money kind. Carousel (1956), which (1955). On the other hand, when direc- S TieA. T E was shot in large-format CinemaScope tors intentionally composed their im- 55, was concurrently lensed in regular ages for the SuperScope process\u2014think Mention this Ad and get a 20% discount 35MM CinemaScope\u2014causing Frank Don Siegel\u2019s original, 1956 Invasion of off the Suggested Retail Price on the Titles Sinatra, the film\u2019s original star, to walk the Body Snatchers\u2014the results were off the set rather than perform in two just fine. listed above, (Offer expires 12\/31\/1995) movies for the price of one. This may not be as unreasonable as it sounds\u2014 ISN\u2019T IT SEMANTIC Call for our FREE Monthly Laserdisc director Douglas Sirk told me that Sign Later processes mainly borrowed Catalog! Hundreds of New and Recent of the Pagan (1954), which he shot in Releases. All, at least, 15% OFF S.R.P.! both CinemaScope and \u201cflat,\u201d was in- from their more illustrious predeces- deed two entirely different movies, as sors. TechniScope, which was launched PLUS... the flat version used many alternate in the U.S. in 1961 and remained popu- compositions more suitable to 1.33:1. lar through the mid-\u201970s, was a 2.35:1 OVERNIGHT anamorphic phenomenon that deserves DELIVERY (He preferred the 2.35:1 edition, which, special mention. due to its frugality. sadly, appears to be lost.) Since images were captured on a frame Overnight Delivery On\/y $3.75 per Order*! that was half the size of a standard Anthony Mann\u2019s Thunder Bay 35MM frame, stock cost was cut by 50 1 or 100 discs - you pay only $3.75! *Orders percent\u2014a great incentive for low-bud- can include \u201cPre-orders\u201d and \u201cBack-orders!\u201d (1953), the first Golden Ratio title to get filmmakers looking to enhance their successfully go into general distribu- movies with big-budget results. Tech- (Continental U.S. shipments only - certain tion, ultimately begat a calamitous fate niScope\u2019s truest supporters were the areas and shipments over 5-Ibs. may require for every subsequent non-Cinema- Europeans, however, who embraced its Scope picture released to television or somewhat surprising razor-sharp quali- an extra business day) home video. Designed to be shown in ty. Sergio Leone\u2019s \u201cDollar\u201d flicks theaters with a hard 1.85:1 matte, the (1964-1968), starring Clint Eastwood, Every Laserdisc title available at up to 40% OFF! full-frame versions of these films fre- and Once Upon a Time in the West quently reveal boom mics and cables (1969) were shot in TechniScope. State- Laserdisc Fan Club, Inc. when shown without the matte (or with side, Universal\u2019s Texas Across the River 1058 E. 230th St. (Source Cd. V105) poor matting). (1966) and Rough Night in Jericho (1967) used the process to gorgeous Carson, C8A0190-7D45ISC(3472) Spin a 1.85:1 letterboxed laserdisc, ends. Still, it was eventually replaced F(mAeXnti(o3n10S)ou9rc5e2-C3o0d0e0: V105) for example, and you may occasionally by Super 35, yet another anamorphic (800) Open Monday - Saturday see action bleeding through the top and CinemaScope derivative. bottom borders. This doesn\u2019t mean that 7$0 FAN\u00e9 CLUB you\u2019re missing part of the intended A techno\/semantic hybrid of Super- frame. To the contrary, you\u2019re seeing Scope 2.35 and TechniScope (1985\u2019s For your FREE Laserdisc Catalog, please exactly what the film\u2019s director wanted Silverado, an early offering, carried the complete and mail the coupon below: you to see\u2014but the matte that was in- logo \u201cSuper TechniScope\u201d), Super 35 is serted during the transfer to laserdisc the contemporary process of choice for Name: (which mimics the theater\u2019s hard matte) many directors, who, unlike their pre- sometimes fails to deliver the opaque- Address: City, State, Zip Code: 90 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO CIRCLE NO. 73 ON READER SERVICE CARD","decessors, are compelled to contend likewise prefers Super 35, lensing VIDEOTEST with TV and home video. Super 35\u2019s Howards End (1992) and The Remains many perks include the \u201c20\/80 split,\u201d of the Day (1993) with it; Columbia Canon ES2000 which allows the director to compose TriStar has generously released the The for 2.35:1 anamorphic projection with Age of Innocence and the Merchant\u2014 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 73 an additional 20 percent of height above Ivory lasers in 2.35:1 only. the frame and 80 percent below. This reverse) let you see and line up recently flexibility gives directors and cine- KEEP THE FILM-PROCESS TIMELINE IN shot footage while remaining in the re- matographers enough leeway to com- cord-pause mode. pose images that\u2019ll also look good on mind when you search out widescreen the 1.33:1 screen of a conventional TV. A line-in record button is located just classics. I\u2019m frequently asked if early below the tally\/sensor; it converts the While purists insist that theatrical RCA (and S-Video) output jacks to in- *Scope movies be released only in their classics like Casablanca (1943), Citizen puts, so you can receive video from an original aspect ratio, videophiles are of- outside source, such as a VCR. Other ten given a choice. Director James Kane (1941), or Gone With the Wind connections include an S-Video port, Cameron, a strong advocate of Super RCA stereo output jacks, Dc output for 35, always frames for 2.35:1 theatrical- (1939) are available in letterboxed ver- an optional RF adaptor, and a LANC re- ly, but fervently creates a home-video mote terminal. All of these connections version that varies from 1.33:1 to sions, and such queries really aren\u2019t as are hidden by a rubber cover on the back of the camcorder. 1.75:1. (The laserdiscs of his The Abyss naive as they may seem. During The backlight-compensation button [1989], Terminator 2: Judgment Day widescreen\u2019s \u201950s heyday, many older must be held as long as you want it to operate. For sheer ease of use, I pre- [1991], and True Lies [1994] have been studio champs (like Gone With the Wind ferred using FlexiZone for backlight compensation, since it can maintain its released both ways.) Martin Scorsese, and 1939\u2019s The Wizard of Oz) were in setting once you\u2019ve triggered it. This who shot Cape Fear (1991) in Panavi- helps when you stretch a shot for more sion, toiled over the pan-and-scan ver- fact reissued as widescreen productions. than a few seconds. sion; when he tackled Age of Innocence (1993) 2 years later, he opted for Super These movies were never meant to be 35. (Scorsese told me he was pleased with both the 2.35:1 and 1.33:1 versions seen that way, of course, and conse- of Fear.) The Merchant\u2014Ivory team quently suffered the ultimate insult of having the tops and bottoms of their carefully composed frames systemati- cally lopped off. Mercifully, none of these collectibles have surfaced in their cropped, mutated versions on home video . . . though the Christmas reissue season is upon us. In Hollywood, any- thing\u2019s possible. a Tel: 1-800- UNCLE\u2019S STEREO Fax: 1212: 978-6253 943-9142 PANASONIC GREAT NEW TV\u2019s! CALL! GO-VIDEO GV8020 8mm\/VHS Dubbing. .$769 CELESTION MP1 Highest Rated... CALL! \u2014 RCA _ 31\u201d PIP High Resolution PIONEER LASER DISC PI.AYERS CALL! RCA Digital Satellite System Msiziev CALL! TOSHIBA M-460 4 Head VCR Plus.... $229 JBL THX System HITACHI 50EX10B 50\u201dProjection TV.. $1797 MITSUBISHI HSU510 4 Head HiFi... $324 MITSUBISHI CS35313 35\u2019 PIP .... $1499 DAHLQUIST FULL LINE CALL! JVC HRA61 4 Head HiFi SONY KPR41EXR96 46\u201d PIP Projection. $1899 PANASONIC PV4461 HiFi Stereo... . 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YAMAHA CC-90 3 CD Changer .. . CALL! PANASONIC ALL MODELS IN STOCK! TASCAM CALL FOR BEST PRICE! SONY MHC-C55. - $469 SONY MDS302 SHARP RXP1........... $8599 AIWA LCX70 7CD 25W x2.Reise $329 SONY MZR-2 Mini Disc Recorder... $549 AIWA NSX-999 3CD 120Wx2.... $459 BS\u20189 6\\\\\\\\ FOWRERPERICVEER&Y ANDIVCIEC!E Sen eo ce OUR","INTELEStAR Like many new hand-holdable cam- corders, the ES2000 has specialized ex- ACCEPT NO posure modes that provide versatility in SUBSTITUTIONS unusual shooting situations. The SPORTS mode adds a high-speed shutter that can eDEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME e PICTURE IMPROVING ENERGIZER CABLES be used in bright light conditions or with action shots. The PORTRAIT mode e@FULL WARRANTY eLOWEST PRICES eBULLET PROTECTORS & IMMUNIZERS can be used to enhance still lifes and close-ups. The SPOTLIGHT mode creates eNEW INTELESTAR\u00ae Mech@WE CARRY ALL MAKES AND MODELS an \u201con-stage\u201d effect. And SAND AND SNOW operates like the backlight com- MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL CONSUMER CABLE ASSOCIATION pensator in bright conditions; it\u2019s handy 800-835-2330enue Order Toll Free: when the conditions are constant and you want the exposure to be full-field Order by C.0.D., Check-Via-Phone or VISA \/ MC ge) rather than single-zone. Though special effects are largely absent, there\u2019s a sim- Please have the make and model # of the equipment used in your area. ple push-and-hold fader. MULTI-VISION ELECTRONICS INC. =) Picture performance from the 0.25- inch, 410,000-pixel ccD was good at the CIRCLE NO. 23 ON READER SERVICE CARD lone sp speed. Recorded horizontal res- olution was 390 lines, and color rendi- 800-231-0031 tion was accurate. Though I\u2019ve seen better Hi8 pictures, the ES2000 still Need to know something about electronic performed very well. One weakness accessories? We have virtually everything for worth noting is that it tended to wash out light colors slightly when I was us- computers, cellular, ing the full-auto setting to shoot in telephones, audio, bright sunlight. (Note that you can help camcorders, car audio, address this problem with an inexpen- antennas, video and video sive neutral-density filter.) The ES2000 games, music cases, adapters also showed some luminance noise with and connectors. shots made under lower light condi- Call us today. You\u2019ve got nothing tions, so an optional video light would to lose and an awful lot to find ! be a logical accessory. 2950 Lake Emma Road, Lake Mary,FL 32746 The ES2000 is equipped with a stereo electret-condenser microphone and AFM \u00a9 Copyright 1995 Recoton Corp., New York, NY 10022. All rights reserved. stereo Hi-Fi playback, and audio per- formance was average for the format. Some transport and zoom noise made it to my tapes when I used the built-in mic; fortunately, using the external-mic jack (and an external mic) eliminated the problem. Though there\u2019s no acces- sory shoe on the camcorder to anchor an external mic (or a light, for that mat- ter), adaptors that hold one or the other are readily available. SERIOUS VIDEOGRAPHERS WHO DE- mand an exceptional degree of control over focus, exposure, and zoom, but don\u2019t want to sacrifice high-end perks like optical image stabilization and a color viewfinder, may find that the Canon ES2000 is their best bet, period. You can get marginally better video and audio performance from other Hi8 models in its price class, but no other cam can match the one-two punch of the ES2000\u2019s FlexiZone system and its 20X optical zoom. Together, they take this camcorder into the upper echelon of Hi8 models. a 92 OCTOBER 1995 VIDEO .","omput AbilitySince 1982 800-554-99VM4G 910\/95 Consumer Electronics JUST RELEASED! 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Not responsible for typographical errors *No refunds on video or car stereo products*10 Day defective exchange from date of receipt\u00abAll returns must be made within 10 days of receipt of merchandise & are subject to a | restockingfee*Items must be in original condition and packaging *Standard shipping applies Shipping and handling are not refundable*No tax on out of state purchases *Non-commissioned salesman*Next day and second day delivery available (eoS i ReOO96 CIRCLE NO. 4 ON READER SERVICE CARD","\u201cSHOPPING WITH US IS AS PLEASANT AS A WALK IN THE PARK\u201d \u201cMon-Thurs 9:30am to8:00 pm LOCAL & OVERSEAS CALL 718-891-1878 re ey Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm 3126 AVENUE U BKL MalN.Y. cdot @ HITACHI Panasonic ~ motesamu Special Offer: To extend your warranty coverage to 5 years, add an addit CALL FOR LATEST PANASONIC MODELS CAMCORDERS CCD-TR23... . CCD-TR100 $1719.99 fi CCD-TR600 B CCD-TR4OO.... $699.99 CCD-TRV30 9.99 CCD-TR700. $1069.99 HI-8MM COLOR VIEWFINDER, f COLOR VIEWFINDER, H-8MM COLOR VIEWFINDER, IMAGE STABILIZER 22 IMAGE STABIZATION. RC TIME CODE IMAGE STABILIZATION, RC TIME CODE VM-H38A ......CALL VM-H710A.....CALL VM-ES510A.....CALL CALI Pf er TBVWHSOA.....CALL VM-E410A.....CALL CCD-SCE VM-E3O1A. . CALL HI-8MM COLOR VIEWFINDER, STABILIZATION COLORVIEWFINDER CALL FOR PAL SYSTEMS CALL IMAGE STABILIZATION, RC TIME CODE GR-AK 900 onne.$649.99 JVC HI-8 Nikon | GRAY 2 PROFESSIONAL VL-H410U...1349.99. VL-E33U Stabilization, PRO 942 CALL CC-620... CALL Color PRO 932 CALL CC-616.. SR-S360 Super VHS VCR... Vi HANOI 4900.40 Vi Fol) Viewfinder BR-S378U Super VHS VCR .....CALL mar: ~ TM-900 SU Monito 520 00| \u2018TM-9U Monitor TM-130 SU Monito! \u201clao tn Wers TO! elve sired ormat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 12 13 #4 \u00ab15| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 e- 10--H 12-13\u2019 14 15 | 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 } 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 6 \u2014 BS eee ee 2 a a 28 2 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 6&9 70 71 72 73 74 7 } 31 32 33 34 35 3% 37 3 39 +40 41 \u00ab42 4 \u00ab44 \u00ab245 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 9 | 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 4 47 4 49 50 51.52 8 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 106 107 108 109 110 117 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 | 61> 62:63 64--65- 66 67 66 & 70 71 72 PF. 4. -76 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 76 77 #78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 8&9 9 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 9 #92 9 94 95 9% 97 9 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 1. What size is your primary viewing TV? |. What size is your primary viewing TV? AQ) 20\u201d-25\u201d BO 25\\\"-27\\\" CO 27\\\"-32\u201d DO 35\\\"+ AQ 20-25\\\" BO 25\\\"-27\u201d CO 27-32\u201d DD 35\\\"+ 2. Approximately how many hours per day do you watch TV? 2. Approximately how many hours per day do you watch TV? EO 02 FO 35 GO 610 EO 02 FO35 GO 610 3. How far in advance do you plan your TV viewing? 3. How far in advance do you plan your TV viewing? HO) lhour 10) 1day JC) 1 week KU) No Planning HO lhour I) 1day JO 1week KU) No Planning 4. Do you tape \u201cseries\u201d programming (i.e. soap operas, mini-series)? 4. Do you tape \u201cseries\u201d programming (i.e. soap operas, mini-series)? LO Yes MLC) No LO Yes MU) No 5. Which sources do you use to plan TV viewing? 5. Which sources do you use to plan TV viewing? NO Daily Newspaper O[) Cable Guide PL] Weekly Newspaper Insert NO) Daily Newspaper O[) Cable Guide PL) Weekly Newspaper Insert QO TV Guide RL Other QD TV Guide RO Other 6. How many programs do you tape per week? 6. How many programs do you tape per week? $0 15 TO &7 UD 7+ sO 15 TO 57 UO 7+ 7. If programming your VCR was made easier would you record additional 7. If programming your VCR was made easier would you record additional shows? VL] Yes WL) No shows? VC] Yes WL] No 8. Are you curreansutbslcriyber to VIDEO? XL) Yes YC] No 8. Are you currently a subscriber to VIDEO? XL) Yes YC) No Name (please print) Name (please print) Address Address City State Zip City State Zip Telephone Number (with Area Code) Telephone Number (with Area Code) Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Card expires 1\/31\/96 VM10951 Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Card expires 1\/31\/96 VM10952","1-3505Ds EPEC.MEADTOWN SHOPPING mae \u00a9 RO ae 23S. \u00b0 Lg NJ 07405 TOME THEATER VCRs We Are An Authorized Dealer for No Home Theater is complete without Selection, Price aud All Camcorder Brands We Carry. the right TV! Sound Citycarries a ES o All Formats Available From Such large selection of TVs that will truly Exp ert Advice Fine Manufacturer\u2019s As: bring the movie theater betty All The Best Brands Sony \u00a2 JVC \u00a2 Panasonic home. Choose from At The Lowest Prices! Hitachi \u00a2 Sharp \u00a2 Canon Hitachi, Panasonic and Manay Choose From: We Also Carry A Full nesoef \u201d! Hitachi \u00a2 JVC \u00a2 Mitsubishi TV's From 3 to 100 Available Reattomios(*ameoardar \u00a2 Panasonic @ Philips ] e ProSeane :| \u2018XLOOdL@OL \u2018LXOOdLOL FLNN9OLLOU-S9ZA0I80 NFLT9ONLLOU-S9AZI0d80"]