video-magazine-1995-02

VIDED¢ 10 Ways To Improve Your VCR's r- : $2.95 «FEBRUARY 1995 {‘ )4 ¢ How They’ve Improved | © We Pick The Best Of Seven 50 to 55-Inch TVs FRONT &CENTER SPEAKERS 6 Home Theater Trios Ready For Movies = are NEW PRODUCTS— FROM COMDEX— 5VIDEOTESTS 32-Inch TV, LCD TV, 8mm Camcorder, VHS VCR, Surround Sound Receiver

©1994 Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc. DSS™ is a trademark of DIRECTY, Inc., a unit of GM Hughes Electronic:

We've all heard a lot of talk about the DigitaAlge.But what have we seen? Here ends the hype, the hyperbole and all those other “h” words. Introducing the RCA Digital Satellite System. That’s not another announcement. That's a fact. Twenty-two thousand miles above the equator are twin satellites using advanced digital technology to give you the kind of picture and sound that will completely rewrite the televiRsaiotnanhistory books. HThoeme60T\"heRaCveA and DSS System, Digital Home Theatre is here, You see, your TV is only as good as the broadcast signal it receives. And the current signal hasn't changed since the NTSC first set the standard way back in 1940. In other words, it's well over 50 years behind the times. Announcing the end of announcements announcing the coming digital revolution. Enter the DSS system. An entirely new kind of broadcast that can deliver up to 35% more lines of resolution and CD-quality sound’ Combine that with an RCA Home Theatre™ and you get Digital Home Theatre. Television will never be the same again. The DSS system will be on the cutting edge well into the next century. It incorporates MPEG-2, the new standard for digital television. It gives you a laser-disc quality” picture and eliminates many of the problems with today’s TV and cable systems. Like interference and video noise. You won't x get caught with your technological pants down either. The DSS system has a wide-band data oe An entirely new way of watching television. port. So when HDIV comes along, you'll be ready! In fact, we're playing a major role in the development of HDTV. This is not fiction, It’s reality. The DSS system could be in your living room tomorrow. So, what are you waiting for? Changing Entertainment. Again? wages? *Picture and sound quality depend on yourTV and audio systems. tAdditional components required for HDTV. Simulated picture. Screen size measured diagonally.

magazine FEATURES GIANT STRIDES FOR BIG SCREENS 44 We compare seven standard-raising 50-55-inch rear-projection TVs. By Peter Barry 50 54 SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE 58 Six front-and-center trios widen the envelope for high-end home theater. By BrentBBuutterworth MY STORY, MY WAY :z Video diarists are turning their lives into art and the art into films. By George Mannes 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR VCR’S PICTURE An essential checklist for getting the best from your deck. By Gordon McComb TAPES ftpists REVIEW/SThe Shadow, White, True Lies on tape; South Pacific, Escape from New York on 64 A laserdisc; Star Trek and Cinema Volta on CD-ROM; Shock Wave on 3D0; more eGo 65 EDITOR’S CHOICE / Speed, the THX-approved laserdisc. ByKen Korman a n2 DIRECTOR/TYhe latest releases on tape anddisc =itstS i VIDEOTESTS MAGNAVOX VR9362 VHS VCR 28 Cover: Sharp XV-H35U LCD Television, Three big-screen DEPARTMENTS contenders (from Toshiba CN32D90 32-inch TV, left): Zenith’s Samsung SCX904 8mm Camcorder, 52-inch PV5269, Denon AVR-2500 Audio/Video Surround Sound Receiver Mitsubishi's 50-inch VS5055 and CHANNEL ONE /Big picture, big sound 6 Toshiba’s 55-inch 8 TP55D80. FEEDBACK/ Letters from readers 10 Photograph by Les FAST FORWARD/ Costner on Wolves, tapeless recording, America Online's Steven Case, Morsillo 14 10 Years Ago, Late Breaking News 18 Video Magazine Volume XVIII NEW PRODUCTS /A digital receiver, Hi8 tape, home theater speakers: 20 Number 11 22 HANDS-ON TEST/Lexicon 500T System Controller and the Glidecam 100 PRO 24 71); camcorder stabilizer 41 SPECIAL REPORT / New from COMDEX-movie machines, F/X ware andTIMM_ 98 HOME THEATER /From basement to bijou, and howithappened CAMCORNER /Double-system sound, a shooting secret youcanshare Q & A/ Technical queries answered if See COLLECTOR’S CLEARINGHOUSE/ Reader requestfsorhard-to-find tapesand discs OFF THE AIR / A viewable feast-15 films in 26hours 49) VIDEO Magazine (ISSN 1044-7288) is published monthly by Reese Communications, Inc., 460 W. 34 St., New York, NY 10001. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing office. © 1995 Reese Communications, Inc. All rights reserved, © under Universal, International, and Pan American Copyright Conventions. Reproduction of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited. Single copy price $2.95; Audit Bureau $3.95 in Canada; £2.50 in U.K. One-year subscription (12 issues) $18.; Canada, $22.47 (includes GST #R125938423) U.S.; foreign, air mail, $40 U.S. Canadian international publication permit #546488. Address sub- of Circulations scription orders, change of address, correspondence and inquiries to: VIDEO, Box 737, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0737, or call 815-734-1283. Change of address takes 60 days to process: send old address label, new address, and zip code. All material listed in this magazine is subject to manufacturer's change without notice, and publisher assumes no responsibility for such change. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VIDEO, Box 737 Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0737. For microform copies of issues or articles, write to: Serials Acquisition Dept., University Microfilms, Inc., 300 North Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106 4 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

Ace Ventura: “1242908 LASER 5 * Letterbox “0844605 Pet Detective “1251305 DISCS FA. “1229301 0426908 Jaws The Pelican Brief “1241504 PLUS 1 MORE AT GREAT SAVINGS! \"0203505 Carlito’s Way Top Gun 0523902 SEE DETAILS BELOW. *0201301 Beethoven's 2nd Star Trek: Monty Python’s “0177204 The Motion Picture “0201608 The Meaning Of Life *1293802 Monty Python’s & Now 4 “1251800 Star Trek Il: *0430603 Something Completely The Wrath Of Khan Different *0448605 Star Trek Ill: Pink Floyd: The Wall The Search For Spock *1001007 Star Trek IV: Body Snatchers (1993) The Voyage Home “0055707 Star Trek V: CLUB FAVORITES The Final Frontier “1261106 Star Trek VI: The *1200708 In the Name Of The *1247709 THE FUGITIVE RETURN OF THE JEDI CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE Undiscovered Country *0847103 Father 1197706\" 0354704* THIRD KIND (SPECIAL ED.) History Of The World *1097906 Part 1 Bladerunner: 1273002* The Director’s Cut *0233205 Mad Max — The Road *1149301 Warrior Terminator 2: *1190107 Judgment Day *1199306 Striking Distance *1084003 Cliffhanger *1174804 The Prince Of Tides In The Line Of Fire Outland “1328103 Demolition Man Unforgiven (1992) Crooklyn *1293505 Rising Sun No Escape *1288505 Bridge On The River FOUR WEDDINGS AND PHILADELPHIA Bad Girls *1285808 A FUNERAL 1251404* Kwai Restored *1143809 1302900 JURASSIC PARK The Seventh Sign *0591404 1264001* The Last Action Hero *1154806 Star Wars Fright Night *0182006 Alien 0000208 The Empire Strikes Back The Piano *1237809 *0056408 Predator “0364901 The Paper “1285501 Bram Stoker’s Dracula *0091009 Predator 2 “0104307 Die Hard “1102904 Sleepless In Seattle “1154905 Kalifornia 1302405 “0367607 A Few Good Men “1106301 Die Hard 2: Die Harder “0041806 “1154400 Monty Python And The Patriot Games “1051309 The Firm “0826008 Moonstruck *1252204 “1033208 Ghost Holy Grail *0192005 Batman: Mask Of The Basic Instinct 0001404 Dragon: The Bruce Lee “1150705 Phantasm “1238906 The Wizard Of Oz *0642504 Story The Naked Gun 33 1/3 — Das Boot (Subtitled) *1232800 “1029909 Robin Hood: *0976803 “1260405 Batman (1989) *0969808 Prince Of Thieves 1033109 The Final insult 1286707 The Getaway (1994) “1246305 “1077908 My Cousin Vinny 1038405 My Life “1260900 Batman Returns *0211409 Eric Clapton: Unplugged *0202507 Grumpy Old Men *1251503 Reality Bites “1232503 Chinatown *0220509 Remains Of The Day Goodfellas *0921304 Conan The Barbarian 1146604 On Deadly Ground *1251909 Searching For “1255207 Robotech — Volume 1 Bobby Fischer “1239201 Under Siege “0497008 Home Alone 2: *1104900 Rambo: First Blood *0650309 Shadowlands “0003905 “1121300 Lost In New York *0151704 The Sound Of Music 1208701 Back To The Future *0881102 Blue Thunder *0150003 The Bodyguard “1105907 Much Ado About Nothing 0734905 Back To The Future Midnight Express 1302801 Wizards “1179605 Part Il *0825000 Romeo Is Bleeding Dave “1149400 Hard Target “1142009 Back To The Future E.T.: The Extra- *0681106 0360909 Part Ill *1071406 Terrestrial 0805309 Hamlet (1990) “0970608 Indecent Proposal “1042506 The Silence Of The Lambs “0559005 Scent Of AWoman Indochine (Subtitled) *1188903 Aliens “0844308 The Abyss Hot Shots 0029108 Alien 3 The Hunt For Backdraft Red October Citizen Kane (Remastered/ 2001: A Space Odyssey The Last Of The Mohicans (1992) 50th Anniversary) 0911107 Hook *0854307 Highlander 0382309 Sliver “1147008 Starman \"0172304 Age Of Innocence “1207307 to build a collection mail the response card always provided Dept. W9J, P.O. Box 1112, Terre Haute, Indiana 47811-1112 of your favorite movies — on laserdisc! by the date specified. And you'll always Yes, please enroll me under the terms outlined in this advertisement. As a member, | need buy Just write in the numbers of the 3 have 14 days to decide; if not, you may only 4 more selections, at regular Club prices, in the next 2 years. laserdiscs you want for $1.00 each, plus return the selection at our expense. shipping and handling. In exchange, you Send me these 3 laserdiscs for $1.00 each-plus $1.50 each shipping and handling (total $7.50). simply agree to buy four more laserdiscs 'f you in the next two years, at regular Club continue your membership after fulfilling Eeeaen ie Oleh20aurea be alia lt prices (currently as low as $29.95, plus your obligation, you'll be eligible for our shipping/handling)—and you may cancel generous bonus plan. It enables you to BUY YOUR FIRST SELECTION NOW—AND HAVE LESS TO BUY LATER! membership at any time after doing so. enjoy great savings on the movies you What's more, you can get still one more want — for as long as you decide to C1Also, send me my first selection for $19.95, plus $1.50 shipping/handling, Hara Lael movie for the low price of $19.95 and remain a member! have less to buy later (see complete ich I'm adding to my $7.50 payment {total $28 95). |then need buy only 3 details in coupon). ore (instead of 4) in the next 2 years. sent every four weeks (up to 13 times a year) reviewing our . We'll send details lease Check How Paying: My check is enclosed A35/A37 Director’s Selection — plus scores of of the Club’s operation with your A36/A38 alternate choices, including many lower- introductory package. If not satisfied, return Charge my introductory laserdiscs and future Club purchases to: priced laserdiscs. And you may also everything within 10 days at our expense Discover receive Special Selection mailings up to for a full refund and no further obligation. CO) MasterCard Diners Club AMEX VISA four times a year. (That's up to 17 buying opportunities a year.) For fastest service, use your credit card Acct. No. Exp. Date and call us toll-free 24 hours a day: If you want Signature the Director’s Selection, do nothing — it Dept. will be sent automatically. If you prefer an W9J Name alternate selection, or none at all, just Address Apt. City ry, Entertaining Zip Phone No. ( ) e America... One Person ; Do any of the following apply to you? (41) LASERDISC ata Time. ® Cl own a Personal Computer (1) 1! own a PC with a CD-ROM (2) 011 plan to buy a PC with a CDROM (3) Note: This offer applies to firsttime Laserdisc Club members only. Limit one per household. Columbia House reserves the tight to request additional information, reject any Spleen or cancel any membership. Offer limited to the continental U. CLUB (excluding Alaska). Applicable sales tax added to all orders. ©1995, The Columbia House Company =

Big picture, VIDEO big sound magazine This month’s features focus on two essential elements of the home the- President, Jay Rosenfield ater experience—big pictures and big sound. The picture part of the equation is “Giant Strides for Big Screens,” a pre-Superbowl playoff Editor, Stan Pinkwas among seven rear-projection TVs by leading manufacturers. If you haven’t checked out this species of component in a while, now’s the Senior Editor, Peter Barry time because the sets, their relative merits apart, were dazzling as a Technical Editor, Lancelot Braithwaite group, delivering big, impressive pictures and sophisticated features. Associate Editor, Stewart Applegath Assistant Editor, Josef Krebs The audio part of the equation, “Speakers of the House,” looks at Entertainment Editor: Ken Korman half a dozen very serious front speakers. A few years ago, the compa- nies that designed them were focused on music. Attuned now as well Contributing Editors: Bob Angus, Frank to the special needs of movie soundtracks, they’ve added complemen- Beacham, Brent Butterworth, Bruce Eder, tary center channel speakers without sacrificing the strengths that M. Faust, Ty Harrington, Tom Heald, David made their speakers work well with musical performances. What we Lachenbruch, Timothy Liebe, George Mannes, heard shows you don’t have to sacrifice great sounding music for dra- Marianne Meyer, Cliff Roth, Sol Louis Siegel, Jon Silberg, Tom Soter, Jonathan Takiff, matic sounding movies. John Walker, Rich Warren, Stewart Wolpin, Roderick Woodcock e Art Director, Marshall Moseley Speaking of TVs, consumers bought 27 million in 1994. That’s quite Assistant Art Director, Nadira Abdul-Kadir an achievement for a so-called mature product. After all, since every- Art Assistant, Gary French body already has at least one, purchases must be more out of desire Production Manager, Gary M. Krystofiak than need. On the other hand, if you're like us, you probably need a Production Assistant, Kim Lau big set in the media room, a smaller one in the bedroom, an old hand- Typesetting, Janet M. Holland me-down for the kids, and a nine-inch portable in the kitchen. This would make it easy to handle the networks, cable, videotapes, Publisher, Jay Rosenfield videogames, laserdiscs, a camcorder and maybe a satellite dish. Sure, this sounds like more than enough for most households, but someone’s Associate Publisher, Linda DeRogatis buying all those sets. Circulation Director, Rodney Bell Circulation Assistant, Jessica Schneider e Classifieds Representative, Lydia Ferrante Newsstand Sales Director, Gerald Levine Kudos to the Washington, D.C. city council for passing a law making Marketing Director, Luanne Rao it illegal to peddle pirated videotapes. Measures like this, already on the books in most states, protect people from miserable-looking tapes Financial Officer, Mark C. Spector, C.RA. with barely legible sound. To snare hits like Star Trek: Generations and Business Manager, Janette Evans The Santa Clause, pirates often simply huddle in movie theaters with Assistant Business Manager, camcorders. But the same technology that can make your kid look like Lily Schwartzberg a movie star can make Captain Picard look like a Klingon. In D.C., Advertising Coordinator, Karen Pellino police sweeps of street vendors, including some near the White House, Assistant to the President, So Hee Kim quickly followed the new law, netting thousands of hot tapes of hit films. We say, good riddance to them all. Corporate Offices, Editorial & Sales: Linda Futterman, Christine Barbieri, vg oe }pes 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001; 212-947-6500; 212-947-6727 (fax) Stan Pinkwas West Coast Sales Office: Editor Linda DeRogatis, Susan Kay Moses, 1453 Third Street, Suite 490, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310-393-5057; 310-393-5538 (fax) Chicago Sales Office: Milton Gerber, Kristene Richardson, Media Plus, 135 N. Arlington Heights Road, Suite 106, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089; 708-913-5400, 708-913-5403 (fax) Editor-in-Chief, Art Levis (1936-1991) REESE COMMUNICATIONS @ INCORPORATED PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 6 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

It's What Which scares you more, a horror film with the sound turned off, or a horror show on the radio? The answer is easy because it is the movie's sound- track which carries the pathos and emotion. You can enjoy sound without pictures, but who wants pictures without sound? You Don’t See That Counts. It doesn’t cost Itjust So happens that cables are the part of your system which can help or hurt the more to do it right! performance the most... and for the least money. AudioQuest offers Whether you have two-channel stereo or multi- a full range of cables, but the channel stereo, you have to have cables. You biggest improve- can’t completely fix a bad system with good cables, but you can seriously degrade a good system with ment you'll hear badly designed cables. is going from big fat stranded cable to the You won't see the cables and you won't see the sound — but you will experience the difference! least expensive cables from AudioQuest. For the audioquest. complete story, please call or write for our Cable Design booklet — or better yet, visit an AudioQuest dealer and listen for yourself. P.O. Box 3060 San Clemente, CA 92674 USA TEL (714) 498-2770 FAX (714) 498-5112

whisper whisper Letters from our readers Seeing is believing overall performance of a video product. whisper Thanks for the fine article “A Few Good We print a multiburst pattern because whisper Decks” (Nov. '94). I recently taped a it’s usually the most relevant lab result few programs from cable in standard that can be visually displayed. Now with Enhanced Sound Circuitry VHS (SP mode) because I had run out Tape vs. disc Introducing the of S-VHS tape. When I went back to VOLUME STABILIZER™ look at the results, Iwas shocked to see I have both VHS and laserdisc special | the difference in quality and to realize editions of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. that lets you hear the whispers that this is what 98 percent of the In comparing them, I discovered that and stops you from video-watching public is experiencing. the letterboxed laserdisc did not con- With S-VHS you get a picture that tain any more information than the cringing at the bangs. It’s an innovative, low cost solution doesn’t make you feel like you need new to home video volume control prob- lems because it automatically eyeglasses. Wake up America and see increases the volume of the audio source during soft passages and the technology. reduces volume during loud pas- sages. You'll hear every word of Bill Keene dialogue and every bar of music while the VOLUME STABILIZER Seattle, Washington | softens the sounds that are normally too loud. Case closed Whether you use a satellite dish, a home theater system, or just a I was very pleased with “The Case for VCR, you can put the remote con- trol aside. Now with four models to Front Projectors” (Nov. 94). I have used choose from. an Advent 760 since 1980. With only an Call or write for our occasional tuneup and a good cable sig- FREE nal, I get a beautiful six-foot picture with paper on “Dynamic Range; When less is more.” no apparent lines and excellent conver- For more information ask your dealer or gence. Ambient light is reflected out of | call or write: the way. It is not necessary, as your arti- Brookdine — Technologies cle indicated, to have a totally dark 2035 Carriage Hill Road room. One only needs reduced lighting. Allison Park, PA 15101-3350 I have yet to see a rear-projection televi- 1-800-366-9290 sion that matches the quality of front- projection. Paul Kerlee Arnold’s All: 72, letterboxed or panned-and-scanned? Elmsford, New York The big picture panned-and-scanned VHS version. The top and bottom of the VHS picture had I need some clarification of your video more detail, and these parts of the pic- product testing format. What is the cor- ture are absent on the letterboxed relation between a product’s multiburst laserdisc. On VHS, you can see the bot- pattern and the zero-to-five picture tom of the phone in the scene where quality rating? Some products get low Arnie smashes the pay phone. On the ratings despite excellent performance laserdisc, you can’t see the bottom until on multiburst. he smashes it. It seems pan-and-scan offers more picture while letterbox Chris Noell offers only black bars. Cincinnati, Ohio Joe Redifer Editor’s Reply: The multiburst indicates Lakewood, Colorado video frequency response, which is only one component of video performance. Send letters to Feedback, Video Magazine, Other elements include luminance 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY noise, chroma AM and PM noise, phase 10001; or fax to 212-947-6727; or send jitter, digital artifacts, differential phase via CompuServe to 75147,1255 or via the and timebase error. All these compo- Internet to 75147.1255@compuserve. nents must be examined to judge the com. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. 8 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

“ BEST HOME THEATER SPEAKERS” “The system, which costs $3300 with dual subwoofers, may be our favorite home theater speakers ever.” —VIDEO magazine, January 1995 1995 qfay Home Theater Speakers ier 1250 ms, Counterpoint THE 1995 VIDEO MAGAZINE Home BEST HOME THEATER Speakeras, SPEAKERS (OVER $2,500) AWARD is Presented to COUNTERPOINT ‘ For the Home Cinema Speaker System 9i y We'd love to hear what you have to say. For the nearest Counterpoint Authorized Dealer, please give us a call . Then tell us what you think. COUNTERPOINT. [THE AUDIO TECHNOLOGY COMPANY. 2281 Las Palmas Dr., Carlsbad, Ca. 92009. Toll Free: (800) 275-2743. Fax: (619) 431-5986. Circle 1 on Reader Service Card.

Fast >> FORWARD Peo ooeeeeeeeeeeseseesesessseseeeseeeeeE Top 10 potholes on the video Tech world, Disney style super-highway BP Can't get to Las Vegas for the b> After years of hype Consumer Electronics Show? Consider the new Innoventions pavilion at and alliances, a few Disney World in Florida. It’s a showcase for hands-on demos of high-tech prod- traffic stoppers are ucts just out, or soon to be released. Displays run the gamut from jet engines developing along to heated toilet seats, with plenty for videophiles, including virtual reality the video super- gear, a Sega racing game played on large projection TVs and a television studio highway. Here gm set-up in which visitors can see them- selves being interviewed by Jay Leno. are 10 reasons not vt -Lancelot Braithwaite to hold your breath & < for a 500-channel » Mousecapades: Disney’s virtual reality den. future: eeccce CCC CHESS SEES E HSE EC ESE EE ETOH E OED 1. Bell Atlantic’s $11 billion Kevin Costner’s hour of the Wolves advanced video network, promised for up to 8.5 million homes by the year BP When is a director’s cut not a 2000, has been delayed by technical problems and cost overruns. “These prod- director’s cut? When the film is Dances With Wolves. The new limited edition ucts are a little more difficult to develop than people thought,” said Bell laserdisc released recently by Orion has about an extra hour of material Atlantic chief Lawrence T. Babbio. added to the oscar-winning film. But even though actor/director Kevin 2. US West is running into technical snags for an interactive TV system for Costner added the material, he doesn’t approve of it. “I wish they hadn't 9,000 homes in Omaha. 3. A 4,000-home trial in Orlando, Florida of Time-Warner’s Full Service Network, has been scaled back. The system started with five paying customers. 4. Viacom is still waiting for set-top converters from AT&T for an interac- tive system that was to have begun last summer in Castro Valley, California. 5. General Instrument’s digital cable boxes, scheduled to roll out last sum- mer, may not appear until early 1996. TCI, the nation’s largest cable operator, is waiting for a million of them. 6. Northwest Airlines is stripping its planes of an interactive video system that let passengers watch TV, shop or play videogames at their seats. Too many technical problems. 7. Top Microsoft scientist Nathan Myhrvold compared belief in the infor- mation superhighway to belief in Santa Claus. “It’s unbelievable for something that doesn’t exist,” he said at a recent conference for high-tech execs. 8. Corporate feuding, chiefly among regional phone companies, did in a Congressional effort to rewrite the nation’s telecommunications laws for the first time in 60 years. 9. Video-on-demand, the leading candidate for a “killer application” among new technology services, rated only tenth among 26 possible uses of a nation- al information network. 10. Despite years of work, prospects for HDTV remain iffy. While a stan- dard will soon emerge, broadcasters are lukewarm about it’s potential. -Frank Beacham released it,” said Costner during a wanted the film seen in America.” Our recent promotion tour for his latest own reviewer thought the limited edi- film, The War. “But it was a contractu- tion was “vastly superior” (“Tapes and al thing with Orion.” Discs,” Jan.). The special edition, which is not Costner could have made a longer labeled a director’s cut, includes scenes Costner says he created exclusively for version he liked, but he says Orion did- | nt offer the option. “If people had the movie’s European version. Costner, asked me to put in an extra hour I who has had a series of tiffs with Orion would have really massaged it and done everything I could,” he said. “But over financial matters, says, “It’s an they just took this European version hour I was obligated to put into the and put it out on laserdisc.” movie for Europe where I raised most of the money. But it wasn’t the way I -Jon Silberg 10 VIDEO — FEBRUARY 1995

“Everyoneis thinkingabout it.Everyone leVCRs—so cheap that when thinks everyone elseis doingit Everyone Media Rares isnigmluoltstaofnepeoouplse e d‘uIeltios-s theUmS.ouftoratnhde fbiuryst Pool, a doingit. The fewwho are doingitare a eae tapeless doingitwell. And everyone ho itTM ond. multichan. =) Our Official video begreat when » finally doit,” nel audio. While Blank Tape Tests VHS Guideto50 server, strictly for the Hy) Grades and Brands fir é Pros, its 7°an congo btshat it makes its important sign- has a 35-inch tube FEBRUARY 1985 mark post on the road 1V..Cable isstill stereo-unready, but there toward tapeless t deal ofpressure to make cable r example, are gleefully &P Media Pool is a new tapeless taping. g that ba FCCoe “must video recording technology that stores Media Pool systems can hold more images and sound in a huge bowl of than 100 hours of material. They’re compatible with a variety of video com- digital soup, and it's about to change pression schemes, which can be cus- the way the broadcasters think about tomized for each program in the pool. video recorders. The brainchild of “We have a demo of a single recording BTS, a Philips-owned broadcast on which one channel is slo-moing for- equipment maker, Media Pool is so ward, another channel is slo-moing radical its designers had to equip it backwards, another is running at play with more traditional functions to speed and another is doing an insertion edit,” said Ostlund. To make the Pool practical, option- al software packages allow it to emu- late a digital videotape recorder with editing capability, a multichannel digi- tal cartridge machine and a time shift- delay system for use in crossing time zones. Media Pool, predicts Ostlund, will play a big role in interactive home video. “We can do 4,000 MPEG streams with full interactive control and have only one copy of a given Pool Power: 100 He of digital video. video in the Media Pool,” he explained. make it a viable product. What exactly At a recent European video show, is it? According to BTS product manag- for example, one Media Pool fed 100 er Mark Ostlund, Media Pool “is a real- time, full bandwidth video server that CD-i bays, with gamers furiously tog- has more horsepower than a supercom- gling away. There were no discs in any puter.” It’s especially useful for deliver- of the CD-i players, and only one copy of the game in the Pool. “This is the ing interactive video streams, and giv- only [computer] architecture in the . world that lets you have that many ~ individual users with only one copy of _ the program,” said Ostlund. Media Pool can work with cable TV, _ telephone lines and closed-circuit sys- _ tems in hotels, cruise ships and _air- _ planes. The Pool is just hitting the market at prices starting at $40,000. i You won't be able to buy it, but you'll soon see its handiwork. Among the _ first applications: it will let TV news programs continue to edit late-break- _ ing stories while the video is actually being broadcast. -FB FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO \"1

SONY HAS a series of onscreen displays. When a disc, developed with Illumina developed a bet is placed, the transaction is sent to Productions, puts players in the shoes “new process to the track’s tote computer, which issues create digital an approval and enters the informa- of an investigative reporter attempting Masters for tion into the appropriate race pool. If to save a wilderness area from tapa- laserdiscs and the test, which requires permission prerecorded from the Maryland Racing cious corporate interests. Look for a videotapes that Commission, succeeds, the service will March release for $79, it says will sig- be offered more widely and expanded nificantly to include racing programs from sever- e improve the al tracks. The project has been devel- quality of duplicated tapes on the oped by the Maryland Jockey Club and FORREST GUMP THE MONSTER VCRs and laserdisc players that con- ODS Technologies of Tulsa, hit with the soft chocolate center, is sumets already own. According to Oklahoma. coming to video at the end of April for Columbia TriStar Home Video, which $22.95. Propelled by what could be will be using the new digital masters, Redford: Environmental interactivism. Paramount Home Video's biggest mar- the process will produce clearer, more keting campaigns, Gump will definite- detailed video pictures with less verti- ROBERT REDFORD, FRESH FROM ly happen. cal jitter and more accurate colors. his success with Quiz Show, is produc- The process will initially be used on ing an interactive game called Legacy COMPAQ TELEVISIONS? NOT YET, future releases by Sony Pictures. The for Pioneer's LaserActive system, but soon. Compaq, one of the world’s best part of the deal for consumers is which uses full-sized laserdiscs. The leading makers of personal computers, that the improvements won't cost is planning to plunge into the con- them anything. sumer electronics market with TV sets A COUPLE DOZEN HOMES IN that share some of the characteristics and around Baltimore are being wired to allow their television sets to serve as of computers. One development pro- residential, interactive wagering devices. Viewers with approved bet- totype, dubbed Mr. PC Head, com- ting accounts will be able to use their televisions to place bets on races at bines a television, a telephone, a Maryland’s Laurel Race Track through stereo and computing capabilities. e ADD TRICENTRIC, AS IN I'S A “Tricentric world,” to your video lexi- con. That’s what life will be like, according to Hal Krisburgh, former president of Jerrold Communications, when all homes are humming with TVs, videophones and PCs. a going on now. My sense is it will be Case: I don't think it will be all three to five years before video is that difficult for people to capture broadly available nationally. andtransmit video over computers. Video: Will we see video come to online services first through cable sys- There are a number of companies tems? working on these things. I think the Case: It’s a hard call at this point. issue is more about how quickly the with Steve Case networks will be built that can support I think there will be multiple high- speed networks capable of live-action it. We do video now. You can down- video. The distinction between cable load trailers of movies, but at relative- America Online (AOL) is the nation’s and phone will probably blur as the ly slow modem speeds. You have to be fastest-growing provider of online telephone companies build high-speed awfully patient and it’s limited. But as networks and the cable companies computer services. Based in Vienna, build telephony capability. There will the networks get better, I think all the Virginia, AOL offers more than | mil- eventually be multiple providers of other pieces will fall into place. networks. lion subscribers a variety of services, Video: Will video capability help a including electronic mail, conferenc- Video: What form will video take service such as AOL differentiate itself on. a service such as AOL? Will we see ing, software, computing support, video offered for downloading by sub- from the Internet? scribers, or will subscribers be able to interactive magazines and newspapers, trade video clips with each other in a Case: The In- form of video e-mail? and access to the Internet. AOL was ternet will have founded in 1985 by Steve Case. As its Case: Both. There will certainly be trading [between subscribers] of soft- video support as chief, Case, 35, has seen the network ware applications with live-action well. I don’t think triple in size over the past year. Video video, photos and so forth. There will the technologies Magazine contributing editor Frank also be video that we and our software will be that differ- Beacham spoke recently with Case partners provide for people to use. ent in the long about the role video technology will Video: For camcorder users to term. We will offer } play in AOL's future. a broader set of fea- send video e-mail, they'll need to tie a Video: How soon can we expect camcorder to their personal computer. tures that are better full-motion video to arrive on an on- How will that work? packaged and orga- line service? : Steve Case Case: That's hard to predict. It’s nized. We think people will go where there is a wider range of services bun- really a function of how quickly cable- dled together in a fun, engaging way at companies build broadband networks an affordable price. It will come down to so that PCs can be plugged into their brands that people trust. 2 infrastructure. There’s a lot of testing 12 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

(and you don’t even have to buy our cables!) It's true: XLO Electric Company's popularly-priced XLO/VDO™ brand cables for home entertainment™ are so much better than what your system probably now uses that, once you learn about them, we think you'll want to own them. That's why, ifyou fill out the coupon printed below, take itto any authorized XLO/VDO dealer, and ask him to tell you about XLO/VDO, the best and only complete line of cables for every audio, video, and Home Theatre application, we'll have him take five bucks off the purchase price of anything at all that you buy from hin—regardless of what itis,or what brand it may be. We'll even pay him to do you the courtesy. (Check out the fine print in the coupon, below.) If XLO/VDO weren't really \"The Best in the World,\" do you think we could afford to make this offer? Visit your authorized |INEYes, Iwa aGneytSe$k5.00NaFreee!h ae XL0/VDO dealer today! | / || XLO Electric Company, Inc. | I'm going to complete this coupon, take itto my authorized XLO/VDO 9480 Utica Street, Suite 612, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 | dealer, ask about new XLO/VDO cables, and get $5.00 off anything at all | Phone (909) 466-0382, FAX (909) 466-3662 | that |buy from him, no matter what itisor what brand itmay be! | | Name | | Address | | | | | | | Telephone | Mr. Dealer, XLO Electric Co., Inc. promises to pay you $5.00 plus 50 cents handling for each completed | | |coupon that you send us. Coupons are subject to check for validity. Only one coupon may be redeemed ee ON ee adclaseee ee es eaper customer. Offer is not valid outside the continental United States, and expires December 31, 1995

BY STEWART APPLEGATH @ A digital receiver, ey,90]|\" SS Hi8 tape, home theater | speakers, more SOUND PIONEER TAPED CRUSADER Sony’s HMPX Hi8 tape is some- Pioneer’s VSX-53 Audio/Video receiver is designed to meet the thing serious Hi8 shooters needs of home theater enthusiasts for ever better components. Part of Pioneer's Elite line, the VSX-53 includes a Dolby Pro- should have in their arsenal for Logic surround-sound system that uses an advanced digital signal processor to simulate natural sound ambience. It fea- recording events that matter. tures a continuous average power output of 130 watts per This is a professional-quality channel, at 8 ohms with no more than .05 percent total har- tape that provides greater dura- monic distortion. The price is $900. (For more info, circle 103 bility for shooting and editing, on the Reader Service Card) reduced dropouts and high pic- MOBILE ture performance through im- POWER proved dispersion technology. Statpower Sony says a new lubricant in- Technologies’ creases durability, while a new PROwatt 150 backcoating and manufacturing DC to AC inver- process assure consistently low tor ($100) is a uni- dropouts. HMPX comes in 30-, 60- and 120-minutes lengths at versal automobile adapter $5-$11. (For more info, circle for camcorders and small TVs as well as notebook 107 on the Reader Service Card) computers and cellular phones. Converting the 12V DC power available in a car’s lighter socket to 115V AC, the PROwatt produces 150 watts of power. (For more info, contact Noreen Bentz, Stat- power Technologies, 7725 Lougheed Hwy., Burna- by, B.C. Canada V5A 4V8) MAGNETIC FOR THE PERSONALITY RECORD Driver, crossover and Gemini In- structural advances dis- dustries’ tinguish Vandersteen CAMQuip Video Transfer System Audio’s Model 3A speak- ($99) allows you to transfer slides, er ($2,595/pair with standard rear brace) photographic from its predecessor. An prints or movies innovative magnet sys- onto videotape. tem is designed to im- Gemini says its fluorescent illumination prove bass linearity and results in brilliant color saturation, while preci- control while minimizing sion optics ensure high-quality reproductions. The sys- distortion. In addition, tem is compatible with all camcorders, and will transfer Vandersteen says a new- any size print. (For more info, circle 101 on the Reader Service Card) ly developed cabinet provides a more inert sound platform, while modifications to the tweeter improve trans- parency and openness. (For more info, circle 104 on the Reader Ser- vice Card) 14 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

PANABLACK BEAUTY SWEET AND Panasonic’s PV-M2044 TVCR ($599) is a 20- EXTRA LOW inch combo that incorporates a four-head B.I.C.’s C-10 PWR powered sub- VCR. The arrangement allows for a range of woofer ($449) features both effects, such as double-fine slow-motion in video shielding and a high-per- SP and SLP, high-speed search in both formance 10-inch long-throw modes, picture still and frame advance. It al- so features Panablack picture tube technolo- woofer. Measuring 17 inches high, 13 inches gy, which Panasonic says increases screen wide and 16 inches contrast by 40 percent. (For more info, circle deep, this black sub lets 100 on the Reader Service Card) users add extra low \"© \\ pst bass articulation. It also en cal \"a features an adjustable crossover frequency WHEN IN DOUBT (50-200 Hertz) and an BASF’s VideOccasions ($8) is a video greeting auto on/off switch that card kit that comes with a turns the subwoofer on when a low frequency 10-minute blank tape, la- signal is present, and bels, shooting ideas and a gift box for mailing. With off when it’s not re- complete kits for birthdays and Christmas, you can now send a video of yourself instead of another new tie. (800-853-3622) quired. (For more info, circle 105 on the Read- er Service Card) NEW ENERGY STEADY COMBI Designed with both music and surround sound reproduc- tion in mind, Energy's HTS-1 system ($750) consists of Panasonic’s LXH170 multi laserdisc player ($450) gives you high-end value magnetically shielded, mid-level speakers that can handle on the cheap. In addition to standard programming features, this combi player borrows other goods from more expensive Panasonic models. With power ratings between 25-125 watts RMS per channel. a digital timebase corrector, a digital servo system, and a shuttle knob, Also available from Energy are two powered subwoofers Panasonic says you will your experience discs with rock-solid clarity and (a 90-watt model for $550 and a180-watt model for $750) precision. (For more info, circle 108 on the Reader Service Card) with a switchable mode control for music or movies. The Encore loudspeakers (pictured) are rated at 30-100 watts. TOWER OF POWER (For more info, circle 106 on the Reader Service Card) Consolidated Technology's CT-Tower ($20) is a mobile caddy that can serve all your remote control needs. Just attach your remotes to the plastic carrier with the included Velcro strips. The tower can also be embellished with desktop items, such as calculators and notepads. It promises a low-tech solution to high-tech dis- order. (For more info, circle 102 on the Reader Service Card) FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 15

Bloodier blood, scarier scr other benefits of USSB USSB digital entertainment is breakthrough, state-of- It is quite simply the sharpest, most brilliant picture and : the-art transmission of television programs in the form of digital information. The result is a sparkling, super clear clearest sound ever broadcast. : picture comparable to laserdisc quality. Plus sound that’s unsurpassed even by digital CDs. The effect is startling. iT COMES TO YOU FROM OUTER SPACE. : Action scenes become more exciting, love scenes more romantic, and the landscapes will take your breath away. What makes it possible is the remarkable new technology from RCA called the Digital Satellite System. Because it uses the largest, most powerful communications satellite | ever launched, it broadcasts up to 150 channels of perfect digital signals that can be picked up by a tiny 18\" satellite dish. HE BIGGEST HITS ON THE. MALLEST DISH*\" Once you : OWN this re- Markable ’ jew home | enter tiits ent system, ou America’s J AVorite Network a way you've ever experienced. you'll get ' Showtime and HBO, with the best films from Hollywood and diverse, | BLIFETIME — GR i | By OO ©1994, United States Satellite Broadcasting Company, Inc. Experience Digital Entertainment and The Biggest Hits on the Smallest Dish are service marks of United States Satellite Broadcasting Company, Inc. All information subject to change. HBO and Cinemax are registered trademarks ofTime Warner 7 Entertainment Company, LP Showtime, The Movie Channel, and FLIX are service marks of Showtime Networks, Inc. MTV: Music Television, Nickelodeon/Nick At Nite, and VH-1/Video Hits One are registered trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. All News Channel isa 7 J

eams, sweatier paims and digital entertainment. exclusive original programming including MULTICHANNEL MAGIC. With USSB, you get comedy, movies, documentaries, family five distinct channels of HBO, three channels of Showtime, series and sports specials. Plus classic two versions of The Movie Channel, three channels of BOCICOMPEIDOTOEY, oo osA SAMPLE OFhayTHEatTREMwEeNDOeUcuS wCaHrOeICEusenOsF. ~inemax, as well as FLIX. Fourteen films on Cinemax. distinct premium channel choices Movies from the every time you sit down to watch TV. 60's, 70's and 80's It’s a movie-lover’s paradise. on FLIX, and non- ONE MONTH FREE! To intro- | stop moviesonThe ia ty: 4\" eer @ilg duce this dazzling new dimension of » Movie Channel. atonal ‘wi You'll also get great ee rien eeMurderer | television pleasure, we're offering Pie everyone who purchases an RCA music videos on MTV and VH-1, i : HBO weet | Digital Satellite System-ONE FREE unique comedy on Comedy Central, : rN | MONTH of all our great channels. great children’s programs on Nickelo- ff , ,R fe , le eS A Experience the power of USSB digi- deon, and classic television on Nick cay tae : >€ tal entertainment on the new RCA at Nite. As well as quality women’s a f. A | Digital Satellite System. Visit your programs on Lifetime and the 24-hour- | 7 bad mm =RCA dealer or satellite TV retailer a-day fast-paced All News Channel. today, or call 1-800-BETTER TV for Cinemax West Ruby in Paradise Plus our pledge to provide you with more information. the very hiig;hest level of customer service and support...24 hours a day, The MoLviifeewiCthh aMninkeely West Lt 365 days a year. USSE EXPERIENCE DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT™ WLM AEA Mult Channel trademark of Conus Communications and Viacom Satelite News, Inc. Comedy Cental is a registered trademark of Comedy Partners. Lifetime Television is a trademark of Lifetime Television. Age of Innocence, Beverly Hillbillies, So IMarried an Axe Murderer, The Fugitive and Demolition Man as seen on HBO. Sleepless in Seattle, Cliffhanger, In the Line of Fire courtesy of SHOWTIME. Weekend at Bernie's, Remains of the Day and Ruby in Paradise as seen on Cinemax. Little Man Tate and Life With Mikey © Touchstone Pictures courtesy ofThe Movie Channel, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs courtesy of FLIX. Circle 2 on Reader Service Card.

A powerhouse remote and a clever shooting aid Lexicon 500T System first, but Macintosh and Windows users Glidecam 1000 PRO Controller will find their way around the setup rou- Camcorder Stabilizer tines faster than you can say graphic Peecccccccseeeecces interface. To simplify programming, a My universal remote control has an “copy page” feature lets you create a | My camcorder smoothly and quickly inferiority complex, and it’s all Lexicon’s template for buttons, like volume and glided down the stairs, then took a fault. You see, Lexicon sent me this mute, that you would want on every whip-fast swing around the corner. 500T System Controller that makes screen. An RJ-11 jack allows the swap- Suddenly, my image turned upside ordinary remotes pale by comparison. ping of screens via a PC-compatible down for a view across the room, then The 500T is a touch-screen computer computer. | instantly righted itself before beginning that lets you design your own screens, You can even create macros that fire | a mad dash outside and across the yard. called pages, by placing onscreen but- off as many as 24 commands at the press Watching what I’d shot, I felt like I'd tons wherever you see fit. The buttons of a single button. One “Home mounted my camcorder on the head of let the controller operate virtually any- Theater” button could power up the | a fly. In fact, the shots were made possi- system, the TV, and a | ble by the Glidecam 1000 PRO, a new laserdisc _ player, then | camcorder stabilizer. select the LD input and Like the older Steadycam JR, the Dolby Pro-Logic. If an IR Glidecam achieves stability by using a signal is blocked gimbaled handle to isolate a counter- somehow, it will balanced camcorder from the operator. screw up the It works well with camcorders weighing macro’s progres- up to 5.5 pounds, and is easy to assem- sion, but the 500T ble, balance and use. The camcorder is is much more pow- erful than most IR remotes. Macros aren’t as useful if one or more com- ponents have little or no IR capability, but I got around this problem by Command Central: The 500T, powerful enough to run a home theater. designing an “Easy Command” routine that thing that uses infrared commands, and | walks a user through the turn-on proce- since the 500 in 500T stands for the dure with text instructions and options number of IR commands it can store, | on sequential pages. you're likely to run out of gear before The 500T is big for a remote, memory. and it offers no tactile buttons. It The 500T accommodates up to 23 has a_ backlight for the screen pages, but you can combine buttons that’s surprisingly bright, and from many components on one page. that can be set to shut off when For example, surround processor vol- the remote is not being used. ume, basic laserdisc player controls, and This helps conserve the TV brightness controls can all be on rechargeable battery, which lasts about one screen. You can even control IR- a week with average use. (It comes with based curtains or room lights, if your a recharger stand.) The 500T is remark- home theater is so equipped. You ably well designed. I’m hard to impress, GOMYOdIO4!2GI17T9 “draw” buttons by poking at a grid on a and this is the coolest gadget I’ve laid setup page. Many sizes and up to 10 | my hands on in a long time. shapes are available, including arrows, Sadly, it’s available through dealers | boxes and ovals. They can be bordered only as part of system automation pack- or unbordered, flat or shadowed. Text ages (along with IR repeaters, cus- Stand and Deliver: The Glidecam ends jitters. can be white on blue, or blue on white. tomized documentation, and the like). Once a page is designed, the buttons The price starts at about $2,000, but | secured to a plate that rests atop a 16- learn commands from IR remotes in the this includes your installer’s system-set- inch aluminum rod. Depending on your standard fashion. The 500T even has a ting services. Perhaps if videophiles beg camcorder, you'll add up to two pounds learning window in front so both units loudly enough, Lexicon will make it of washers to the bottom of the rod for can be right-side up. available at retail. | balance. With a camcorder, the Programming can be intimidating at —Joe Weisenfelder | Glidecam’s total weight ranges from 18 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

about six to 10 pounds. away from the lens. The titles will camcorder as an image scanner. Point “crawl” and seem to recede into the the camcorder at the picture you'd like The Glidecam’s slim design also distance, just like the titles in the Star | Wars movies. to scan and frame it as you'd like to see | allows it to be operated close to the it. Plug the camcorder’s video output Quick study into the capture card’s video input. body. Basic operation is self-evident. Run the capture software at the high- If your computer has a video capture est possible image setting and save the Just try it out. It’s capable of such a wide card like Creative Lab’s VideoSpigot image as a single frame. Also, if your or Intel’s Smart Video Recorder and camcorder has some form of slide or | array of movements that there is a way you have a camcorder, you can use the negative adapter, you can use your camcorder and capture card as a slide to accomplish almost any angle you can scanner. imagine, although the rod prevents very low shots. However, you can use the rod to swing the camcorder into position for ingenious types of shots. For example, while running across a roof, I stopped dead at the roof’s edge and dropped my upper steering hand to the rod’s base, | swiftly arcing the camcorder into facing straight-down over the edge to the ground. The footage feels like the cam- corder jumped! VANDEISTEEN AUDIO The Glidecam’s handle is off-center, permitting several inches of vertical movement by a user. This absorbs bounces, as when you're running, with- out affecting camcorder balance. In its pursuit of perfection, high-end audio has established However, the off-set handle also lofty standards that only the best speakers can reach. Now your increases wrist stress which, combined family entertainment system can meet these same standards. with the overall weight, can make it Experience open natural voices, astonishing definition, powerful strenuous to hold for long shots. bass and vivid imaging with legendary VANDERSTEEN The Glidecam does not include a boxless speakers. monitor, partly to hold down pricing. \"Superior on both film and music, But you won't miss it. The Glidecam, VANDERSTEEN's says the company, is often best operated full-range speakers dispel the myth that in a point-and-shoot mode. If monitor- video requires unique main ing is desirable, you can attach a small speakers.” field monitor to a fitting on the Glidecam’s base, or take off your viewfinder’s eyepiece so you can at least check the camcorder’s orientation. The design makes the Glidecam awkward to pack without disassembly. However, it’s so durable day to day pun- ishment is not a worry. The bottom line is it can expand the versatility of your shots and give your action footage a more professional look. . «) \"Ultimate | realism!\" | TECHOHPSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA For almost 20 years, VANDERSTEEN AUDIO has built affordable loudspeakers true to both science and music. If you are looking for Space age titles speakers that accurately reproduce the The superimpose feature that’s found entire frequency range and dimensions on Panasonic consumer video mix- of the original sound, we can direct “Amazing ers—like the WJ-AVE3, the WJ-AVE5 you to your nearest carefully selected definition, and the WJ-AVE7-can be used to VANDERSTEEN dealer. rocks the design impressive looking titles. For @ foundation!\" example, print a title on a piece of Please write or call for a brochure paper, tape it to a lampshade, then shoot it with your camcorder (sitting and name of your nearest dealer. level). You will get a curved title that seems to grow larger as it nears the WAIDN)=PNos V0 1B) Ome bottom of the screen, once it’s put through superimpose and reversed 16 West Fourth St, Hanford, CA 93230 (209) 582-0324 over another shot. In the same way, point your camcorder down at an Models available from $495. angle over several title pages taped together. Record as you pull the pages Circle 3 on Reader Service Card. VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995 19

SPECIAL BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH REPORT New from COMDEX-— movie machines, F/X ware & TIMM The fall COMDEX computer show in the Joint Photographic Experts Group. visualize what your objects will look like. Las Vegas may be the best place on With the death of Commodore and TrueSpace, however, lets you model and earth to glimpse the future of video but, animate 3-D wireframe objects on the ironically, video enthusiasts would have its Amiga computer, the folks at same screen. Version 2.0 adds a preview seen little at COMDEX they might NewTek are seeking new platforms for screen that does crude renderings in real want to use. That’s because digital the applications they developed for the time so you can see instantly how your video, the kind you get from computers Video Toaster, the Amiga-based board animation will look, without having to and CD-ROMs, is still in its infancy that introduced desktop video to pro- wait several minutes for the computer to and, in most cases, still inferior to what fessional video producers. The first ap- render the frames. you can produce with two VHS VCRs. plication to be ported to PC is Light- Most desktop video products at COM- Wave, the 3-D modeling and animation Recently, several NewTek employees DEX relied on small, partial-screen package used to create the striking spe- left to start Play, a company devoted to video windows and frame rates of 15 per cial effects in SeaQuest DSV and Baby- creating inexpensive, high-performance second or less, which give videos a lon 5. Unfortunately, the PC version of hardware and software for the PC. Its strobe effect. first product is the $199 Snappy, a cute- Next Generation: Fast’s $599 Movie Machine for as-a-bug device that produces the best But most is not all. Fast Electronics digital video mixing and Toshiba’s TIMM monitor. video stills I’ve ever seen. Just plug Snap- showed an impressive digital video edit- LightWave runs only on Windows NT, ing system. The company offers a hard- an esoteric, high-end operating system. py into your printer port, plug your cam- ware/software package for full digital And NewTek didn’t adapt the graphi- corder into Snappy, and use Play’s video editing on its Video Machine, a 1993 cal user interface (GUI) to Windows. It capture utility to grab frames. You can Video Magazine Best of the Year award- looks like the old Amiga GUI. find great examples of Snappy’s quality in winner. With the new Fast Digital Play- Play’s brochure. The photos look like er Recorder (DP/R), you can cut and LightWave may convert some PC en- they were brought in with a high-resolu- paste video clips, add scene transitions thusiasts into 3-D freaks, but it’ll get a lot and special effects, dub in new audio, of competition from version 2.0 of Cali- tion scanner, but were actually captured and instantly observe the result. And you gari TrueSpace. When the Toaster came with Snappy and a consumer camcorder. can record and mix up to eight channels out, I struggled with LightWave for weeks of CD-quality audio. before I felt any mastery of it, largely be- The Windows versions of Adobe’s cause it uses separate modules for mod- Premiere, the industry standard for com- Unlike many digital editing systems, eling and animation, making it tough to puter video editing, have always lagged which require you to select an effect like behind the Mac versions. But it looks like the PC may soon catch up. Premiere a dissolve, then wait for the system to for Windows 4.0 includes many new fea- render it, DP/R produces effects instant- tures previously limited to the Mac, in- ly. You can set the compression to as lit- cluding time code support and luma, tle as 2:1 for broadcast-quality editing, chroma and alpha-channel keying. The although setting the ratio higher lets you quality’s still only good enough for mul- store more video. Fast demonstrated the timedia, though. Premiere will probably DP/R at the more useful 6:1 ratio. I could have to move up to hardware-based tell the digitized video from the original compression like MPEG before it Betacam SP tape, but barely. At about achieves video quality that camcorder $15,000 for a complete system, including enthusiasts will accept. the Video Machine, the system won’t find many home users, though. Another fresh import from the Mac, Elastic Reality, produced some of the most But Fast also introduced the Movie radical morphing, warping and matting effects I’ve seen. Hollywood effects guys Machine, a video editing board that per- have already used Elastic Reality in spe- forms many of the same functions as the cial-effects extravaganzas like Star Trek: Videonics’ MX-1 mixer, at the amazing- Deep Space Nine, Forrest Gump and Speed. ly low price of $599. The Movie Machine What does it do? Almost anything you mixes between any two video sources can imagine. Inflate a subject’s head and without timebase correctors, as the Video float it away like a balloon? No problem. Toaster requires. It performs luma key- ing for titling and chroma keying (the One exhibit held the promise of blue-screen “weatherman” effect). It cre- broadcast-quality desktop video on the cheap. Vitec Multimedia showed a pro- ates strobe and other special effects, mix- totype of a real-time, $600 MPEG en- coder that displayed good resolution and es audio, and can even perform nonlin- color depth. It would undercut the least- ear editing with a $400 card that expensive encoder I’ve seen by about captures and compresses video using Mo- $1,500. Alas, it’s still on the drawing tion JPEG, a motion version of the still- frame compression scheme developed by continued on page 39 20 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

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HOME BY RICH WARREN THEATER seem (rom basement to mart bijou, and how @ it happened While home video cannot equal film in and depth vary by media, further its alcove to fit the Toshiba 56-inch visual quality, a home theater can equal increasing irregularity. A wide oak TheaterWide 16:9 rear projection TV; and often surpass the best commercial theaters in sound quality. I had long crown molding around the room the new room layout allowed for a dreamt of a dedicated theater, consist- improves decor while filling the acousti- greater viewing distance that could ing of more than just suitable compo- cally unwanted wall/ceiling corner. accomodate the 56-incher. nents in an existing room. Fortunately, a big, empty concrete bunker of a base- THX recommended raising the sec- Construction began with the reloca- ment waited below my house. ond row of seats to improve sightlines. tion of ventilation ducts and the main My basement measures approximately 50 feet by 26 We accomplished this by building a plumbing drain pipe. This cost $2,000 feet, and is almost eight feet high. However, the sunken liv- before ever driving a nail, but ing room upstairs reduces the height to just over six feet for permitted a higher ceiling, as about 15 feet of the 50-foot length. Utilities chop another well as eliminating two noise 10 feet from the length leaving about 25 usable feet. The load- sources. A loud rush of water supporting center beam and entry stairway reduce the usable distracts from the most engross- width to about 13 feet. Not long ago I would have errantly built ing movie. Firring strips an- the best room I could within this area. Instead, I called THX, chored to the concrete founda- a subsidiary of Lucasfilm, at its tion supported the drywall and Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, and was advised of semi-reg- insulation on the outside walls. ular THX home theater training ses- sions for dealers and installers. I The inside walls are approxi- arranged for the consultant and con- tractor of my project to attend the THX mately 9-1/2-inches thick, with training seminar. independent 2 x 4 studs for Whether or not you subscribe to the each side. specifics of THX, few, if any, experts dis- pute the acoustical fundamentals it The walls consist of pairs of demands. THX provided a computer program that calculated optimal dimen- double drywall of dissimilar sions from available space to reduce standing waves. It dictated a room thickness separated between approximately 23 feet by 12 feet, with a nearly seven-foot ceiling. We made pairs by fiberglass batting. lemonade from lemons by using the lowered ceiling from the sunken living Different thicknesses damp res- room to help create a faux proscenium. Behind the proscenium wall we built a onance, increase rigidity, and decrease large equipment room, with two open- ings for equipment shelving. We pre- noise transmission. Shock absorbing vented sonic interaction between the equipment room and theater by dead- butyl rubber caulk isolates all wiring ening the room as if it was the inside of a speaker enclosure. penetrating the walls. R-38 fiberglass Irregular shelving was designed for insulates the ceiling joist cavities, with the wall at the rear of the theater for videotape, laserdisc, LP and CD stor- | ceiling drywall suspended from resilient age. The angled, jutting shelves help break up the soundwaves, while in- metal channels instead of being fas- creasing visual interest. Shelving height tened directly to the joists for further isolation. Doors are solid core wood with full weather-stripping. The large diameter ventilation ducts with oversize register grills virtually eliminate audible Moviemorphosis: The author's basement, once a air turbulence. typical concrete bunker (below), was transformed We carpeted the room and platform into an impressive THX-oriented media room. with thick pile plush carpet on a heavy pad. This dramatically improves the three-inch high, sand-filled platform big acoustics by eliminating floor bounce enough for one loveseat or two large from the speakers and reflections chairs, with jacks in the front for AC between floor and ceiling. Audio, video, and S-video for the possible future use lighting, and utility electrical outlets of a front projector. each are wired on independent 20-amp While not essential, choosing equip- circuits. This reduces the chance of ment prior to construction results in a interaction, as well as providing the more integrated theater, electrically, necessary audio power for the seven- acoustically and visually. For example, piece speaker system. The theater knowing the size and shape of the sur- includes sensors for water intrusion, round speakers determines placement, smoke and a fire alarm system. and thus where the wiring will go, and For all the expensive carpeting, whether the speakers hang indepen- fancy shelving, and attractive molding, dently or need a shelf. I chose the B&W the Lutron Magic-I lighting system elic- THX Home Cinema speaker system. its the most response from viewers. Six We opted for the faux proscenium with continued on page 39 22 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

VIDEO+ Hands On: Powerhouse New Video Mixer- + New Videotests! More Comparative Into! Page 20- magazine vi Digital teHot Home |y:\"f Surround rJeynuturWUT STHohoeumneFdu?tTuhreeatOefr Goo! Prices! Biking, Climbing, zee Boating & Diving WIDESCREEN MAY 1994 TY BUYING VHS/S-VHS Camcorder Buyers Guide GUIDE How To Shoot Action & Adventure Videotests: RihaL-evicnen's .5 Toshiba M-760 VHS VCR Memorex Model 17 8mm TVCR Light Your JULY 1994 Panasonic WJ-AVE7 Digital Mixer Videos Right Pioneer CLD-S201 Combi Player Home Theater for Pennypinchers Widescreen TV Buying Guide Hot New Products of Tomorrow How to Break into Public Access TV Videotests: Videotests: Sony EV-S7000 Hi8 VCR Panasonic CT-31XF50 31-inch TV Panasonic PV-S64 S-VHS-C Camcorder RCA CC547 VHS Camcorder Sony TR-700 Hi8 Camcorder Samsung CXB1924 VHS TVCR MSB LS-1 Laserdisc Transport BMB LV-1500S Combi Player Hands-On: Home Thealer Surround Sound Decoder + Balance Home Theater Speakers Like A Pro- T&HiogHmhotewSTpThaoecaDetoset-rt-WFhoart Works F**iHrHsotowwLoTook GaetPto2SrttSaoyrrstmteedms MRUWaneoinmvioTe-etrPsestrsiotd20ucTtop TVCYR,s V&idMeoorgeames, AUGUST 1994 MWLiEiGDnd&oProw$jecs-torV, HVSi-dCeoVCNEaSdmictooVrrC,Rd,ers OCTOBER 1994 Innovative New Products for Fall SEPTEMBER 1994 Preview of New Digital Satellite Systems How to Choose Lights & Tripods CES Review—Whats Hot, What’s Not Videotests: The Basics of Video Editing Videotests: Panasonic LX-600 Combi Player 20 Universal Remotes Compared Goldstar VHS/8mm VCR Sharp VL-H400U Hi8 Camcorder Videotests: Sony TR400 Hi8 Camcorder ProScan PSC24C VHS-C Camcorder Vidikron Crystal One LCD Projector Toshiba 56-inch Widescreen TV Videonics Titlemaker 2000 Video Titler Canon ES-1000 Hi8 Camcorder Pioneer CLD-D703 Combi Player Studio Magic Desktop Video Package Panasonic PV-4464 VHS VCR If you’ve missed Please send me the issues of VIDEO Magazine I’ve checked. Q MAY 1994 QJUNE 1994 QJULY 1994 QAUGUST 1994 | any of VIDEO’s CQ) SEPTEMBER 1994 OQ OCTOBER 1994 1 recent issues, use this coupon NAME I to order. But I supply is limit- uBR I ed, so hurry! CITY STATE zip i Enclosed is my payment of $ For each issue, send $2.95 plus $1 Li postage & handling ($3.95 total); please make check payable to VIDEO Magazine. Clip & mail to: VIDEO Back Issues, 460 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001 FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 23

CAMCORNER BY TIMOTHY LIEBE Double-system sound, a shooting secret you can share There are two types of synchronized degree of slippage. Any attempt to use and a digital audio recorder yourself, it’s | sound you need to pay attention to as a them to record lip-synced dialog will much easier to have a second person videomaker. The first type, single-sys- usually result in the dreaded “lip flap,” along to run the sound. This person, tem sound, which camcorders use, the effect you’ve seen in kung-fu epics known as your sound engineer, will be records audio on the same piece of tape where an actor’s words don’t corre- responsible for turning on the audio as the picture. The second type, double- spond to his lip movements. system sound, uses a separate audio recorder at the start of each scene, lis- recorder that runs in syne with the cam- This is where, triumphantly, digital tening through headphones to make corder. Because of its convenience and audio recording comes in. One of the sure the sound you're getting is clear ease, single-system is the standard for benefits of digital audio is that, since it’s and undistorted, and possibly even consumer and low-end professional a collection of bytes like a computer file, holding the microphone close to any videomaking. it has to always record and play back at people whose conversation you want to a constant rate, like videotape. This record. But it may not always be the best helps make double-system sound for choice for your video projects. Audio video relatively easy and affordable If you’re recording with two or more quality with single-system sound is lim- microphones, your sound engineer can ited by such factors as the quality of compared, say, to the $5,000 it also “ride levels”—that is, balance the your camcorder’s sound recording would cost to obtain a audio to make sure one mic’s input isn’t capability, and whether it can accept crystal-sync significantly louder or softer than any an external microphone. You may audiotape other. also run into situations where the audio part of your shoot is as Audio Pals: Sony's Since it’s unlikely you'll be starting DAT Walkman and a hand- and stopping your audio recorder and important, if not more so, held wired microphone from Azden. than the video. In cases your camcorder at precisely the where you're conducting recorder capable of recording same moment for every sound and playing it back in shot, you'll need a way to an interview or taping a syne. match the start of the sound portion of your live concert, double-sys- A digital audiotape scenes with the start of the tem sound can prove (DAT) Walkman or one of picture portion. This is the invaluable, both for the the new MiniDisc recorders, reason you always see some boost in quality and as an which can perform the same aural backup. functions, can be had for less person on a movie shoot, the than $800 at most electron- clapper operator, starting each Traditionally, |double- ics stores. (This significant scene by holding out a clap- system sound as used by difference in price has not, board, rattling off a reference filmmakers required special by the way, escaped industry like “Magnum Wedding, Scene cameras and_ audiotape professionals. DAT recorders 24, Take 1,” then snapping down recorders that used either a are often used by low-budget the top of the clapboard onto the sync pulse generated by the filmmakers who want sync body and getting out of frame before camera, which it transferred sound capability.) the director yells “Action!” to an unused audio track on If you pay attention to what’s on the the recorder, or crystal Although you could, in clapboard, you'll see that there are slots oscillators built into the theory, run both a camcorder for all the information the clapper oper- camera and the recorder ator recites. Another part of the clapper that kept both the images operator’s job is to change the scene and the sound moving at a and/or take information every time the constant speed. But these camera rolls, either by writing on the “pulse syne” and “crystal clapboard in chalk or by placing a piece syne” systems cost far more of masking tape with the appropriate than consumers could number in the right slot. This is done so afford. that the editor can identify each take on both the sound and picture portions of Fortunately, video must the footage, and match the sound of the by necessity always record clapper with the image of it hitting the and play back at a constant board. These are both known as “sync rate. This means that even points.” From then until both the cam- inexpensive VCRs and corder and audio recorder are turned camcorders will keep an image permanently in sync. off, the sound and picture portions of Standard analog audiotape the footage are in sync. recorders, on the other If you don’t have a clapboard, you hand, have a fairly wide continued on page 40 | 24 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

STOP SHOOTING ORDINARY VIDEOS. AND START CREATING EXTRAORDINARY ONES! Now, create your most dazzling videos ever! e Easy-to-master methods for achieving time-lapse _ All you need is a copy of Camcorder Magic, the video effects, colorization, and other special effects. guide that shows you step-by-step how to transform ¢ Lighting tricks the pros use to set the right mood. Dyeouvrelvoipdeedos biynttoopP pvriodfeeossipornaold-uqcquealristyaYnEdprVodIuDcEtiOons. e How to use mini:iatures to add real- Magazine contributors James ism to your videos. Caruso and Mavis Arthur, ¢ Imaginative effects you can Camcorder Magic will change the achieve with filters, lenses, way you shoot videos. Over 190 and homemade masks. fact-packed pages and hundreds ¢ How to master professional of color photos show you: skills — from handheld © How to choose the perfect moves and tripod shooting camera point-of-view. to camera angles, perspec- tive and depth of field. ¢ Professional techniques for capturing fast action. Eé diting ideas that turn raw footage into masterpieces. ¢ How to create smooth transi-: Ppa kaa pt How to record your photos, ¢ Saifmple methods f:or adding slides and home movies titles and graphics to your pro- onto video tape. ) ductions — no matter what Secrreetsts oOf Hollywoo5d0d’’ss’ make-up artists. equipment you own! Plus -- . camcorder sip pgicahre, choos- ¢ How to get great results in ing the best tape, preserving low-light situations. wats TO MAKE \\ tapes properly, and much e The eon ofshooting fasci- EXCITING VIDEOS im more. It’s the ultimate guide to nating candid interviews. zs i AB getting the most out of your e How to create animation — JAMES R. CARUSO MVS \\ ctaomdcayo!rder. Send for yours with any camcorder. TF ages ADDERS OTT ete! TCU) Ee SEP MAEM ath EUMLAOME OAT Tk un ok ae oe ee Scie Ae aed YES, send me CAMCORDER MAGIC! Name (please print clearly) My payment of $12 plus $3 shipping and Address handling ($15 total per copy) is enclosed. (Make check or money order payable to Reese Communications.) City State Zip NY State residents, please add appropriate sales tax. Outside U.S., $16 total. Allow up to No. Copies______————s Payment Total $ 4 weeks for delivery. Clip & Mail with payment to: CAMCORDER MAGIC, VIDEO Magazine, 460 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001 ra ee ec ee ee eee

BY RODERICK WOODCOCK Those of us in the Academy for the Queries from Advancement of High End Audio wel- our readers come the challenge and opportunity in evolving the home theater audio sys- [i]:have four VCRs of varying are rare. It’s quite possible that one of tem. To be sure, the high end system brands. I use most of them only for your record machines is out of spec, and of the future will incorporate five may need its tape tension adjusted. To audio channels, plus subwoofers. recording, but I use one, a Panasonic find out which machine is at fault, start More importantly, these systems need PV-4262, for playback. I don’t usually making notes as to which machine to be equally adept with both movie keep track of which machine records records what tape, so that you can track soundtracks and music sources. what tape, and sometimes weeks pass it down later when the whipping prob- before I get a chance to review a partic- lem surfaces. In terms of both loudspeakers and ular tape. I normally tape everything at amplification, most mass-market prod- the decks’ slowest speed, and haven't Why do some remote controls ucts appear to be following the trend had any problems with tracking or pic- have an “enter” button on their of providing five channels for the price ture noise. keypads while others don’t? I’ve used of two. Unfortunately, both the quanti- lots of VCRs and television sets and this ty and the quality of the sound gets What is a problem is the occasional discrepancy from brand to brand has squeezed — and that’s a problem. whipping of the videotape I experience always annoyed me. Sony originally didn’t provide an enter key on its remote con- In fact, multi-channel home theater when I use the picture search, fast for- trols, but now it does. What’s the audio systems place greater demands ward or rewind controls. I can hear a lot advantage? With most other remote on both amplifiers and loudspeakers. of snapping noises coming from the cas- controls, it’s only necessary to key in Investing wisely in quality high-per- sette inside the machine. While the two digits to have the VCR or television formance audio components will pro- tape eventually settles down, sometimes change channels. I just don’t see what vide the astonishing realism and there are creases or wrinkles that are the reason is for an enter key. heartfelt emotion that define the home left in the videotape. What causes this, entertainment experience. That's and what can I do about it? David Goldstein what the high end is really all about. Las Vegas, Nevada J. D. Branford Chris Browder, B&W Loudspeakers, Calgary, Canada A Keypads that have an enter key are President of the Academy for the allowing for the addition of more Advancement of High End Audio ARES are mechanical devices, and despite the best efforts of manufac- channels on cable television in the THE ACADEMY future, a likely eventuality. If your tele- FOR THE turers to produce products that conform vision or VCR immediately changed to the specifications for a given format, channels after you had keyed in the sec- ADVANCEMENT variations inevitably creep in. In the ond channel digit, how would you OF case of the tape transport, different access channels above 99, which VCRs, even identical models from the require three digits? The enter key This column is presented by The Academy for the Ad- same manufacturer, may subject the delays the channel selection until all vancement of High End Audio, an organization dedi- tape to slightly different winding stress- digits have been keyed in. cated to the recognition of excellence and the promo- es. While one VCR may pack the tape tion of greater awareness of high end audio. on the reel fairly tightly, another Panasonic’s solution was to add a machine may do so somewhat more 100 key, especially for higher frequency loosely. channels. But that’s still another key on the remote control, isn’t it? I have A good VCR (or tape rewinder, for remote controls that work both ways, that matter) will deliver a pancake of and while it’s sometimes tedious switch- tape that sits smoothly and evenly on ing back and forth between the two sys- the reel, displaying no visible ridges. tems, I don’t consider it much of an When a tape made on one machine is inconvenience. played on another, some adjustment for tape tension must be made. One way to Address questions to Q&A, Video Mag- ensure even tension on the player is to azine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, also use it to rewind the tape before NY 10001; fax to 212-947-6727; or playback. You could also fast forward send via CompuServe to 75147,1255 or and rewind the tape to do the same via The Internet to 75147.1255@com- thing, but that’s time consuming and puserve.com. Questions may be edited tedious. for space. Failing this, there’s not much to be done about your problem. I’ve also noticed it, and on different VCRs. But usually the tape slack adjustment is brief, and tape creases like you describe 26 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

[]I’ve come to rely a lot on the \"time remainriesng\" (bgfeature on my VCR. | It’s a very useful way to determine how | much time is left on a cassette. But recently, with many of the T-120 tapes I’ve been getting, the reading isn’t as accurate as it once was. I know that the thickness of the videotape is used to determine the time remaining readout. Is it possible that some newer T-120 cas- settes aren't as thick as the tapes I bought a few years ago? Kurt Spencer Seattle, Washington Ato letter sent me on a day-long round up of sample T-120 tapes to test. Some were years old, while others had just been purchased. I used several VCRs with the time remaining feature to determine what sort of readings I would get. Sure enough, many of the newer 1-120 tapes gave readings that were shorter than normal. A three-year old 3M S-VHS tape, for example, deliv- ered a time-remaining readout of 130 minutes, while a newer 3M VHS T-120 gave a readout of 110 minutes. Other recent brands from TDK, JVC, Sony, Goldstar and Polaroid, gave readings that varied from 110 to 119 minutes. Apart from these machine readings, close examination of the reel pack | diameter on newer tapes indicates there’s more empty room near the edge From Ambico®, the leader in camcorder and editing technology, comes the V 6325 | of the reels. All this tends to confirm Audio/Video Editing Effects Processor .This top-of-the-line Ambico innovation your theory that many tape manufac- brings professional editing features to your home or office. It’s easy to use, very turers are spooling thinner tape into T- versatile and very, very affordable. 120 shells than they used to. Twenty microns, give or take a micron or two, e Edit multiple sources into one spectacular final production without changing tapes. used to be the norm for T-120 tape ¢ Automatically fades audio and video for smooth transitions. Fade speed can be set for stock. Then T-160 tapes arrived, with a automatic or manual. thickness of about 16 microns. T-180s ¢ Cross Fades smoothly between sources. The adjustable stabilizer minimizes glitches! and T-200s, which have thicknesses of ¢ Creates all types of wipe patterns for professional style transitions between scenes! 14.5 and 13 microns, confuse the issue even further. Many VCRs will only ¢ Audio Mixer creates a full stereo soundtrack complete with narration and background compute the time remaining of T-160s or T-120s although some newer music! (Microphone included) Mitsubishi’s can accomodate T-180s as well. What many brands are doing is e Video Enhancer and Automatic Video Noise Redution adjust sharpness and detail for rationalizing their tape manufacturing by making a thinner tape that can be improved image quality! spooled as either a T-120 or a T-160. ¢ Color processing corrects and intensifies base video coloration and saturation! Much the same thing has happened ¢ Generates all types of video effects including “Inverse Video”. ¢ Two outputs for multiple copy dubbing! 249” ¢ Includes all cables. Only with 8mm and Hi8 tapes, where the shorter lengths aren’t still necessarily made of the thicker 13-micron stock in FREE! 800-231-0031Call for our free accessories catalog use a few years ago. Instead, they are | only 10 microns thick, which is the =i HAVEN IeeNSDoeUSTRIES ‘spwencisfiidchaet,ionunffoorrtutnheateployp,uilasracoPOm6gp-r1g2o0. ||¥Wi6th30ev0erdytAemrbiicnoarget mised caanbdiylity for VCRSshethat offer tiPme- this VO651 All-In-One 46-23 Crane Street, LIC,NY 11101 Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back remaining features to accurately com- Video Transfer System. | pute that time on some brands of blank Transfer film, slides and | tape. photographs to video. A $99.99 MSRP value! continued on page 40 Circle 7 on Reader Service Card. FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 27

MAGNAVOX cod Itt- i= Lo AUDIO. A VIDEO MAGNAVOX S-VHS VCR MAGNAVHVSOXVCVRR9362 The display panel on the front of | the VCR will show you the tape By Timothy Liebe PRICE: $329 counter, whether your tape is playing or recording, and what kind of sound Magnavox’s VR9362 V-RATING: VV V\\\\” source you're getting. In order to see | VHS VCR shows just =BETTER —}P whether or not your tape is rewinding how far regular four-head PICTURE consumer VCRs _ have SOUND or fast-forwarding, or what time it is, come in the past few years. The 9362 is you'll need to push the “Status” switch priced at $329 and comes with an FEATURES on the remote so those graphics appear hours/minutes/seconds tape counter, on your TV set. audio/video inputs in the front as well VALUE as in the rear, and a jog/shuttle dial on The 9362’s remote is one of the less your way back out. ergonomically friendly I’ve encoun- the remote. These features, which appear to be more and more common The front of the 9362 has controls tered. All the basic VCR functions, for most of your basic VCR functions except recording, are located at the top on entry-level VCRs, should be very like record, play, fast forward and of the unit, with the same-sized play welcome to consumer videomakers rewind, as well as channel up and down who, while looking to set up a home switches. The power, stop/eject and editing suite, don’t want to spend a play buttons are large and well-placed; small fortune for playback decks. the record, VCR/TV and channel Setting up the 9362 is easy thanks selector controls are smaller and more to the various onscreen menus that can closely grouped. be accessed from your remote. It should be noted, however, that the only way to leave a specific menu is by stepping SPECS AND Cue & Review Search: | program, and manual | 46.2 SP, 49.2 SLP: add/delete weighted video 49.6 SP, MEASUREMENTS | locking 5x SP, 15x SLP: 49.7 SLP; chroma AM non-locking 7x SP, 21x Cable Tuning Range: 44.7 SP, 39.6 SLP; chro- 2 to 13,Ato|,J to W,A-5 ma PM 41.6 SP, 39.8 SLP Make and Model: | SLP to A-1, 5A, 37 to 94, 100 Multiburst waveforms show a frequency Magnavox VR9362 Visible FF & Rew: no to 125 Audio Frequency response, or resolution, typical for VHS. Response: hi-fi 20 Hz- Weight & Size (h/w/d): Fast Forward/Rewind Timer: 8-program/ 20 kHz, +0.3/-0.1 dB; lin- and stop controls placed too close to 9.7 pounds; 3-3/4 x 14- Time: 3-1/2 min. for T- | 1-month, and OTR | ear (-3 dB) 100 Hz-12 kHz 1/4 x 12 inches | SP, 100 Hz-4 kHz SLP Key Features: shuttle Power Use: 19 Watts | c IR ring, forward jog dial on rite aa Range: one another. The record and one-touch 8 Jacks: Front input video | crore lnnatits remote. Linear Audio S/W: record functions are also both the same pees ae rear nou pa 3 rear, outvipdeuot&RsFt,erveiodeaoud&io; tcatlraarmiiodenitue: RESULTS | 41.4 0B size and are at the btortatcokmiin,g, mixed in stereo audio Horizontal Resolution: among the manual counter Tape Format & Speeds: | go-to counter number | Audio Distortion: hii VHS; SP. LP, SLP | Audio: linear mono; hi-fi 240 lines —'| ‘0.3%: linear 0.9% memory and VCR/TV switches. A tiny Video/FE Heads: 4/0 AFM stereo Picture S/N Ratios mute button is at the very top, between (dB): unweighted video Preset Method: auto the remote’s two power switches, which seems to invite errors. VPLMEIHOSDORTESOI 28 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

i SN TESTSBY BERGER-BRAITHWAITE LABS | Wight oye SHARP LCD PROJECTOR ture quality, added features and lowered prices. As a videophile, I’m always hop- Magnavox ing the next wave of LCD projectors will produce a model that competes includes the By Brent Butterworth with low-end CRT projectors by offer- ing an excellent picture at a price capability to Sharp’s first LCD projec- between $4,000 and $5,000. control most tor, the XV-100, led some Sharp aspires to this goal with the XV-H35U, a $4,965 video-grade pro- major brands of video experts to predict jector that produces images from 25 to 200 inches diagonally. The XV-H35U television sets that LCD projectors offers all the advantages of an LCD via its VCR would one day push CRT-based designs design. It never requires convergence remote, there’s off the market. But five years later, it adjustment, and you can install it in no correspond- still hasn’t happened. A few outstand- ing cable box ing LCD projectors have appeared, about five minutes. (CRT projectors are control. If you notably Vidikron’s Crystal One, but tricky to set up and usually require live in an area many still suffer from visible pixels, readjustment about once a year.) The which _ utilizes poor contrast and other problems. XV-H35U is about the size and weight addressable There’s hope, though. With each gen- of a typical desktop computer, so you cable boxes (like eration of LCD projectors, manufactur- could even haul it to a friend’s house for most major cities), ers, led by Sharp, have improved pic- the night. | you're out of luck if The rear panel offers two video/ |you want to change channels using the stereo audio inputs (one with S-video) and a loop-through video/audio output. | 9362’s remote. This also limits the use There’s also a 12-volt output jack that you can use to control an automatic of this unit’s VCR-Plus feature: In a screen (which isn’t included). An auto- cable area that uses addressable boxes, PRICE: $4,965 matic screen makes using a front pro- virtually every channel you can’t get |over the air is scrambled. V-RATING: VVV\\\\V) | jector more convenient. Just turn on the XV-H35U and the screen comes | The jog/shuttle wheel, on the bot- BETTER —P down. Turn the projector off, |tom third of the remote, works quite well /at frame-by-frame, below-normal, nor- PICTURE continued on page 37 |mal and above-normal speeds in forward |mode. In reverse mode the shuttle func- SOUND tion plays backwards at normal and | |above-normal speeds while the jog dial FEATURES VALUE 012345 RAUINGS ARE RELATIVE TO THOSE FOR OTHER FRONT PROJECTORS. | continued on page 36 RN &SANSSWs

12 3s VOL| 4 7 oe OV oe + cH & TOSHIBA Toshiba’s remote is well designed, full featured and illuminated. TOSHIBA DIRECT-VIEW ECT.VIEW MONITOR - visual distortion from side to side and top to bottom. It has evidently eee PRICE: $1,999 achieved the improved flatness on both sides of the screen, on the inside as well By Peter Barry V-RATING: VVVV\\\\ as the outside. Many tubes have been flattened in front, only to retain their Television sets are so fea- BETTER —> inside curvature. Toshiba says it has ture-packed these days achieved better flatness on both sides. that it takes a while to PICTURE And observations bear this out. The sort out how they really SOUND viewing angle is definitely wider and FEATURES the set shows less glare and reflection— perform. This new model from Toshiba, VALUE two good qualities. the CN32D90, is a good case in point. This 32-inch direct-view monitor is a i 2345 The set also features a good 43-watt, no-holds-barred offering with a wealth four-channel DSP and Dolby Surround of features and Toshiba’s latest screen RATINGS ARE RELATIVE TO THOSE audio decoding system. Packaged with technology. Not surprisingly, these FOR OTHER DIRECT-VIEW MONITORS. the set are two external speakers with attributes come at a price: $1,999 to be Toshiba sets, two 32-inchers, including continued on page 38 exact. this model, and two 35-inchers. Be- cause of its flatness it is subject to less In recent issues we’ve discussed the merits of monitor calibration as recom- SPECS AND access on remote right PIP audio, L&R 62.2 mended by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF). With the assistance MEASUREMENTS | preset Method: auto Tar.Rest lait Screen Brightness: Ee of Total Media Systems, a charter mem- factory:14 footLamberts; ber of ISE we will be able to add moni- Make & Model: program plus manual Internal Audio calibrated: 13.15 tor calibration to our standard evalua- add/erase Amplifier Power: main footLamberts tion procedure, one more step to help L&R 10 W per channel; us better understand the monitors we Fualita CEZEO Channel Coverage: sLu&bRwo5ofWer pe1r3 cWh;annreealr wCaorlmor 7T,e50m0peKrealvtiunr;e:medi- see. This Toshiba is the perfect place to Weight & Size (h/w/d): | VHF 2 to 13, UHF 14 to um 9,100 Kelvin; cool begin because it has a feature that is 146.6 pounds, 27-3/4 x Key Features: 43-Watt 12,100 Kelvin; calibrated among the most exciting we’ve seen in 33-1/2 x 22-3/4 inches 69; CATV A-8 to A-1, A sound system with Dolby medium 6,600 Kelvin monitors. But before we get to it, let’s to W, AA to ZZ, AAA, surround; 2 external rear take a look at what else Toshiba has put Screen Size: 32 inches ae 65 to 94, 100 to speakers with speaker Accuracy of Colors: into the set. diagonal wire; 3 adjustable color very good 5 temperature settings This 32-incher sports Toshiba’s lat- Aspect Ratio: 4x3 Audio Frequency est offering in the industry’s flat-tube Remote Control: |R RESULTS Response: electronics sweepstakes. Calling its tube the FST Speaker Size: main wireless with TV/cable- 20 Hz-20 kHz, +1.6/-2.2 Perfect SuperTUBE, Toshiba boasts two, oval 3x5 inches; box/VCR/aux control Horizontal Resolution: idspeakers 50 Hz-18 that it has the flattest screen for its size subwoofer, 4 inches measured, over 600 lines; on the market. You'll find it in four new round; rear two, 5 inches Inputs: front input 3 on source material, 450 2Z round in cabinets S-video, video, left and horizontal, 400 vertical tight audio; rear S-video Audio S/N: electronics Type of Tuning: 1, video 1 & 2, left and Picture S/N Ratios 67.4 dB frequency synthesis right audio 1 & 2 (dB): video 53.5, chroma AM 62.8, chroma PM Total Harmonic Method of Tuning: Outputs: rear RF to Distortion: 0.5% programmable scan on converter, variable stereo set, scan plus direct audio, fixed video and stereo audio, left and 30 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

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CHAR: CHAR+ 72x B. LIGHT DS.E EDIT + POWER ZOOM EDIT — AIM FOCUS PROGRAM AE VGR REC AUTO SAMSUNG 8MM CAMCORDER are a number of situations where it is ‘8S3AMMMSCUANMGCOSRCXD9E0R4 | advantageous to have this ability. Fully __ PRICeeEe:ecc$ee699 _ By Stewart Applegath V-RATING: VVV Samsung’s 8mm SCX904 zoomed out, you can focus as close as is the newest of its family- one inch. The autofocus works well, but PICTURE type camcorders. moves a bit slowly when traversing from SOUND Samsung has produced a FEATURES solid, workmanlike unit for under $700, far to very near targets, and back. It VALUE with a good 8mm picture and such took about three seconds to fully orient desirable features as a 12x zoom and a itself across long distances. On the pos- recordings. Color rendition was accu- manual focus capability. Samsung has rate. Luminance noise was apparent, stuck to the basics at a low cost. itive side, the focus mechanism does but better than average. With its shoe-like camcorder very little hunting. styling, my first impression on seeing The VCR and playback controls are the SCX904 was to take note of its sim- Samsung has also included a 12x near the front, on the side of the cam- corder. Samsung has made these but- zoom lens, a zoom range that’s becom- tons serve two masters. In camera ing more prevalent. The zoom itself is a mode, they function as auxiliary con- slow one-speed mechanism. My finger trols: fade, backlight, edit search and kept pressing down hard on the zoom rocker switch, trying to hurry it up. If only one speed is available, I would have preferred it to be a little faster. In our video picture test, the SCX904 performed quite well. Techni- cal editor Lancelot Braithwaite and | measured 300 lines of camera resolu- tion, and 240 lines of resolution on SPECS AND type, switchable to ring- Tape Format & Speeds: | RESULTS 8mm; record SP; play SP, Horizontal Resolution: MEASUREMENTS _ operated manual focus LP camera—3—00 lines, Multiburst pattern shows very good horizontal eal & Model: Fader: to black, hold- Video/FE Heads: 2/1 down type EVF—250 lines; VCR— resolution for an 8mm camcorder. amsung SCXI04 Edit Search: 1x 240 lines | Shutter Speeds (sec.): plicity. Samsung has kept the gadgetry Weight & Size (h/w/d): Cue & Review Search: nn to a minimum. With one exception, the camcorder 1.8 pounds; normal and portrait 1/60, forward 9x; reverse 8x racer ed controls are logically-placed and easy to battery 0.4 pounds; 4-1/8 sports 1/60 to 1/250, high Fast Forward/Rewind weighted video 49.2, use. Although it is meant to be handled x 4-1/4 x 9-5/8 inches speed shutter 1/250 to Time: 8-1/4 min for 120 | chroma AM 44.4, chro- easily in full-auto mode, Samsung has 1/1000 min. tape ma PM 44.5 provided openings for manual focus control and a semi-automatic exposure ela Use: 6 V, 6.5 White Balance: auto control. ae | Viewfinder: black and Remote Control: IR Battery Life: about 60 Samsung should be applauded for inoue Sensor: 1/3-inch | white electronic wireless with self timer, in- | min. es focus, no including a manual focus ring on the lens. The number of camcorders with | Viewfinder Controls: terval timer zoom this feature dwindles as I write. There Lens: F1.8; 12x (5.4-64.8 diopter focus, position, Audio: linear none; hi-fi Audio Frequency mm) power zoom with auto brightness and electrical AFM mono Response: 50 H2-7.5 kHz, +0.1/-3.0 dB; -5.6 dB macro at WA focus Titles/Graphics: 1 page, at 20 Hz, -6.1 dB at 20 kHz 2 lines, 16 characters Filter Diameter: 37 mm Microphone: mono elec- Hi-Fi Dynamic Range: | each, white only 54.1 dB Minimum Focusing tret condenser Key Features: manual Audio Distortion: 0.4% Distance: WA 1 inch; tele Jacks: video in/out, DC focus, still frame, insert 30 inches out to RFU, mono audio edit, auto rewind Auto Focus: TTL contrast | in/out 32. VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

digital special effects. In VCR mode, you TEGHPTIPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA perate, low-humidity environments. can see high-speed forward and rewind by The places where the tape sticks will holding down each button. I found it easy Once a year’Il do it show up as glitches or other screen to navigate the dual-use system, though it irregularities during playback. To would have been still easier had the play- Videotape tends to stick after extend- avoid this, try to play your most valued back buttons been more clearly marked. ed periods of inaction, especially if you tapes once a year, even if you don’t aren't able to store your tapes intem- bother watching them. When they’ve Its Digital Special Effects (DSE) pack- finished playing, don’t rewind them age is somewhat of a misnomer, since only until the next playback session. a three-tier solarizing effect is available. Playback winds the tape on the spool The fader is to or from black, and its con- with greater accuracy than the fast- trol button must be pushed and held for as forward or rewind features. long as you want the effect to continue. 800-323-2325CTION EXPERTS The SCX904 is equipped with a 32- character titler, an increasingly rare fea- 10-12 Charles Street, Glen Cove, NY 11542 FAX 516-671-3092 ture. It alternates with other functions (date/time set and video/picture insert) CASIO. on a set of buttons behind the viewfinder position during shooting. This location LCD Camcorder Color Monitor makes it a little awkward to adjust the date and time-set while shooting. Monitor Your Videos in Full Color as You Tape! The viewfinder is a standard black- No more squinting into a tiny black and white viewfinder!!The and-white model with about 250 lines of resolution. It has a twist-diopter adjust- NEW Casio 2.2” monitor features full color high quality matrix ment, brightness and focus controls, and a (HQM) technology to produce the most vivid, clearest images very useful battery status icon. possible. The only monitor that is truly “all-in-one,” the VM570 The program auto exposure offers four control settings: auto, for fully automatic features built-in sunsheild, built-in speaker with adjustable control with a 1/60 second shutter; sports, volume, built-in battery pack holder, and adjustable brightness which ranges from 1/60-1/250 second; control. Plus, the built-in monitor stand allows monitor to stand freely! The unique set-in portrait, which uses a shallow depth of field and throws the background out of housing offers a clearer, brighter picture in all shooting situations-including outdoors! focus; and high-speed shutter, which at Complete with camcorder mounting bracket, earphone jack, audio jack, and $499\" 1/250-1/1000 of a second, needs more light to obtain a correct exposure. There is connection cables. no manual white balance control; it’s done automatically. The remote control Color Video Printer print Images Right Off Your TV Screen! is a wafer thin, credit-card type with reg- ular record/ playback functions, plus Now you can print beautiful, clear images from home movies, interval recording and a self-timer. video tapes, TV shows and computer games. You can Audio was average for a camcorder at this price. Transport noise was average, but even make stickers, cards and posters of the video not enough to be irritating. There was no zoom or focus noise. It performed better in images! The NEW Casio VG100 Video Printer lets this department than the Sony CCD- FX730V, which costs $300 more. It would you take a photograph of anything on screen, have been nice to have been able to use microphone and earphone jacks, especially easily. Make a photo of a favorite scene from since Samsung included an accessory shoe at the front. But the jacks are not included. your party or wedding, or of your favorite star The SCX904 has mono sound with from a TV show or VCR movie. You can even print audio/video switchable in/out RCA jacks. Samsung has made provision for an image of your favorite video game character, a RF output but a cable is an optional accessory. I think the manufacturer recipe from a TV cooking show, or put together an should always throw this cable in with the package. Camcorder users at all lev- album of prints from videos of the kids! The NEW els still use this option in a pinch. Not VG100 opens up a whole new $599 everyone has a TV with jacks, or.con- world of creativity for the nects the TV to a VCR with RCA inputs. entire family. Though I’d like to see a faster zoom mechanism, the picture quality and Universal unexpected features make the SCX904, at $699, a good value as an entry-level »Video Editor 8mm camcorder. A while back, Samsung said it would be raising the quality of its Edit Your Videos Easily products. With this camcorder and the & Economically! 31-inch TXC3135 TV that did so well in our recent big-screen shootout (Dec. Now you can edit from any two VCRs (or IR ‘94), Samsung appears to be delivering. = equipped camcorder) regardless of format or brand! Sima’s SED-IR gives you glitch free assemble edits plus you can add fades to black between scenes. Perform the entire editing sequence automatically with the touch of a single button! Dual IR control lets you control both the record and playback deck from the SED-IR, 5419 so previewing scenes and checking your edits is a breeze. Built in audio mixer (mic included) lets you add music or narration to create an exciting soundtrack. REG. *449 Also Available: Sima SFX-L Automatic Control L Editor and Special Effects Generator-Automatically edits your home videos with professional color fades and wipes plus audio mixing. $299” Features an on-screen Edit Decision List, and can store up to 23 scenes! Circle 8 on Reader Service Card. FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 33

DENON PRECISION AUDIO COMPONENT /AV SURROUND RECEIVER AVR-2500 ‘MASTER VOLUME MMOOVNIOE. ARROECNKA FUNCTION AUDIO Wiis]=) — PERSONAL MEMORY DAT/TAPE MONITOR DENON AV SURROUND DENON AVR-2500 AV effects and perceived room size to your RECEIVER SURROUND RECEIVER heart’s content. There are also two spe- cial circuits-the audio visual sound By Peter Barry PRICE: $1,000 effect circuit (AVSE), which boosts V-RATING: VVV bass frequencies for film playback; and Rarely do we see such an Cinema Sound, which equalizes the tre- all-in-one product for BETTER —P ble on video sources in a manner simi- home theater at such a lar to THX processors. price as this latest offering PICTURE from Denon. The AVR-2500 AV sur- The DDSC circuitry is an interest- round sound receiver incorporates con- SOUND ing slant on the decoding chip. Because trols and circuitry to handle all the Denon feels there is too much interfer- duties that most home theaters need FEATURES ence to process five channels of infor- several components to provide. In addi- mation by a single chip, it has divided tion, it features Denon’s Dynamic VALUE the duties between two separate chips. Discrete Surround Circuit (DDSC), its One processes the signal to the front own take on surround processing, 1 im 3 4 5 and center channels while keeping it in which it has introduced in its AVR line the analog domain. The second handles of equipment. RATINGS ARE RELATIVE TO THOSE the surround channels, DSP. the ana- The AVR-2500 has so much built FOR OTHER AV RECEIVERS into it that there’s barely room to Waveform pattern shows a frequency response describe all the features. First, it has an area doesn’t offer much RDS informa- capable of high resolution from any video source. AM/FM tuner offering 32 preset sta- tion yet, but I was easily able to discov- tions as well as RDS, the Radio Data er this by using the RDS search feature log-to-digital and digital-to-analog con- Broadcast system. This system will to see what was out there. RDS will versions, and low-pass filtering. eventually supply station identifications become an increasingly necessary and and allow listeners to search for stations useful feature. The AVR-2500 also allows multi- by such categories as traffic reports, source applications. A second zone in sports and music. The New York City The AVR-2500 is also a five-chan- the house can use a different audio or nel power amp offering 85 watts per video source, or different video and audio sources can be selected simulta- channel for the left, center, and right neously. There are four video and seven speakers in your surround setup, and 25 audio inputs, including S-video and an watts each to the left and right sur- auxiliary/game input on the front panel, round speakers. There are 11 surround and simulation modes plus a DSP space simulation mode so you can adjust SMPEEACSSURAENMDENTS | Inputs: front S-video aux, | out VCR 1, VCR 2, moni- RESULTS video aux, stereo audio tor, multisource, two Make & Model: Denon aux; rear stereo audio Horizontal Resolution: AVR-2500 pairs phono, CD, VDP/TV, | switched AC more than 650 lines VCR 1, DAT/Tape and VCR Weight & Size (h/w/d): 2; S-video for VDP/TV, External Speaker Picture S/N Ratios 25.8 pounds, 6-3/8 x 17- VCR 1, and VCR 2; video | Connectors: spring 1/8 x 17-1/8 inches for VDP/TV, VCR 1, and (dB): luminance and video Power Consumption: VCR 2; mainamp L & R loaded clips center, main L unweighted 56.2, lumi- 575 W max. in, 75-ohm FM and 300- & R “A”; center, main, L & Remote Control: learn- | ohm AM antenna R“B’, rear L&R nance and video weighted ing IR wireless; switches 56.3, chroma AM over 75, for Audio-AVR-AVC and Outputs: stereo audio chroma PM 59.9 VDP-CD/deck-VCR/ VCR 1, VCR 2, DAT/tape, DAT/TV multi source, and main Internal Audio Amp Audio Frequency preamp out; mono audio out preamp out center, Power: main L & R and Response: measured 10 subwoofer; S-video VCR 1, VCR 2, monitor; video center 85 W per channel | Hz-20 kHz, +0.2/-0.3 dB into 8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 Audio S/N: front 74.6 dB kHz with 0.5% THD; rear L | &R 25 W per channel into Total Harmonic 8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz Distortion: front chan- with 0.5% THD (in Dolby | nels preamp out 0.01%; Pro-Logic wide mode) front speaker out .4% 34 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

and four video outputs and four audio call attention to itself by dividing the The AVSE circuit, designed to give outputs. All these functions can be con- soundfield. This is a good sign the “dynamic punch” to bass, helped but trolled from the remote, which is an decoder was doing its job. The did not make a dramatic difference. It is infrared learning remote heavily widescreen ambience mode, meant to difficult to do A-B listening tests stocked with popular brand codes. convey the sense of a large movie the- because the receiver cuts out the signal ater, sounded as if the theater was too for about a second when it makes You can keep track of what you’re empty. Other ambience modes deliv- changes in mode, producing an audible doing by utilizing one of nine onscreen ered cavernous soundfields, which were mechanical click. This was also true menus, including source and surround fun to play with, but not modes I’d when listening to the Cinema Sound settings. There’s also a nifty graphic of choose for serious listening. equalizer, although the circuit achieves a room showing which speakers are on, its goal without losing much informa- the volume levels of the center and sur- Control Center: round speakers, and a visual sync with Denon’s learning tion, and the roll-off to the treble was the test-tone pattern for setting speak- remote can necessary on some discs with the er levels. control the AVR- Denon’s amplifier. 2500's multitude Setting the Denon into our home of features The amplifier delivered enough theater system was easy. With the test with buttons wattage to fill our large viewing room recognizable by with sound. Bass was fairly solid and tones and the onscreen graphic, I was shape and color. treble was clear with a little edge on able to balance speaker levels easily, some laserdisc sources. This was less though an SPL meter is still the most true on straight audio, but still was evi- accurate method. I listened to a variety dent. I did find myself wanting more of laserdiscs to check out the Dolby juice than the 25 watts supplied to the Pro-Logic. I found the steering to be surround speakers, but there was quite good. People and objects were enough there when I raised the levels. well placed in relation to the onscreen And our home theater room is a big image. Panning from side to side was one. This would be less of a concern in also well handled. Denon’s approach to more average sized rooms. decoding by separating the anolog front and center channels from the digitally The onscreen menu system is help- processed rear channels, may indeed ful, and the same information scrolls keep the overall effect cleaner. The across the 2500’s front panel. In future two-path system does not, however, models, I would suggest that Denon The Swiss Army Ch aroer “Rapid Charge Only” feature 4-level LED battery capacity indicator so pace for NoMEM\" Batteries Direct power supply for most 8mm and VHS-C 6V camcorders Reconditions and charges one or two batteries sequentially Introducing the OmniSource™ Plus. We call it a charger power is concerned, you never know what you'll need But that hardly does justice to the most versatile and convenient, do- until you need it. everything power manager for camcorder enthusiasts. Sure, there are chargers that'll do some of these The OmniSource Plus automatically reconditions and charges one or two nickel-cadmium batteries. It rapidly charges NOMEM® memory- things. But only the OmniSource Plus does all of free batteries. It tests the battery power level. It powers VHS-C and 8mm camcorders directly. It works from the home AC. It works from the car’s these things. Ask your Lenmar dealer about the DC. It does practically everything but edit the footage. Because where OmniSource Plus. It’s the ultimate power tool no camcorder bag should be without. CAMCORDER PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS For the name of your nearest Lenmar dealer, and a catalog of our other Camcorder Performance Products call: 800/424-2703 ©1994 Lenmar Enterprises, Inc. Circle 9 on Reader Service Card. FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 35

teduce the size of the graphics since good, Magnavox elected not to include they block the video image, and let the either a headphone jack or control of audio run. There’s no need for the the record level input. audio to go silent when settings are Overall, Magnavox’s VR9362 is a being changed. good VCR for home use, with some Denon has delivered a receiver nice extra features like jog/shuttle and that is chock-full of features and con- variable slow play added on. If you trol abilities. It offers as complete a live in a cable area which doesn’t one-piece home theater controller as require an addressable cable box, you you'll find. The remote takes a little will also find its VCR-Plus capability getting used to with all its buttons, but useful. I wish the remote were better it does the job. There are plenty of organized but, overall, the VCR is good components in the marketplace easy to use and features quality audio today, notably the Onkyo SV717Pro and good video. a An Adventure and the Yamaha V870, which are com- 65 Million Years In The Making. parably priced, but I don’t think you TECHSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA could duplicate the Denon’s extra capabilities for the same money. If you're looking for an all-in-one solu- tion to your home theater needs, the AVR-2500 is a contender. . VAS VGR Shoe in continued from page 29 Do you need an attachable external microphone, but find yourself without Pavey A An the required accessory shoe on your camcorder (many very small cam- | SSUTRERROUENOD 33 only shuttles the tape forward. corders come without)? Look for a In addition to jog/shuttle and fast- plastic adapter unit manufactured by ® & ©1993 Universal City Studios, Inc. and Amblin Entertainment, Sunpak, which attaches to your cam- Inc. All Rights Reserved! forward search, the 9362 also comes era like a battery, and to which you with a variable slow play mode. While attach the camcorder battery. The Mention this Ad and get a 20% discount off the it doesn’t work in reverse, it works current flows through the adapter and very nicely in forward play and is a adds a shoe-type accessory to the top of the camcorder. Suggested Retail Price on: Ris urassic Park (CAV, WS) $44.98 urassic Park (CLV, WS) Schindler’s List * The Flintstones ¢ In the Name of the Father * The Getaway(unrated) Dragon: Bruce Lee Story Signature Collection Sp. Ed. The Cowboy Way ¢ The Who: 30 years of Go for a Jog: Winter seal Maximum R&B Live * Crooklyn * Carlito’s Way The jog/shuttle dial is a nice Before bringing your camcorder Jimi Hendrix:Woodstock touch on the indoors from a cold temperature out- remote for side, place the machine and your ALECo:eBALDWeiIN The Shadow Magnavox’s videotape in a plastic bag and seal or 9362 VCR. tie it off. Harmful condensation will Available form on the inside of the bag, rather 1-24-95 than on the inside of your cam- corder. Allow the equipment enough ©1994Universal time to return to room temperature City Studios, Inc. before opening the bag. and Bregman/Bae William H. Pendleton Productions, Inc. Boxborough, Massachussetts All Rights Reserved. “The Shadow” is regis- tered trademark o Advance Magazin: Offer expires 3 / 31/95 Recycled monitors FREE membership & : BEVERY title available & dis- Even though they are obsolete as computer displays, old composite monthly catalog! : counted up to 40%. computer monitors can be used with your video equipment. Run an out- Each monthly catal has : put cable to the monitor from your hundreds of new and recent : main TV, or from a VCR. I use an releases-all at least 15% off : old color monitor for a second TV display in the kitchen and a mono- suggested retail and with : chrome display to monitor VCR tape dletailed information on dubbing. No matter how many you : order! *Continental U.S. only Alan Pippin virtually every title. Richardson, Texas Get up to date new release : (some areas may require an information and special pre : extra business day) Orders can order and clearance deals with : even include pre-orders and each shipment. . back-orders. good deal more convenient than the HOURS Weekdays ~ 7 am-6 pm Saturday ~ 8 am-5 pm(PST) jog/shuttle wheel. If none of these titles grab you... The picture is good for VHS, even without any form of image control like Ste Call for the most informative monthly sharpness or color saturation. Both the =~ catalog in the business! FREE! hi-fi and linear monaural audio are very oo oo 36 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995 7/5 thy ¢1yy (800) 801-DISC (3472)cg LASERDISC FAN CLUB, INC. =Department V25 (800) 801-3472 m=FAX (310) 952-3000 Circle 10 on Reader Service Card.

LGD PROJECTOR most when I pointed it at a white wall and XV-H35U with an inexpensive VHS VCR zoomed its picture out to 13 feet, diagonal- continued from page 29 ly. Although this is too big for an optimum and noticed no problems at the sides, but picture—in fact, no video-grade projector and the screen retracts. offers the resolution to produce a good pic- some flickering on a few of the scan lines Unlike most front projectors, the XV- ture at this size—it’s a lot of fun to watch a TV picture as big as the screens at some near the bottom of the picture. Of course, H35U incorporates an audio system. theaters. Consisting of a single three-inch speaker these effects are in the video sources, not and a three-watt amp, it’s intended chiefly The XV-H35U shows more of a video as a convenience. You won't want to use it image than any monitor of any type that I the projector. for much beyond talk shows and the night- can remember reviewing. This is a good ly news. quality, but it can also reveal timebase The XV-H35U fulfills the LCD con- errors (lines drawn too short) near the sides A convenient button in the center of of the picture, and other timing flaws in cept. It produces a big, watchable picture | the remote control activates the backlight programs you may be watching. | tried the without hassles. Because $5,000 is a serious for in-the-dark adjustments. You can use chunk of change, bear in mind that many the remote to zoom and focus the picture, set parameters like brightness and contrast, rear-projection monitors produce a better, adjust the volume, and change the picture matting. The only thing you'll miss is a although smaller picture. On the other tuner, but your VCR can handle that chore. hand, if mobility or space constraints are The matting feature lets you crop the factors in your installation, the XV-H35U picture so that letterboxed movies have deep black bars at the top and bottom. You might be a perfect choice. a can adjust the cropping to accommodate almost any aspect ratio. This feature is espe- SPECS AND Lens: one F3.6-4.6, power Outputs: video, left & Screen Brightness: cially appropriate on an LCD projector. MEASUREMENTS zoom (f105-168 mm) right audio, 12 VDC to varies with screen size Because the LCD panels, which the projec- operate screen tor’s light blasts through, aren't perfectly SMhaakrep XaVn-dH3M5oUdel: ; S3-pidenachkerrounSdize: one mono Color Temperature: opaque, an LCD projector can't create deep Headphone Jack: none 6250 Kelvin black bars without the help of a feature like Weight & Size (h/w/d): | Tuner: none this. 24.0 pounds, 8 x 19-3/4 x External Speaker Accuracy of Colors: 17-5/8 (20-1/2 with termi- Remote Control: |R wire- Connectors: none good The XV-H35U may be the most user- nal cover) inches less with buttons for back- friendly front projector I’ve tried. Just plug lighting the remote, status Internal Audio Audio Frequency Power Consumption: check, input check; video Amplifier Power: Response: electrical 20 it in, connect a video source, zoom the pic- 275 W 3 Watts mono H2-20 kHz, +/-3 dB; adjustment reset, -, adjust, speaker 150 Hz-15 kHz, ture to fill your screen, focus the picture, Screen Size:. 25 to 200 +; masking adjustment -, +, RESULTS +/10 dB inches diagonally adjust the color, tint, brightness and con- top/bottom, mode; focus up Horizontal Resolution: Audio S/N: electrical 65 & down and zoom in & out 400 lines dB; speaker 51 dB masked trast, and you're set. The remote’s large but- by cooling fan noise tons and backlighting make it easy to use Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Inputs: 1 S-video, video, left Picture S/N Ratios even in the dark. (dB): video 56.1 dB, Total Harmonic LCD: three 3-inch TFT & right audio; 2 video, left & Distortion: 0.9% Set to a 50-inch screen, the XV-H35U translucent TN panels right audio; wired remote produces a watchable, unremarkable pic- ture. The color rendition was excellent for Bogen 3169 an LCD projector, and respectable for any type of set. Early LCD projectors suffered Cine Video Tripod from washed-out color, but the XV-H35U The Super Lightweight produces well-saturated, accurate colors, although I felt the reds were slightly over- The 3169 combines Bogen 3001 — Sturdy legs feature 3 saturated compared to its other colors. Tripod Legs with a 3130 Fluid click-stop spread angles When it comes to resolution, the XV-35U can’t compete with a good CRT front- or Head. It's easy to use and easy | and are made of tubular rear-projector. The picture looks softer, and the pixels are visible from a reasonable to handle. The Bogen 3001 hard-finish aluminum and each viewing distance at all but the smallest pic- ture sizes. Very slightly defocusing the pro- Tripod is the lightest (about 3 jj \\ has asure-grip, quick-acting, jector eliminates the pixels. lbs.) and the smallest (folds non-fouling lever lock. Like all other LCD projectors I’ve tried, to 20 1/2 in.), but one of the XV-H35U produces less contrast than Add the Poratable Video Dolly CRT projectors. This simply reflects the the most versatile tripods state of the technology. After calibrating or the Lightweight Tripod brightness and contrast levels using a pluge pattern, I attempted to tweak the picture to we offer. \\Spreader and you have rock- get deep blacks and bright, but not overly Top it with the Bogen solid support for smooth intense, whites. But I couldn’t hold the deep blacks while maintaining sufficient 3130 QR Micro Fluid pans and tilts. brightness. I settled on a setting between Head -- which features // See the Bogen 3169 Cine deep blacks and a high overall brightness a Quick Release Plate ‘Sggke. level. \\ Video Tripod with QR that allows you to | *\\ \\ |\\ Micro Fluid Head at your Surprisingly, 1 enjoyed the XV-H35U detach the cam- \\e fo) \\ \\ dealer or contact NTR \\ Bogen Photo Corp. era with the flip @ 565 E. Crescent Ave. of a lever -- and you have the Ramsey, N.J. ideal set-up for 07446-0506 to 6Ibs. bf \\ (201) 818-9500 We don't sell anything \\ we wouldn't buy ourselves. e FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO Circle 11 on Reader Service Card.

VIDEO d2-INGH TV footLamberts. The 12,000 degree tem- ADVERTISER continued from page 29 perature of white is an extremely blue Russell Neale, Sales Manager for Great Valley Products, with long lengths of the requisite speak- color and beyond the linear operating ohEven Est-{ct-me let.s@K}o)oMmrale (210) er wire, so you can be up and running without delay. range of this CRT. But, again, this is not What are the advantages of using desktop video as opposed Picture-in-picture is getting to be unusual in consumer TVs. to conventional hardware editors? an entity all its own on the latest sets. The two big advantages of a Here we find a two-tuner PIP with two Accessing the color controls with desktop video system are price sizes of windows and four-position and convenience. With the marriage the remote control and Toshiba’s on- of computer and video, people are placement, all accessible from the uni- now able to do their video editing at versal remote. And a PIP audio output screen menu enabled us to calibrate this a fraction of the cost of conventional allows you to listen to the inset pro- hardware editors. We realized this gram with either a wireless headphone set remarkably quickly. When we first five years ago with the advent of the or through a second amplifier and Video Toaster and the Amiga com- speakers. saw this set, out of the box, white puter. Our first PC video card, the G- Lock/SVGA+, gives the professional The remote control is a universal images had either a slight blue or red and the hobbyist what they are look- learning remote that is well laid out. ing for: a low cost, high quality gen- The commonly used controls are back- cast, depending on which of the three lock and overlay board with video lit and easy to use once you've famil- inputs and outputs. iarized yourself with them, though color temperatures we chose for view- some setup buttons under the hidden What should the beginning panel are small and awfully close ing. This is the look Toshiba has chosen desktop video editor look for together. when buying? to offer, and it cannot be dialed out with There are a lot of new products Okay, it’s time for the crunchy stuff. on the market and I can under- Monitor calibration uses an expensive color controls because it is the color of stand how people get confused device known as a color analyzer to read about what to buy. I think the the temperature of white being pro- white that you are seeing, not red or biggest misconception has to do duced by a set. The TV system in this with the “video-out” feature. There country calls for a color temperature of green. are many so-called desktop video D6500 K, or daylight 6,500 degrees products, especially those marketed Kelvin. All other colors produced by the After calibration, the set main- with the label “multimedia,” that set stand in relation to this color of gray. proclaim to be video editing tools but Once the analyzer has read the temper- tained a consistent gray throughout the they do not have video output capa- bilities. This means that they can be ature, invariably on the high side of a low and high output spectrums. High used only to view video on a PC 5,500-16,000 degree range, adjustments screen, but they cannot output video can be made by opening up the set and output read 6,600 degrees K and 13.15 and therefore they cannot do any painstakingly tweaking low and high form of video processing. output color controls for red, green or fLs, and the low output settled in at Along the same lines, there are blue. A hassle, right? Well, kudos to many multimedia products that do Toshiba for simplifying this process. It 6,570 degrees K. Returning to laserdisc video capture. While this can be fun gives service technicians the ability to and interesting for a hobbyist, this adjust the color controls through an source material, we observed a dramat- capability is not as helpful to a video- onscreen menu accessed with the grapher as the overlay and video out- remote control. ic improvement in color fidelity com- put features are. The basic point I'd like to make Toshiba offers three color tempera- pared to its original set-up. Colors were is that customers have to know what they want. Decide what you ture settings in the setup menu: cool, more accurate and in proper relation to want to do, research the products. medium and warm. These settings triple and then buy. the range of color adjustment possibili- one another. ties for consumers, compared to the more typical single color temperature of The set looked excellent. Skin tones most sets. We like this because the more especially benefit from this treatment, viewing options we have, the better. Mike Levy and Kevin Miller of Total and details surface that were never visi- Media Systems (516-777-7058) helped ble before. (We realize everyone isn’t us calibrate the color temperatures for the set and this is what we found: Cool going to run out and calibrate their (meaning cold-colored, as in blue) mea- monitors, but doing so helps us better sured over 12,000 degrees with a mea- sured brightness of 15.2 footLamberts evaluate a TV’s capabilities. If you (fLs). Medium shifted away from blue, accentuating red at 9,100 degrees and choose to have a set calibrated, be 14 fls. And warm was redder still at 7,500 degrees and 13.1 fLs. The num- aware that your installer will charge a bers for footLamberts are all acceptable fee for the service.) for direct-view consumer monitors; the higher the number the better, up to 30 A check of the Toshiba’s power sup- 38 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995 ply showed it to be a good one. Fre- quency response as displayed on a multiburst pattern was very good, meaning the set is capable of good pic- ture detail, with some slight decoder coloration in the top frequencies. The set was also overscanning a bit, but no more so than most other sets at this level. This was most obvious on PIP window frames which were almost invisible except for the left edge. The Toshiba CN32D90 is a well- E made TV with a solid feature package. Its price of $1,999 is on the high side in the 32-inch monitor range, but parts and package quality are evident. For set-up we recommend backing off the contrast control to less than halfway and adjusting color and tint controls while the set is in the warm color tem- perature setting. The set offers enough set-up options to dial in a look that should satisfy anyone. Plus you'll like the extra speakers and Dolby Surround decoder. Those who are interested in the full tweak treatment will find that much more to like about this set, as it simplifies the process of optimizing pic- ture quality. =

SPECIAL REPORT introduced last year, again killed all chal- Pro-Logic and THX processing. (The lengers with a smooth midrange and THX is an optional slide-in circuit continued from page 20 punchy bass. At $699, though, it’s card.) The ability to electronically con- expensive for desktop use. trol 12 sources, both audio and video, board. makes this one of the most, if not the Toshiba showed the first monitor After last year’s COMDEX, I was most, versatile surround sound con- convinced that quality multimedia video trollers on the market. The C39 feeds designed to bridge the gap between com- and audio were just around the corner. the McIntosh MC7106 100 watt per puters and TV. The $999, 20-inch Toshi- This year, I think that maybe next year, channel, six-channel amplifier, plus an ba Integrated Multimedia Monitor itll again be just around the corner. = additional mono amp for the second B&W subwoofer. (TIMM) includes a TV tuner, composite HOME THEATER and S-video inputs, and a VGA input for Program sources include the use with computers. TIMM’s dot pitch is continued from page 22 Panasonic LX-900 laserdisc player, 0.58mm, which gives it sharper resolu- which produces a stunning picture with | tion than a typical 20-inch TV, but less independent lighting circuits, pro- very good audio, and does so more qui- grammed from a panel in the equipment etly than most players. An older JVC resolution than a computer monitor, room and controlled from a pair of small Super VHS VCR and an even older where a 0.28mm dot pitch is the norm. panels on the theater walls, as well as a Sony Super Betamax handle tapes. wireless remote control, can produce 16 Transmitted programs come from a The quality gap between consumer different lighting settings. Tracklight Toshiba TRX-2220 satellite receiver electronics and computers extends to spots light the software and hardware connected to an eight-foot C-band dish audio as well. The fault lies in computer shelves, while two wall sconces gently and an RCA DSS receiver with its 18- speakers, which are usually constructed illuminate the room. The Lutron system inch dish. The video feeds the 400- with inexpensive drivers and _ plastic dims and brightens any combination of enclosures that resonate wildly, disfigur- lights, just like at a commercial theater, pound Toshiba TW56D90 TV, which ing the all-important midrange. With without generating any electrical inter- because ofits 56-inch (measured diago- computers finding use for CD playback, ference or noise. nally) 16:9 screen, made it down the CD-R mastering and games with 16-bit sound, it’s time for something better The rest of the system consists of steps to the theater with only an inch to than boom-box quality. the McIntosh C39 Audio/Video spare. The set produces a sharp picture Control Center, which includes Dolby that can be adjusted to the proper refer- Still a few dulcet tones could be ence color temperature of 6,500 K. found among the squawkers. The Bose Letterboxed laserdiscs look stunning on Acoustimass multimedia speaker ey. PANASONIC PB50 Orig. PAN..........$45.00 RAPID CHARGERS PANASONIC PB80/88 Orig.PAN........39.00 CAMCORDER CHARGER/DISCHARGER SONY NP77H 2400 mah.... a 6V, 7.2V, 9.6V runs from house or auto. SONY 8mm 1500 mah.. 1 hr. time for Sony, Canon, Panasonic, RCA/Hitachi CANON 8mm 2000 mah..... & most other brands PALMCORDER 2000 mah. Charges 1 battery $44 JVC GR-C9 Type C Charges 2 batteries $69 SHARP BT 21/22........... SHARP BT 70/80 2400 mah.. 39, RCA/HITACHI 8 mm 2400 mah............. 39.00 NEW External Powerpac+ 5 to 7 hours of recording time. Powerpac+ includes: =6volt @ 10 amps HOLIDAY SALE sealed lead acid battery. ORIGINAL PANASONIC =Heavy duty pouch and belt. Oe,; PB-80/88 12V 2.3 AH $35 =A charger for charging at home PB-50 12V2AH $35 RAPID CHARGER AC/DC $39 (optional charging cord for car). ew * SONY Powerpac+Ne #An adaptor of your choice. For NP-500H (lithium lon) =12 vo@l7tamps $95 $ Longest Run Time Available BATTERY TECH, INC. Sensibly Priced 800-442-427528-25 215TH PLACE, BAYSIDE, N.Y. 11360 = FAX:718-6315117 * Includes Charger AMERICAN EXPRESS Circle 13 on Reader Service Card.

its wide screen. GA The theater took 10 weeks and continued from page 27 BT A=mC WIDu $22,000 to build. It is filled with com- WUC VJturce ponents costing about as much, and Ken Crane’s Is The Largest delivers total satisfaction. A consider- Laser Disc Mail Order Retailer In The U.S. able amount could have been saved by We Stock selecting less expensive equipment, but []I just bought a new Sony EV-S7000 Every Title! corners could not have been cut in the Hi8 recorder to go with my TR101 * Fastest Availability On New Titles! * Most Orders Shipped Same Day! construction. You can place $7 in a camcorder. I’ve had the camcorder for * 20% Discount On All Titles! * Free 2nd Day Air UPS Shipping piggy bank everytime you think of going about a year, and now have a couple In The Continental U.S.A. out to a movie, or include the cost in dozen tapes I would like to edit. Which * Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Checks, And C.O.D. your mortgage or home improvement machine would you suggest I use as the * $1.50 Handling Charge loan. Then sit back and discover all the player and which as the recorder when Per Order Shipped. new friends you have. rT editing my tapes? Victor Chang NOW SAVE Palo Alto, California Suggested Retail On continued from page 24 []..a tule, a tape plays back best on * Every Pre-Ordered New Release can generate a sync point by having the VCR that made it. This is espe- * Every Title In Stock cially true with camcorders, many of * Every Back-Order Through May 31st, 1995 someone stand in front of the cam- which use smaller mechanical trans- Includes FREE 2nd Day Air Shipping corder. He or she should announce the ports that can introduce jitter and other Titles must ship between these dates So Order Early scene and take information, then clap tape interchange problems if another PHONE US AT... hands sharply. While not as useful as a machine is used as the player. In the 1-800-624-3078 1-800-626-1768 clapboard, you should be able to tell by case of the Sony TR1O1, the smaller 1-714-892-8369 listening to the single-system sound head drum is more jitter prone than the (Fax Number) recorded by your camcorder where in larger drum used in later models or in ForA Free Catalog the shoot you are. Sony’s table model VCRs. Playing a Write Or Visit Our SuperStore When you're ready to edit your tape made on a TRIO1 on another deck Ken Crane’s LaserDisc footage, the first thing you should do is and editing it back into the TR101 will 15251 Beach Blvd. resolve your sound; that is, match up merely compound any jitter problems. Westminster, CA 92683 the audio and video so they’re in sync. Using the TR101 as the player prevents Circle 14 on Reader Service Card. Begin by hooking up the audio output many of these problems. of your digital audio recorder to the However, the tinier transport is audio input of a VCR with audio dub painfully slow when it comes to winding capability. Cue your video footage up tape, and excessive shuttling of original to the first video sync point and put footage from point-to-point can induce your VCR into audio dub mode. Then, dropouts. The EV-S7000, on the other cue up the first sync point on your hand, has a faster transport, a timebase audio. Finally take both the audio corrector, and digital noise reduction to recorder and the VCR out of pause help tweak images. It can also take simultaneously. advantage of Sony’s RC time code. Your As the scene plays, watch to make TRI1O1 records RCTC on the tapes it certain the lip movements match what’s makes, but can’t read it for editing. Using being said on the soundtrack. Once the the EV-S7000 as a player overcomes this scene is over, stop the audio recorder limitation. The EV-S7000 can also gen- and the VCR, and cue up the sync erate copyable special effects, like still points for the next scene, following the frames and slow motion tricks, due to its same procedure. digital circuits. The TR101 can’t match Double-system sound is a more com- these effects on playback. plicated procedure than you need for If you want to add additional audio day-to-day videomaking. If you're simply to your footage, you'll have to do that in shooting family occasions or vacation the EV-S7000, which offers the dub- footage, the single-system sound built bable PCM audio tracks. Tapes made on into your camcorder should be fine. the TR101 leave this space open for Most of the time your built-in mic will do later dubbing, but no dubbing is possible a good job. on the TRI1O1 itself, although some However, if you need to shoot an often use mixers to combine audio event or produce a video where good sources going from the playback VCR to audio is a must, the extra hassle of the record VCR. Note also that since shooting with double-system sound the TR101 is a single-speed VCR, it uses may pay large dividends. Although wider video heads than the EV-S7000, you'll work harder at the time, double- which offers SP and LP recording, and system sound can not only save the needs slightly narrower heads as a result. day if your camcorder’s original sound- The bottom line is that I would use track is damaged, it will definitely help the EV-S7000 as the player and the you shape a slicker, more enjoyable TRIOI as the recorder, as it’s the most tape. . versatile scenario. Py 40 VIDEO — FEBRUARY 1995

COLLECTOR'S EDITED BY JOSEF KREBS | CLEARINGHOUSE Reader requests for hard-to-find tapes and discs I’m working on a project for the western I would like to locate VHS copies of The tion—entitled Al Di Meola Project Live series Cheyenne, which starred Clint at the Palladium. Any direction toward Walker and ran from 1955-1963, and High & Mighty with John Wayne, A this disc would be greatly appreciated. am after any and all episodes. Also look- ing for the movie Gold of the Seven Christmas Memory with Geraldine Page, Henry E. Binger Saints, starring Clint Walker and Roger 2015 Wilcrest Drive Moore. I'll gladly reimburse any reason- and The Typist with Eli Wallach and Houston, TX 77042 able expenses for VHS copies or trade for any of the shows we have. Anne Jackson. I will pay any reasonable (713-785-8240) Scotty Brooks expenses. Josephine Yaghoobian 2855 Lee City Road Campton, KY 41301 38 Oems Street I’ve been looking for the following two Pawtucket, RI 02861 Big Band titles on VHS: All Star Swing Festival (1972), featuring Benny Good- I am seeking a good quality tape of a pro- I am a dedicated collector of movies man, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, gram broadcast in late 1992 called Visions Count Basie and Gene Krupa, live at of America. It included a segment featur- on video, with a penchant for spiritu- New York’s Lincoln Center (I think it ing humor writer Dave Barry and the was distributed by Vestron Video); and Arcola, Illinois Lawn Rangers lawnmow- alistic plots. |am attempting to locate Lionel Hampton’s One Night Stand with er drill team. I was involved in the pro- guests like Mel Torme, Gerry Mulligan, duction, but I have never been able to a copy of The Sole Survivor, a 1969 TV Krupa and (I think) Buddy Rich. I think find the video. I will happily reimburse Independent United Distributors put it any reasonable expenses. movie produced by CBS/Cinema out. I will reimburse expenses. I am also seeking a new or used Center. |am most willing to reimburse Richard V. Riccio laserdisc—must be in excellent condi- RR 1, Box 215A Cranberry Road expenses for a copy in good order. Any Montauk, NY 11954-9700 format, any system will do. Even black (516-668-3059) and white! Oswald Ferrer I am desperately looking for copies of 4405 NW 73rd Avenue The Rebel Son, starring Alexis Gran- Suite #20-50001 owsky and Adrian Brunel (1939, British, 88 min.); Secret of the Black Miami, FL 33166-6400 Dragon, starring Julian Glover and Tommi Ohrner (early ’80s, European, Is your Cable Company 250 min.); and Casino Royale, starring Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre (1954, Alienating You? B&W, 50 min.). VHS please; will reim- burse expenses. Say NO to unearthly Rey. Bohdan Demczuk rental fees! 408 Preston Avenue Owning your cable Saskatoon, SK, S7H 2V2 Canada equipment saves you Send requests for hard-to-find tapes to Collector’s Clearinghouse, Video Maga- the high cost of zine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY monthly equipment 10001; or fax requests to 212-947-6727 after 5 p.m., EST, weekdays, or all day on pyERROLD rental charges, and weekends; or send requests via Com- gives you control of puServe to 75147,1255. Include postal your TV. address, E-mail address or phone number since this is a reader-to-reader service. We have the Best in Requests for copyrighted material must be for personal use only. You may offer to CONVERTERS and DESCRAMBLERS! reimburse expenses, but Clearinghouse is not open to requests for purchase or sale of Everquest ¢ Panasonic ¢ Jerrold ¢ Zenith ¢ Pioneer *BJUS3PD|a1O}AI9pBA4eD1Ia9OyS tapes. 1 800 = 150Scientific Atlanta ¢ Oak ¢ Eagle ¢ Hamlin ¢ Tocom is fowl Nec — iS - 875 S. 72 Street ¢ Omaha, NE 68114 Member of National Consumer Cable Association VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

I am a big fan of the actress Shelley (609-266-0656) called An Inconvenient Woman (1991) Long and I would like a copy of her I am searching for quality VHS/S-VHS taken from the book by Dominick video special Secrets Women Never copies of several rare horror titles: the Dunne. It stars Jason Robards and Jill Share on VHS. Also, does anyone have uncut print of The Horror of Dracula Eikenberry. It was originally shown in her 1990 TV movie Voices Within, or (1958), The Eyes of the Mummy (1918), two parts with a total running time of the Emmy Awards broadcasts from any The Old Dark House (1932), The Whip 200 minutes. I will pay any reasonable of the years between 1983 and 1990? I and the Body (a.k.a. What!, 1963), the expenses for a good VHS copy. would be ecstatic if I could trade Japanese editions of Argento and Ulci blank tapes for any of these titles (or films, plus others. I’d be obliged to any Terri Pierce for any interviews of Ted Danson and genre collectors who'll drop me a line. I 45 Andora Circle Shelley Long) or reimburse “Clearing- also desire any Creature Feature pro- Droville, CA 95966 house” readers for copies. grams from the early ’80s, especially Commander Lisa’s Groovy Movies. I am looking for a good quality copy of Robin Roberts two movies: Compulsion and the 1951 1901 Chase Drive Tyson Blamer version of Bird of Paradise. They can be Saraland, AL 36571 207 South Livingston in either VHS or Beta, with or without Whitehall, MI 49461 commercials, but quality of picture and I am looking for several non-I Love sound is important. I will generously I am looking for a good copy in either reimburse all costs and postage. Lucy items featuring Lucille Ball: The VHS or Beta of the movie Red Planet Mars (1952) with Peter Graves and Donald K. Heffrin TV specials are The Good Years (1962) Andrea King. I also need The Rains 3329 Eleventh Street Came (1939) with Myrna Loy and Sacramento, CA 95818-4012 with Henry Fonda, Lucy Comes to Tyrone Power, Arabian Nights (1942) in Technicolor, and Titanic, with Clifton I love Mel Gibson. I am looking for the Nashville (1978), and _ Television Webb and Barbara Stanwyck. Will 1988 Saturday Night Live episode that reimburse any reasonable expenses. featured Mel as host. I am also looking Academy Hall of Fame (1984). The for a copy of his 1980 movie Attack David A. McClintock Force 2. If anyone can help me I'll movies are The Facts of Life (1960) 1454 Sheridan Avenue, N.E. gladly send a blank tape along with postage. VHS format please. with Bob Hope, Lured (Personal Warren, OH 44483 April Fairchild Column, 1947) with George Sanders, I am looking for a copy of a TV movie Rt. 1 Box 69-AA and Lover Come Back (1946) with George Brent. I will reimburse costs or trade VHS or Beta. Eric Schwarz 313 31st Street South Brigantine, NJ 08203 COMPUTER VIDEO OVERNIGHT DELIVERY GUARANTEE©D24HR FAX 212°825¢1970 ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED : ATAVICION pases AG-DP3800_ Cy 1¢800°¢771°7466 43 CCD Digital Single 40 EXCHANGE PL. NY,NY 10005 «IN NY STATE 212-825-1823 Processing IMF AST Video Machine Lite (—» A 700 Lines Horizontal tac ale Resolution |~“Q A Edit Contoller for A/B, A/X roll and CALL A Chroma/Dark Detail SuperCam]|| == COME VISIT OUR audio/video split editing A Flair Correction Circuit NEWaI15G,0a00aSq. Ft. A 2 Hi-Fi Stereo audio Channels In Stock A Controls any VCR with controlL) assez A 2 Lux Low Light COMPUTER a SUPERSTORE ° A 200 digital effects 2~= Packard Bel ‘445FIFTH AVE.NY. A 2 independent video channels \\ (39&T5HTH) A No Time Based Correctors needed, Intel DX4™/1 00MHZ FORCE 102CD 8MB RAM/1.44 MB FD LOCAL BUS VIDEO 486DX2/90Mhz = Desktop Video Editing 540/810MB HD 8MB RAM 2199 10.4 TFT ACTIVE 1.44MB FD System For Windows MATRIX COLOR DISP' A0MB HD $ 2 PCMCIA SLOTS : OUBLE SPEED CD ROM 14.4 S/R FAX MODEM The video solution INTEGRATED MIC & SPEAKER 16 BIT STEREO SOUND CARD & SPEAKERS for real-time captur- 3 YR INTERNATIONAL WARRANTY 14.4 FAX MODEM ing and playback of KEYBOARD/2 BUTTON MOUSE % video sequences. «Includes video edit- VIDEO BLASTER ffieaqy. * FULL MOTION VIDEO VHS video to ne ing and photo re- + OVERLAY TEXT & GRAPHICS touching software ON VIDEO infultitles, and special effects * CAPTURE STILL/MOTION COMPUTER * MICROSOFT VIDEO FOR All-in-one Windows 486SX/33 Mhz aha $229 aacncdeldeirgaittialon.video 4MB RAM LEGEND pF cree video play- 1.: 44MB FD $899 2X CD-ROM back/TV tuner and 218MB HD 16 BIT SOUND CARD CSR1oiae6enrracdvdl.iecre DIGITAL SPEAKERS 9D6O0U0BLFEAX SMPOEDEEDM CD RO KEYBOARD/2 BUTTON HEADPHONES/MIC MOUSE

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Exchange or Refund less Shipping and Handling within 15 days of receipt of merchandise only i returned in original mint condition with original pack- Tin atigsiendg aarendsuubnfjielcltedtowaardrdaintitoynaclardssh,ippPilnge,asehancadlllin(g908a)nd42i4n-s1u1r0a3nceforchRaertguersn. APultehaosreizactailolnorNudmetbaeilrs. beNfooraeddriettiuonranlingcosptrso!ducNt.o sPurrocdhuacrtgse aodnverctreidsietd cairndcsl!udeWeUSaAre Mnaontufraecstpuornesri'bsleWafrorranttyyp.ograRpehtiucranls erarroers,subTjheactnktoyaau5%forRsehsotpocpkiinngg wiFtehe Boenalcyh!if abVIoDv-e2/9g5u.idelines are met. Quantities Limited. Prices Effective through FEBRUARY 28, 1995. Prices adver

BY PETER BARRY DIRIUES FORBIGOGREEND The darkened room was come as a group, and lit by the glowing how well they stand up screens of seven TVs to big direct-view TVs. arrayed in an arc. The There are still trade- offs. But it’s clear view- light was mesmerizing, ers should no longer | and we dubbed the dismiss rear-projectors on the basis of picture scene Screenhenge, an quality. electronic version of the ancient Druidic gather- Rear-projectors ing place. The TVs were big, with screens ranging have been steadily, in- in size from 50 to 55 crementally improv- inches. The pictures were dramatic, bright ing, and consumers and colorful. The sets have noticed. Sales of were rear-projection. big-screen TVs have And the arrangement increased by about 30 showed us in a flash how percent in the past far this type of TV has year, and manufactur- come. ers expect the trend to continue. The old Our goal in assem- | bling a cross section of complaints about dim top rear-projectors had pictures, washout. in been to see how well bright rooms, poor off- they compared to each other. But once set up, center viewing, and we also saw how far visible scan lines have rear-projectors have Zenith’s 52-inch 44 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995 PV5269

Pioneer’s 50-inch Pro-97 Elite been dealt with. In the sets we looked at, that appear in pic- made for us in 25-foot custom lengths by brightness levels were excellent, off-axis tures. But this is viewing was quite good, and such picture just a fact of video Straight Wire (800-683-4434). The cables qualities as detail and focus and less vis- life in the digitizing were fed into the composite video input ible scan lines were impressive. Rear-pro- 00s. of the sets. Our principle laserdiscs for the jection TVs have come into their own. test were Steven Spielberg’s Always, the All the sets al- black-and-white classic Ninotchka, a We examined sets from seven leading so had picture-in- Mitsubishi test disc sourced from high- picture windows definition film, and Reference Recording’s makers of rear-projection TVs, ranging in and good stereo A Video Standard. price from $2,700 to $5,000. The sets audio. Other were Hitachi’s 50-inch 50UX19K high-end features The review process was one of finer ($3,099), Magnavox’s 53-inch FP5360C present on one or ($2,699), Mitsubishi’s 50-inch VS5055 more sets includ- ($3,199), Pioneer’s 50-inch Pro-97 ($5,000), Sony’s 53-inch KP-53XBR35 ed two-tuner PIP Dolby Pro-Logic ($3,500), Toshiba’s 55-inch TP55D80 ($3,499) and Zenith’s 52-inch PV5269 decoding, external ($2,699). speakers, selectable color temperatures, remote con- As a group, this generation of sets has trol locators, and second remotes. And been improved by better screen technol- one set, the Zenith, boasts a feature ogy, better cathode ray tubes, and short- you'll be hearing a lot more about in er tube-to-screen throw distances. The coming months, the StarSight onscreen program guide. sets are slimmer than ever; or at least look slimmer, thanks to savvy cabinet designs. Our video source for the tests was the All the sets utilized some type of digital Pioneer CLD-D703 laserdisc player. Its processing in their features, adding digi- output was channeled through a JVC JX- tal artifacts to the more familiar artifacts S900 switcher used to feed all seven sets identical signals. Connections were made Sony’s 53-inch KP-53XBR35 (left) with Straight Wire SilverLink video cable and Toshiba’s 55-inch TP55D80 (right) TOSHIBA FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 45

Screenhenge: Editors (from left) Braithwaite, Barry and Applegath evaluating the seven screens. and finer focus. To start, we examined the tings using the test disc A Video Stan- wanted to know which sets could main- sets side-by-side, straight out of the box. dard. This disc is designed to help view- tain a uniform signal output, which would When we did so, the pictures were set to indicate a stable picture in dark and what each manufacturer perceived its ers optimize a set’s brightness, contrast, bright scenes. We also wanted to know customers would like. The sets looked so which sets had a power supply strong different from each other, just as they color, tint and sharpness controls using enough to handle bright images without would in any showroom, that comparisons the set’s remote. We went through the distortion or noise. And we wanted to see were very difficult. Some sets veered which sets would display the best detail, toward the blue side of the spectrum, sets, lowering contrast, brightness and as indicated by a good frequency response others toward the red. Some were sharpness in nearly every case, while ona multiburst pattern. All these features blazingly bright, others less so. balancing the color and tint controls. Sets that had variable color tempera- are signs of a well made set, able to Our measurements verified what we tures were left at either the warmer or produce clear, consistent pictures. were seeing: No two sets measured alike. middle setting. The goal was to achieve But we could see that all the sets had as good a picture as possible without We noticed that all the sets but the special technicians and expense, just a Pioneer had internal reflections caused by colors that were oversaturated, and each laserdisc and a few moments’ time. the CRT optics. This can only be cor- had its contrast setting high enough to rected in the TV design stage. However, Finally, we evaluated the the reflections weren't apparent during be considered overdriven, or past the » sets with a color analyzer, normal viewing. ability of the power supply to control it smoothly. Technical editor Lancelot after calibrating each set as Our evaluation, both before and after Braithwaite and I adjusted each TV’s closely as possible to the calibration, was augmented by the com- settings, using its remote control much ments of a viewing panel consisting of as any viewer would, to obtain the best- NTSC standard of 6,500 de- editor Stan Pinkwas, associate editor | grees Kelvin. Mike Levy and Stewart Applegath and assistant editor looking, least problematic picture. Then Josef Krebs. Black tape concealed the we looked at them again. They still var- Kevin Miller of Total Media ied widely in terms of color and contrast. Systems (516-777-7058) names of the sets. Before calibration, the helped us perform the cali- members of the panel noted their pref- Next, we adjusted the picture set- brations. This additional step erences but no clear winner among the ; allowed us to examine each sets emerged. Afterward, all were set according to the standards impressed with how similar the video around which the NTSC images appeared, yet how subtle differ- system is designed. ences could now be observed. The extended ocular workout afforded us a Not all viewers will prefer good sense of each set’s abilities. | sets calibrated as closely as | possible to NTSC standards. Choosing a big-screen TV creates a real centerpiece for your home theater. If But our goal at this juncture you like watching movies, the big pic- was to establish an even play- tures will take you a step closer to the the- ing field for comparisoWni.th atrical experience. All the sets performed each set near the same starting impressively on both the movie scenes point for the color gray—which and the test discs we watched. But the comprises a set’s red, green and sets vary in price and the manufacturers blue colors—we could more fair- have each made choices about the best ly compare their color perfor- ways to implement their technology. The mance and more easily perceive Pioneer, which was the most costly, ex- strengths and weaknesses. celled on sheer picture quality, with the One feature we were look- ing for was good linearity: We Magnavox’s 53-inch FP5360C SLMPEAOCSLWRMES 46 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

Hitachi’s 50-inch 50UX19K Sony close behind. The Zenith and tern. This pattern consists of was fairly lin- Magnavox sets excelled as values, while a black line on a white ear with 6,540 de- the Hitachi proved itself to be a set with background and a white line grees Kelvin at a high signal many strengths. Here’s a closer look at output and 6,300 degrees K at a low sig- what we found. on black background. The nal output. We measured 14.8 fLs of lines meet in the middle. A brightness (20 is good/excellent). HITACHI 50UX19K good power supply will hold We expected a lot from Hitachi. Af- the line straight when con- Hitachi has fielded a solid product for trast is properly adjusted. the price. The remote is well-designed ter all, it makes many of the CRT guns and backlit, and can control cable boxes used by other projection set manufac- Resolution measured a and VCRs. The set has Dolby Pro-Logic turers. Out of the box, the set’s picture good 400 horizontal and 380 decoding and a good sound system with was shifted slightly toward green with vertical lines. On the multi- test tones for level adjustment and a one- some hotspots. Color was very stable from tuner PIP with four positions and freeze- left to right, displaying a good, uniform burst pattern, which shows frame. Overall, the picture was the white field. Gray scale delineation was the level of detail across the softest of the group, at times too soft, al- lackluster, which was a surprise. Before frequency bandwidth, there though this looked great on flesh tones. calibration, we measured the Hitachi at was a significant peak at 2MHz, 29.3 footLamberts (fLs), which was quite but detail was well delineated on top. MAGNAVOX FP5360C bright, and at a color temperature near Convergence-the size, shape and align- Magnavox is among the three com- 6,500 degrees shifted toward the green ment of the picture—was very good verti- part of the spectrum. Contrast was too panies in our comparison whose sets high, although we saw a good power sup- cally, and a bit oversize horizontally. It was ply, as indicated by the needle pulse pat- also a bit wide and bowed in both direc- come with a contrast screen (the Pioneer tions, a characteristic known as barrel dis- and Sony models are discussed below). tortion. Internal reflections were The darkened panel helps create deeper significant. After calibration the Hitachi blacks. We feel contrast screens are be- coming more common because they help give viewers the feeling they are re- ally watching a direct-view monitor by replicating the look of a glass facade that is so familiar with direct-views, and by lessening the visible scan lines. Mag- navox’s screen is also dramatically curved, with its center more than three inches from the fresnel video screen. We removed the contrast screen for some of the tests, even though this leaves the perimeter with a somewhat unfin- (top row, from left) Sony, Hitachi, Magnavox, Zenith; (bottom row, from left) Pioneer, Toshiba, which offers two remotes, and Mitsubishi. The Zenith set also comes with a second remote. FEBRUARY 1995 VIDEO 47

Mitsubishi’s 50-inch VS5055 ished look. We don’t love this trend in the sets should be viewed at large with rear-projection market because rear-pro- tiny buttons. The set has av- jection has always struggled in rooms with eye level when seated, erage-sounding speakers for a TV set, and ambient light. Glass or plastic screens so you may want to audio output jacks for an external consider this when surround sound system. The one-tuner reflect room lights, as well as darken the comparing TVs. PIP features snap-shot, strobe and replay TV’s image. features. At $3,199, the set produces a Apart from the big, bright picture for the money. But Out of the box, the Magnavox pic- color shift, which you overall the set’s not as impressive as ture showed good gray scale delineation, should not encounter, but was shifted noticeably toward blue on the set displays a good, other Mitsubishis we’ve seen, notably the a white screen, with color varying from bright, big picture. It blue on the left to orange on the right shows good frequency 50-inch VS-5016R from 1992. side of the screen. The color analyzer response and detail, and has a solid power supply. PIONEER PRO-97 ELITE showed the shift to represent a 2,600-de- The resolution was on The Pioneer Pro-97, at $5,000, is the gree temperature drop from left to right. We asked Magnavox about the color shift the low side, but most expensive set in the shootout. The and the company said it was present in acceptable. The set is a aspect ratio is also slightly wider than some early units because of a slight pinch- very good value. usual. Pioneer no longer makes sets with ing of the screen at its attachment points, a conventional 4:3 aspect ratio in this size and that it had been corrected. MITSUBISHI range. They are all 16:10.7, about halfway VS5055 between conventional sets and the 16:9 Brightness (black level) was set too ratio commonly referred to as widescreen. high, not surprising given the presence of Mitsubishi has been The Pioneer has a contrast screen making some excellent designed for easy removal and of the contrast screen. On the test disc, we sets and we were excited to relatively low contrast. In fact, it’s up to observed a needle pulse pattern that sug- see this offering. Out of the the set’s owner to install the screen if that gested a strong power supply for the set. box it had a slight orange cast with some is what he or she prefers. The lines remained straight even while hotspotting, but displayed the most con- the contrast (white level) was being sistent picture, from side to side, of the sets Out of the box, the picture displayed slightly overdriven at the factory settings. we tested. Gray scale delineation was good. a blue shift, overall, with slight hotspot- The meter showed the set produced the ting in the center and top and a slight Color was oversaturated, but we found brightest picture by far in the group at 33.8 shift to yellow on the right side. Gray this to be true to some degree on every set. We measured the resolution to be fLs at a low color temperature of 6,300 scale delineation was excellent, indicat- degrees. White field uniformity was poor ing a well controlled power supply. The 380 horizontal and 360 vertical lines, the with the right side of the screen running lowest for the seven sets. Convergence 1,600 degrees warmer than the left. Over- continued on page 78 was very good. The Magnavox showed all, the picture shifted heavily toward green above average detail on the multiburst on the color analyzer. pattern with no noticeable frequency peaks. The needle pulse pattern on the test disc indicated the contrast was set so high The set put out a healthy 29 fLs and that the set was being driven past its was shifted blue to 7,980 degrees overall, optimum range. Reducing the contrast with low-level signal output reading a very blue 13,000 degrees (double the helped, but the line could not be fully straightened. This suggests a poorly con- standard temperature). Internal reflec- trolled power supply. Resolution was an impressive 400 lines horizontal and 500 tions from the CRTs were a distraction, particularly when seated off-axis. After vertical, among the best results we ob- tained. The multiburst pattern showed a color calibration to 6,500 degrees, the heavy peak for information at 2 MHz, Magnavox showed it could track a stable which produces ringing around images, gray scale, and was putting out a more and so-so delineation in the higher modest 16 fLs. frequencies. Convergence was good, although the picture was set wide, and The remote has a very useful loca- there were significant internal reflections. tion finder that can be set to beep when We were unable to access any drive the set is turned on. The set has no sur- controls (gain) so we were unable to round sound decoding, but very good six- speaker audio. It also has RCA in and out fully calibrate the set. Still, the set jacks reserved for Philips’ external ghost- performed better when brought down to 7,600 degrees and 27.5 fLs. canceler, a long-awaited broadcast picture refinement due this spring. The set’s base We found the remote to be rather raises the screen to a height of 26-inch- es, making it at least five-inches taller 48 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995

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BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH peaxer's Six front-and-center trios widen the envelope for high-end home theater audio igh-end home Alon I! Acarian towers ideas have brought to theater has final- with a C1 center home theater sound. ly come of age. channel: tight bass We tried four systems Manufacturers who only and a punchy sound. that included two main two years ago said they’d speakers and a center never make home the- ideas to home theater, re-thinking, often speaker. They were the ater products have seen rejecting, some ideas held sacred by Al6n II, at $1,950/pair, the light, realizing that home theater enthusiasts. with a $600 Cl center; their talents are just as the BIC Realta, for valued by movie enthu- We recently spent many enjoyable hours with a few of these high-end sys- $1,199/pair, with a $159 siasts as they have been tems. Our goal was to see what the latest V52+ center; the for decades by music $1,500/pair PSB Stratus lovers. Almost every speaker manufacturer Silver with a $500 now pays at least token attention to home the- Stratus C-5 center; and ater. In many cases, this the $1,600/pair KEF | attention means simply Reference Series Model 1 with a $500 model designing a center speak- 100 center speaker. er to match a pair de- | signed for music. Often, We also tried two sys- such a simple solution is tems that included sur- the best solution. There’s round speakers: Coun- no reason a good music terpoint’s $1,295/ pair speaker can’t work well for movies. Add a complimentary center speaker Diplomat, with a $495 and a couple of good surround speakers, Bijou center and the and you have a system that works great for anything you might want to put $795/pair Mystic THX through it. dipole; and Unity Au- dio’s Signature 3 ED Designing speakers is an idiosyncrat- main speaker, for ic craft, though. There are almost as $1,895/pair, assisted by many ideas about what’s “right” as there Unity’s $995 CCFX are speaker designers. Many high-end center speaker and Ambience surround designs are works of art, combining ex- speakers, priced at $795/ pair. otic technology, expensive parts and I auditioned the speakers in Video careful manufacturing. Now, a few high- Magazine’s 5,500-cubic-foot home the- end designers are applying more esoteric ater room, using a Pioneer CLD-97 laserdisc player, a Proceed PAV surround processor/preamp, a Parasound HCA- 50 VIDEO FEBRUARY 1995