In This eNewsletter:
• How to Get the Home Theater You Really Want By Thomas J. Norton
• High-Def Disc War Heats Up By Scott Wilkinson
• Star Trek: Enterprise Shot in HD By Scott Wilkinson
• DVD: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban By Thomas J. Norton
• Runco and Vidikron Training Programs Offer ISF Certification By Scott Wilkinson

By Thomas J. Norton

For a lucky few consumers, a $5000 home theater system is just another entry in their checkbook. But for many, the idea of dropping $5000—and often a lot more—all at once on AV gear keeps them locked into that squeaky home-theater in-a-box that makes Jurassic Park sound about as thrilling as You've Got Mail.

But like most audiophiles, many home theater fans know that the secret behind building a great system is gradual upgrading. Begin with a modest system, then improve it one step at a time as your budget allows. If you're unhappy with a specific part in your system—or if the itch for that big-screen TV you saw last week at Best Guys City is overwhelming—then you know where to make that first upgrade step.

But what if you just feel the general urge to upgrade? Then consider the technological progress taking place in each type of home theater component and make your choices accordingly, starting with the most stable technology first.

Speakers have improved a lot over the years, but advertising claims to the contrary, those changes have been are gradual, not revolutionary. A great set of speakers today will be a great set of speakers in five years—or even ten. And though speakers are mechanical devices, they shouldn't degrade over a reasonable lifetime (say, that same 10 years) unless you abuse them.

Electronic components may not be quite so technologically stable, but they're close. A great amp should continue to function nicely until long after you do. Receivers and preamp-processors will be obsoleted mainly by changes in features and formats. For example, digital video switching for DVI and HDMI sources will soon find its way into these products; if you have an older receiver and need this feature, you'll need to add an outboard switcher or buy a new receiver. And if Dolby or DTS comes up with something new, or a new audio format springs from some hot new upstart like Microsoft, you'll be out of luck—though I suspect any new development would coexist with Dolby Digital and DTS as we now know them for a long time into the future.

Source components are a mixed bag of stability and change. CD is here for the long haul. DVD-Audio and SACD are still struggling for a solid foothold in the market, and they may very well migrate onto one or both of the major candidates for a high definition DVD-like format. And just the promise of such a format may well impact the future market for super high-end DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, and CD players—those costing more than, say, $3000. But if you buy a player in this rarified end of the source-component market, keep in mind that there are thousands of DVDs and CDs you'll still be able to enjoy on it for many years.

Of all the home theater technologies, video displays are changing the fastest. Economies of scale, improved fabrication techniques, and market competition are driving down the prices of those expensive flat-panel displays, though I wouldn't bet that a 65-inch plasma will ever be as cheap as a 65-inch rear-projection CRT display is today. And with an ever-expanding market, video projectors will drift down in price as well, making truly big-screen home theater an affordable dream for more and more buyers.

If you upgrade your existing system a piece at a time, you'll end up with a much better home theater than you could possibly afford as a one-time purchase. Start with the most stable technologies for an investment that will thrill you today and give you the biggest bang for your buck over the long haul. Of course, if you simply must have that video projector and big screen picture now, all bets are off!

By Scott Wilkinson

After many months of dragging their feet over copyright-protection issues, four major movie studios have finally committed to support HD DVD in its quest to become the next-generation, high definition optical disc format. On November 29, 2004, Toshiba, one of the primary developers of HD DVD, announced that they had received separate statements of support from Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema, and Warner Bros. Studios.

The announcement deals a serious blow to Blu-ray, the other contender in the high-def disc war, which is backed by Sony and a consortium of consumer-electronics companies. So far, the only studios supporting Blu-ray are Columbia TriStar and MGM, both owned by Sony, so no surprise there.

For those who aren't familiar with these formats, both use blue lasers to write and read smaller data regions than those found on conventional DVDs, which use a red laser with its longer wavelength. This allows more data to be packed onto a DVD-size disc. Blu-ray offers greater storage capacity—25GB on a single-layer disc as opposed to 15GB for HD DVD; dual-layer discs double these figures. Both formats offer high-resolution video and audio capabilities as well as advanced navigation, interactivity, and Internet connectivity—not to mention sophisticated content security.

Why would Paramount, Universal, New Line, and Warner get behind the format with less storage capacity? One reason might be that HD DVD claims it will have lower manufacturing costs, at least initially, because it is based on the same physical structure as standard DVD; this is also said to facilitate backward compatibility. By contrast, Blu-ray uses a new physical structure, which could incur higher manufacturing costs as new production lines are brought up to speed, though Blu-ray backers claim this difference is small and will disappear shortly after rollout with economies of scale.

Another reason might be that HD DVD has been adopted by the DVD Forum, an industry consortium of over 230 companies that is responsible for maintaining DVD standards. Blu-ray was never submitted to the DVD Forum; instead, its proponents decided to strike out on their own, forming the Blu-ray Disc Association to support the format.

Still, I'm concerned that we might have another VHS vs. Betamax situation on our hands. As you may recall, Betamax lost the consumer videotape format war 25 years ago, even though many considered it to be the superior format; in fact, its descendants are still used in professional video production to this day.

In my view, Blu-ray is the superior format, with 67% more storage capacity per layer—and as we should all know by now, there is no such thing as too much capacity in the digital age. The more capacity you have, the more things you can (and will) do with it. Yes, Blu-ray uses a new physical structure, which might be slightly more expensive to manufacture at first, but I don't think that is enough reason to reject it.

I'm reminded of something Warren Lieberfarb said at a recent HD DVD press conference. Often called the father of DVD, Lieberfarb provided some historical context to the current format war, citing that DVD was originally developed in competition with a Sony-backed, CD-based format that offered 3GB of storage space, mono audio, and no interactive or multimedia capabilities. At the time, that format's proponents touted its compatibility with CD manufacturing, but Lieberfarb and others argued that video and multimedia applications required a new format based on new technology with the greatest possible storage capacity. In light of these comments, I find it particularly ironic that he is now supporting HD DVD, stressing that it is more compatible with DVD manufacturing than Blu-ray, even though it provides significantly less storage capacity.

But in the end, content is king, and if movies are released on HD DVD, the hardware market will no doubt be ready. Universal has announced its intention to release select titles during the 2005 holiday season, which should dovetail perfectly with Toshiba's plans to launch its first HD DVD products, a standalone player and recorder as well as a laptop computer with HD DVD drive, by the end of 2005.

Blu-ray players and recorders are scheduled to appear in the United States around the same time; Sony recorders have been available in Japan for a couple of years. But that will prove futile unless Columbia TriStar, MGM, and maybe others release content on that format in the same time frame.

Which format will ultimately win? Or will so-called "universal" players render this format war moot as they did with DVD-Audio and SACD? If there is a clear winner, its victory—like that of VHS—will likely be as much a matter of marketing superiority as it is of technical capabilities.

By Scott Wilkinson

Traditionally, television shows have been shot on 35mm film, which is transferred to video via telecine for broadcast. However, with the advent of relatively inexpensive high-definition video cameras, that is beginning to change. One of the first series to shoot entirely on high-def video is UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise, starting with its fourth season, which began airing in the fall of 2004. You can see the stunning results on many of UPN's terrestrial digital stations around the country—with the ironic exception of Los Angeles, where UPN affiliate KCOP's digital broadcast is in standard definition.

The crew uses the Sony HDW-F900 digital video camera, which has been around for several years and captures a resolution of 1920x1080 at 24fps. The Enterprise production team had wanted to shoot on high-def video since the series began in 2001, but they thought it wasn't quite up to snuff until this year, thanks to the camera's latest software updates. Now, they all agree, it is finally as good as film, and even better in some ways. For one thing, it's a lot cheaper to shoot and edit video, and it saves a lot of time on the set, where HDTV monitors let the crew see what they got immediately instead of waiting for dailies.

The latest generation equipment and software also allow things that would be impossible with film. For example, in one scene of the fourth season premier, two members of the Enterprise crew are searching a crashed shuttle in the dark, and the only illumination for the scene was their flashlights; no key lighting was used, and the detail is still exceptional. Look for many more shows to begin shooting in HD video over the next couple of years.

By Thomas J. Norton

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 (pan&scan version also available). 142 minutes. 2004. Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French, Spanish). 2 discs. Warner Home Video 28445. PG. $29.95.

Picture ***
Sound ***1/2
Film ****

The Harry Potter franchise has grown darker under the hand of director Alfonso Cuaron. For adults and relatively mature teens and pre-teens, that's a definite plus, though very young children may be frightened by the change. The earlier Harry Potter films certainly had their scary moments, but for the most part Chris Columbus directed them both with a light touch.

While I recognized the quality and appeal of the first two Potter films, I could never really get into them. They also were slightly disappointing as DVD transfers, at least on the video side, and their special features were heavily weighted toward the younger set.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban opens like the other films, with wizard-in-training Harry at home experiencing humiliation as usual from his aunt, uncle, cousin, and their obnoxious relatives. But he's soon reunited with his friends Rupert and Hermione, as they return to their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On the train ride, they encounter the terrifying Dementors, who will play a key role in the events to come. They also learn that Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison. Black was once a close friend to Harry's parents, but he betrayed them. Now he's on the loose and out to kill Harry.

So begins a story that encompasses time travel, divination, shape-shifting Boggarts, werewolves, a Hippogriff (a cross between a horse and a giant eagle), an angry tree, and of course those Dementors. Along with the familiar cast of characters at Hogwarts, there are new faces, including Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, and Emma Thompson as the delightfully loopy Professor Trelawney. And in true Dr. Who fashion, Michael Gambon slips effortlessly into the role of headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a part vacated by the death of actor Richard Harris. Ian McKellen was reportedly offered the Dumbledore role, but felt that living up to one legend in a lifetime (Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings) was enough.

The sound on the DVD is outstanding, with powerful, extended bass, active surrounds, uncolored dialog, and clear, open highs. The picture quality isn't quite so pristine; closeups are fine, but medium and long shots are often just a little soft when viewed on a big projection screen. As noted earlier, the first two DVDs suffered from the same limitations, which may have originated in the Super 35 process used to photograph the films. But the transfer here is clean, there's no obvious edge enhancement, and (with a few exceptions) the shadow detail is solid.

The special features are similar in style to those on the earlier Harry Potter DVDs. The extras on disc one are limited to trailers for all three films. The few features on disc two that are adult-friendly include an interview with author J.K. Rowling, deleted scenes, cast interviews, and "Conjuring a Scene," a 15-minute featurette about the film's special effects. The remaining features are largely games for the kiddies. There are no commentary tracks.

But the extras are simply icing on the cake. For everyone but the very young, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best Potter film and DVD so far.

By Scott Wilkinson

Anyone who installs home theaters knows the importance of calibrating the video display to produce the best possible picture. Most displays are not properly calibrated when they leave the factory; in fact, they are generally miscalibrated to be too bright and too blue in order to grab potential customers' attention on the retail showroom floor.

Runco International and its subsidiary Vidikron understand this better than most manufacturers, which they effectively demonstrate by including the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) calibration curriculum as part of their Runco Academy and Vidikron University training programs. These programs have been accredited by the ISF, allowing graduates to attend special classes and complete a test to attain ISF certification. Installers with this certification are highly sought after because it indicates that they have the knowledge necessary to calibrate video displays to look their best.

In addition to ISF certification, Runco Academy and Vidikron University offer continuing education units (CEUs) for members of the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). Clearly, Runco and Vidikron care deeply about maintaining high standards, which goes a long way toward making the customer happy and promoting the benefits of home theater.