Monthly Archives: August 2005

The Great DVD Giveaway–2

Posted on August 23, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Once again I have some surplus DVDs that readers may like to have for nothing, or at least, only the cost of postage. These are mostly DVDs that have been sent to me for review purposes. Note: These DVDs should … Continue reading →

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Denon introduces the nearly perfect home theatre amplifier

Posted on August 23, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Denon’s $13,000 AVC-A1XV home theatre amplifier is overkill, with its ten channels of amplification and 45 kilograms of mass. Now Denon has introduced the much more affordable ($6,999) and lighter (23kg) AVC-A11XV, with seven channels, each rated at 140 watts. … Continue reading →

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Panel TV Price falls continue

Posted on August 18, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

I’ve just received a press release from NEC Australia saying that the selling price of its 40 inch (100cm) widescreen LCD TV, the NLT-40W, has been reduced from $9,999 to $5,499 (as I write, the NEC Web site lists the … Continue reading →

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Consumer DVD recorders go dual layer

Posted on August 16, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Well dual layer recordable DVDs have been around for about 18 months now, without too much happening with them. With their expense (still over $8 each here in Australia), their use has been difficult to justify. Might as well just … Continue reading →

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The flexible eye

Posted on August 15, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

The eye/brain mechanism for seeing is remarkable. We rely intensely on its ‘defects’ for home theatre. Consider a projector. It is casting an image onto a white screen. Yet with a good projector in a dark room, the black areas … Continue reading →

Posted in How Things Work, Imperfect perception, Testing, Video | Leave a comment

Panasonic’s new projector

Posted on August 14, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

In early September Panasonic is taking me and another Australia writer to the United States for the release of its new home theatre projector, the PT-AE900, in Hollywood. You can see my reviews of its predecessors, the Panasonic PT-AE700 here, … Continue reading →

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Letters to the Editor

Posted on August 13, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Back before I started writing for a living, I wrote letters to newspaper and magazines of the whinging, complaining kind one still sees. For those interested, I’ve posted the ones that were published here.

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The power of selection

Posted on August 12, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Darwinism is often the subject of disbelief because one of its two important components is overlooked. The essence of Darwinism is evolution through natural selection. This requires variation between organisms, and a method of selecting the most suitable variants from … Continue reading →

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More DVD Reviews up

Posted on August 11, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Here are another eight Region 4 DVD reviews, originally printed in Australian HI-FI: Gattaca and The Truman Show To Kill a Mockingbird and Pleasantville Meet John Doe and Casablanca Starship Troopers (original and Special Edition) versions.

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A proper understanding of Starship Troopers

Posted on August 11, 2005 by Stephen Dawson

Robert Heinlein’s 1958 novel Starship Troopers is totally misunderstood by many, not least the makers of the 1997 movie of the same name. Take the issue of race, for example. The movie features pasty white Casper Van Dien in the … Continue reading →

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