Showing posts with label high definition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high definition. Show all posts

2/13/2012

Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas - A New Day (2008) Review

Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas - A New Day  (2008)
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That Celine Dion is one of the most generous and sincere artists in music today is pretty well-known. While she has taken a beating from the media and from detractors for being over-the-top in some of her vocals, a bit too dorky in her performances and in interviews, she has remained (sans the chest-beating) true to herself and to the music and fans that made her famous.
This DVD set is not only for those who saw the show and want a copy of it to remember, or for those who didn't get to see it and wanted to, but it really feels first and foremost like a gift to her die-hard fans. Most others wouldn't care for the extended amount of footage (over 3 hours worth) dedicated to the trivia about the show, its creation, execution and evolution over the past four years.
I did see the show twice in 2003, and feel that the DVD does a wonderful job of recreating the experience, but if you didn't get to Vegas and sit in the theater that was specifically built for this show, it's not the same.
A couple of other differences for those who saw the show: Nature Boy was omitted as the opening and swapped out for the more appropriate "A New Day Has Come" .. I always thought it was odd that the title song from the show was not sung back in 2003. Also removed is the tacky and ill-fitting cover of "Fever", but added in are "Love Can Move Mountains" (one of my favorites of hers of all time) and "River Deep, Mountain High" in full Tina Turner Tribute mode.
I do regret the omission of two of my personal favorite songs from the shows I saw in 2003 - Je'taime Encore (I Love You Still), one of her most haunting French-language songs she's ever recorded, and the show-ending "What a Wonderful World" that, as she sang it, had black and white photos of people from the audience on the giant LCD screen behind her. It was a touching and intimate way to end a very theatrical production. You CAN, however, get both of the audio recordings of these two songs on the live CD of the show that was released a few years back.
The fan tribute on here, while often cheesy, is also an endearing look at some of her biggest fans. That Celine was gracious and kind as she met personally with them all, moved to tears by some of their personal 'thank you's to her, underscores the grace and humility that accompanies the great gift of song she received.

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An unprecedented 5 year run! More than 700 sold out shows! 3 million spectators! Everything about the record -breaking show that changed the history of entertainment scene in Las Vegas! This 2 setBlu-ray Disc includes Celine Dion's show in the colosseum at Caesars Palace and three exclusive documentaries: Travel to Las Vegas with the fans- join Celine at home, in her car, in her dressing room and even backstage - find out all the secrets of "A New Day" More Than 5 hours of Never Before Seen Footage Blu-ray Disc Trackslisting: 1.A New Day Has Come 2.The Power Of Love 3.It's All Coming Back To Me Now 4.Because You Loved Me 5.To Love You More 6.I'm Alive 7.I Drove All Night 8.Seduces Me 9.If I Could 10.Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore 11.I Surrender 12.Ammore Annascunnuto 13.All The Way 14.I've Got The World On A String 15.I Wish 16.Love Can Move Mountains 17.River Deep, Mountain High 18.My Heart Will Go On Disc 1 The Concert (93 minutes)Because You Loved Me - A Tribute to The Fans (41 minutes) Disc 2 A New Day: All Access (120 minutes) A New Day: The Secrets (53 minutes) Video/Audio:Mastered in High Definition PCM (uncompressed) Stereo (48kHz/24bit) Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround Sound (96 kHz/24bit) Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (448kbps)

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1/30/2012

Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component) (2003) Review

Digital Video Essentials: Optimize Your Home Entertainment System (NTSC Component) (2003)
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If people would just search around on the internet...
It took only a few minutes to find the link to the manual.
Here is a link to a 69 page manual for DVE in PDF format.
I have not read it all yet. But seems to give detailed descriptions of navigation (still not the smoothest) and
descriptions of how to use the test patterns.
http://www.videoessentials.com/docs/DVE_Consumer_NTSC.pdf
One more link I found, explains a little simpler the "basic" adjustments. It's a review from Audioholics, but talks about and shows what the test patterns should look like after adjustment.
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/setup/avhardware/DigitalVideoEssentialsDVDr2.php
There also is a page one... that talks about Audio

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12/18/2011

Digital Video Essentials High Definition (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) (2005) Review

Digital Video Essentials High Definition (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) (2005)
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This ran fine on my Toshiba XA2.. both the HD and the standard DVD sides. I am somewhat familiar with the configuration and setup of HD sets.. I tinker with mine a lot. The DVD side... good instructions on how to do anything you need to do, and will get fairly in depth. The HD side is a rip... they just give you the test patterns and configuration screens.. no how to's, no instructions. I guess they just wanted to sell the DVD version all over again, with the addition of the HD material. Since I already had the DVD version... I feel like I wasted my money. I can download most of the HD stuff on the dvd from the web.
IF you dont have a disc like this already.. this would be a good disk for you.
If you already have a something (Non HD).. then dont bother.. just use what you have. Hopefully someone will bring out a decent disc with ALL HD content including the instructional videos and info, so we can have the HD config screens with the instructions... for those of us who dont do it for a living.

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11/27/2011

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live) (2008) Review

High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Deluxe Extended Edition + Digital Copy + DVD and BD Live)  (2008)
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The movie is truly amazing! (And it`s an extended edition!) Anyone who liked the first two will literally fall in love with this one! I think that even if you didn't see the first two, you will like this one because of what it talks about. This movie is about something we all go through: saying good-bye to our friends after high school. Addiotionally, it's nice to see ateen movie that doesn't revolve around sex, drugs, violence, and profanity.
The East High Wildcats decide to put on their final show together at their school: a musical about their twelfth grade experience. It'll be a pretty unique musical because, for once, they won't have to play a character - they'll be playing themselves! But due to her incredible intelligence, Gabriella, the female protagonist, is offered to skip her senior year in high school and go to straight onto college right away. Will she accept Standard's offer, leaving her friends, boyfriend, and the musical behind? Will Troy, the male protagonist, chose to continue with basketball or will he chose a career than involves acting? Will Sharpay win a scholarship to New York's Julliard University of Performing Arts or will her brother? Will Ryan and Kelsi find true love? Find out in this exciting conclusion to one of the world's greatest film series! The only good thing recently produced by the screwed-up Disney Channel! Yes I hate Disney Channel, Hannah Montana, Cory in the House, Jonas Brothers, and all of the other inappropriate teen shows they've decided to put on a children's channel. But High School Musical is different. It teaches both kids and teens a valuable lesson and it allows adults to revisit their past. The plot is actually relevant to what many people feel and...it's a teenage musical! You don't see something like that everyday! Just watching Troy and Gabriella perform a beautiful waltz is reason enough to buy this film. Also, the old fashioned music at the end proves that rap, hip hop, and pop isn't always what you'll see in a teenage film.
The songs are as original, catchy, and wonderful as they are visually stunning! During "Scream," the turning walls that represent Troy's confusion are spectacular! The disappearing pictures on the wall in Gabriella's solo "Walk Away" were really quite sad. The Statue of Liberty that shoots fireworks out of its head in "I Want It All" is amazing. The sets in "A Night To Remember" will leave you with your mouth wide open. "Right Here Right Now," "Can I Have This Dance," and "Just Wanna Be With You" are three incredible romance songs. And, of course, Troy and Chad turning into little boys in "The Boys Are Back" was really cute. That reminds, "Right Here Right Now" and "The Boys Are Back" are so of my favorites because of what they talk about: not wanting to grow up. Anyway, n case you forgot or are too lazy to read the customer reviews for the HSM3 soundtrack, here are the songs:
1. "Now Or Never" - Troy and the Wildcats basketball team
2. "Right Here, Right Now" - Troy and Gabriella
3. "I Want It All" - Sharpay and Ryan [A TRUE BROADWAY SONG!]
4. "Can I Have This Dance? (Version I)" - Troy and Gabriella
5. "A Night To Remember" - cast!
6. "Just Wanna Be With You" - Ryan & Kelsi, Troy & Gabriella
7. "The Boys Are Back" - Troy and Chad
8. "Walk Away" - Gasbriella
9. "Scream" - Troy
10. "Can I Have This Dance? (Version II)" - Troy and Gabriella
11. "Senior Year Spring Musical" ***made up of reprises of NOW OR NEVER (Chad, the Wildcats basket team, cheerleaders), I WANT IT ALL (Ryan), JUST WANNA BE WITH YOU (Sharpay & Jimmy, and later Troy and Gabriella), and A Night To Remember (Sharpay vs. Tiara), as well as a new song: Last Chance (Ryan and Kelsi)***
12. "We're All In This Together" - cast!
13. "High School Musical" - cast!
14. "Just Getting Started" - during the end credits, winner of the Get In The Picture ABC7 contest
By the way, during the "I Want It All," you actually see Gabriella The Maid a bit more than you did in the theaters because you see that part of the song in a different camera angle than you did in theaters. That also lets you see an important-looking lady giving Ryan a newspaper with him and Sharpay on the cover. This is not due to the extended edition thing because the song is the same length, but, like I said, the camera angle is different so you see more things.
The special features on this Blu-ray are freakin' cool! Even though it's a single disc release, it has the exact same content found on the Two-Disc release, plus more! These are the Special Features (the last two aren't found on the two-disc release).
-- Extended Version Of The Movie
-- Optional Sing Along Version
-- Bloopers
-- Deleted Scenes
-- "Cast Goodbyes" feature
-- "Night Of Nights" feature
-- "It's All In The Dress" feature
-- "Senior Awards" feature
-- New Cast Profiles
In addition, just like in the Two-Disc release, you can download a digital copy of the movie. And as if that weren't enough, it comes with the first disc of the Two-Disc Edition!!!!! Now you can watch the movie practically anywhere because you have the regular version as well as the Blu-ray version!!!! What do you know, it is a two disc after all. ^_^

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It's time to celebrate as Disney's phenomenal High School Musical hits new heights in High School Musical 3: Senior Year! Fresh from the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers non-stop entertainment from start to finish! It's almost graduation day for high school seniors Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Chad, Ryan and Taylor - and the thought of heading off in separate directions after leaving East High has these Wildcats thinking they need to do something they ll remember forever. Together with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical reflecting their hopes and fears about the future and their unforgettable experiences growing up together. But with graduation approaching and college plans in question, what will become of the dreams, romances, and friendships of East High's senior Wilcats?Find out what happens to all your favorite characters in the big screen musical sensation, High School Musical 3: Senior Year! It s a fabulous celebration the whole family will love! Disc 1:
Includes extended version of the movie and all of the bonus features from the 2-Disc DVD
Plus, Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features including: Senior Awards, New Cast Profiles, BD Live (includes BD Live Photo Feature)
Disc 2:
DisneyFile Digital Download Copy Disc: Watch your DVD disc in the living room and your DisneyFile digital copy on the go
Disc 3:
DVD copy of the Extended Movie
Special Features: *Extended Version of the Movie *Cast Goodbyes *Bloopers *Deleted Scenese *Night of Nights *It's All in a Dress *Sing-Along Mode *Senior Awards *New Cast Profiles

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11/15/2011

Wolves Review

Wolves
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I was expecting this to be a high quality nature film similarily filmed to Planet Earth. Imax has sorely disappointed me. At best the quality isn't great and it doesn't even look as good as nature films recorded on lower quality equipment.
Also, if you expect this DVD entitled "Wolves" to include anything remotely related to footage with wolves in it you will be disappointed. This movie is a documentary about the rape of the aboriginal culture. There are about 4 minutes of actual footage of wolves in the wild.
You would be better served by staring at a still image of a wolf if you hope to learn about wolves rather than watch this painfully bad "wolf documentary"

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11/09/2011

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics (2008) Review

Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics  (2008)
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I've been using the Digital Video Essentials DVD to calibrate my TVs for quite a few years and I've always loved the results, so when I heard that a Blu-Ray edition was coming, I was ecstatic.
Well, now that I've got it, it still does an excellent job, but for owners of the DVD edition, you're really not getting anything new. Almost everything on here is directly from the original DVD, only remastered in 1080p. There are a few things that have been added that pertain to LCD technology and explanation of the HD color standards, but the vast majority of content is exactly the same as the DVD.
The one thing that is a definite improvement over the DVD edition is the menu system. Instead of being forced to fast-forward through explanations to get to the test patterns, now you can bring up the pop-up menu and select a test pattern directly. So, once you've learned how to use the test patterns, you don't have to watch the explanations again in order to get to them.
So, if your Blu-Ray budget is a little short and you already own the DVD edition, then I'd say just stick with what you've got. After calibrating my TV again with the new Blu-Ray edition, I ended up with the exact same settings that I achieved with the DVD, so in that respect, you're not going to get a more enhanced calibration with the Blu-Ray edition. Apart from that, I'd say its worth it just for the improved menu system, if you don't mind re-purchasing basically the same thing over again.
If you don't own the DVD, I'd say buy this immediately, but don't let the "HD Basics" tagline fool you. This can be pretty technical if you've never used a disc like this before. Just take your time, watch all the intro videos (and there's a lot to the intros), and you should be fine.

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9/28/2011

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) Review

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2  (2008)
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The impression that "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" gives is that it's a bubbly, bright, and--for all intents and purposes--meaningless sequel to the first film. To my relief, it follows the example set by its predecessor, a surprisingly levelheaded friendship story. Four years after discovering a magically fitting pair of jeans, best friends Tibby Tomko-Rollins (Amber Tamblyn), Carmen Lowell (America Ferrera), Lena Kaligaris (Alexis Bledel), and Bridget Vreeland (Blake Lively) have returned for a second chapter that remains on perfectly equal ground with the first, focusing on coming-of-age issues like maturity, self-discovery, family, and love. Unoriginal ideas? Maybe so, but that doesn't mean they're any less effective. If anything, they make the film's message that much clearer. It helps that many of the girls' problems are based in reality--high school issues, like being pretty and popular, are pushed aside in favor of adult issues, like pregnancy scares and family crises.
If there's anything we learned from the first film, it's that the magic of the titular jeans was symbolic; by in large, the girls worked through their own ups and downs on their own, with no miraculous intervention other than their friendship with one another. We learn pretty much the same thing in this film, which sees each character facing new, more mature challenges. Let's begin with Carmen, who doubles as the film's bookend narrator. She now attends Yale, working as a stagehand for the theatre department. Her mother (Rachel Ticotin) has since remarried and is now pregnant with her second child. When Carmen's hopes of spending the summer with her friends are dashed, she decides to join a Shakespearian theater company in Vermont with a prima donna named Julia (Rachel Nichols). Once there, a British actor named Ian (Tom Wisdom) coaxes Carmen into auditioning for "A Winter's Tale"; to her shock--and to Julia's horror--she's cast as Perdita. As rehearsals continue, she begins to fall in love with Ian.
Next, there's Bridget, who plays Soccer at Brown University. Lately, her interests have shifted to archeology. While on an expedition in Turkey, her instructor, Professor Nasrin Mehani (Shohreh Aghdashloo), opens her eyes to the fact that she's only running away from her past. Bridget, it seems, is still haunted by the suicide of her mother. And her relationship with her father (Ernie Lively) is worse than ever; before leaving for Turkey, she discovered a box full of letters her grandmother had written her, letters her father wanted to keep hidden. Returning to the United States, Bridget takes a bus to Alabama and finally meets her grandmother, Greta (Blythe Danner), an accommodating woman with a matter-of-fact outlook on everything, including her daughter's mental illness.
The next in line is Tibby, who continues to pursue her filmmaking dreams at NYU. Forced to stay in New York for the summer to rewrite her screenplay, she gets a job at a local video store. She's now dating Brian McBrian (Leonardo Nam), who was introduced in the first film as the "Dragon's Lair" champion. When their relationship is threatened (for reasons I won't reveal), Tibby begins to wonder if she was meant for happiness. She does put up a wall every time she gets close to someone, and that's because, deep down, she believes that those you love the most will eventually abandon you. Her attempts to get sympathy from Carmen are flatly rejected; she doesn't appreciate how uncommunicative Tibby has been all summer.
Finally, there's Lena, who attends an art college in Rhode Island on a scholarship. Heartbroken after breaking up with her Greek boyfriend, Kostos (Michael Rady), she reverts to her old timid ways. She then meets Leo (Jesse Williams), the male model hired to pose nude in her art classes. It isn't long before they fall in love, although we suspect it's for all the wrong reasons. All she really knows about Leo is that he's a nice guy, and he's incredibly handsome. But does she know what she wants out of life? Does she even know who she is? How can know she when she's torn between two men?
Naturally, the pants themselves have to play a part in this story, and indeed, they're continually FedEx-ed from friend to friend. The question is: Do any of them need the pants anymore? You'd think that, at this point, a pair of old jeans traveling the world would reveal itself as a big metaphor. They may realize that by the time the film ends. I'm not entirely sure, though.
Moments of this movie are perhaps a little too sentimental, and the general plot may be a little too formulaic. At times, the dialogue is a bit contrived. Consider this conversation: When Tibby says drearily, "I suck at relationships. I should have been a guy," Lena calmly responds, "A guy wouldn't care about sucking at relationships." Only best friends in a coming-of-age story could get away with lines like that. Then again, I never expected a reinvention of the wheel. Movies like "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"--and its predecessor--are aimed at a very specific audience, namely teenage girls; if they can get something out of it other than the sight of four young women looking pretty, if they can leave the theater understanding the more complex aspects of the story, then the filmmakers can include all the predictable dialogue they want. I think this movie will get the job done, not merely for teenage girls, but for anyone open to the idea.

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SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 - Blu-Ray Movi

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9/12/2011

Emperor of the Seas (Discovery HD Theater) (2008) Review

Emperor of the Seas (Discovery HD Theater)  (2008)
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The Emperor of the Seas video is what I have found to be a rare account of the ancient Chinese Treasure Fleet. The video was enlightening entertainment not only suitable viewing but cultural and history knowledge expanding for the entire family.
Western ancient historians have, in my judgment, neglect the ancient Chinese influence on culture and human ancient history. The account of the Treasure Fleet is very well done in this film and raises new historic questions in my mind.
The possible historic parallels between the ancient Chinese Treasure Fleet and the modern day (1968-1972) United States Apollo fleet that travelled to the moon is what drew me into this aspect of Chinese history. Nonetheless, for whatever reason I was drawn to the DVD Blue-ray, I am very pleased to know have the knowledge of it.
AGAIN, this is a MUST for any DVD Library of the 21st Century. I highly recommend it.

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9/09/2011

Home Theater Demo Featuring Mannheim Steamroller Review

Home Theater Demo Featuring Mannheim Steamroller
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It plays more like a "Coming Attractions" trailer for American Gramaphone's video offerings. There's some interesting stuff here, like the "Visualizer", an on-screen real-time, six channel spectral analysis of the program audio, or the fact that this disk has both Dolby Digital _and_ DTS audio tracks. (It clued me that the default settings for my DVD player disabled DTS, and [eventually] allowed me to hear the difference between these competing formats.)
Now for the bad news.
Navigation is a mess, some features don't work as advertised, and other things that I'd expect are strangely missing from this presentation. Examples include:
- Some menu selections don't appear to do anything
- Unusually difficult to see what current selection is
- Cursoring past one of the icons launches a special effect sequence without pressing Enter/Select. This disaster is repeated on several screens.
- I stumbled across a Photo Gallery behind the one of the musical selections, but have been unable to return there, only the "Visualizer" display is available. The standard for the medium would be a selection made on the Features Screen and/or the "Angle" alternative video selection on most DVD players, but it doesn't work that way here.
- Audio level on DTS tracks appear about 4-6 dB lower than corresponding Dolby Digital level, making A-B comparisons difficult.
- On-disc documentation indicates that one side is DVD-Video and the other is DVD-Audio, though disk has but one recorded side.
- Visualizer shows LFE channel information is centered at 20 Hz with nothing above about 40Hz, which seems unlikely
For a true demo product, I'd expect some other calibration/setup aids on the disk such as test tones, color bars and reference sheets, and items that may illustrate the capabilities of the DVD player itself (alternate Video/angle/aspect ratios, additional audio material or languages, subtitles) would be nice. It shouldn't involve an Easter Egg hunt to find the material that is present.
In summary, I feel like I paid for a product to demonstrate the capabilities of my system, but got a flawed "test of concept" that is little more than an advertisement for American Gramaphone's revamped catalog. There's also an "ain't we something!" attitude that became annoying as frustration set in over getting even the simple stuff to work right. It's the first AG product that I regret purchasing.

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8/15/2011

Australia: Land Beyond Time (IMAX) (2004) Review

Australia: Land Beyond Time (IMAX)  (2004)
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Extraordinary panoramic vistas, taken from a 2-engine plane with a camera attached to its nose, amazing geological facts, and marvelous animals, most of them unique to Australia, are what we get in this superb documentary of what is both the world's smallest continent, and its largest island. Once joined to Antarctica many millions of years ago, with high mountains and lush forests, time transformed Australia into 3 million square miles of mostly arid flat land, and its creatures adapted to the different weather conditions. Fabulous and often amusing footage of kangaroos and koalas (both share the same ancestral marsupial possum), as well as desert creatures from ants to the giant and fearsome parenti lizard, and the "living contradiction," the platypus, are among the many delights shown in this film.
An event that only occurs approximately twice every century, torrential rains filling the Outback's Lake Eyre, bringing long dormant animals to life, as well as flocks of pelicans, is caught on film, and is a spectacular sight. This is a glorious but harsh land, with a strange beauty that fills the soul. Australia is described as being more like another planet than another country, and this documentary has many images rarely seen.
Directed by David Flatman, written by Flatman, Meg Morrison, and poet Les Murray, it is narrated by Alex Scott, and has a lovely score by David Bridie. Made for IMAX in 2002, every aspect of "Australia, Land Beyond Time" is excellent, is a must for anyone interested in this great country, and those of us who like to explore foreign lands without leaving home.


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8/06/2011

Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up (2001) Review

Sound and Vision Home Theater Tune-Up (2001)
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I have both Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up and the Avia Guide To Home Theater. If you're a serious video/audiophile, you will want to get the Avia Guide To Home Theater which has far more comprehensive video/audio calibration tests and procedures.
Then again, I suspect the S&V disc is more aimed at the 'mass market' and as such, it does an excellent job. The explanations are very well (and occasionally humorously) explained by two highly appealing presenters. The audio/video tune-ups are a subset of what's available on the Avia Guide disc, though the S&V disc also includes some test patterns from Avia Pro which I hadn't seen before.
I very much like the 'Extras' section of the disc which has some great demo clips from Dolby, DTS, and THX. These are not available on Avia Guide to Home Theater. Also, the DTS tune-up is not available on the Avia Guide, and is most welcome though it didn't result in any changes to my audio settings.
I experienced a strange glitch with the video on the speaker balance tune-up - the wrong speaker was highlighted or the previous menu would be displayed. Weird. I have had no problems with the Avia Guide.
Overall, at the MSRP ...I highly recommend the Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up. It's informative and entertaining, and I think it will help novice users better understand and make the most of their home theaters.

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Sound & Vision, the world's largest audio/video magazine, has teamed with Ovation Software, the leading authority on A/V equipment calibration, to bring you this comprehensive, entertaining, and simple-to-use guide to hooking up, operating, and adjusting your home theater for the absolute best performance! Whether you're a novice or enthusiast, you'll find step-by-step instructions, exclusive video patterns and audio tests, and helpful tips for hooking up, adjusting, and operating your system! Exclusive, user-friendly video test patterns, Audio Tune-up with exclusive test signals designed by Sound & Vision Technical Editor David Ranada, including speaker ID/balance for 5.1-channel and 6.1-channel systems, speaker phase, and subwoofer level S-Video/ composite video test, DVD aspect-ratios explained, Jack-by-jack set-up & installation advice. 90 minutes.

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7/26/2011

Avia II (2008) Review

Avia II (2008)
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My sharp aquos looked good as soon as i got it out of the box. About a month later, i decided to take the plunge and purchase this calibration dvd. After viewing the test patterns and using the color filters, i noticed a significant difference in how much better the color is. i didn't notice so much of a difference in the other settings as far as sharpness and contrast go. Even after setting the brightness with the dvd, i ended up bumping it up just a bit for daytime viewing.
I didn't get much out of the audio adjustments on my surround sound system. i got more out of the adjustments from simply using my receiver manual and remote.
In the end, after seeing other folks LCD tvs, i can tell mine has been adjusted properly with the test patterns. This was something i didn't notice until i saw someone elses tv and it was obvious the saturation needed to be adjusted.
All in all, it was a good investment. Not quite sure it was worth the $35 or so i paid for it, but my tv looks even that much better now that i have used it.

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From the makers of Avia and Avia Pro comes the definitive and easy-to-use tutorial for optimizing your home theater. This all-inclusive guide to home theater calibration for NTSC, HD-DVD, Blu-ray or PAL formats comes with more than 200 test patterns to achieve superior video quality and nearly 100 audio tones for 5.1 and 6.1 channels, plus Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Basic and advanced signals allow you to select the test pattern or sound tone needed for a specific calibration, and tutorials cover various home theater components, speaker types and placement, making connection and wiring, and using a sound meter and home theater environments.

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