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Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
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Monday, 16 November 2009 00:00 |
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 Up until the past year, the sensors in HD video cameras were just barely enough in pixel count (2,073,600) to get 1920 x 1080 video. That has changed now, and camera manufacturers are putting sensors in their HD video cameras that have a much higher pixel count. The main reason is so that consumers can take high resolution snapshots with their video cameras, similar to the high resolution photos they can get from dedicated digital snapshot cameras. The serendipity is that the high resolution image can be downsampled to 1920 x 1080 rather than there being only just over 2 megapixels to start with, and this gives a sharper video image. The JVC GZ-HM400U is just such a camera, with its 10.3 megapixel sensor. Have a look at our review to see how it performed.
Tags: 1080i | Digital Cameras | Video Cameras |
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Written by Jason Victor Serinus
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Tuesday, 17 November 2009 00:00 |
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 English baritone Benjamin Luxon remains prized for the intelligence of his portrayals, and his unfettered directness of expression. Now 72, and devoting much of his time to theater, Luxon came to fame as a member of Benjamin Britten’s English Opera Group. After creating the title role in Britten’s Owen Wingrave, he proceeded to perform a wide variety of roles in many of the world’s leading houses.
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Written by Greg Zakrzewski
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Monday, 21 September 2009 00:00 |
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 Ahh summer time. Time for pools, get togethers with friends and tearing apart walls in search of audio and aesthetic excellence for your flat screen TV. While this may not be the average summer activity for most I’ll wager more than a few Secrets readers are in the midst of their own audio-video inspired renovations. Here’s my story of an in wall audio adventure courtesy of the new Paradigm Millenia 20 Hybrids.
Tags: In Wall | Speakers |
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Written by Chris Heinonen
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Monday, 19 October 2009 00:00 |
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 The first receiver that I remember having in the house was a classic Marantz model. Unfortunately I was too young back then to realize the quality of that component, or even recognize the name, and at some point that receiver was replaced with a much more generic, mass market model with newer features. I am old enough now to know the impact that the name Marantz has on the A/V community, and just about everyone realizes that it commands respect. Here, we review their new AV8003 A/V processor and MM8003 eight-channel power amplifier.
Tags: Processors | Receivers | SSPs |
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Written by Jim Milton
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Monday, 26 October 2009 00:00 |
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 In 1997, McCormack Audio was purchased by Conrad-Johnson, known primarily for their fine tube amps and preamps. They have the same high quality and value that Steve McCormack put into his designs in California, but these current products are basically an entirely new line (and are built in Virginia). In this review, we take a look at one of their line-stage preamps, and a stereo (two-channel) power amplifier.
Tags: Amplifiers | Power Amplifiers | Preamplifiers | Two channel |
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Written by Rich Schmidt
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Thursday, 15 October 2009 00:00 |
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 The first thing you’ll notice about the Emotiva ERC-1 CD player is that it looks great. The faceplate of the player and the remote are brushed aluminum painted black accented with unfinished brushed aluminum at the edges. Nice. When it’s turned on the buttons on the face of the player light up with blue halos. This player would look right at home next to Macintosh gear.
Tags: CD Players | DVD |
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Written by Stephen Hornbrook
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Monday, 09 November 2009 00:00 |
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 Started in 1989, Atlantic Technology's main goal has been to provide an immersive surround sound experience. They target seamless pans from right to left, and crisp clear dialog in their speaker setups along with dynamic powerful bass from their subwoofers.
Tags: Home Theater Components | Speakers | Subwoofers |
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Written by Rick Schmidt
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Monday, 02 November 2009 00:00 |
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 In my recent review of the Primaluna Dialogue Two I complained that tubes require maintenance. I didn’t complain much as Primaluna does a great job of minimizing those requirements. I should have held my complaint for my solid state gear. That’s right, even power supplies require maintenance. That’s the message that Naim is sending out with their Recap Tour. That’s ‘Recap’ as in ‘Replace the Capacitors’.
Tags: DACs | Power Supply |
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Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
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Sunday, 11 January 2009 17:00 |
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 UPDATED November 16, 2009 - We have all noticed the proliferation of media servers on the market over the past several years. The problem is, they are quite expensive, usually in the thousands of dollars, and some in the tens of thousands. Well, finally, there are some products that will let you play your music in any of those rooms you want, by ripping your CDs to a music directory on your PC and using a wireless "Streamer" in the room where you want to listen to them. There are several music streamers on the market, including Squeezebox, which has several models. Their newest entry is the Squeezebox Duet, which is the subject of this review.
Please take a particular look at the end of the review where I updated my opinion about this product on November 16, 2009.
Tags: Media Servers | Media Streamers | Streaming |
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