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There is an interesting discussion on the AVSForum on an image of the new HSU VTF-3HO (high output) sub with a turbo charger attached. The effect of the turbo charger is to lengthen the ports and lower the tuning frequency without having to plug a port which was necessary in the older models. Leaving both ports open and lowering the tuning frequency results in a supposed 6db increase in output near the tuning frequency. Apparently there will be a turbo charger for the HSU-VTF3 MKII also.
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Velodyne has posted information on their 8-band digital parametric equalizer, the SMS-1. The SMS-1 includes an on-screen display, a remote control, automatic or manual room correction, and a microphone. It has a MSRP of $699.
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Mike Dzurko has posted some pictures of his exceptional 2-way monitor, the Sapphire XL, in real wood veneer. These speakers were previously only available in painted finishes.
View Audiocircle thread

Audioholics has posted a review of Panasonics latest projector, the PT-AE900U. The new D5 LCD panel has significantly improved the contrast and Panasonic’s smoothscreen technology seems to have almost eliminated screen door effect. The reviewer had a few issues with the built-in deinterlacer which can be elimated by using your dvd player to perform those duties. Overscan was enabled by default on the projector but it can be disabled so you can get back those precious few pixels. Overall, the PT-AE900U looks to be quite an upgrade from the PT-AE700U; with a street price of ~$2200 it looks to be an excellent choice in the < $2500 price range.
View Audioholics Review

A member of AVSForum has posted a comparison of these two budget speakers. The Ascend Acoustics CMT-340m is a 2-way MTM bookshelf speaker with one 1in soft dome tweeter and two 6.5in composite polygel woofers. The Aperion Audio Intimus 632-LR is a 2-way bookshelf speaker with a 1in silk dome tweeter and 6.5in woofer. In the < $600 range both speakers look like a great value.
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A member of AVSForum has posted his impressions of the SBS-01, the new SVS budget speaker system. The speakers were driven by a denon avr-3805.
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Outlaw Audio has posted information regarding their new stereo receiver, the RR2150. The RR2150 features an elegant retro design that includes a 2-channel amplifier (100w/ch into 8 ohms) with pre-outs and main-ins, a high performance FM/AM tuner, a USB input, a high quality phono input, selectable analog bass management (60, 80, 100hz) with a 12dB/octave high and low pass filter, and a programmable remote. For $599 this looks like a great full-featured stereo receiver.
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SVS has updated their news page with pictures and more info of their upcoming budget speaker system, the SBS-01. Sales are beginning on or around November 24th and shipping will begin in mid-December. SVS is offering a preorder discount on both the 5.1 and 7.1 systems which include a PB10-ISD subwoofer.
Preorder Price and Configurations
Full 7.1 package (6 SBS-01 mains, SCS-01 center channel, plus PB10-ISD subwoofer): $999
Full 5.1 package (4 SBS-01 mains, SCS-01 center channel, plus PB10-ISD subwoofer): $899
5.0 Channel package (same as above, but without the PB10-ISD subwoofer: $549
2.0 channel package (stereo pair, no subwoofer): $210
View SVS News Page
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Oppo has released an updated firmware for their popular upscaling dvd player, the DV971H. It contains the following changes:
Added support for 2:2 Cadence for PAL playback. This feature is not perfect yet, please see the note above and review the Release Notes for more details.
Proper DivX aspect ratio support. 4:3 content will no longer be stretched to fit the screen.
Enhanced DVD+R Dual Layer support.
Fixed TrueLife turning off DCDi. Turning Off TrueLife functionality will now retain all DCDi functionality.
Added Noise Reduction function.
Fixed Frame Stepping for Black remote users.
Fixed proper aspect ratio support while zooming.
Added support for DTS and Dolby Digital tracks on DVD-Audio discs
Added memory function for single ejected disc
Added Random and Shuffle functionality for Audio CD playback.
Increased the DVI mode change display time.
Added firmware Version display through OSD button.
Added support for DivX Digital Right Management (DRM) and Video on Demand (VOD)
Increased baseline Brightness. Default Brightness is now equivalent to “+5” in previous firmware.
Changed user interface font to Arial.
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For me, one of the reasons I spend so much time and money tweaking my A/V system is the enjoyment of sitting back and watching a good movie. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite scary movies to watch during Halloween:
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