surround sound companies in charlotte |

bluray_simpsons20th_300 The Complete 20th Season of The Simpsons heads this week’s roundup of Blu-ray release titles.

How long have The Simpsons been around on TV? Well before DVD came about, and way before high-definition and Blu-ray hit our flat panels.

But the long-running animated hit did make the switch to high-definition during last season, its 20th, and we’re now reaping the rewards thanks to the easy transition to Blu-ray disc as The Simpsons Complete 20th Season arrives this week (and you can grab it on Amazon for only $36.99).

The specs on Blu-ray.com list the aspect ratio as the traditional boxy 1.33:1 of standard-def TV, but we’re guessing that is only meant for the contents of Disc 1, as the episodes beginning on Disc 2 of the set seem to coincide with when the show moved to 16:9 widescreen HDTV format. The audio features DTS-HD Master Audio lossless resolution that we’ve come to enjoy as one of the two main Blu-ray formats (along with Dolby TrueHD).

For action fans, you can catch The Governator on Blu-ray this week in Last Action Hero, get Sly by viewing Cliffhanger, or grab a re-release of The Matrix. Those mountain shots in Cliffhanger are sure to look extra crisp and cold in high-def.

If it’s more of the classics you’re looking for, the Criterion Collection is at it again with what should be another stunning Blu-ray release, this time in gorgeous black and white as Federico Fellini’s masterpiece 8 1/2 comes to Blu-ray.

Here are all of this week’s Blu-ray releases, courtesy of Blu-ray.com:
2 Dudes and a Dream
8 1/2
The Brothers Bloom
The Burning Plain
Cliffhanger
La Cucina
Fame
Halloween II (2009 version)
The Hurt Locker
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
In the Loop
Last Action Hero
The Matrix
Moon
Post Grad
Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Sentenciados
The Simpsons: Complete 20th Season
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea

by Arlen Schweiger

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/simpsons_20th_season_marks_blu-ray_releases_for_january_12/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Theater, Audio and Video services in North Carolina and South Carolina

A/V receivers with HDMI switching could be a hindrance to the adoption of 3D because of their inability to accommodate the necessary extra bandwidth.

A source from the Blu-ray Disc Association told Electronic House and sister publication CE Pro at CES 2010 that a possible speed bump in the road to greater adoption of 3D Blu-ray may not come from the TVs, players or content providers; it may come from A/V receivers and HDMI switching devices.

While HDMI 1.4 is in the specification for 3D Blu-ray, it’s not a requirement for sending a 3D Blu-ray signal from a player to a television. That’s why Sony’s Playstation 3 can be firmware upgraded to be 3D Blu-ray compatible while only having HDMI 1.3 built into its hardware. What is required is a minimum bandwidth allowance in order for the player to send the signal out to the TV.

A source told our publications that many A/V receivers with HDMI switching cannot accommodate the extra bandwidth. In other words, if you use your receiver for HDMI switching, you may not be able to connect it to a 3D Blu-ray player. The source said the BDA may be working with manufacturers to inform them of the bandwidth problem so they can help customers with questions and problems as well as establish a minimum bandwidth floor for receivers that will allow the 3D signal to pass.

One possible workaround the source suggested would be for Blu-ray players to include two HDMI outputs, one that would go directly to the 3D compatible display, and one to take the high-quality Blu-ray audio formats to the receiver.

Sony, Panasonic and Samsung are among those announcing 3D-compatible Blu-ray players at CES 2010.

by Grant Clauser

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/will_a_v_receivers_need_to_be_3d_compatible/C198

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Theater, Audio and Video services in North Carolina and South Carolina