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What's New - Latest additions/updates to this site
Latest additions to SMR Home Theatre and current page updates.  Reviews are added often and pages updated as much as possible, check this page regularly for the latest changes/additions.
A/V Books At Bedtime - SMR Recommended Further Reading
Home Theatre is a complex subject.   If you'd like to gain a comprehensive knowledge or even if you only wish to have a basic grasp of the principals and components involved there are many great books which can teach you more and entertain at the same time. Within this section are titles which are recommended by the staff of this site with links to enable you to order on-line from anywhere in the world.
Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital & DTS Star Movies
Movies with both Dolby Surround™, Dolby Digital™ Dolby Digital Surround EX™ and DTS™ recommended soundtracks. The titles on this list are of exceptional quality and can be used either for demonstration purposes or just enjoyable viewing and listening at home.
A Wee Touch Of Science - A Sure Cure For The "I Heard It" Disease
Len Schneider, a highly respected journalist tackles the thorny subject of myth and magic in audio. Green pens and demagnetisers for compact discs, cable routing and the like - do any of these processes make any real difference or are they imagined by the consumer who believes the unscientific claims of the manufacturer or his/her preconceptions?
Audio Engineering Society 109th Convention - Show Report
SMR Home Theatre's Report from the 109th Audio Engineering Society Convention written by Philip Brandes. Meet Lexicon's Dr. David Griesinger, learn more about Super Audio CD, view new loudspeakers from Dynaudio, Miller & Kriesel and Vergence and be amazed by Dimension Audio's 45.3 system!
Advice To A Friend On A Budget
John R. Potis Jr. discusses how to build up a good home theatre system without needing a second mortgage! John gives his valuable advice on what to buy and when, discussing speakers, processors and amplifiers. Read this before you begin purchasing home theatre equipment.
Anamorphic (16:9 Enhanced) DVD-Video Explained
What does it mean when a DVD-Video package says "Enhanced for 16:9 TVs" and what effect does this have on picture quality?  Stuart M. Robinson explains anamorphic DVD.
Blowing The Lid Off... Home Theatre Receivers
In the first part of a series, Alan L. Maier examines the design and construction of the modern home theatre receiver.  Consumers should be aware that highly-priced receivers may not have high construction values.  So, with the aid of four popular models, we highlight what to look for when choosing a new A/V receiver.
Building Kit Loudspeakers
Nabil Westcombe, who is based in London, England, has an enthusiasm for all aspects of loudspeaker design, and coupled with a comprehensive knowledge of the subject, assists audiophiles in this area. This article discusses where to begin when considering kit loudspeakers.
CEDIA 1999 UK Expo. Show Report
Stuart M. Robinson reports from the 1999 UK CEDIA Expo, held in Hammersmith 19-22 May.  Products from Parasound, Lexicon, Bryston, PMC and Meridian make a splash and the THX seminar ends with a damp squib although there's interesting news about Surround EX.
CEDIA 2000 UK Expo. Show Report
Stuart M. Robinson reports from the 2000 UK CEDIA Expo, held in Brighton and Hove, June 7th to 9th.  Exciting new products include the Escient PowerPlay DVD changer, Imerge Soundserver, ARCAM FMJ components and the Snell & Wilcox Interpolator Gold.
CEDIA 2002 Expo. Show Report
SPhilip Brandes reports from the 2002 CEDIA expo on the latest developments in audio and video technologies from companies such as Meridian, Lexicon, Aerial Acoustics, Velodyne and many others. The most comprehensive CEDIA report on-line, with over 100 images and 10,000 words of text.
CES 2000 Pictorial Show Report
Philip Brandes reports exclusively from the 2000 Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.  CES is the world's largest consumer electronic show, featuring the latest home theatre and audio/video developments and product launches.
CES 2001 Pictorial Show Report
SMR Home Theater's report from CES 2001, the largest ever produced on the Internet. We have over 250 original photographs and detailed evaluations of all the latest technologies on-line, plus a look a the cutting-edge hardware introductions for 2001 and beyond. Join reporters Philip Brandes, Jeffrey Getzin, Nigel Pond and Andre Yew in Las Vegas.
CES 2002 Show Report
For the third year running, join reporters Philip Brandes, Jeffrey Getzin, Nigel Pond, Andre Yew, E. Brad Meyer, Chris Briscoe and Kurt Giesselman in Las Vegas as they bring live, organised and commercial-free news from the world's largest consumer electronic event.
CES 2003 Show Report
Our CES 2002 report was the largest and most comprehensive ever produced, so once again reporters Philip Brandes, E. Brad Meyer, Brian Moura, Nigel Pond, Brett Rudolph and Nick Satullo return to Las Vegas to bring live, organised and commercial-free news from the world's largest consumer electronic event.
Contacts
E-mail addresses for the contributors to SMR Home Theatre.
Dolby Digital™ Demonstration and Test Laserdisc
A complete content listing of the v2.0 test and demonstration laserdisc available from Dolby Laboratories. Links to pages containing ordering details are included.
Dolby Digital™ Surround EX DVD Software
Dolby Digital® Surround EX® is the latest enhancement to 5.1 soundtracks from Dolby Laboratories.  Introduced for the premiere of 'Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace', the system has proven to be remarkably popular in commercial theatres.  Now Surround EX is available in the home via the THX Surround EX® program so a growing number of backward-compatible software titles are becoming availabled.
Dolby Surround™ MP3 Variable Bitrate Files
Produce your Own Surround CD from high-quality MPEG Audio Layer-III variable bitrate (VBR100) music files, all of which are Dolby Surround™ encoded stereo.   Can be replayed by two-channel systems but for best results should be Dolby Pro-logic™ decoded.
Dolby Surround™ Television Programmes
A comprehensive list of past and present television programmes broadcast in Dolby Surround™.
DVD-Video Review Archive
Comprehensive reviews of DVD-Video releases from Robert A. George and David Chou.
Gift Suggestions for the Audiophile and Videophile
Do you have an audio and/or video enthusiast in your household but never know what to buy him or her as a gift?   SMR Home Theatre writers John R. Potis Jr., Len Schneider, Alan L. Maier, Kevin Kost, Nigel Pond and Stuart M. Robinson suggest products which any budding audio and/or video enthusiast would be pleased to receive.  A wide range of ideas are presented here, from simple 'stocking stuffers' costing a few pounds or dollars to outstanding entry-level hardware, there's something for everyone.
Ground Loops - or 'Let Me Hum A Few Bars'
A comprehensive and detailed article written by Ken Simmons which discusses ground-loops, their causes and cures. Ground-loops can cause audible hum in audio and video systems. If your set-up hums, this discussion may enable you to gain silence once more.  Updated January 1999 and now includes even more information.
John R. Potis Jr.'s Famous Crab Recipes
You can now re-create John's ledgendary Crab Cake Recipes, perfect for those romantic movie viewing evenings. Why not try one of these special culinary creations?

Hardware Review Section
SMR Home Theatre exclusive reviews. Includes products from Anthem (Sonic Frontiers), AudioControl, ACI, Ambiance Acoustics, Audio Spécialiste, Avatar Audio, Cambridge SoundWorks, Conrad-Johnson, EdgeAudio, Entech, Fostex, Genesis Technologies, HSU Research, JosephAudio, Madrigal, Marantz, Midiman, Miller & Kreisel, Mondo Designs, MSB, N•E•A•R, NHT, Ohm, Onkyo, Panasonic, Philips, Platinum Audio, Panamax, Paradigm, Polk, ProScan, RTI, Sound Dynamics, Sunfire, Tannoy, Theta Digital and Vibrapod.
Home Theatre Myths, An End to Misinformation
Times they are a-changing, and there are a number of prevalent home theatre misconceptions and incorrect uses of terminology brought about by the proliferation of new technologies and standards in recent years.  In this section Stuart M. Robinson informs and educates - dispelling myths that have infiltrated the home theatre world... THX Surround EX, DTS music discs and DVD-Audio.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace - Japanese Laserdisc Review
While the whole world waits for Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace to put in an appearance on DVD, it is already possible to enjoy the movie with a Dolby Digital Surround EX® 5.1 soundtrack.  How?  By importing the Japanese Laserdisc release of course!  Nigel Pond fires up his THX Surround EX® system and takes a listen....
Home Theatre Loudspeaker Placement
Examples of home theatre loudspeaker placement in four different rooms. These layouts are intended as a guide when positioning both front, centre and rear (monopole and dipole) loudspeakers.
SMR Home Theatre and Audio Forums v2
Eight home theatre and audio forums where visitors can converse on matters regarding loudspeakers/sub-woofers, amplifiers receivers and processors, the Lexicon DC-1, DC-2, MC-1 and MC-12, 'audiophile' two-channel hardware and home theatre software. Messages can now be posted and read via a web browser, E-mail client or newsreading client.  SMR Forums provides official discussion and support areas for Audio Concepts Inc. and Lexicon Inc.
How Low Does It Go?
A list of 25 compact discs to give your sub-woofer a real work out! Some contain frequencies as low as 5Hz, so be very careful with that volume control.
Lexicon MC-12, MC-1, DC-2 & DC-1 Information
This page provides information about the Lexicon DC-1, DC-2, MC-1 and MC-12, with exclusive images, questions and answers sections, press releases and software details.
Lexicon LDD-1 Information
Kindly contributed by Buzz Goddard, formery of Lexicon, this page details the now discontinued Lexicon LDD-1 demodulator, a unit which converts a Dolby Digital™ RF signal from laserdisc into a digital stream which can be decoded.
Link To SMR Home Theatre
A collection of animated and static graphics together with a small button which can be used on any web page to link to SMR Home Theatre. Suggested HTML is also included. Any links will be reciprocated.
Links To External Sites
A list of hypertext links to external sites providing home theatre information. Also includes the homepages of friends and other interesting places to visit.
Manufacturers Links
A comprehensive list of hypertext links to official audio and video manufacturers web sites maintained by Kevin Kost. Last updated 6th November 2000.
Mono/Di/Bi -Polar Disorder or Order, You Decide!
What are the differences? John R. Potis fights his way through the maze of loudspeaker types and discusses the benefits (and drawbacks) of each design for music and home theatre listening.
Moving To The USA or 'Don't Dump Your Old Pals'
Nigel Pond discusses how 240v European home theatre equipment is still of value when moving to America - power supply issues and the differences between PAL and NTSC formats are included.
Power, How Much Do You Really Need?
E. Brad Meyer discusses amplifier power in relation to speaker sensitivity in this detailed article. E. Brad specialised in sound and vibration measurements and data reduction with Bolt, Beranek & Newman. Now, through his company, Point One Audio, Inc., he has become a free-lance consultant, writer and recording engineer/producer. His writing has appeared in, among other places, High Fidelity, Stereo Review, dB Magazine, The Boston Phoenix, Stereophile and Design News.
Surround Processor Rear Channel Delay Graphs
Two delay graphs, one for fixed matrix decoders and one for variable delay decoders (such as Dolby Pro-logic™ and Dolby Pro-logic Time-Link™).  By calculating the distance from the listener to front and rear speakers, the correct rear channel delay can be set.
Rogues Gallery
This page contains images of the people who have contributed to this site. Robert A. George; Buzz Goddard; Bart Lo Piccolo; Alan L. Maier; E. Brad Meyer; Nigel R. Pond; John R. Potis Jr.; Stuart M. Robinson; Ken L. Simmons; Perry L. Sun & Brad Meyer stand-in Monique Noel.  View with great caution - not for those of a nervous disposition.
SMR Home Theatre's Guide to eBay
A comprehensive user-guide to eBay, the popular on-line auction site. Alan L. Maier, an experienced eBay regular, gives hints and tips for both buyers and sellers, detailing correct proceedures and the pitfalls of on-line auctioneering. The pages include a Word template for sellers to use when contacting auction winners.
Sub-woofer Placement And Calibration
Stuart M. Robinson provides detailed sub-woofer information, descriptions of sub-woofer types and basic system configuration. Also includes advice on how to position a sub-woofer in a room, and how to calibrate it correctly.
Surround Basics - LucasFilm THX®
Stuart M. Robinson describes the various, confusing aspects of THX®. All areas are covered ranging from commercial theatrical equipment, home processing enhancements and software mastering and duplication.
Surround Professional 2001 Show Report
Surround Professional is the industry's leading convention for those working in the multi-channel music and film industries. SMR Group is proud to become the first on-line press organisation ever to be allowed access to the conference.
Surround Professional 2002 Show Report
Building upon our Surround 2001 report, SMR Group's team of photojournalists have exclusive access to Surround 2002. Join Philip Brandes, Sanjay Durani, Brian Moura, Nigel Pond and Andre Yew in Los Angeles.
THX Optimode® - A Flawed Calibration Method
Stuart M. Robinson examines THX Optimode, the home theatre calibration and evalution system from LucasFilm. In this exclusive article, serious flaws in the Optimode audio calibration signals are uncovered and explained.
'We've Got the Whole World Listening'
'We've Got the Whole World Listening' is the latest demonstration disc from Dolby Laboratories.  Unlike previous discs, this one is squarely aimed at the consumer market and can be purchased from the Dolby web site.   So what do you get for your fifteen dollars?  Stuart M. Robinson finds out...
Honey, The SMR Home Theatre Cat
Every web site should have a 'this is our cat' page so SMR Home Theatre is no exception, especially when the feline in question is a beautiful sorrel somali.  The area contains images, sounds and digital video files of Honey.