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We have the new Denon AVR-3806 on display.

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Blu-ray disc coatings starting to rot?

Blu-ray Disc Rot

A thread over at the AVS Forums has highlighted a potential problem with the coating of Blu-ray discs, described by many as "disc rot" due to the mould-like spots that have made several owner's Blu-ray discs unplayable. The five page thread has reports from dozens of forum members, many of them discovering spots which can't be rubbed off on Blu-ray versions of "The Prestige." It's impossible to judge how widespread the problem is from a single forum thread, although it's not unheard of to see a product recall after a problem is discovered by users on a forum. It's also worth noting that for every user that has reported the spots, there's one or more people with discs that have no problem. If you've encountered the same issue, your best policy is to try and get a refund / replacement disc from the place where you originally bought it from. If enough people are reporting a problem, then retailers will be a much stronger voice than a bunch of consumers sounding off in the echo chamber that is "the internet."

Ask A Ninja

In this short cartoon the Ninja from Ask A Ninja breaks down some facts about frames per second...

I also liked the one about Colds too.

Chad Vadar: Day Shift Manager

A first glance I thought this spoof seemed lame, but by the time Chad is talking with his boss I was laughing out loud. (Darth Vader's brother is working at a grocery store as a day shift manager.)
Read more...

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Movie News

'Avengers' outguns 'Battleship' at box offices

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - New action movie "Battleship" collided with Iron Man, The Hulk and the rest of "The Avengers" this weekend at movie theater box offices, and the super heroes came out on top. "Avengers" from Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios added an estimated $55.1 million to its U.S. and Canadian ticket sales and held the No. 1 box office spot for the third straight weekend, according to studio forecasts on Sunday. The strong performance left big-budget "Battleship," which launched in theaters on Friday, drifting in second place with $25.3 million. ...
Cannes director Haneke faces death in moving "Love"

CANNES, France (Reuters) - It is a subject rarely tackled in cinema, but Austria's Michael Haneke forces us to confront the reality that will befall us all - the end of life - in "Love", his beautiful and devastating film at Cannes. The French-language feature "Amour" follows an elderly married couple, former music teachers, who are enjoying a comfortable retirement in Paris before Anne, played by Emmanuelle Riva, suffers a stroke. "It's a very powerful film and it's a very sober film. ...
Danish child abuse film shocks Cannes crowds

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Danish director Thomas Vinterberg burst on to the scene in Cannes in 1998 with the acclaimed "Festen", and critics say he is close to his best again this year with "The Hunt", a shocking take on child abuse and its impact on a small community. Unlike some movies on the same theme, The Hunt leaves no doubt as to the main character's innocence. Lucas, played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen, is a nursery school teacher adored by the children and an integral part of a closely-knit circle of friends. ...
Tough times for small U.S. films despite bumper Cannes

CANNES, France (Reuters) - In a bumper year for U.S. productions in Cannes, director John Hillcoat, presenting prohibition-era drama "Lawless" at the film festival on Saturday, said the state of smaller-budget American movies was "distressing". Lawless is in fact an international production - Hillcoat and two of his leading cast are Australian, as is scriptwriter and musician Nick Cave. But the 1930s tale of three bootlegging brothers in Virginia also features leading U.S. actors Jessica Chastain and Shia LaBeouf and is backed by the Weinstein Company. It is one of five U.S. ...