Chad Kassem’s Acoustic Sounds has purchased audiophile-software industry-leader Classic Records. "This is a big acquisition for Acoustic which will enable us to further increase our presence and reputation in the audiophile vinyl market worldwide," said Kassem in the company's July 27 press release announcing the purchase. "Over the years, Classic Records consistently was able to license the top titles that audiophiles wanted. Since that momentous announcement of the RCA Living Stereo reissue series in January 1994, Acoustic Sounds has been an admirer and strong supporter of the quality products produced by Classic Records. Classic has always been innovative and has set new standards for sound quality. Hobson always pushed the envelope to improve Classic’s products instead of just accepting the current standards. It is an honor to now own Classic, and I intend to continue to use the innovations that Classic pioneered and the high standards they established."
Michael Hobson, who founded Classic Records in 1994, will continue in an advisory role to Acoustic Sounds to ensure a smooth transition. According to Hobson, "Classic Records has always been driven by my desire to make the best-sounding records possible, and to that end we have successfully innovated over the years such that we are now able to make an LP that sounds better than when we started 17 years ago. I have worked with Chad for over 20 years and have seen Acoustic Sounds grow into a powerhouse in the audiophile market. In many ways having Classic Records join the Acoustic Sounds empire is a logical progression and makes a lot of sense strategically. I am confident that Chad and Acoustic Sounds will carry on in the Classic tradition of the pursuit of sound excellence, and I am committed to making sure that our knowledge base and experience transfers completely."
El Cajon, California-based PBN Audio is now shipping the Sammy loudspeaker. This newest model from Peter Noerbaek is built upon what he describes as the company's Compact Reference Platform. Noerbaek say this about the Sammy's design: "This development has been possible with the engineering and design of a very special set of all new drivers and a completely new ultra-high-technology cabinet to house them. The absolute newest technology from Scan-Speak of Denmark was used in creating a new long-travel 10” Revelator-series woofer, a powerful wide-range 4” midrange, and the only pure-Beryllium pressure-formed dome tweeter in the world."
The Sammy measures 55" high, 16.5" wide, and 21" deep, and weighs 215 pounds each. The frequency response is stated as 24Hz to 37kHz, +/-2dB, and the sensitivity is pegged at 92dB. The Sammy is constructed in a woofer-midrange-tweeter-midrange-woofer arrangement and its cabinet is formed from stacked MDF planks with the company's proprietary Interior Sonic Reflection Suppression system, which is said to lower cabinet resonances to inaudible levels. The Sammy retails for $29,500 USD per pair and can be ordered in various wood and automotive-grade painted finishes.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will release Alien Anthology, a six-disc Blu-ray box set of all the Alien movies, just in time for Halloween. The set will include two versions of each film (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien 4: Alien Resurrection) and employ the new MU-TH-UR interactive mode.
According to Fox, the Alien Anthology will make available in one set all of the extra home-video features and versions produced for the franchise, drawn from 1990/1991 laserdisc releases, the 1999 "Legacy" release, and the 2003 Alien Quadrilogy. In addition, Fox promises four hours of previously unreleased material, including deleted scenes and "thousands of still photographs taken from the Fox archives." The MU-TH-UR interactive feature claims to place all of the extras in the viewer’s hands "connecting fans to special features on all six discs and instantly providing an index of all available Alien content."
The different versions of the movies will be as follows: Alien: the 1979 theatrical version and the 2003 director’s cut; Aliens: the 1986 theatrical version and the 1991 special edition; Alien 3: the 1992 theatrical version and the 2003 special edition (restored work print version); Alien 4: Alien Resurrection: the 1997 theatrical version and 2003 special edition. All four movies will receive newly mastered DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. The suggested list price is $139.99.
Alien Anthology is part of Fox’s 75th birthday anniversary celebration. Other titles to receive the anniversary treatment include Moulin Rouge!, The Last of the Mohicans, and The Sound of Music.
On October 26, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release one of the most successful movie trilogies of all time on Blu-ray: the Back to the Future series starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. The three movies are newly restored, and the package will contain more than two hours of new bonus features. The set will also be available on DVD.
All of the films will be newly mastered at the correct aspect ratio and will include new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtracks. The main new feature is Tales from the Future, a six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, director Robert Zemeckis, producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, and executive producer Steven Spielberg.
There will be a copious amount of additional extras, many with U Control features, including an archival featurette hosted by Leslie Neilsen, 16 deleted scenes, storyboard comparisons, trivia tracks, music videos from Huey Lewis and the News and ZZ Top, a discussion of the physics and science used in time-travel movies, and a question-and-answer session with Michael J. Fox.
On September 14, Image Entertainment will release the entire first season of The Twilight Zone on Blu-ray. All 36 Episodes will be included for the first time in high definition. Included will be the never-before-released unofficial pilot "The Time Element," written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz.
All new 1080p high-definition transfers have been created from the original camera negatives, as well as uncompressed PCM audio, remastered from the original magnetic soundtracks. In addition, the set includes new and exclusive bonus features not available anywhere else. Also included are 19 new audio commentaries, 34 isolated music scores, 18 radio dramas, new and archival cast/crew and scholar interviews, a "Tales of Tomorrow" episode of "What You Need," the original unaired pilot version of "Where Is Everybody?" along with Rod Serling’s network pitch, Rod Serling’s audio lectures from Sherwood Oaks College, syndication promos, sponsor billboards, alternate opening and closing narrations, clips from the Emmy Awards ceremony featuring wins for the series in Writing and Cinematography categories, and more. The five-disc Blu-ray set has an MSRP of $99.98, with pre-book on August 17.
NLQ’s CD Compilation and Multi-Media Series launches in June The Best Of New Latin Quarter, The Jazz & Blues Collection Volume 1 featuring digitally remastered performances by Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Keely Smith, Chubby Checker, Louis Armstrong, Patti Page, Julie London, Bobby Troup and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Beginning in 1942, Tokyo’s New Latin Quarter, named and patterned after the famed New York City Latin Quarter, hosted a veritable who’s who of American and UK jazz and pop legends: Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pat Boone, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Ray Charles, James Brown, B.B. King, Tom Jones, The Supremes and Chubby Checker, among many others. Now, thanks to an accidental discovery of hundreds of hours of tapes from these live vintage performances, the formation of a new company has arisen. The Tokyo Nightclub Organization has established record, documentary and publishing divisions to release these historic, never-before-heard archival live recordings.
There will be five CDs released in 2010, beginning with The Best of New Latin Quarter, The Jazz & Blues Collection Volume 1. This set features a rare glimpse of Chubby Checker in blues ballad mode, performing "Georgia on My Mind" and Nat King Cole gracing the Sinatra associated "The Way You Look Tonight." The set also includes performances by Nancy Wilson, Keely Smith, Louis Armstrong featuring Junnie Brown, Patti Page, Julie London, Europe’s Caterina Valente, Bobby Troop, Sammy Davis, Jr., the Harry James Orchestra and The Mills Brothers.
Volume 2 is set for release July 1, with Volume 3 to follow August 3.
Josh Tickell, the director of Fuel, will travel to New Orleans in the Fuel bus, powered by biofuel, to arrive in time for the film’s first New Orleans screening on June 29.
Part of Tickell’s documentary film features a former Chevron/Texaco oil man talking about the hazards of drilling in deep-sea conditions. On Thursday, June 29, Tickell is assembling a think-tank of alternate energy experts, celebrity environmental activists, and politicians to outline solutions for the BP oil spill, culminating in a peaceful mass protest by the activist filmmaker in and around Jackson Square.
In advance of these activities, Fuel releases to DVD on June 22. In addition to the film, the disc includes these extras:
"How to Get 150mpg from your Prius"
Kim Adelman of Plug-In Conversions shares his tips to get more mileage out of a Prius.
"Building a Green Bottom Line with John Paul DeJoria"
Entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria (co-founder, Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila) explains how his companies are saving money by going green.
"How to Save Thousands Through Energy Efficiency"
From power strips that automatically turn off unused appliances to smart thermostats that can help keep down heating and cooling costs, this guide purports to help save money.
"Sustainable Biodiesel with HERObx"
From one of the leading "fuel technology" companies in the world, a featurette on how agricultural waste can be turned into biofuels.
"How to Make Fuel for Under $1 Per Gallon"
Tickell’s book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, includes directions on how to make fuel for under a dollar a gallon; how to run your vehicle on straight vegetable oil; and how to make a machine that automates your fuel processing. The complete book is included on the DVD as a free downloadable PDF.
Fuel is being released on DVD by Cinema Libre Studio.
Paradigm's Anthem division has released a new line of home-theater receivers, which are now the least-expensive entry into the Anthem line-up. According to the company, ". . . the MRX series features four receivers: the MRX 300, MRX 500, MRX 700, and MRX 900, all featuring seven channels of amplification (MRX 900 will have nine channels of amplification) and four HDMI in/one out (MRX 900 will have seven HDMI in/one out). Anthem’s MRX receivers are all equipped with the critically acclaimed Anthem Room Correction (ARC) system."
The Anthem receivers will decode the latest audio formats including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic IIz, and DTS-HD Master Audio and will also support Internet radio (except the MRX 300) and HD Radio (MRX 700 and MRX 900). Anthem also states, "In addition, the MRX series will process 3D movies and television when paired with a 3DTV and a 3D-capable source component making them the perfect addition for 3D-enabled home theaters."
Anthem will also be marketing an optional add-on device, the MDX 1 iPod/iPhone dock, which will include a native digital output and onscreen display for the latest Apple iPods and iPhones. Anthem's press release states, "With no AC adaptor plug or inserts required, as well as menu access and song selection using an MRX remote control, the MDX 1 is a desirable add-on to the MRX family. The MDX 1 will be released simultaneously with the MRX 500 and MRX 700 and will be priced at $129 MSRP."
The MRX receivers are estimated to have retail prices starting at $999. The first two models, the MRX 500 and MRX 700, are expected to be available by late summer 2010.