WELCOME TO THE SEASON FINALE EDITION

Sure, Home Theater Forum is known for having great conversations about the latest HT gear and software.  However, some of the most popular discussions have been taking place in our TV and HDTV Programming forum where members converge to talk about their favorite shows week after week.

What a better way to kick off our May Newsletter than to celebrate some of our favorite television shows and point you to discussions that will be leading up to or post season finales happening over the entire month.

Fringe (May 13th)
Supernatural (May 13th)
Smallville (May 14th)
Castle (May 17th)
How I Met Your Mother (May 17th)
House (May 17th)
V (May 18th)
Modern Family (May 19th)
Bones (May 20th)
Lost (May 23rd)
24 (May 24th)
Chuck (May 24th)
Flash Forward (May 27th)

TV SHOWS ON DVD

With all your favorite broadcast shows coming to season's end, there is plenty of time to catch up on some of your all-time favorite television shows on DVD and Blu-ray.  Home Theater Forum is the official chat forum for our friends(Gord and Dave) over at

TVSHOWSONDVD.COM. We are honored to have their readers participating in discussions within our forum. Here are some of the latest TVSHOWSONDVD discussions in progress:

TV Shows in MGM's 2nd wave of MOD
The Phil Silvers Show
How do you feel about CBS/Paramount DVD releases?
Twilight Zone (Original Series) comes to Blu-ray
More Love Boat, Hotel or Dynasty

EXCLUSIVE 3D REPORT

The check discs are in and Home Theater Forum was there.  We were given an exclusive first look at the first batch of 3D titles authored by Panasonic Hollywood Labs.  Does 3D Blu-ray live up to the hype?  Does the type of set make a difference?  Check out our exclusive coverage to find out the answers to those and other questions!

LIVE CHAT TRANSCRIPT

On Tuesday April 27th, over 100 individuals packed themselves into our online chat room for the opportunity to speak with Avatar producer, Jon Landau.  If you were not fortunate to be there you can read the entire transcript of the chat by clicking here.

AVATAR CONTEST WINNERS

We would like to congratulate everyone who entered our Avatar contest and walked away with a copy of the movie Blu-ray or book.

Week 1 winners (Avatar Blu-ray):
Adam Lenhardt
RollingB (Scott)
Voon Jiet
BillPur (Bill)
Aaron Silverman

Week 2 winners (Avatar Blu-ray):
TonyD
drobbins (Dave)
Scamp (Jason)
mshats69 (Marc)
Bill Buklis

Week 3 winners (Avatar book):
Nicholas Martin
Jason Charlton
Stephen_J_H
Craftsman1459
Phil Taylor
SuzanneB

Our thanks to Twentieth Century Fox and Harper Collins!

BOX OFFICE WEEKEND

Though Robin Hood was the #1 film worldwide, it remained in the #2 spot here in America beaten by Iron Man 2 which took in an additional $49 million.

You can join in on our official Iron Man 2 or Robin Hood discussion threads.

You can also talk about other current theatrical films in our movies area.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT......TM

Robert A. Harris is a film historian and preservationist who specializes in restoring the large-format widescreen films of the 1950s.

If you are looking for the bold, unfiltered truth about the transfer quality of the latest releases look no further.  This month Robert has been busier than usual pouring over the latest Blu-ray releases and deciding whether they meet his stringent seal of approval or not. 

The Road in Blu-ray
The Natural in Blu-ray
Avatar in Blu-ray
Spartacus in Blu-ray
Dr. Zhivago in Blu-ray
Tombstone in Blu-ray
Elizabeth in Blu-ray
Saving Private Ryan in Blu-ray

Please also take a moment to read Mr. Harris' important message regarding Universal's re-purposed HD masters in Blu-ray.

SOFTWARE REVIEWS

Ken McAlinden has his review of the new Mel Gibson action movie,Edge of Darkness.  See if its worthy of a purchase or rental.

Kevin Koster reviews a handful of popular Universal catalog  releases on Blu-ray that include Out of Africa, The Jackal and Traffic.

Richard Gallagher reviews Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which comes highly recommended in Blu-ray.

Cameron Yee checks in with his Bu-ray review of Doctor Zhivago, and comments upon its impressive video transfer.

Matt Hough is back with his monthly dose of Criterion reviews on Blu-ray which include Stagecoach and Walkabout.

On the standard DVD front there are two new classic collections for readers to take note of as Ken McAlinden reviewsTCM Greatest Classic Films Collection Wave 6  and Kevin Koster checks out The Barbara Stanwyck Collection.

Be sure to check out our official review archive filled with thousands of Blu-ray and DVD titles.

SUPPORT HTF WHEN YOU SHOP

When you click on a link on HTF to Amazon, Newegg, or to a variety of other retailers and make a purchase, you're supporting HTF. We now have a dedicated display of all our affiliate stores here!

There are over 70 on-line retailers including some for our members overseas. Check it out next time you are planning on making a purchase -- It's an easy way to help us keep HTF going and growing.

What do all four of these pictures have in common? They all are part of Hanson Yoo's American Idol zaniness. Do yourself a favor and check out Hanson's weekly massacre of American Idol. If you are a fan of the show you won't want to miss the funniest observations and separated-at-birth photos available anywhere. Catch Hanson's coverage from last week here and then follow all his updates every week right up through the finale.

HARDWARE REVIEWS AND DISCUSSION

Here are the latest discussions happening in our various Hardware forums. If you think you can add to the dialogue by offering advice we always welcome such participation.

Blu-Ray player vs. PS3
How to manually calibrate plasma TV?
Power conditioner/Surge protector.  Which one to choose?
Help replacing stereo receiver
Which projector is best for me and will it fit in a small room?

STAY CURRENT WITH HTF

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