Monday, April 28, 2008

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Batman: The Dark Knight ReturnsIf any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller--known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil--is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children's cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller's stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.

Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic--detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it's a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome. --Mark Thwaite

Author:Frank Miller
Paperback:224 pages
Company:DC Comics(1997-05-01)(1997-05-01)
ISBN:1563893428
List Price:$14.99
Amazon Price:$7.90
Used Price:$7.39


HDTV owners are faced with a very real challenge when it comes to figuring out what to watch on their new High Def sets. After all, with only a new 2006 philips plasma hdtv handful of HDTV channels hdtv.all-you-need-to-know.com/Sitemaps/Articles/Dish_Hdtv_Satellite_Receiver.php">kabel bw hdtv receiver best hdtv tuner card available from most service providers and the fact that the high def DVD format war is still very much undecided (though a top rated HDTV tuner lot of Ota Hdtv Receiver indications point towards Sony's Blu-ray format coming out on top), it can be pretty difficult to figure out where to get a decent amount of high def programming. At least it's a lot better than it was a few years ago before high def DVD's were available at all, and HDTV channels were even more limited off air hdtv receiver!

There are other options for sony hdtv receiver samsung 20 inch plasma hdtv enjoying and getting more out of an HDTV set though. One good alternative is upconversion. Upconversion is a technique that electronically increases the resolution of a TV image to more closely match that of a real HDTV picture. Basically, an upconverter will analyze an image and add pixels to the picture that are similar to the pixels surrounding the empty space. Put another way, upconversion fills in the gaps in the quality of the picture that would how do i connect hdtv receiver to stereo receiver otherwise be left by displaying a standard definition TV picture on a Radio Shack Hdtv Antenna high def TV set. This technology definitely improves the picture beyond what you would get with an ordinary TV picture, but not to the same level of detail and quality that you would get with a recording that's true HDTV.

There are a number of devices vhf uhf hdtv antenna widescreen plasma hdtv on the market that take advantage of upconversion technology. One of the most popular devices is a DVD player that plays conventional DVD's that have a resolution of 480p and bump it up to resolutions that are much closer to the 720p, 1080i, and 1080p that truly count as high definition pictures. Of course the end result won't meet the high level of quality reflected in those resolutions, but they will be close. This type of upconversion that's built into DVD players is a good way to take advantage of DVD's that you might already have- as well as those that you rent- without having to invest in a high def DVD player that may or may not be Hdtv Antenna Tricks compatible with anything a year from now.

Another device that takes advantage of upconversion technology is the Vudu. The Vudu is a set top box that takes advantage of your broadband Internet connection to download video in standard definition resolutions and then boost panasonic pt-ae900 + hdtv tuner its resolution up to HDTV quality before delivering it to your TV screen. This technique of downloading video in standard def and then upconverting it is certainly a good way to save bandwidth on the network connection, but it really doesn't provide the quality of a real High Def picture. By all accounts it seems that the Vudu's technique is more of a short cut than a way to offer quality.

Another good solution comes in the form of the Play Station 3 from Sony. The Play Station 3 is a video game platform that plays high pc to HDTV converter def movies from Blu-ray discs. The device also has the ability to upconvert normal DVD's and the graphics of older play station video games to high def resolutions. While this does represent an investment in high def DVD technology, it's also a good way to get a variety of entertainment in one device.

Despite the shortcomings of upconversion, it does have a decent amount of potential as an alternative for HDTV viewing.

E.Sanderson writes articles for consumers who want to find the samsung hlp5685w hdtv ready dlp rear projection tv latest technology news about Cable Television Access. She has written for many major publications about Comcast Cable Specials and how buyers can find the Best Comcast Cable Deals.

High Definition Signal
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