The British Progressive Band known as Renaissance was founded in 1969 by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty after the split up of their band, the Yardbirds. Renaissance was set slightly apart from other Progressive bands throughout the 70s, such as Genesis, Yes and ELP, as they emphasized more on symphonic classical music blended into their progressive themes without relying on hard hitting synthesizer or screaming guitars. But make no mistake; they were equally as popular amongst the same fans. In 2009, they got back together for their 40th year anniversary tour. We had a chance to sit down with vocalist Annie Haslam at her studio in Pennsylvania.

The first season of Star Trek: Enterprise, that bastard-child of the Trek franchise, is hitting Blu-ray, presented in a six-disc set consisting of all 25 episodes, including the 2-hour pilot Broken Bow. Although the show divided the Trek-faithful like no other, its fans will be tempted to upgrade their 2005 Enterprise DVD set to get their hands on the substantial amount of new material included in the special features. Unfortunately, with the gold standard in Trek Blu-ray conversions already set by the ongoing deployment of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Enterprise just doesn't measure up.

These days special effects in movies aren?t limited to what?s happening on-screen but rather how a film is presented at the movies and on your TV. But, are some technical advances ruining video quality at the movies and in your home theater system? TV manufacturers are embracing any new technology in their quest for the next feature that will entice us to replace our aging TVs. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was filmed in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D). Of the moviegoers lucky enough to view Peter Jackson?s giant film in a theater capable of displaying the elevated frame rate, many complained of an artificial quality to the video and said that the so-called enhancements only made the film look suspiciously like a soap opera. LCD displays have been employing artificially enhanced frame-rates for years with features bearing such inventive names as "Motion Flow" and "Clearframe". Many of us find it annoying. So, let?s take a closer look popular video effects you?ll find on new TVs today and we?ll leave it up to you to if you see enhanced motion in stunning 3D, or if your eyes only see a cheesy soap opera effect.

I started working for Best Buy during my senior year of high school and stayed with them up until graduate school. Through that span of six years I saw the company fall from a spot of power and strength and repeatedly fail to get back up. It seems that every story about Best Buy in the past four or five years has been one of defeat. As a former employee I have a unique view on why they are failing. It's easy to blame the changing market, but Best Buy's dysfunction is rooted much deeper than an external economic decline. Throughout my tenure at the organization I have observed a failure in their pay system, an inability to attract qualified employees and a lack of a single vision.

Sony finally unveiled PlayStation 4 with all the hype and showmanship we expected. A lot of time was spent emphasizing the company's commitment to a social gaming experience, mobility and an anywhere/anytime gamer-centrism. My initial response as an Audioholic: No mystical social experience controls my destiny. It sounded like a lot of simple tricks and nonsense. When it comes to getting the most out of your home theater system; hokey touchscreens and social sharing is no match for good hardware specifications by your side, kids. So, let's dig into what PS4 is really going to mean to us.

Our friends at Outlaw Audio are gonna help you Shake Rattle & Slam into the New Year by entering to win a brand new Outlaw LFM-1EX Subwoofer. All you need to do is be a registered forum member, meet the eligibility requirements, and answer a few questions in the contest thread on our forums. What you could win: The LFM-1 EX continues the tradition of maximum output, linear response and deep authoritative bass at a value oriented price. Now, you can achieve output to 16 Hz in large listening rooms without emptying your wallet. If you have never experienced truly deep bass, or felt you could never achieve chest pounding bass reproduction in your larger listening room you owe it to your theater to audition the LFM-1 EX. This contest ends with the beginning of the New Year so be sure ENTER by 11:59pm (EST) December 31st for your chance to win!

Acura and Krell have partnered together to design a high-end sound system for the 2014 Acura RLX. Although the Krell name badge is on the side of the speaker grilles and the amp contains some parts used in Krell's home theater amps, it remains unclear how much of this system is actually designed by the high-end audio manufacturer. We fear this may just be another attempt to slap a name on the system, read on to see why we have some reservations.

In what seems like a growing trend among A/V manufacturers, THIEL Audio is being acquired by a private equity firm. The firm intends to expand THIEL's engineering department and keep most existing employees in place. They will push to improve product development and marketing processes and expand product lineup. THIEL will continue to produce high-end products, but also focus on distributed audio and architectural speakers.