== Sony Sountina ==

Speakers come in many forms, shapes, size and quantity as well. We have 2.1, 5.1 and also 7.1
The more speakers the better of course (most of the time la). But SONY has upped the game with their Sountina (NSA-PF1) model. This speaker "system" is an all-in-one system and it looks gorgeous.

This is a typical home theater setup;

 

THIS is the SONY Sountina;

Yes, that tall thin device is an entire home theatre system. The bottom is the woofer, slightly higher than that is the amplifier, then comes the mid-range and lastly in the glass tube are the tweeters.

I popped by the Sony Style in KLCC earlier today and they had the Sountina on demo. The demo runs daily at 1pm and 3pm, and I must say that I was very impressed. The room had nothing but 2 chairs at each end, and the Sountina right smack in the middle. Sitting on one end of the room, it sounded like there was sound coming from every angle. Something you'd expect from a 5.1 or 7.1 setup.
It was hard to believe that all that sound was coming from the middle of the room. Amazing.

Here are a couple of pictures I took;

 

The Sountina

Light that runs through the tube. Very classy.

The Sountina looks and sounds amazing.

Here is a brief breakdown of the specs for those who care;

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Three-Way Actie Speaker

Woofer: 13cm Cone

Mid Range: 7cm Cone

Tweeter: Organic Glass Tube

Frequency: 50Hz to 20kHz

Inputs: Coaxial, Optical (yay for PS3 fans maybe?), Linear PCM

Weight: Approx 12.5kg

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And how much is it going to cost to have this touch of class in your living room?

A cool RM30,000

 Nice. 

== This Is It ==

This Is It! Finally out on Blu-Ray is Michael Jackson's This Is It.

I was thrilled that it is finally out in stores, but then I found out that there are multiple versions of this film. Each have slight differences from one another. Here is a rough list of the differences;
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In the US:
Standard DVD Version
Main Film +
2 Making of Documentaries (The Adventure Begins, Beyond The Show) +
3 Featurettes (The Gloved One, Memories Of Michael, Auditions: Searching For World's Best Dancers)

Standard Blu-ray Version
Main Film +
Standard DVD Version features +
Thriller Vignette +
Smooth Criminal Vignette +
1 Featurette (Making Of Smooth Criminal) +
BD-Live

*Target store*
Standard DVD Version (1 Disc)
Standard Blu-ray Version (1 Disc)
Exclusive Target Combo Blu-ray/DVD Version (2 Discs)
-Standard Blu-ray Version (Disc One - BD Format)
-Standard DVD Version (Disc Two - DVD Format)
3D Glasses For MJ TV Tribute on Jan. 31 (placed separately in store)

*Walmart store*
Standard DVD Version (1 Disc)
Standard Blu-ray Version (1 Disc)
Exclusive Walmart DVD Version (2 Discs)
-Standard DVD Version (Disc One - DVD Format)
-4 Featurettes (Meet The Dancers, Meet The Band, Meet The Vocalists, Unfinished Rehearsals) (Disc Two - DVD Format; Approx 60 Minutes)

*Best Buy store*
Standard DVD Version (1 Disc)
Standard Blu-ray Version (1 Disc)
Exclusive Best Buy Blu-ray Version (2 Discs)
-Standard Blu-ray Version (Disc One - BD Format)
-1 Featurette (Dancing Machine) + PSP Digital Copy (Disc Two - BD Format; Approx 15 Minutes)
-3D Backstage Pass Replica (Choose 1 of 3 Versions Available: Smooth Criminal, Pointing, Blue Shirt Dancing) (attached to package)
Steelbook DVD or Blu-ray Versions (available only if pre-ordered)

*Amazon,Toys R Us, FYE, etc.*
Standard DVD Version (1 Disc)
Standard Blu-ray Version (1 Disc)
Free Poster (no pre-order req if bought at Sony Music website; others have pre-order req)


Outside The US:
There are many variations for what is available outside the US. The variations are mainly with the packaging (steelbook or not) and bonus gift items (poster, photo booklet, trading cards, t-shirt, etc.) you get attached.

As for substance on the disc(s) itself, it can be the same or different depending on what format you are looking for.

Foreign DVD Version (2 Discs)
Identical to the Exclusive Walmart DVD Version

Foreign Blu-ray Version (Number of Discs ?)
Main Film +
Standard Blu-ray Version features +
Country Exclusive Combo of any of the 5 Featurettes (Meet The Dancers, Meet The Band, Meet The Vocalists, Unfinished Rehearsals, Dancing Machine) (combo varies based on country) +
Photo Gallery (varies based on country) +
PS3 Wallpaper (varies based on country)
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What a crock of marketing bullshit. Now I have no idea which version to get.

Giant Crystal Ball in Paris

Omg this has to be the coolest thing EVER!

See the ball in action here at Gizmodo