A friend recently told me she had just subscribed to Apple TV+ and asked if I had any recommendations for what to watch. When I started naming shows, it occurred to me that Apple TV+ has a plethora of high-quality programming. And now it's adding live concerts.
I’ve worked in the custom business for over 20 years so I’m always looking ahead to see what’s on the horizon. I’m happy to report that there’s plenty to keep me optimistic and excited about the future of custom installation and smart home technology, though there will always be challenges along the way.
The dictionary defines a genius as someone who displays “exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.” Nowhere in that definition does it say that a genius has to be infallible. That's something you and I share with a genius. Sometimes we are wrong.
When the big studios have big anniversaries, they tend to make a big splash. Warner Bros. is celebrating their centennial this year and their Home Entertainment unit is commemorating the occasion with—among other retail offerings—four themed film compilations on high-definition Blu-ray, 25 titles each for an appropriate total of 100. Staring down a list price of $150 per collection, I needed to be selective with my disposable income and after some research I ultimately settled on the 100 Years of Warner Bros. Volume Four: Thrillers, Sci-Fi & Horror 25-Film Blu-ray + Digital Collection...
Endless kudos to Kubo’s studio, Laika, for doing more than anyone to keep the waning art of stop-motion animation feature films alive. Shout! Factory has been celebrating their most popular titles in recent 4K upgrades (available in standard or steelbook); among them The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline; and now Kubo and the Two Strings. An original story with classic underpinnings, Kubo takes us along on a boy’s quest to acquire some mystical armor in anticipation of a showdown with a powerfully malevolent foe.
The FAST (free ad-supported TV) trend in streaming shows no signs of letting up. On the heels of Google TV’s recent addition of 800 free channels, Amazon has announced plans to add 400 free Fire TV Channels.
AT A GLANCE Plus
Outstanding sound quality, dynamic abilities
Deep bass extension
Subwoofer output Minus
No music-data or volume display
On the large side for stand-mount use
THE VERDICT
Big, powerful, flexible, dynamic, and all-around-excellent streaming loudspeakers.
How do you know when an audio trend is more than just a bandwagon? When America’s oldest hi-fi brand climbs on board. (Yes, I know that JBL and Klipsch were both founded in 1946. But JBL’s earliest incarnation goes back to the 1930’s.)
Denon has introduced a versatile network player designed to handle most digital audio sources, including TV sound, with built-in support for wireless streaming and multiroom playback through the company’s HEOS streaming platform.