Al Griffin

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CES 2017
Riva Audio’s Theaterbar Ready for Action
Al Griffin  |  Jan 07, 2017  |  0 comments
Riva Audio introduced a line of wireless multiroom speakers designed to deliver larger-than-life, live concert-style sound at its coming out party at CEDIA 2016 . Two of those speakers, the $249 Arena and $499 Festival, should be shipping in March. A new product the company has on display here at CES is the Theaterbar soundbar.
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CEDIA 2013
Roaming With TiVo
Al Griffin  |  Sep 27, 2013  |  0 comments
TiVo, the savvy couch potato’s alternative to a cable company DVR, just rolled out its 5th-gen Roamio platform. Roamio comes in 3 flavors: Core ($200), Plus ($400), and Pro ($600). The difference between the three comes down to storage (the Pro tops things off at 3 Terabytes) and options (the core Roamio has just cable and off-air tuning, while the Plus/Pro add streaming capability). TiVo service will run you $14.99/month.
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Integrated Amp Reviews
Rotel A14MKII Integrated Amplifier Review
Al Griffin  |  Apr 06, 2022  |  0 comments
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Surprisingly powerful amp
Clean, detailed sound
Great build quality for price
Minus
limited feature set compared to competition
Streaming options limited to Bluetooth wireless and direct computer-to-USB input

THE VERDICT
Rotel’s affordable A14MKII integrated is light on features but heavy on performance. A great option for listeners who want to keep their audio system simple.

Back in fall 2021 Sound & Vision reviewed Rotel's RA-1572MKII integrated amplifier, an upgraded version of the company's popular RA-1572. Well, at Rotel the upgrades keep coming fast and furious: Just a few months later, word dropped that the same treatment was coming to products at more affordable price points, with the company's A12 and A14 integrated amps getting bumped up to MKII status.

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Surround Processor Reviews
Rotel RSP-1576MKII Surround Sound Processor Review
Al Griffin  |  Mar 03, 2021  |  6 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing
Dirac Live Full room correction
Fully backlit remote control
Minus
No Dolby Vision pass-through
Music streaming options limited to Bluetooth
Lacks setup and control app

THE VERDICT
Rotel's RSP-1576MKII lacks some features you'd expect to see on a surround sound preamp/processor circa-2021, but audiophile-grade sound quality and Dirac Live Full room correction help make up for any deficits.

Any new surround sound processor circa-2021 is bound to have a heap of demands placed upon it. Along with support for the latest immersive audio formats—Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, etc.—there's music streaming, Auto EQ/room correction, and HDMI video switching of the latest 4K/high dynamic range video formats. And because a surround sound processor serves as the main user interface in an A/V system, ergonomic considerations are paramount—how easy is it to switch between sources and tweak audio settings like surround, subwoofer, and center-channel levels on the fly?

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Other Tech
S&V Remasters Criterion's Screening Room
Al Griffin  |  Jul 24, 2008  |  0 comments

To people who truly care about movies, the Criterion Collection needs no introduction. The company's deep library of meticulously produced and packaged DVD titles speaks for itself, specializing in art-house fare like Stranger Than Paradise, Mishima, and Au revoir les enfants as well as lesser-known international, documentary, and cult films.

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Editor's Eye
S&V’s Evolution Dovetails with the Evolution of A/V
Al Griffin  |  Apr 29, 2020  |  1 comments
In a recent letter, long-time reader David K. Johnson laments the changes that have impacted the content of Sound & Vision in the years following its merger with Home Theater magazine back in 2013. My response to David attributes these changes to a resurgence in audio gear, spanning a number of categories.
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New Products
Samsung 2013 TV Preview
Al Griffin  |  Mar 21, 2013  |  0 comments

Samsung’s product preview event, held on Wednesday 3/20 at NYC’s American Museum of Finance (who knew such a place existed?) was notable on two counts. First, the company announced a price for its 85-inch UN85S9 Ultra HD TV — the cover star of Sound&Vision’s April/May print issue. Second, it had another cover star, SI swimsuit model Kate Upton (fully clothed), along with Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning on hand to say how much they dig the company’s 2013 Smart Hub interface.

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Custom Installation How-To
Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray Disc Player: Second Opinion
Al Griffin  |  Sep 01, 2006  |  0 comments

I'd been eagerly looking forward to the arrival of a Blu-ray Disc player at Sound & Vision since - well, ever since the rival HD DVD format launched last April. But our first round of Blu-ray movie watching ended with executive editor Rob Sabin and I walking away disappointed and confused.

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Custom Installation How-To
Samsung DVD-HD841 Universal DVD/SACD Player
Al Griffin  |  Dec 31, 2004  |  0 comments

Ever since "universal" DVD players first appeared, I've waited patiently for prices to come down and for the flood of Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio titles initially promised to arrive. Well, the flood never came - I've got Yes's Fragile on DVD-Audio and Miles Davis's Kind of Blue on SACD, but I'm still waiting on the Beatles' Sgt.

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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
Samsung Enhances Neo QLED TVs, Adds New MicroLED
Al Griffin  |  Jan 03, 2022  |  0 comments
Samsung is first out of the gate with new TV news for CES 2022. The company’s announcements cover ultra-bigscreen MicroLED models with a new form factor and pre-configured screen size option, Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs with refined backlight control and gaming features, plus enhancements to the company’s lifestyle-oriented The Frame TVs that significantly reduce screen glare and add more lifelike canvas and paper texture to displayed art.
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