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Audio Video News
Poll: Home Entertainment Keeps S&V Readers Busy
SV Staff  |  Mar 28, 2020  |  0 comments
A few days ago we asked S&V readers how they're spending newfound free time at home as most of us hunker down and do our part to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Here's what they said...
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Zombieland: Double Tap
Roger Kanno  |  Mar 27, 2020  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Zombieland: Double Tap revisits the characters of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock (played by Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin, respectively) 10 years after the original Zombieland takes place. There is plenty of clever dialogue and zombie kills to keep the film moving at an entertaining pace, even though it lacks some of the freshness of the original. This latest version of the zombie apocalypse also benefits from an excellent supporting cast that includes Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch, Luke Wilson, Avan Jogia, and Zoey Deutch in an especially humorous performance.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Clarus Unveils New High-End Audio Cables
SV Staff  |  Mar 27, 2020  |  1 comments
Responding to “repeated requests” from its customers, Clarus, the sister brand of Tributaries specializing in high-end audio cables, is updating its popular Crimson line with new Mark II balanced XLR and singled-ended RCA audio cables and speaker cables.
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Audio Video News
LG TVs Get Movies Anywhere App
SV Staff  |  Mar 27, 2020  |  0 comments
LG today announced the availability of the Movies Anywhere app on LG smart TVs built from 2017 onward and running version 3.5 or higher of its webOS platform.
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Ask S&V
How Do I Know When to Change My Projector’s Bulb?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 26, 2020  |  1 comments
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I made the decision to buy an Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2045 3LCD projector about three years ago...I know I’ll need to change the bulb out at some point and would like to know how to tell when the lamp has dimmed to the point of needing replacement. I have no idea how many hours we’ve used it, or how to find out that information. —Scott Miller, via email

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Audio Video News
Sports-Centric PlayersTV Now Live on Samsung TVs
SV Staff  |  Mar 26, 2020  |  0 comments
Sports fans who are mourning the loss of live games for a still-undetermined amount of time may get some relief from the new PlayersTV network that just launched on Samsung TVs.
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The S&V Interview
Prog Giants Nektar Remember The Future from The Other Side
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 26, 2020  |  0 comments
Some bands have sonic innovation flowing through their veins, right from conception. Case in point: Nektar, the progressive European collective who initially made their bones in Germany in the 1970s, even though their founding members were all from the U.K. Early, mind-expanding Nektar albums like 1971’s Journey to the Centre of the Eye, 1972’s A Tab in the Ocean, and 1973’s Remember the Future were all said to have influenced the always exploratory likes of Pink Floyd. I sat down with Derek “Mo” Moore and founding drummer Ron Howden to discuss the enduring legacy of their deep canon and how they address their history on their recent album The Other Side.
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SmartStream
How to Watch First-Run Movies at Home and Extend Free Streaming Trials
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 25, 2020  |  0 comments
Streaming is hotter than ever in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown as Hollywood scraps theatrical release schedules and streaming services extend free-trial periods. Let’s take a closer look.
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Integrated Amp Reviews
Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amplifier Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Mar 25, 2020  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,195

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Generous power from a super-slim chassis
Bypass input for surround system integration
Flexible, analog-domain subwoofer filtering
Full-size, backlighted remote control
Minus
Digital conversion limited to 24/96 via USB
No built-in Bluetooth or other wireless features

THE VERDICT
An affordable integrated amplifier-DAC with substantial power, high-quality conversion, flexible inputs and outputs, and full-function remote. Bravo.

I like simple. Simple is good. Simple works. Simple makes my job easier and helps me sleep at night.

Parasound, a Bay Area maker with a half-century of success walking the parapet between high end audiophilia and value-engineering design, apparently concurs. The company's new NewClassic 200 Integrated is, as you might well guess, an integrated amplifier, with a high-quality onboard digital-to-analog converter section. The 200 Integrated was in fact derived by the simple expedient of sliding a class-D stereo power amp sourced from Danish class-D amp-module stalwart Pascal Audio into its otherwise-identical preamp stablemate. This slim, two-channel module delivers a claimed 110 watts per channel into either 4-ohm or 8-ohm loads with typical class-D efficiency, pulling only a modest 50 watts from the wall.

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Vote
Poll: What’s Your Go-To Form of Home Entertainment?
SV Staff  |  Mar 24, 2020  |  9 comments
In his new blog, AV veteran Tom Norton shares some of the AV entertainment-related things he’s been doing to occupy his “mandated free time.” In a world that’s been shaken to its core by the coronavirus pandemic, we all have something in common as we contemplate how to make the best of a situation over which we have no control. When your garage, basement, and closets are all nice and tidy, then what? Which brings us to our poll question: What’s your go-to form of home entertainment during these stay-at-home days? Pick the response that best describes your top choice. And, as always, leave a comment to elaborate on your selection or tell us what we missed.
Poll: What’s Your Go-To Form of Home Entertainment?
Watching movies and TV shows on disc (ideally 4K Blu-ray)
27% (288 votes)
Watching movies and TV shows on disc (any format)
8% (86 votes)
Online video gaming
3% (28 votes)
Console video gaming
6% (68 votes)
Streaming 4K movies and TV shows on a single service (Netflix, Amazon Prime video, Disney+, etc.)
7% (79 votes)
Streaming movies and TV shows on a single service (any format)
4% (42 votes)
Streaming 4K movies and TV shows on several services
12% (126 votes)
Streaming movies and TV shows on several services (any format)
17% (180 votes)
Streaming music in hi-res on a single service (Tidal, Qobuz, etc.)
4% (38 votes)
Streaming music in different formats on several services
3% (31 votes)
Spinning Compact Discs on my CD player
5% (58 votes)
Spinning vinyl LPs on my turntable
5% (53 votes)
Livestream music performances on social media
0% (2 votes)
Total votes: 1079
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