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Vintage Gear
Quad ESL-57: The Original Electrostatic Speaker
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 13, 2020  |  0 comments
The Quad Electrostatic Loudspeaker (a.k.a. ESL-57), revered by critics the world over as one of the most natural sounding speakers ever built, may well be the most beloved speaker of all time. Here's why.
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SmartStream
Roku and Plex Offer Free Live TV Channels
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 12, 2020  |  1 comments
If you've cut the cord and are looking for free content, Roku and Plex have new Live TV offerings.
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Soundbar Reviews
LG SN8YG 3.1.2 Atmos Soundbar Review
Al Griffin  |  Aug 12, 2020  |  0 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Good sound quality with movies and music
AI Room Calibration feature
HDMI eARC connectivity
Chromecast built-in and Google Assistant
Minus
Could use an extra HDMI input

THE VERDICT
The Verdict: LG's affordable 3.1.2 soundbar performs well with movies and music and features new room correction processing.

It was around this time last year that I reviewed LG's SL8YG, a 3.1.2 soundbar equipped with upfiring 2.5-inch drivers and both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing. What was notable about that model, as well as other soundbars to arrive from LG in 2019, was the company's effort to go upscale via a sleek new design and custom audio processing from England's Meridian Technologies. The new SN8YG reviewed here continues that upward trajectory, mostly through the addition of a few key features.

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New Products
TCL Announces Pricing, Availability for 2020 Roku TVs
Al Griffin  |  Aug 11, 2020  |  0 comments
TV maker TCL today announced that its 5-Series Roku models for 2020 are now available, and that pre-orders are being taken for the new 6-Series Roku sets it expects to ship later this month.
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Signals
The Cat-and-Mouse Game of Predatory Pricing
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 10, 2020  |  6 comments
So a woman walks into a store to buy a smart speaker. She sees that the speakers are selling for 20 bucks. “Wow,” she exclaims, and asks the store owner, “How can you sell these for such a low price?” The store owner responds, “Well, actually, each speaker costs us 30 bucks.” The woman says, “Then how do you make a profit?” The owner responds, “We make up for it on volume.” The woman says, “That's illegal!”
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Deer Hunter
Brandon A. DuHamel  |  Aug 07, 2020  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
With a heavyweight cast including Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, and Meryl Streep, 1979's five-time Academy Award-winning (including for Best Picture and Best Director) The Deer Hunter is an at times elegiac look at an America that was. It also explores the domestic woes of the working class, and later takes a brutal view of the experiences and consequences of war.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Gear for the Waning Days of Summer
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 06, 2020  |  0 comments
The summer of 2020 has seen a sizable flow of new gear as A/V makers look to regain their footing after months of pandemic lockdown. Here we highlight a handful of recent introductions with an emphasis on those designed to make outdoor life a little more enjoyable.
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The S&V Interview
Jon Anderson, Soothsayer of Wonderous Stories
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 06, 2020  |  2 comments
Forgive the imagery, but Jon Anderson is like the Energizer bunny of progressive music—he just keeps on going and going. The legendary founding Yes vocalist/lyricist forges ever onward like a man perpetually possessed by his muse, whether he's adding to his own solo canon or collaborating on shared-name releases with the likes of violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Flower Kings guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt, or his former fellow Yesmates in the short-lived but quite well-loved musically acrobatic acronym known alternately as ARW, or YES Featuring Jon Anderson - Trevor Rabin - Rick Wakeman.
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Projector Reviews
Vava VA-LT002 4K Laser DLP Projector Review
Al Griffin  |  Aug 05, 2020  |  2 comments
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy installation and setup
Built-in soundbar
Plentiful connectivity
Minus
Limited picture setup options
Limited brightness and contrast
App store lacks popular apps

THE VERDICT
Vava's 4K ultra short throw laser projector provides a simple solution for getting a large image plus sound in your living room, but requires a specific screen for best performance.

Vava's VA-LT002 4K Laser DLP projector is the first product of its kind to arrive from a company that offers a range of lifestyle-type electronics such as camera/DVRs for your car's dashboard and baby monitors to check on junior. At the 2020 CES, the VA-LT002, an ultra short throw model with built-in streaming apps and a 60-watt Harman Kardon stereo audio system, was the centerpiece of the company's suite. Paired with a 100-inch projection screen and playing 4K nature footage, I found the image it beamed absorbing—enough so that I was able to focus and block out an overexcited YouTube tech personality in the room recording a segment.

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A/V Veteran
Movie Theaters: The Way They Were
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 04, 2020  |  10 comments
We all have our own early experiences with moviegoing. My mother once told me that when I was two or three she took me to a movie about a dog. I apparently sobbed uncontrollably when the dog got lost and couldn’t find his way home. This probably left a lifelong scar; as the old saying goes, never follow a dog act. I’m not a cat person, perhaps because few movies have ever been made about a cat (well, there was at least one recently about a bunch of them, but let’s not go there!). There was never a Fluffy Come Home.

Once upon a time the movie on the screen was only part of a theater experience; the theater itself was often part of the show.

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