Audio Video News

Sony and Best Buy today announced that starting this week Sony Hi-Res Listening Stations are being rolled out to 250 Magnolia Home Theater locations around the country, joining the 82 Magnolia Design Centers that have had listening stations since late last year. The rollout is expected to be complete by September.

Vizio today announced enhancements to the SmartCast App it introduced earlier this year and announced that Google Play Movies & TV will be integrated into the app.

Kaleidescape, the company that pioneered the movie server category and waged an unsuccessful decade-long battle over the right to sell disc-ripping movie servers, has closed its doors.

UPDATE: As was reported on soundandvision.com, Kaleidescape announced on Friday, September 9th that it had secured new funding and reopened its doors as a slimmed down operation with plans to continue selling its new Strato line. You can read the story here.

Whether it dates back to classic TV shows like My Favorite Martian who knows but levitating speakers are apparently a thing. We recommended the Om/One novelty speaker in our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide and now Taiwan-based ASWY has announced that it will unveil a prototype wireless home theater system with levitating speakers at IFA 2016 in Berlin, which opens September 4.

It’s that time of year—when kids cringe and parents rejoice. The school bus armadas have begun. Little ones are heading back to school, but the whole family is heading back to the malls and online to load up on school supplies for the year. What tops the shopping list? Technology. What is the third most popular back-to-school technology purchase? Headphones. Bizarre, right?

On Tuesday, Irvine, CA-based startup Epict launched its WatchAir Smart HDTV Antenna on Kickstarter. Less than four days later the company had already funded 97 percent of its $50,000 goal with 29 days to spare. Not too shabby.