Audio Video News

Now that 4K TVs are hitting the stores, what’s the outlook for 4K sporting events? Among pros surveyed by Miranda Sports Productions, 33.5 percent said HD 1080p would be their first pick for outfitting production trucks three years from now. 4K was their second choice at 28.6 percent, and HD 1080i came in third at 24.4 percent. Lagging far behind were IPTV (4.4 percent), 8K (3.7 percent), 720p (2.6 percent), 3D (1.9 percent), and SD (0.9 percent). Currently the top format in sports production is 1080i at 54.4 percent, followed by 720p and SD, tied at 18.1 percent, and 1080p at 7 percent.

McIntosh Laboratory has announced the imminent arrival of the MHA100, the company’s first dedicated headphone amplifier, and the MXA70 integrated audio system.

Crestron has announced that select Denon and Marantz AV receivers can now be updated via firmware to seamlessly integrate with the company’s home automation systems. The update can be accessed via the receiver’s system setup menu.

John Sciacca offered a number of great suggestions for what to do with old equipment in his recent Old Electronics Get New Life column, which inspired us to pose this question to Sound & Vision readers: How do you get rid of old AV gear that’s past its prime.

Well, the results are in and 60 percent of the tally was a near toss up between 1) moving gear to another room, 2) giving it to a friend or relative, and 3) selling it at a garage sale or online through a site like eBay—all excellent ways to keep good used gear in circulation. Here’s the complete breakdown:

Sharp has announced the nationwide availability of its Aquos Quattron+ series of televisions it unveiled at the 2014 International CES in January. Q+ models accept native 4K signals and incorporate proprietary Revelation technology, which divides each subpixel in the display to create 10 million more subpixels than a standard 1080p HDTV for a playback resolution between standard HD and Ultra HD.

Chinese consumer electronics giant TCL (The Creative Life) yesterday introduced a 48-inch 1080p LED-backlit LCD HDTV that will be sold exclusively through Sam’s Club stores nationwide and online at SamsClub.com for $449 starting in early March. The model is the first in a 2014 lineup of TVs with screen sizes ranging from 23 to 55 inches due out later this spring.