Audio Video News

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Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 13, 2012  | 
The road to A/V perfection is littered with formats and products that didn’t make it for one reason or another. Some were technically sound but ahead of their time or poorly marketed. Some were victims of bad timing, unforeseen circumstances, or uninspired design. Others were just plain curious in a “what the heck were they thinking?” kind of way. And then there are the tweak formats and technologies—embraced by enthusiasts and ignored by the masses—that refuse to go away. Here, we remember A/V formats, products, and technologies that are gone but (mostly) not forgotten.
HT Staff  |  Feb 03, 2012  | 
It’s always a blast around here to take a look back and see which of the hundred or so components we’ve reviewed in the last year really rose to the top. Of course, the best of these end up on our Top Picks list, but like watching a good movie whose message or performances resonate in the days and months that follow, there are always a few pieces of gear that prove themselves to be just a little more special over time.
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 31, 2012  | 
It is the most high-tech pigskin playoff yet, and it might be the event that truly marks the debut of social TV.

This year’s SuperBowl is the first to be streamed live online and wirelessly to select mobile phones, so no matter where you are (maybe you've been sent for more beer or ice!), you can stream the game to your PC, tablet, or smartphone and not miss a moment of the action.

Michael Berk  |  Dec 16, 2011  | 

BackStage is a fully interactive iPad and iPhone app that does so much more than inform you of concerts. BackStage serves three main functions for the user. The first is a concert calendar which informs you of concerts in your area based on data from your iTunes library and your current location.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 24, 2011  | 
As the song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year—or the most dreadful, depending on whether or not you plan to join the buying frenzy on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Many stores open at an ungodly hour and offer seemingly outrageous deals on certain products to get people in the door, hoping that they'll buy more than they bargained for and put the store's accounts in the black for the year, which is why it's called Black Friday—either that, or it might be due to all the black eyes resulting from fights over the last remaining $40 Blu-ray player.

Scanning some of the myriad Black Friday websites—my favorite is bfads.net because you can search by product category from multiple retailers—I found a few great deals on home theater gear. In many cases, however, these products are already available at less than the MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price), so the savings I cite here might not be as great as they appear. I've included links to HT's reviews of the same or similar items if available, so let your mouse do the clicking before you venture forth to battle the hordes.

Peter Pachal  |  Nov 17, 2011  | 

It's been a big week for digital music. First Apple finally rolled out iTunes Match, the final link in its chain of cloud services, allowing users to get anytime, anywhere access to all those songs they ripped from CDs over the years or acquired by, uh, let's say "other means." Then on Wednesday Google unveiled Google Music, its fully armed and operational online music store.

Michael Berk  |  Oct 13, 2011  | 

Legrand - a leader in residential wiring and custom install components - in something of a surprise move announced the airQast wireless music system at this year's CEDIA Expo.

HT Staff  |  Oct 12, 2011  | 
AudioStream.com is a new website edited by Michael Lavorgna dedicated to making sense of the evolving world of computer audio and getting the best sound from your computer-based audio system.

The site's motto is "Computer Audio For Everyone" and will focus on the world of computer audio hardware, software and music resources. Topics will include hardware reviews from the mass-market right up to the bleeding-edge of what’s possible as well as in-depth analysis of music management software and an exploration of our newest music resources including HD download sites, streaming media and cloud services.

Michael Berk  |  Oct 04, 2011  | 

NBA2K12, the latest entry in 2K Sports' long-running basketball franchise, hits store shelves today, and it's as slick and smooth-playing as befits a 21st-century sports juggernaut - and with the upcoming NBA season in some doubt, it's a good thing it mimics the real thing so closely. Maybe you won't be getting any NBA Today updates (and real-world rookies won't be appearing until the sport resolves its labor trouble), but the latest NBA2K looks back to the sport's golden years to give you a whole lot more.

Michael Berk  |  Sep 30, 2011  | 

We've been keeping you up to date on the progress of 7.1 in theatrical sound, and Brent Butterworth checked in last month with Dolby Labs Director of Blu-ray Ecosystems Craig Eggers, who gave us an update on some developments in 7.1 for the home - when we talked to Craig, he let us know that while there were some 225 titles available on Blu-ray in 7.1 mixes, most of those simply duplicated the theatrical mixes.

That's starting to change.

Rob Sabin  |  Sep 13, 2011  | 
Polk Audio has introduced its first-ever headphones, and they hope you'll take 'em on the road, or to the gym, the court, or anywhere else you play, practice, or get fit.

The company's four new UltraFit Performance headphones, which range in price from $50 to $100, were designed from the ground up to provide high quality sonics in a highly durable and sports-friendly package that resists falling from the ear or falling apart when worn for rigorous activities. Three in-ear models include the UltraFit 500 ($49.95), the UltraFit 1000 ($69.95), and the UltraFit 3000 (pictured, $99.95). A fourth over-the-air model, the UltraFit 2000 (also pictured, $69.95), features an airframe design with a behind-the-neck reflective wraparound headband.

Michael Berk  |  Sep 07, 2011  | 

A couple of weeks ago, I dropped by an active/passive 3D TV shootout held by LG as part of their effort to publicize the benefits of their passive 3D approach over competing active-shutter systems. LG has survey research data showing that some 80 percent of viewers choose their passive 3D system over any of their competitors' active sets, when asked about color, picture quality, brightness, and comfort of glasses. Format war over?

Michael Berk  |  Sep 06, 2011  | 

Traditionalist jazz trumpet titan Wynton Marsalis and British blues-rock guitar master Eric Clapton may have begun their careers very differently, but as both men have made the transition to elder statesmanship they've repeatedly reaffirmed their love for and dedication to the blues forms that gave rise to jazz and rock in the first place.

Michael Berk  |  Sep 01, 2011  | 

Hopefully you've all been training your ears with Harman's nifty freeware "How to Listen" app, because the audio giant now launched a campaign that gets back to their core values - great sound, simply put - and brings on some highly visible (and highly international) spokespeople to spread the word.

Michael Berk  |  Aug 31, 2011  | 

In a sign of the times for the changing music industry (and an interesting twist in the lengthy tale of the most popular band - 40 million albums sold worldwide and 11 Stateside top tens - to only make it into Rolling Stone magazine once), Canadian prog superheroes Rush have signed with U.S. metal indie Roadrunner (they'll be staying with Anthem/Universal in Canada only).

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