LATEST ADDITIONS

Ask S&V
Streaming Audio to a Pre/Pro
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 01, 2011
I just bought an Integra DHC 80.2 and want to stream music and movies from my HP laptop (or create a separate server) to it with a hard-wired Ethernet connection. However, I want the best possible sound. How can I do this?

Dale

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Audio Video News
Mouser Electronics: more than just a catalog
Michael Berk  |  Jul 01, 2011

 

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Audio Video News
Sony Barks Back on LG 3D Study
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 01, 2011
Sony has issued a spirited rebuttal to a recent LG-commissioned study claiming 80 percent of consumers prefer passive 3D.

In emails sent to the editors of TWICE, Sony's Mike Abary, home division senior VP, and Samsung's John Revie, senior VP, both pointed out that 3D based on active shutter glasses is outselling 3D based on passive glasses.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
13 Assassins—Magnet
Kris Deering  |  Jun 30, 2011
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Cult director Takashi Miike delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war torn future.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions—Warner Bros./New Line Cinema
Kris Deering  |  Jun 30, 2011
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 5/5
"Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring" - With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. "Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" - In the middle chapter of this historic movie trilogy, the Fellowship is broken but its quest to destroy the One Ring continues. "Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King" - The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring.
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Ask S&V
Compact Home-Theater Speakers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 30, 2011
I read in a recent Ask Scott post ("Building a System") that you thought full-range speakers in the system under discussion would be overkill for watching movies. One of the reasons for using bookshelf or compact speakers for the front left/right channels—tonal matching—was also highlighted as an appealing quality in Home Theater's review of B&W 805 compact speaker system (seen here).

I am looking to set up a surround system for the sole purpose of watching movies (no music) in a 12x12 room. As a general rule, do you recommend a system with matching front and surround speakers over a system with full-range fronts and compact surrounds, knowing there will be a sub either way? Most of the systems I see reviewed in magazines as well as all the recommended systems at my favorite local hi-fi store match large floorstanding front speakers with small surrounds, but your advice seems to contradict this.

Johann Dutton

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Premiere Design
Estelon Model XA Speaker
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 30, 2011
Who would have thought that Estonia, a tiny republic on the Baltic Sea in the far northeast corner of the European continent, is home to a high-end speaker maker? Estelon was founded in 2006 to bring the vision of designer Alfred Vassllkov to life. His first product—the Model XA—is still the company's flagship.
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Audio Video News
Consumers High on Passive 3D, Says LG
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 30, 2011
A study sponsored by LG Electronics has found that an overwhelming percentage of consumers prefer passive 3D technology over the active kind.

Miraculously, passive 3D happens to be the very kind LG is selling, versus the kind with active-shutter glasses being marketed by the likes of Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony. What are the chances of that happening?

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Ask S&V
AVR Surround Modes
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 29, 2011
I have a Harman Kardon AVR 146 5.1 receiver. Which surround mode (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, DTS Neo:6, or Logic 7) will provide the most enveloping sound without cranking up the surround speakers? I'm currently using Dolby Digital, and while the rear speakers are supposed to provide ambient sound, I find them lacking. I use a sound meter to set the Channel Adjust levels and a tape measure to determine the distance to the sweet spot for the Delay Adjust settings.

Brian Porter

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Ask S&V
HDMI Audio Return Channel
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 29, 2011
I have all my source devices (TiVo, Roku, Blu-ray player) connected to my Denon AVR-791 via HDMI 1.4a cables, and a single HDMI cable goes to my Panasonic TC-P50VT25 television. If I use the Internet apps on the TV, I cannot hear any sound. How should I set up the AVR and cables to get sound from the TV to my speakers? I have the onboard speakers disabled, of course, and if I turn them on, the sound does work. I don't know if the AVR can take audio back over the HDMI cable through the HDMI output port.

I ask because the Netflix app on the TV is pretty good. I thought the same version would be on the matching Panasonic 3D Blu-ray player, but it's not. Right now, we use the version on the TiVo or Roku.

Paul Wurster

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