LATEST ADDITIONS

Ears On
In Progress: Pioneer's Push/Pull
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 06, 2011
While we await the news from today's Apple event, I'd like to toss out an observation connected to a yet-to-be-published review. This may be the first such piece in a continuing series. Or not. You never know.

What struck me about the Pioneer VSX-1021-K ($549) is the way it accommodates both push and pull of iTunes content via AirPlay. You can push content from computers or portable iDevices into the receiver. The receiver will even turn itself on and select the appropriate input. But it can also pull content from other router-connected devices using DLNA.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Test Report: Onkyo TX-NR509 A/V Receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Jun 05, 2011

Difficult though this may be to believe, not everyone in 2011 America can afford to earmark $1,500 for an A/V receiver — or even $500. Still more shockingly, not every person who can would even choose to. Well, then, how about $400? Onkyo apparently sees this figure as being a bit more like it.

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Test Report: SVS SB13-Plus Subwoofer
Brent Butterworth  |  Jun 04, 2011

I would never do what SVS did with its new subwoofer, the SB13-Plus. The company originally sent me a review sample last fall, but then asked me to hold the review. How come? Because the engineers tweaked the sub’s Sledge STA-1000D amplifier. It took months for the new amplifier to arrive. That’s months of revenue lost for the sake of slightly better sound.

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Test Report: Sharp XV-Z17000 3D DLP Projector
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 03, 2011

Sharp was once king of the $10,000 projector class, a class that has nearly disappeared. With the 3D era under way, it returns to the game with this $4,995 offering, only to find the market far more competitive than before.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blu-ray Review: Lolita
Ken Korman  |  Jun 03, 2011

It’s never easy making a film of a great novel. For director Stanley Kubrick, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita presented not only the fairly typical challenge of translating a story built around characters’ internal thoughts and feelings but also, in 1962, the task of dealing with a taboo subject. 

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Vote
Do You Own a 3D Display?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 03, 2011
I've heard and read several reports indicating that the adoption rate of 3DTV in the home is faster than it was for HDTV and Blu-ray in their first year and a half. Now that we have some idea of how many readers enjoy 3D in commercial theaters and in a home setting from the last two poll questions (here and here, respectively), I'd like to know if you actually have a 3D display in your home, even if you don't use its 3D capabilities. If not, do you plan to buy one sometime this year? Even if you hate 3D, you might be considering a 3D display for its generally superior 2D performance.

I'm delighted that so many of you have posted comments with the last two poll questions—thanks to all who did!—though I wonder why only about half as many voted and commented in the poll about 3D at home as in the one about 3D in commercial theaters. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to read them. In any event, I really hope you leave a comment elaborating on your vote in this week's question. For instance, which 3D display do you have or plan to get?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Do You Own a 3D Display?
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Ask S&V
Passive vs. Active 3D
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 03, 2011
My fiance and I will be buying a house soon, and once we're moved in and settled, we are going to buy a new HDTV. Unlike Leo Laporte, we are BIG fans of 3DTV. I have been following 3D and the various incarnations of 3DTV over the years. Now that real 3DTV is here, we can't wait!

The tough part will be deciding between the active-shutter system and the passive-polarized system. I have been looking at active systems for over a year, and I saw my first passive system at Best Buy about a month ago. It was quite impressive.

Is there any risk of a format war between the passive and active systems? Does all 3D programming work on both active and passive systems?

Frank Ireland

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Review: JBL Studio 180 tower speaker
Brent Butterworth  |  Jun 03, 2011

On my first gig as an electronics journalist, way back in 1989, the magazine’s senior editor introduced me to the technical editor with the explanation, “He’s in charge of all the black boxes.” Twenty-two years later, little has changed.

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Audio Video News
Kaiser Chiefs get medieval on music marketing
Michael Berk  |  Jun 03, 2011

Kaiser Chiefs' fourth studio album, The Future is Medieval, comes out today - but with a twist. The Chiefs have invited purchasers of the record to assemble and sell their own versions, building an online hub where fans they can find an audience for their personal Medievals.

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Audio Video News
A Brighter Idea
Brent Butterworth  |  Jun 03, 2011

This is not just another new video projection company. At least, that's the impression I got after hearing the pitch for Display Development, a firm founded by projection-industry veterans Jim Burns and Pat Bradley.

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