LATEST ADDITIONS

Apptitude
Get Thee to the Abbey
Michael Antonoff  |  Dec 16, 2015
Back in 2001 when the M.I.T. Media Lab unveiled a demo about social media and TV, it presaged greater things to come. At the bottom of the TV screen, viewers’ live comments appeared for all to see, demonstrating the potential of instant feedback shareable by everyone. My eyes opened wide as I experienced the idea of social media at a time when tweets were still for the birds and Facebook wouldn’t launch for another three years.

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Audio Video News
Denon Sends "Save-The-Date" for DTS:X Upgrades
Rob Sabin  |  Dec 15, 2015
If you're the owner of a new Denon A/V receiver awaiting the long-promised firmware update for DTS:X object-based surround sound, your wait is, well, still not over. But in what amounts to an invitation to the party, the company has now announced specific dates for the roll-out of that firmware for three 2015 models.

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Audio Video News
Lenovo Bows Atmos Tablet
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 15, 2015
Would a tablet computer benefit from height-enhanced Dolby Atmos surround sound? Lenovo customers are about to find out with a new series of Yoga Tab 3 models. Technically, what they offer is “virtual Atmos.” The top model, a 10.1-inch Android 5.0 tablet ($499), also boasts a 70-inch video projector that rotates 180 degrees. It delivers “virtual Atmos” through four built-in JBL speakers as well as through headphones. Two other Yoga Tab 3s, with 10-inch ($199) and 8-inch ($169) screens, deliver Atmos through headphones only.
Signals
The Unbearable Brightness of Being 4K Ultra HD
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 15, 2015
The UHD Alliance, a coalition of 30+ companies, is developing the technical standards that define the ecosystem of 4K Ultra HD television comprising displays, content, and distribution. The group has previously published various specifications, but the complete 4K Ultra HD specification has only just been completed, and will be debuted at the upcoming CES in 2016. The spec took forever to hammer out because of a curious disparity in display technologies. Exactly what the hold up? Brightness.

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Audio Video News
Poll: Pricing and Content Key for Ultra HD Blu-ray
SV Staff  |  Dec 15, 2015
Panasonic’s DMR-UBZ1 Ultra HD Blu-ray player went on sale in Japan last month.

Will you buy an Ultra HD Blu-ray player? That’s the question we posed in last week’s poll—a question inspired by John Sciacca’s Connected Life blog, Ultra HD Blu-ray Is Coming…but Do you Care?”

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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
Samsung UN60JS7000FXZA LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 14, 2015

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive resolution—in both 4K and 1080p
Natural-looking color—even before calibration
Appealing price
Minus
Mediocre blacks
Image fades off-center

THE VERDICT
For a rewarding experience in watching that big game or a favorite movie, Samsung’s UN60JS7000 should please all but the fussy video perfectionist prepared to pay a lot more for his or her new Ultra HD set.

Samsung’s new 60-inch UN60JS7000FXZA joins the majority of 4K Ultra HDTVs on the market offering 4K as their main UHD calling card. But according to Samsung, it will also respond to the metadata for high dynamic range sources and display it—though not to the same brightness level as will, for example, the company’s higher-end sets, including the so-called “SUHD” UN65JS9500FXZA (Sound & Vision, September 2015 and soundandvision.com). The JS7000 is also claimed to respond to the wide color offered in some UHD material, in the same way as other Samsung SUHD sets, but it downconverts any 10-bit color source to 8 bits (which corresponds to fewer gradations of color being available for display).

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Remotely Possible
Sonos Trueplay Speaker Tuning: The Bear Facts
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Dec 14, 2015
Sonos Trueplay. What is it, and can it make a stuffed bear disappear?
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Audio Video News
Wireworld to Unveil ‘Headphone Cable Polygraph’
SV Staff  |  Dec 14, 2015
Wireworld Cable Technology announced plans to demonstrate a system designed to reveal how headphone cables affect sound quality.
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ApptitudeAudio Video News
Live Theater to the Home Theater
Michael Antonoff  |  Dec 14, 2015
Successive Thursday night offerings in December of live musicals to the home were as different as could be: The Wiz featured a big cast and attracted an audience of millions through its broadcast on NBC; Daddy Long Legs was performed by two actors and seen by thousands via the Internet. Yet it was Daddy that made history as the first off-Broadway show streamed live from New York.
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Tech2
Charities that Appeal to the A/V Fan
Lauren Dragan  |  Dec 12, 2015
It’s the holiday season! Time to read every A/V site’s gear guide, round out your wish list, and snag the perfect present for that hard-to-buy-for friend. But if you’re anything like me, after the Black Friday frenzy dies down, you start to feel as though you want to do a little more. If the holidays put you in a giving mood, I’d like to offer you a different sort of gift list: Charities that appeal to the audio/video/tech enthusiast’s heart. Ready to have your heart grow three sizes? Read on!
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