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Streaming Device Reviews
Amazon Fire TV Stick Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 01, 2015

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $39

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy installation in any HDMI port
Straightforward, simple menus
ASAP technology loads full resolution videos instantly
Plenty of free content for Amazon Prime members
Minus
Missing some major apps including Vudu and M-Go
Global search favors Amazon results
Remote app is inconsistent and voice search may not work

THE VERDICT
A great streaming choice for Amazon Prime members, particularly those who travel.

In case the 3-inch-square Fire TV was too big for you, Amazon has released its follow-up to that high-performing streaming media player. Along with reducing size to fit on an HDMI dongle, Amazon has also reduced the price—to $39, versus $99 for the full-size Fire TV. While the Stick comes without the original’s built-in remote control microphone for voice search (a mic remote is an option) and uses a dual-core processor rather than a quad-core processor, the differences are hardly noticeable in use. Both Fire TVs make it easy for Amazon Prime members to stream over 40,000 free movies and millions of songs as well as access an unlimited number of personal photos stored in the Amazon Cloud. And the Stick’s small size and weight should make it perfect for tossing in your luggage for streaming in hotel rooms while traveling (assuming, of course, suitable Wi-Fi access).

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Home Movie Theaters
Two Award-Winning Home Theaters
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 30, 2015
The music industry has the Grammys to recognize outstanding contributions to the art of song composition. The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, aka CEDIA, which you might know from our coverage of the annual CEDIA Expo, has the Electronic Lifestyles Awards to honor the creativity and technical skill behind some of the most advanced home entertainment and home automation systems on the planet. Here we profile two of the 14 home theaters that made the cut in 2014.
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SmartStream
Hulu Scores Seinfeld and AMC Exclusive, New Features, Yada Yada
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 29, 2015
Hulu announced that it has licensed all 180 episodes of Seinfeld in an exclusive Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) streaming deal. The news was presented at the annual Hulu UpFront event for potential advertisers. Along with the Seinfeld deal, Hulu unveiled its new lineup of original content and another exclusive deal with AMC for future shows.
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Ask S&V
Can I Buy a Surround Sound Processor for Headphones?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 29, 2015
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I am looking for a standalone headphone surround sound processor that handles both Dolby Digital and DTS and lets me use my own headphones. Does such a product exist? —Anthony Aurigemma

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The S&V Interview
Tori Amos on the Genesis of Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 29, 2015
Tori Amos has always been an artist who knows what she wants, and knows how to get it. “Music was always first,” she says. “The records you hear, whether you like them or not, you can blame me for, because I was fighting all the time that the songs were represented in the right way.” For Tori, the “right way” meant staying true to the core of her quite personal songwriting, piano-driven arrangements, and unique vocal character, all of which are on fine display on the just-issued two-disc Deluxe Editions of 1992’s Little Earthquakes (1992) and 1994’s Under the Pink (both on Rhino). “I’ve taken a pretty firm stand about being a woman in control of my destiny — for good or ill, you know?” she admits. “People know that I fight for the art, and the music. I’m not going to back down.” Here, Amos, 51, and I discuss the hard-fought genesis of Earthquakes and Pink, how her sound-quality goals shifted in the transition from the ’80s to the ’90s, and how she forged her artistic identity.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Get on Up
Guido Henkel  |  Apr 29, 2015
Picture
Sound
Extras
By their very nature, biopics are a mixed bag. On the one hand, they tell the story of a person in the limelight with achievements viewers are familiar with, while on the other, they explore sides of the person that have typically escaped the public eye. Striking the right balance between the two is the key. Get on Up takes a look at the life of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, a man whose musical legacy can be heard and felt in almost every bit of popular music today. The film jumps liberally between different periods of Brown’s life in anecdotal form, covering his childhood, his meteoric rise to stardom, the fall, the comeback, and everything in between. While it feels a bit disjointed at times, the film nonetheless manages to draw a portrait of Brown and what drove him to become one of the most recognizable names in music.
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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3500 3D LCD Projector Review
Michael P. Hamilton  |  Apr 29, 2015
2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Epson puts the “light” in PowerLite
Well suited for brighter environments
Adjustments galore
Includes two pair of 3D glasses
Minus
Dynamic range short of true black
Default color tracking errors

THE VERDICT
Powerful light output with quiet operation and excellent build quality partner with 3D at an attractive price.

Even for those of us within the electronics industry, the constant evolution and ascending levels of technology combined with an ever-lower price of admittance continues to astonish. In the universe of projected light, a stellar example of this can be found in the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3500 projector.

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Editor's Eye
What Projection and Hi-Res Audio Have in Common
Rob Sabin  |  Apr 29, 2015
We’ve recently spent time covering two very different audio/video technologies. One is long-established but in some ways breaking new ground. The other—well, I suppose that’s also long-established and breaking new ground, though with a fresh spin.
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Ask S&V
Can I Use Different Brands of Subwoofers in My Home Theater?
Al Griffin  |  Apr 27, 2015
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Can I use two different brands of subwoofers in my home theater?—Alphonse Michelet / via e-mail

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Audio Video News
Definitive Technology Announces Fundraiser to Support Forte for Children
SV Staff  |  Apr 27, 2015
June Event to Feature Performances by John Legend and Tristan Prettyman

Definitive Technology will host a fundraiser on June 12 at the Copley Symphony Hall in downtown San Diego to support Forte for Children, a charitable foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged children through music education and therapy.

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