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HDTV Buying TipsHDTV Tech
How Smart Are Current Smart TVs?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 24, 2014
There’s no doubt that Smart TVs have been getting smarter. While the earliest Smart TVs were limited to streaming movies and basic Web browsing, today’s models may encompass voice or gesture commands, the ability to “throw” your favorite photos to the screen from your smartphone, facial recognition for customized user menus, or even the ability to recommend shows based on your past viewing.
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Tech2
Torque App and Parrot Asteroid Together
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jan 24, 2014  |  First Published: Jan 23, 2014
This is a bit of an odd review. This is a review of two products I’ve already reviewed.

What’s cool is these two products are finally together, and they really deserved to be together.

One is an in-dash entertainment system, the other is a cool automotive data app. Together they’re awesome.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Harman/Kardon AVR 3700 AV Receiver
Daniel Kumin  |  Jan 23, 2014

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Powerful yet lightweight
Fast, HD onscreen menus
Built-in Wi-Fi
Minus
Limited audio streaming formats
Unfriendly DLNA streaming navigation
Surround-mode selection a bit clunky

THE VERDICT
A highly competitive audio and video performer in the kilobuck range, H/K’s AVR 3700 should do any home theater justice.

Harman/Kardon is among the quartet of major brands of American audio launched following World War II. (McIntosh, Marantz, and Sherwood are the others.) It’s further distinguished as the only one continuously retained by its owners as a U.S. company—though H/K today is just one brand of the sprawling Harman International empire. (History sidebar: During the Carter presidency, H/K was sold to Beatrice Foods while founder Sidney Harman served as Carter’s Under Secretary of Commerce; Harman then reacquired the company.)

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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Monsters University
Chris Chiarella  |  Jan 23, 2014
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Ever wonder how Monsters, Inc.’s Mike and Sully met? Me neither, since their friendship is so well defined in that vastly superior original film. But Monsters University takes us back to their college days anyway, when the optimistic Mr. Wozanski and the cocky Mr. Sullivan first crossed paths. Since childhood, the bookish, hardworking Mike has dreamed of becoming the greatest scarer ever, but after a disastrous first semester, he must win the campus Scare Games if he’s to have any hope of continuing his education. That means teaming up with a ragtag bunch of underdogs—and with Sully, who is rather a shallow jerk before he learns to play nice. This prequel is fraught with clichés and soon feels too darned long. As we used to say back when I was in school, that’s a bummer.
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New ProductsPremiere Design
McIntosh MA8000 Integrated Amplifier
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 23, 2014
The audio world has undergone dramatic change since stacks of McIntosh amplifiers powered the iconic Woodstock Festival in 1969. One thing that hasn’t changed much is the signature VU meter that’s become synonymous with McIntosh Labs, which has been making high-performance audio gear since 1949 when Frank McIntosh set out to build a better amplifier. His legacy lives on behind the glowing meters that adorn the elegant glass faceplate of Mac’s latest masterpiece, the MA8000 integrated amplifier.
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New Products
Benchmark THX Amp Tech Bears Fruit
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 23, 2014
The Benchmark AHB2 is the first power amplifier to use energy-efficient technology developed by THX. The two-channel amp is rated at 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, 170 watts into 4 ohms, or 340 watts into 8 ohms with vanishing low total harmonic distortion of less than 0.00013 percent at 1 kilohertz. “Benchmark is a great partner to roll out THX’s patented all-analog amplifier technology,” says Laurie Fincham, THX senior VP and audio éminence grise. It uses low-profile components to achieve high-power amplification and, if THX’s hopes are fulfilled, may be used in audio/video receivers, TVs, powered speakers, car systems, and handheld devices.
SmartStream
Net Neutrality Ruling Could Affect the Future of Streaming
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 23, 2014
A U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC cannot regulate Net Neutrality. What is Net Neutrality and how will it affect streaming 4K, HD video and content from Netflix, Hulu, and other services?
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Ask S&V
Is the Qdeo Video Processing in My BD Player and Receiver the Same?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 23, 2014
Q I recently updated my old receiver with a Pioneer VSX-1123-K. The difference in picture and sound quality is fantastic. I had also planned to update my old Blu-ray player with an Oppo, which I hear has superior picture quality due to its use of a Marvell Qdeo video processing chip. I’ve heard that the VSX-1123-K also uses the same processor. Does that mean I wouldn't see a difference in picture quality if I upgraded to the Oppo? —Al Baran / Stratford, CT
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Remotely Possible
CES 2014: Been There, Missed That
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 22, 2014
CES is just too big for any one human being - or, in our case, nine human beings - to cover completely. And, unless you’re a word-factory like my compatriot, John “The Sciacca” (who, I believe, outsources his blogs and reviews to a small company in Sri Lanka), it’s damn near impossible to write about everything you see at CES while you’re in Las Vegas. And then, of course, there are all the things you didn’t see but wished you had...
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Audio Video News
MGM Celebrates 90 Years of Filmmaking
SV Staff  |  Jan 22, 2014
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) announced today a yearlong campaign to honor the studio’s storied 90-year legacy. Founded in 1924 when theater magnate Marcus Loew bought and merged Metro Pictures Corp. with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, MGM and its legendary roaring lion signify the golden era of Hollywood. Since its inception, the company has produced more than 175 Academy Award-winning films, including 14 Best Pictures.
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