LATEST ADDITIONS

CES 2014
GoldenEar Technology Goes Wide and Tall
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 14, 2014
GoldenEar Technology introduced its new 3D Array XL soundbar (Spring, $1500). It's wide enough to accommodate a 70-inch HDTV, and as a passive soundbar requires an external AVR. GoldenEar recommends separate surrounds and a subwoofer for optimum results (not included), though it can operate without them.
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CES 2014
Sensio 3DGO! Gives 3D TV Owners Rental Options
John Sciacca  |  Jan 12, 2014
While 3D demonstrations at CES were almost non-existent – other than some glasses-free technology demonstrations put on from some companies or the massive 140-panel mega-3D display outside of LG’s booth – there are still millions of 3D capable TVs already in the marketplace and people’s homes. Sensio looks to tap into this reservoir of displays by delivering tons of streaming 3D content directly to these displays with its 3DGO! rental service.

The company said that 3DGO! had to be “good 3D” which means good content, good quality and a good user experience. The UI was definitely slick, allowing you to easily navigate films and make a selection. The service currently offers about 100 titles and has deals inked with some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters in the form of Disney, Pixar, Paramount, Dreamworks Animation, Universal, Starz and National Geographic.

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CES 2014
Is Bluesound an Audiophile Sonos Killer?
John Sciacca  |  Jan 12, 2014
I stumbled across Bluesound at a suite in the Venetian on my last day of the show and I’m certainly glad that I did. This new company is comprised of many of the same people from NAD with a true passion for delivering uncompromised audio, and Bluesound looks to have an array of products that might be the first true high-end challenger to Sonos’ wireless music dominance.

The Bluesound system is comprised of four primary components: Node, PowerNode, Vault, and Pulse. With a combination of these units, you can build a wireless housewide music system that suits your needs and is capable of streaming FLAC, AAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, WMA-L, OGG and MP3 files up to full resolution 24-bit/192kHz quality!

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CES 2014
Tiësto and CEO of Audiofly Talk Headphones, Touring, and Iron Maiden
Lauren Dragan  |  Jan 12, 2014
In a press conference at CES this week, Audiofly announced a partnership with Tiësto, world renowned DJ and record producer, in the creation of three new in-ear headphones. The line, called “Club Life by Tiësto” will range in price from $30-$150, and will be available this spring 2014. But what really goes into the creation of headphones, especially one with someone like Tiësto attached? After all the press had cleared their tripods, I got invited to sit down for an informal chat with Tiësto and Dave Thompson, CEO of Audiofly inside their booth on the CES show floor to find out.
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CES 2014
4K Streaming Coming Directly to Ultra HD TVs
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 11, 2014
To counter protests that there isn’t enough content to justify buying a 4K TV, a number of manufacturers of 4K UHD TVs announced built-in online movie streaming capabilities with content to become available immediately.
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CES 2014
Leon Tailors OTO Soundbar to Your TV
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 11, 2014
In Japanese, “oto” means “sound.” At Leon Speakers, Horizon OTO is the name of the company’s latest soundbar, which is custom tailored to match the finish and width of any TV between 38 and 65 inches. Introduced at 2014 CES, OTO finesses six drivers—four 3-inch aluminum woofers and two cloth-dome tweeters—in a svelte MDF cabinet less than 2 inches deep; the drivers are arranged in left- and right-channel woofer-tweeter-woofer complements and powered by a 2 x 50-watt amplifier.

In addition to onboard Dolby Digital processing, OTO has a front-panel touch screen for easy control, optical and stereo analog inputs, and a wireless subwoofer output. OTO is priced at $2,895 or you can pair it with the optional Aaros A8-400 wireless subwoofer, featuring an 8-inch woofer and 400 watts of power, for $4,000.

CES 2014
Video Guru Joe Kane on Putting the Ultra in Ultra HDTV
Al Griffin  |  Jan 11, 2014
Joe Kane is a name that should be familiar to most, if not all, videophiles. The man is almost single-handedly responsible for getting manufacturers to put advanced picture settings in TVs that let calibrators make grayscale and CMS adjustments so your set stands half a chance of displaying accurate color. Without Joe’s vigilant advocacy, TV picture quality now might very well still suck as badly as it did back in 1989.
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CES 2014
Serious Mount Options From Sanus
Al Griffin  |  Jan 11, 2014
The two biggest TV trends happening at CES are higher-than-HDTV resolution and ultra-large screens. According to Sanus, both trends mean that heavier-duty-than-normal mounts will be required to deal with the increased weight of the larger, higher-rez screens.
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CES 2014
RCA Introduces Ultra HD and Roku-Ready TVs
SV Staff  |  Jan 11, 2014
RCA, the storied brand now owned by Technicolor and licensed to On Corporation for TV manufacturing and distribution, unveiled its first Ultra HD televisions and a line of Roku-ready TVs at 2014 CES. Ultra HD models, capable of displaying images four times the resolution of standard high-def TVs, were shown in 55-, 65-, and 84-inch screen sizes.

In addition to a native resolution of 3840 x 2160, the LED-backlit LCD sets offer smart TV functionality via the Android (formerly Google) TV platform, which provides an integrated onscreen interface with access to cable/satellite TV, apps and online content, including more than 100,000 on-demand movies and TV episodes.

The Roku-ready TVs models, which come bundled with a Roku Streaming Stick, will be available in screen sizes of 28, 32, 40, 46, 50, 55, and 65 inches. When the Stick is inserted into the TV’s MHL port, it unlocks access to more than 1,000 entertainment channels and all Roku commands can be controlled by the TV’s remote control.

TV pricing was not announced but company officials said it would be competitive.

CES 2014
SOUL Electronics: Tough Headphones for Tough Men
Lauren Dragan  |  Jan 11, 2014
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a quarterback, a UFC fighter and the CEO of an electronics company walk into a press conference. They’re there to talk about the newest bluetooth sport headphones that SOUL, the headphone company in question, are releasing this spring. There’s a video presentation, some polite applause, and then… things start to get awkward.
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