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Audio Video News
Evil Frank Shot in 6K
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 13, 2015
If you thought President Francis Underwood was scary in Netflix 4K streaming, you may be perturbed to learn that the third season of House of Cards was actually shot in 6K. When Kevin Spacey directed his laser-like gaze at the camera to address the audience, he was burning a hole in a 6K lens. Even the visual effects—often executed in 2K even for 4K productions—were pure 6K, which has nine times the resolution of standard HD. That doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing the show in 6K anytime soon, with TVs and program pipelines still grappling with the 4K transition. But the 6K House of Cards lurks in an archive, waiting to unnerve future generations.
AV Receiver Reviews
Pioneer VSX-1130 A/V Receiver Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 13, 2015

Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Dolby Atmos 5.2.2
Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Bluetooth on board
HDCP 2.2 rights management
Minus
Tight, crowded remote control

THE VERDICT
With Atmos added and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth newly baked in, this receiver is a better value than its immediate $600 predecessor.

Less than a year has passed since I called the Pioneer VSX-1124 both “a top-performing receiver at a competitive price point” and, just in case that seemed too dispassionate, “a miracle.” So much has happened since then. For starters, Dolby Atmos happened, adding object-oriented surround with dedicated height channels to the basic surround footprint. Yet it’s almost a shock to see Atmos in a $600 receiver, the new VSX-1130. If you’re still on the fence about Atmos, Pioneer hasn’t stopped there. Bluetooth, formerly a $99 accessory, is now baked in.

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Audio Video News
LG Announces Curved Soundbar with Google Cast
SV Staff  |  Aug 13, 2015
LG announced plans to introduce a curved soundbar this fall to match its curved OLED TVs.
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Audio Video News
Too Much TV
SV Staff  |  Aug 12, 2015
Ever feel overwhelmed by the number of choices when you sit down to watch TV? At a recent Television Critics Association press gathering, FX CEO John Landgraf validated those feelings when he proclaimed there is “simply too much television,” according to a report on mashable.com.

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Apptitude
25 Years Later: The Internet Movie Database
Michael Antonoff  |  Aug 12, 2015
When the IMDb turns 25 in October, both its database and popularity will have multiplied exponentially. The IMDb consumer site (imdb.com) currently lists more than 3 million movies and TV shows and more than 6 million cast and crew members. It has a combined Web and mobile audience exceeding 200 million unique monthly visitors.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Escape From New York
Guido Henkel  |  Aug 11, 2015
Picture
Sound
Extras
When it comes to dystopian movies of the 1980s, John Carpenter’s Escape from New York clearly stands out as one of the hallmarks of the period and genre, creating a futuristic vision of a society that has deteriorated to the point where the prison system has become a world entirely of its own. In fact, crime in America has gotten so out of hand the entire island of Manhattan is converted into a maximum-security prison from which there is no parole, and where the inmates—a merciless yet colorful lot—are left to govern themselves. But after terrorists strike Air Force One, tough-as-nails convicted bank robber Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) cuts a deal to rescue the president, who has survived a crash-landing within the walls of New York City only to be held hostage on the eve of a critical global summit.
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Subwoofer ReviewsSurround Sound System ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
DALI Zensor 5 Speaker System and Hsu Research VTF-1 MK2 Subwoofer Reviews
Daniel Kumin  |  Aug 11, 2015

Zensor 5 Speaker System
Performance
Build Quality
Value

VTF-1 MK2 Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $2,244 as reviewed

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Neutral balance
Excellent center-L/R tonal match
Superb “small”-sub output and extension
Minus
Zensor 5 mini-towers are rather short

THE VERDICT
Combining DALI’s fine-performing, high-value two-way line with one of the best inexpensive 10-inch subwoofers available creates an affordable system that competes well with the many contenders in its price class.

DALI is a company that has nothing to do with surrealist art or Tibetan Buddhism. The acronym is for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, which over some 30 years has grown from a home-market specialist to a respected international brand. Despite this success, I had never gotten up close and personal with any DALI designs (trade-show demos excepted) until they shipped us a representative selection of their new Zensor entry-level series. Since the Zensor-ship currently lacks a subwoofer, we tapped one of the best size- and price-appropriate designs we know, Hsu Research’s affordable VTF-1 MK2.

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Signals
Vizio Asks: Hey Punk, Do You Wanna Piece of Me?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 11, 2015
The TV business is lousy, right? Companies are getting out of that market like it was a house on fire. Just last week, we reported that Sharp is leaving the Americas. It sold its Mexico plant and name and rights to Hisense for a measly $23.7 million. Sharp follows Toshiba, Hitachi, Pioneer, Mitsubishi, Philips, Magnavox and Thomson in divesting and selling its TV interests for fire-sale prices. The TV business is lousy, right?

So, how would you like to buy a piece of a TV company?

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Audio Video News
Netflix Reveals Fastest Streaming ISPs: How’s Yours Stack Up?
SV Staff  |  Aug 11, 2015
Cox is the fastest ISP in the U.S, followed closely by Cablevision’s.Optimum platform and Verizon Fios, according to the latest research from Netflix, which routinely monitors how ISPs around the world perform during peak streaming periods.
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Audio Video News
Fifth Element to Get the Atmos Treatment
SV Staff  |  Aug 11, 2015
Two classics from director Luc Besson—The Fifth Element and Leon: The Professional—will get the Atmos treatment this fall, Sony Pictures announced.

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