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Ask S&V
Should I Worry About Aging Speaker Wire?
Al Griffin  |  Aug 18, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I assembled my surround sound setup back in 2002. It still sounds awesome, but I'm wondering about the speaker wires. I spent good money for nice 12-gauge speaker wire, the ends of which are bare. Every time I break the system down to move, I see the bare wire and worry that corrosion or some other devious detractor is attacking it. Is that something I should worry about? Should I consider clipping and re-stripping at some point? —Scott M.

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Audio Video News
Forget Wearables: Bring on the Electronic Tattoo
SV Staff  |  Aug 18, 2016
File this under What Will They Think of Next: MIT Media Lab and Microsoft are working on creating electronic tattoos that can connect with smartphones and PCs.
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Throwback Thursday
Flashback 1982: Abba CD Is World’s First
SV Staff  |  Aug 18, 2016
Say what you will about Abba but the ‘70s pop band is able to lay claim a small but significant piece of tech history. The Swedish group’s final studio album The Visitors was the world’s first commercially produced CD when it rolled off the production line 34 years ago this week at the Philips/Polygram-owned CD manufacturing plant in Langenhagen, Germany.
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Audio Video News
Vudu Adds Dolby Vision Movies for Streaming
SV Staff  |  Aug 17, 2016
Dolby Labs, Vudu, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) have announced that four Ultra HD movies with Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR) imaging are now available for streaming on Vudu.com.

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The S&V Interview
Billy Sherwood Says Yes to Taking Circa Into the Hi-Fi Valley
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 17, 2016
These days, Billy Sherwood — the multi-talented, multi-hyphenate musician who cites bassist, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, producer, mixer, and engineer as being among the many caps he wears in his sonic haberdashery — is spending the bulk of his time as the bassist in Yes, having been handpicked by the late Chris Squire to be his replacement. As rewarding as being in Yes is for Sherwood, his passion project is his other band, Circa, in which he plays guitar and sings lead vocals. Sherwood, 51, called me to discuss his goals for the overall sound of circa's new album Valley of the Windmill, what it’s like backing up William Shatner, and what the future may hold for Yes.
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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
ViewSonic LightStream Pro7827HD 3D DLP Projector Review
Al Griffin  |  Aug 17, 2016

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $890

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive brightness
Clean, detailed picture
Good overall 3D performance
Minus
So-so contrast
Relatively high fan noise

THE VERDICT
ViewSonic’s low-budget Pro7827HD home theater projector has its compromises but delivers impressive performance for the price.

When you consider the benefits of buying a 1080p projector, the main one that should come to mind is price. There are a few native 4K models, including ones with high dynamic range capability, but they still remain costly, with the cheapest being Sony’s VPL-VW350ES at $8,000. Even those that accept 4K signals and deliver a faux 4K picture, such as JVC’s e-shift models, remain in the several thousand dollar range. Survey the plain ol’ 1080p field, on the other hand, and you’ll find plenty of bargains, including ViewSonic’s LightStream Pro7827HD DLP projector, with a list price of $890 and an online street price of just $799.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sennheiser to Open Showroom in NYC’s Oculus
SV Staff  |  Aug 17, 2016
In early October Sennheiser will open a flagship showroom in the Westfield World Trade Center, which opened Tuesday in the visually stunning Oculus building designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava. The structure is the transit centerpiece of Ground Zero in New York City.
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New Products
August 2016 New Gear
SV Staff  |  Aug 16, 2016
Sony UHP-H1 Hi-Res-Certified Blu-ray Player
Video is usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think Blu-ray, but Sony has gone out of its way to build a player that puts audio and video performance on equal footing—and maybe even gives audio an edge. The Hi-Res Audio–certified UHP-H1 is built to withstand vibration and equipped to play just about any file or disc you throw at it—including SACDs and DSD or 192-kilohertz/24-bit music files. It also has built-in Wi-Fi and supports Bluetooth streaming via Sony’s LDAC codec for “higher-than-typical” bit rates. And it’s no slouch in the video department, either, offering 4K upscaling at up to 60 hertz (though no compatibility with the new UHD Blu-ray Discs). Get Connected: When you’re not connected wirelessly, you can choose between optical and analog inputs or play Hi-Res files via the front-panel USB port. Price: $350
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A/V Veteran
Finding the Motherlode of Blu-ray Statistics
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 16, 2016
Ever had the experience of surfing the web and finding a link to a site that you never knew existed? OK, there are a lot of sites most of us never knew existed. But if that site is endlessly fascinating and useful to you, that’s a different story. I can’t recall how I first came across bluraystats.com, but I’ve never seen anything quite like it before...
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Focal Debuts Super Flexible Atmos Speaker System
SV Staff  |  Aug 16, 2016
Focal today introduced a new flagship home theater series configured as a 5.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos setup with two height speakers.

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