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A/V Veteran
Discovering YouTube
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2022
The so-called Golden Age of Television is a bit of a moving target, but is generally thought to have run from the early 1950s to perhaps the mid 1960s. Depending on where you draw the line it began with the first mega-hit sitcom, I Love Lucy, and ended with the launch of the original ( Kirk, Spock, Bones) Star Trek.

A key characteristic of that age was the limited number of channels available. There was no home video of any kind, no way to record a show and later skip the commercials, and (at least in the '50s) black and white viewing on an enormous 21-inch (or smaller!) screen. As primitive as all that sounds, television was then the hot new entertainment technology, and the ratings for the best shows (with their limited competition) were enormous by today's standards. We might laugh today at the TV options of that era, but remember that TV nearly killed off the movies. Audiences in 2100 might well look back at what we have today—and laugh.

Our current cornucopia of options now features 99-channels of cable (and nothing to watch!), content streamed from a range of services (and over $100/month to pay for them!), and an unlimited variety of physical video discs (and yes, physical media is struggling but still far from dead).

Then there's YouTube, a free service supported by advertising. Up until a few weeks ago I considered YouTube an Internet oddity devoted to cat videos and looney stunts...

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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
Noveto’s N1 Speaker Uses Facial Tracking to Create a Personal Listening Experience
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 11, 2022
Israel’s Noveto showed a smart speaker at CES 2022 that uses proprietary facial tracking and smart beaming technology to create a personal listening experience.
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Signals
Beethoven, Regolith, and You
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jan 10, 2022
The year is 1969. I am sitting in front of my family’s TV watching live black-and-white video from the moon. High-definition TV is still science fiction, but in the blurry picture I can see Neil Armstrong descend the ladder and step onto the lunar surface. In the middle of the transmission, I walk outside and look up at the moon, waxing crescent, thoroughly amazed that for the first time people are up there looking back at me. Now, almost a lifetime later, we are preparing to go back to the moon. Just writing that sentence gives me goosebumps.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
BenQ Launches Projector for Open-World Gaming
Al Griffin  |  Jan 08, 2022
BenQ’s new product introductions at CES included a pair of projectors aimed at the gaming community, an important growth segment for the company.
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CES 2022
JVC’s 8K Video Demo Impresses at CES 2022
Al Griffin  |  Jan 07, 2022
Ever since Sound & Vision posted Kris Deering’s in-depth review of JVC’s DLA-NZ9 D-ILA projector, a Top Pick of the Year winner for 2021, I’ve been wondering what true 8K video looks like displayed on a big screen by an 8K-capable projector. Well, I finally got my chance to have that experience at CES 2022, and it was, in a word, breathtaking.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
Nuvyyo Targets Cord Cutters with New 4-Tuner ATSC 3.0-Compatible DVR
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 07, 2022
Canada’s Nuvyyo aims to make over-the-air (OTA) TV recording more enticing with its latest Tablo digital video recorder (DVR), which is aimed squarely at cord cutters.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
SVS Unveils New Prime Wireless Pro Speakers, SoundBase
Al Griffin  |  Jan 07, 2022
SVS was among less than a handful of audio companies haunting the halls of the Venetian hotel’s north tower at CES 2022, but the trek over there was worth it to see the company’s new Prime Wireless Pro Speakers. An evolution of the company’s current Prime Wireless model, the new version has a bigger cabinet for deeper bass, an HDMI eARC input, and—in response to user feedback—a remote control.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
Samsung’s Freestyle Reimagines Video Projection
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 07, 2022
We love finding products that are unusual or, even better, unique or trailblazing. Samsung’s Freestyle fits the bill in the way it reimagines and expands on the notion of video projection. The curious device looks like a freestanding light can you might pick up at Home Depot — which it is — but it’s also a “point-and-play” video projector and smart speaker, all rolled in one.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
CES 2022: The Latest News and Gear
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 06, 2022
As Day 2 of the shortened three-day show neared its conclusion, we took a break to report on a handful of products that caught our attention.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2022
Hisense Unveils New Mini-LED TVs, 8K DLP Projector
Al Griffin  |  Jan 06, 2022
Hisense had its full 2022 lineup of Quantum Dot-driven ULED TVs on display at CES, including the company’s first Mini-LED-backlit models. With multiple series for viewers to choose from at different price points, the company has covered its bases. The full Hisense premium TV lineup features the Google TV interface, and its top two lines also feature Nextgen TV (ATSC 3.0) tuners. The company also showcased its TriChroma projector offerings for 2022 and beyond, headed up by a DLP model capable of 8K display.
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