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CES 2015
Stream TV Presents Glasses-Free 3D but Does Anyone Care?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 06, 2015  |  First Published: Jan 05, 2015
Ultra-D is a development of Stream TV Networks, in conjunction with partnering companies, to offer glasses free 3D. Their press event was a less elaborate affair than the usual CES press event (though the awful photograph shown here is largely my fault!).
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CES 2015
Sony, Hacked, Attacks Back with 4K and More
Al Griffin  |  Jan 05, 2015  |  First Published: Jan 06, 2015
Sony’s 2014 CES press conference was all about 4K. Sony’s 2015 CES press conference was about...lots of stuff.
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CES 2015
Drive: Safe
Al Griffin  |  Jan 05, 2015
With more and more music and video being stored by consumers on external hard-disks, those disks have themselves become valuable commodities. You’d think someone who took time to rip an entire CD and/or DVD collection, or downloaded a boatload of high-res albums from HDtracks, would make the additional step to secure their data by backing it up. But in many situations that isn’t the case.
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CES 2012
Monster Wants to be "More than Just a Headphone Company"
Lauren Dragan  |  Jan 05, 2015
2015 is the year of Monster collaborations. Pushing slogans of "the Internet of everything" and "more than just a headphone company", Monster focused on its desire to expand into projects that extend beyond their ubiquitous cans.
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CES 2015
Panasonic Announces 4K Blu-ray, New Flagship UHDTV, and the Return of Technics
Rob Sabin  |  Jan 05, 2015
The first announcement of a 4K Blu-ray player and the return of the storied Technics audio brand, along with word of a new flagship UltraHDTV, were the big headlines for AV enthusiasts at Panasonic’s CES 2015 press conference this morning in Las Vegas.
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Audio Video NewsCES 2015
2015 CES Coverage Begins Monday
SV Staff  |  Jan 05, 2015  |  First Published: Jan 02, 2015
The largest consumer technology show on the planet is just around the corner. 2015 International CES opens in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 6 and runs through Friday, January 9, but our coverage kicks off on Monday with pre-show news from LG, Sharp, Panasonic, Dish, Samsung, and others.

A dozen S&V correspondents will be combing more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space in search of the latest and greatest audio/video gear so be sure to check back frequently. Lots of news is heading your way.

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Ask S&V
What Processes What in the Video Chain?
Al Griffin  |  Jan 05, 2015
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q What processes what in the video chain? Say you have an Oppo Blu-ray player hooked up to a good AVR that’s hooked up to an Epson 5030 projector. Does each do its own thing? Or do you need to turn some types of processing off while leaving others enabled? Also, what is the meaning of life? —Jeff Riddick / via e-mail

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Tech2
Cowboy Bebop Blu-ray Box Set Review
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jan 02, 2015
Though released multiple times on disc, Cowboy Bebop gets a new release on Blu-ray, with a new transfer, mix and features.

This show is… something else. Easily in my top 5 TV shows of all time, it’s a magical blend of action, story, characters, setting, and music.

Oh the music. The music is why you should buy this.

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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV Reviews
JVC Diamond DM65USR LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 02, 2015
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bargain price for a 65-inch Ultra HD set
Good blacks and shadow detail
Impressive sound
Minus
Clips above white and below black
Odd gamma
Typical LCD off-axis performance
Wobbly stand

THE VERDICT
The JVC required considerable tweaking to get the best from it, but once dialed in, it looked excellent with 4K test patterns and 1080p Blu-ray material.

AmTRAN plans to raise the 4K Ultra HD bar by lowering the price. AmTRAN who, you may ask? Based in Taiwan, the company is a major maker of video displays, both consumer and professional, for a variety of brands, the biggest of which is Vizio. In 2010, AmTRAN licensed the JVC brand to put on its flat-screen HDTVs in North America, which are sold and marketed by its U.S. subsidiary AmTRAN Video Corporation. This is the first JVC flat panel we’ve tested since that company left the TV business a few years ago to focus its display business on LCOS projectors.

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Ears On
'X Is Dead' Is Dead
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 02, 2015
Why do tech critics and readers alike persist in saying "X is dead?" Do we have a morbid fascination with death, mirroring society at large? Or is it just that we never feel more powerful than when we are the arbiters of life and death, giving technology that is already moving along a certain trajectory a further push into oblivion? X, in this context, is a mature audio format or technology. (I won't address video or computer technology here. Death somehow seems more final in those categories.) A whole lot of Xes have been prematurely declared dead over the years. Maybe what "X is dead" really means is "X does not fit into my agenda."

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