LATEST ADDITIONS

SmartStream
Move Over Google TV: Android TV Heading for Sony Ultra HD Sets This Fall
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 25, 2014
The Android TV was unveiled at the Google developer's conference. Here's what's new and how it differs from Google TV.
Continue Reading »
Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Soundcast Systems Melody Bluetooth Speaker
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jun 25, 2014

Performance
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $449

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Up to 20 hours of battery life
Water- and UV-resistant
Bluetooth with aptX and AAC
Minus
Not exactly inexpensive (though well worth its price)

THE VERDICT
You’ll find plenty of portable bluetooth speakers out there, but you’ll search long and hard to find one that’s as well built, weatherproof, and good-sounding as this one.

Soundcast Systems’ Melody is a category-blender of a product that’s difficult to sum up succinctly. It’s a mishmash of features that’s one part this, one part that, and a couple more parts of another type of thing. But none of that really matters unless you’re into semantics, market trends, or trying to do an Internet search for a “take anywhere, everywhere speaker” (as Soundcast likes to refer to it). The important thing is that the Melody has a boatload of stuff going for it; and it’s one of those rare audio devices that you’re likely to find yourself using for applications and situations you originally had no idea it would be ideal for.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kick-Ass 2
Chris Chiarella  |  Jun 25, 2014
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
When you think about the serial nature of comic books and the virtually limitless stream of new stories published each month, big-screen sequels in this genre should be a slam-dunk, right? Unfortunately, Kick-Ass 2 loses its way; its themes becoming at once muddled and more clichéd. High-schooler/hero Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is upping his crime-fighting game under the tutelage of 15-year-old Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), who soon faces her own identity crisis. Inspired by the duo’s exploits, an all-new team of masked heroes has assembled, just as the vengeful son of a dead mob boss begins recruiting his own evil army, and a showdown is inevitable.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo TV Streaming Service
SV Staff  |  Jun 25, 2014
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a 6-3 decision that the Aereo TV streaming service, which distributes broadcast TV to subscribers over the Internet and provides cloud-based DVR storage for a fee, violates the Copyright Act of 1976.
Continue Reading »
The S&V Interview
Giles Martin on Mixing The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night in Surround Sound
Mike Mettler  |  Jun 25, 2014
“I’m just into the ethos of having great sound,” says Giles Martin, describing his surround sound mixing philosophy. “The intention of what we do is to make the journey as seamless as possible. I want people to enjoy what they’re listening to without thinking about it.” Martin’s “natural surround” philosophy is in full effect with the stellar 192-kHz/24-bit 5.1 mix he’s done for the 50th anniversary of A Hard Day’s Night, released on June 24 by The Criterion Collection in a Director-Approved Dual-Format Blu-ray and DVD Special Edition. (If you want to experience the film in a theater setting, it will be playing in almost 100 cities across the country on July 4, courtesy of Janus Films. Theaters and cities can be found by clicking here.)
Continue Reading »
A/V Veteran
What Makes a Good Center Speaker
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jun 24, 2014
The center channel speaker doesn’t often get the respect it deserves. To keep it slim enough to fit on a shelf, many manufacturers simply offer two-way center designs, laid out in a horizontal woofer-tweeter-woofer arrangement. Every experienced speaker engineer knows that this is the worst way to design any speaker, but cost cutters, marketing departments, and consumers who don’t know better (or don’t care) demand them.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Dolby Atmos Movie-Theater-Sound Technology Heading to Home Gear
SV Staff  |  Jun 23, 2014
Onkyo, Integra and Pioneer Announce Atmos-Equipped Products

If you haven’t heard of Dolby Atmos—Hollywood’s attempt at delivering a “powerful new listening experience” that’s more enveloping than the best of today’s Dolby Surround 7.1 theaters—you might want to find an Atmos-equipped theater near you and see (actually hear) what it’s all about now that Atmos is heading home.

Continue Reading »
Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 Headphones
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jun 23, 2014
On the heels of Apple’s buyout of Beats, it’s unfair to expect Beats to suddenly stop production of anything that isn’t Apple white. The newly designed Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 headphone actually comes in a rainbow of colors, including, umm, white. This is a revision of the original Solo headphone. While I was unboxing, I wondered, did Beats dial back the pounding bass that plagued the first generation of their headphone lineup?

Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
Why Do Most 5.1 Concert Discs Default to 2.0 Stereo?
Al Griffin  |  Jun 23, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Most movies on DVD and Blu-ray default to 5.1 surround sound, but most concert videos default to 2.0 stereo, and the viewer has to manually select 5.1 surround when playing the disc. What’s the reason for this? —John Kellam / Tucson, AZ

Continue Reading »
Tech2
PixelTrek: An Amusing Little Diversion
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 21, 2014
Like Star Trek: The Next Generation? Got a few minutes to spare? PixelTrek is a web-based “game” that lets you explore areas of good old NCC-1701-D, in adorable 8-bit form.

You control Commander Data as he wanders around the Enterprise, exploring strange new rooms, seeking out new closets, and new bathrooms. Bolding going where no pixelized android has gone before.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X