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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-3312CI A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 01, 2012
Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,100 At A Glance: Discrete amplifier circuitry, 125-watt channels • CI customintegrator features • Full Apple and Audyssey suites

Denon has long been among the most nimble of the major manufacturers of audio/video receivers. If a feature of any significance raises its head above the parapet, Denon nails it faster than just about anyone—and often spreads it among many models. You might quibble over the value of, say, the company’s quick and near-universal inclusion of multiple height-channel surround enhancements. But as one of Denon’s CI-series models, the AVR-3312CI also has a substantial array of features designed to make life easier for custom integrators and their clients. It sure doesn’t hurt that the receiver is Apple-hip.

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Track One
Storm Corrosion Talk Vinyl
Mike Mettler  |  May 01, 2012

Sound+Vision is honored to present an exclusive 10-minute interview clip with Storm Corrosion, the explosive new collaboration between Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt and Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson. SC's self-titled debut comes out next Tuesday, May 8, in a variety of S+V-friendly formats.

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Headphone Reviews
Review: FiiO E17 and ADL Stride Portable Headphone Amplifiers
Michael Berk  |  May 01, 2012

Everybody wants better sound out of their headphones, but (and here's a shocker, I know) not everyone wants to own a lot of hardware to make that happen, especially if you want to take your show on the road every now and then. Whether budget-tightening precludes your investing in a portable listening rig to supplement your home setup or you're just a minimalist, you might just be in luck. Low-cost audio gear leaders FiiO and Alpha Design Labs (the personal audio wing of high-end connector kings Furutech) have each introduced some impressive do-it-all devices that just might cover all of your digital listening needs.

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Sweepstakes
Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 55 Loudspeakers Sweepstakes
Jon Iverson  |  May 01, 2012
Register to win a pair of Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 55 loudspeakers (MSRP $599) we are giving away.

According to Definitive Technology, the StudioMonitor 55 high definition bookshelf loudspeakers feature patented second generation Balanced Double Surround System driver, racetrack bass radiator and Aluminum dome tweeter in a solidly built attractive enclosure.

[This sweepstakes is now closed.]

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The Big Picture
Scott Hosts The Tech Guy Radio Show
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 30, 2012
I just got back from Petaluma, California, where I was honored and privileged—not to mention greatly pleased—to fill in for Leo Laporte, hosting his nationally syndicated call-in radio show, The Tech Guy, while he was attending the Northern Lights photography festival in Norway. On Saturday, I was joined in the studio by David Vaughn, hardware and movie reviewer for HomeTheater.com and Home Theater magazine, and we spent a delightful three hours answering listener questions and conversing with the lively chat room during commercial and news breaks.
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Accessory Reviews
Logitech Harmony Link
Kim Wilson  |  Apr 30, 2012

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $99 At A Glance: Control A/V gear from an iOS device or Android smartphones • Access to Logitech Harmony’s vast database of IR codes • Simplified setup of complex macro commands • Exclusive iPad feature offers logo-based TV guide

There are plenty of universal remotes to choose from, but my favorite has always been the Harmony line of remotes from Logitech. Their seamless integration with an online database offers fast and simple end-user programming. Knowing this, I was really looking forward to reviewing the Harmony Link, which provides the same simple programming as all other Harmony remotes. The big difference: Instead of programming an actual remote, the Harmony Link accesses your home Wi-Fi network to allow control of your A/V gear with an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 4.0 or later) or Android smartphone (running OS 2.0 to 2.3.4; not tablets, yet).

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New Products
Home Theater Rollouts and Revamps from Yamaha and Denon
Michael Berk  |  Apr 30, 2012

There are plenty of wireless streaming options out there these days, but looking at the latest wave of offerings from Yamaha and Denon, it seems that Apple's AirPlay protocol is the one that looms largest in the minds of major manufacturers.

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Headphone Reviews
Review: Philips Fidelio L1 Headphone
Brent Butterworth  |  Apr 30, 2012

Philips has been making headphones for decades, but the company hasn't been a prominent presence in the market for a long time. Now that headphones have gotten hot, the brand's re-emerging with all-new models.

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Vote
What's More Important, 4K or High Frame Rates?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 27, 2012
At the 2012 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention last week, 4K was everywhere—in cameras, displays, and workflow devices—at rapidly falling prices. Many professionals contend that 4K approaches the inherent spatial resolution of film, and it can be displayed on very large screens with no visible pixel structure.

However, in a pre-recorded demo in the Christie booth (which I describe here), James Cameron made a compelling argument that increasing the frame rate at which movies are shot and displayed from 24 to 48 or even 60 frames per second does more to sharpen perceived detail—especially in moving objects—than increasing the spatial resolution. In fact, all the demo material was 1920x1080 on a 15-foot-wide screen.

As the demo clearly illustrated, shooting and displaying movies at higher frame rates dramatically sharpens motion detail—so much so that it no longer looks like film, but more like video, which many people object to. So my question to you is, what's more important, the higher spatial resolution of 4K at film's traditional 24fps or the greater temporal resolution of higher frame rates at 2K? (BTW, Peter Jackson is hedging all bets by shooting The Hobbit at 48fps, 4K, and 3D!)

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

What's More Important, 4K or High Frame Rates?
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Projection Screen Reviews
Stewart Filmscreen Reflections Active 170 3D & Da-Lite High Power Projection Screens
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 27, 2012

Stewart Active 170 3D
Performance
Setup
Value


Da-Lite High Power
Performance
Setup
Value
Stewart Filmscreen Reflections Active 170 3D
Price: Varies by size, type (see review) At A Glance: Higher gain than popular StudioTek 130 G3 • Good off-axis performance and color uniformity • Noticeable hot spot

Da-Lite High Power
Price: Varies by size, type (see review) At A Glance: High Gain • Picture darkens visibly off-axis • Hotspotting virtually undetectable

We’ve come a long way from the days when screens were an afterthought. I imagine there are still a few enthusiasts who cut their projection teeth on a sheet or a bare white wall, or even an old, beaded, home-movie screen. Today we know better. The screen is a vital part of the projection setup.

Screens now come in a wide variety of sizes and characteristics. Their physical construction—fixed frame, retractable, flat or curved, masked or unmasked, perforated or not—is a subject for another day. There are also rear-projection screens. Here, however, we’re primarily concerned with the characteristics of the screen material itself, as used in front-projection setups, the type most commonly found in theaters, both commercial and home.

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