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Apple HomePod: Apple Revisits Home Audio
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 28, 2017
I tried to contain my excitement when Apple announced HomePod, declaring it “a breakthrough wireless speaker for the home that delivers amazing audio quality.” And to think that it will use “spatial awareness to sense its location in a room and automatically adjust the audio.” Fantastic! With that kind of technology, I might be forced to end my longstanding (but tenuous) relationship with Windows once and for all, trade in my Samsung Galaxy for an iPhone, and embrace Apple Music.
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Audio Video News
4K Apple TV Reportedly Due Out Next Month
SV Staff  |  Aug 28, 2017
Back in February rumors circulated that Apple was testing a 4K-capable fifth-generation Apple TV. Multiple sources are now reporting that Apple will introduce an updated 4K version of its streaming media player next month when it introduces the new iPhone and Apple Watch.
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Grace Notes
The Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ Takes Aim at the Audiophile Market
Leslie Shapiro  |  Aug 28, 2017
It seems clear that phones have become the end-all/be-all product for most people. It’s a phone, computer, GPS, camera and music player — an essential part of everyday life. However, one group remained somewhat disconnected, until, perhaps, now. The new Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ both have features that many serious music listeners are getting excited about.

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Audio Video News
EmoFest Returns to Tennessee After 4-Year Hiatus
SV Staff  |  Aug 25, 2017
Emotiva Audio will host EmoFest 2017 at its Franklin, TN headquarters and manufacturing facility after a hiatus of four years.
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Audio Video News
Roku Is Top Streaming Media Player in U.S.
SV Staff  |  Aug 25, 2017
Nearly Four in 10 (37%) of Internet-connected homes in the U.S. own a Roku streaming media player, according to new research from Dallas-based Parks Associates.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
John Wick - Chapter 2
David Vaughn  |  Aug 25, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
When we last saw John Wick, he’d come out of retirement to take out the Russian mobsters who were responsible for stealing his prized muscle car and killing his puppy. In this well-made sequel, we are greeted by an angry Wick who’s still on the hunt for his Mustang Mach 1, which he finds in a local chop shop. Needless to say, Wick dispenses some brutal street justice on the thugs—and he does recover his car.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Unforgiven
Brandon A. DuHamel  |  Aug 25, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
Unforgiven marked another turning point for Clint Eastwood and the Western genre. The deconstructed Western stars Eastwood as aged outlaw Bill Munny, who, after years of living a reformed life, is dragged back into his old ways. His wife has passed, and his pig farm is struggling, so an offer to avenge a brutalized prostitute is too much to pass up. He enlists his old running mate, Ned (Morgan Freeman), and they set off with the young “Schofield Kid” to collect the bounty.
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Apptitude
Sleeping with Apps
Michael Antonoff  |  Aug 25, 2017
With mobile screens dominating your waking hours, app makers have begun targeting the time you spend sleeping. Curious to see what it's all about, I decided to put an app-based smart pillow to the test.
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Audio Video News
Soundcast’s VG7 Flagship Now at Best Buy’s Magnolia
SV Staff  |  Aug 24, 2017
Soundcast today announced that for the first time shoppers can demo the Top Pick-designated VG7 outdoor speaker at Magnolia Home Design Centers and Home Theater Showrooms in Best Buy stores around the country.
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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Samsung QN65Q9 LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 24, 2017
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $6,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bright and punchy HDR
Excellent resolution
Stunning color
Minus
No Dolby Vision
Edge-lit instead of full-array backlight dimming

THE VERDICT
Samsung’s new top-of-the-line QLED flagship brings first-rate brightness, brilliant color, and crisp resolution to the Ultra HD party, but enthusiasts might notice its lack of a full-array, local dimming backlight.

Now that we’re awash in high dynamic range (HDR) material on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Samsung is determined to make the most of it with two new TVs, the 65-inch QN65Q9 reviewed here and the 75-inch QN75Q9 for buyers who prefer a bigger (and, at $10,000, pricier) set. Each has a screen that’s flat, not curved.

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