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SmartStream
Showtime Launches Stand-Alone Streaming Service
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 08, 2015
Showtime's new app for Roku and Apple TV streams shows and movies without a cable subscription and Hulu is offering a Showtime add-on.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
More CE Week Tech Bits: Wire-Free Earbuds and Microphone Modeling
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 08, 2015
Previewed at the recent CE Week event in New York City, the HearNotes wire-free earbuds use Kleer technology to stream CD-quality uncompressed audio with “extremely low latency and power consumption.”
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Bluetooth Speaker Reviews
Riva Turbo X Bluetooth Speaker Review
Lauren Dragan  |  Jul 08, 2015

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $350

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy setup
Intuitive controls
Portable footprint but big sound
Minus
A little pricey compared with competition its size
Even with phono mode, vinyl may not be loud enough at line level

THE VERDICT
Portable enough for on-the-go listening, the Riva Turbo X is a little more expensive than most, but it’s worth the money for folks who want a small speaker without sacrificing sound quality.

There’s a multitude of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market today. Every form of novelty is covered: They’re splash-proof, they have disco light displays, some literally dance. Standing out in a field of hundreds takes a little something extra that’s truly special. How novel is it, then, when a small Bluetooth speaker’s claim to fame is that it actually sounds fantastic? Enter the Riva Turbo X, a seven-driver, 45-watt (RMS) little dynamo that is smaller than a loaf of bread and yet easily fills a medium-sized living room with high-quality sound.

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Headphone Reviews
Logitech Ultimate Ears UE900s Headphone Review
Steve Guttenberg  |  Jul 08, 2015

Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $399

AT A GLANCE
Plus
UE’s tip-fitting system ensures a perfect fit
User-replaceable cables
Sweet, nicely detailed sound
Minus
Premium pricing

THE VERDICT
The Ultimate Ears UE900s look, feel, and sound right, they’re big on transparency, without shortchanging body and soul.

I was in for a big surprise when I opened the Ultimate Ears UE900s box. The headphone not only comes with a generous selection of sizes and types of ear tips, UE’s color-coded, systematic fitting process makes it easier than ever to achieve the perfect fit. This ensures maximum isolation from external noise and the full bass potential of the UE900s.

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Vote
Is the Resurgence of Vinyl a Fad?
SV Staff  |  Jul 07, 2015
A couple months back, Ken Pohlmann asked whether the renaissance of vinyl records is “just a hipster fad” or a "long-term business opportunity." And just the other day Noel “Paul” Stookey of the ’60s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary called the resurgence in LPs a fad in an interview with the trade publication CE Pro. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Stookey? Cast your vote and tell us why you feel the way you do.
Is the Resurgence of Vinyl a Fad?
Yes
56% (733 votes)
No
44% (572 votes)
Total votes: 1305
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A/V Veteran
Remembering Film Composer James Horner
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 07, 2015
If you asked me if my passion for things audio and video began with music or movies, I'd have a hard time answering. But one of the things that attract me to movies is their music. Movie scores (instrumental, not the string of pop tunes that often passes for a soundtrack) are certainly far down the list of the most popular music genres, but their importance to the success of a film can't be denied. Most film critics mention the score only if it's prominent enough to annoy them. But for me a great score can turn a middling movie into to good one. It can also (though less often) turn a good film into a great one.

The art of film scoring attracts a wide range of talents, but we recently lost one of the best. James Horner died late last month when the private plane he was piloting crashed in a California forest.

I first discovered Horner's work in 1982...

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Audio Video News
Perfect Together: High Dynamic Range Images and Object-Based Surround
SV Staff  |  Jul 07, 2015
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Dolby Cinema Through Pixar’s Inside Out
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Audio Video News
Add Gesture Control to Your TV
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 06, 2015
One of the products that caught our eye at the recent CE Week event in New York City was a “universal controller” called Singlecue that enables TVs and other electronics gear to be operated by hand gestures.
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Apptitude
Why I Love HBO Now (and You Should Too)
Michael Antonoff  |  Jul 06, 2015
Arguably the leading premium channel for movies and original series, HBO adds $23.24 to my monthly cable bill. I get six HBO channels, though they mostly repeat the same shows ad nauseam. Linear redundancy has been a waste of cable bandwidth since the DVR landed, but it’s become even more outmoded in the age of high-def broadband and on-demand viewing.

Refusing to pony up for unbreakable packages to get the few programs they’d watch, younger viewers have been cutting the cord on cable TV...

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Grace NotesAudio Video News
Recording Academy Establishes New Guidelines for Hi-Res Music
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jul 06, 2015
Standards and guidelines are a good thing. Just ask anyone who’s ever had an 11-inch long Footlong from Subway. (Subway, interestingly enough, claims that “Footlong” is a descriptive name not intended to be a measurement of length. Seriously?) As audiophiles, we need to make sure that what is called Hi-Res music, is indeed high-resolution, and not just a descriptive name. The Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy (who presents the Grammy Awards) has come up with a set of production guidelines for high-resolution music. (In full disclosure, I’ve been a voting member of The Recording Academy for over 30 years.)

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