LATEST ADDITIONS

The Gear Gods have been very good, bestowing upon us a steady stream of excellent if not eclectic gear. From what may be the world’s best sounding in-ear headphones to the latest DVR from the company that created the category to a gorgeous retro-styled integrated amplifier that sounds as good as it looks, there’s something for everyone. Let us refresh our memories.

In a not too distant future, the wealthy plunk down big bucks to enter Westworld, a Disneyland for adults populated by “hosts”—human-like A.I. androids capable of fulfilling their every desire. With a cast of A-list names such as Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, and Ed Harris, this psychological, character-driven drama series goes beyond the gimmickry of its 1973 original to offer up a well-crafted exploration of what it means to be human as well as the blurred lines between good and evil and past and present. Could it be a replacement for Game of Thrones? Only time will tell.

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I’m considering buying either an 82-inch Samsung LCD or a 65-inch LG OLED and am wrestling with the issue of TV picture quality versus size. Having happily owned a 50-inch plasma TV for the past 11 years, I’m wondering how the new LCDs stack up against plasma models when it comes to picture quality? — Gregorio Lopez / via e-mail

Apple is throwing its hat into the arena of original programming in hopes of capturing a piece of a very lucrative market pioneered by Netflix and more recently capitalized on by Hulu and Amazon. Details have been emerging about production deals for which Apple has budgeted $1 billion.