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Audio Video News
City Demands Cable Competition
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 21, 2015
The city government of Lincoln, Nebraska wants its citizens to enjoy the benefits of cable competition. So it is allowing a second cable operator onto the playing field. And guess what? The incumbent cable operator isn’t happy about it.
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Audio Video News
Ol’ Blu Gets an Upgrade
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 21, 2015
2015 is shaping up to be a banner year for home entertainment as the promise of pristine 4K images from a new generation of Blu-ray players sparkles on the horizon. As a follow-up to Rob Sabin’s technical overview of the Ultra HD Blu-ray, we spoke with Ron Martin, vice chair of the Blu-ray Disc Association’s U.S. Promotions Committee and vice president/director of Panasonic Hollywood Lab to learn more about this highly anticipated product launch.
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Signals
The Future Belongs to Those Who Stream
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Apr 21, 2015
A quick look at the pie chart suggests that the music industry exists in a nice state of equilibrium. Sales appear to be evenly split among downloads, streaming, and physical media. If you were a financial planner, and your client's portfolio was as neatly balanced as that, you could sleep soundly. But of course, that equilibrium is only a snapshot of a very dynamic situation. In reality, the way we listen to music is changing fast.

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Headphone ReviewsGrace Notes
Torque Releases New Filter Valves for its Tunable t103z In-Ear Monitors
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 20, 2015
Good news for audiophiles who like to take control of their music. A while back we reviewed a rather unique pair of in-ear monitors, the Torque t103z (MSRP $180). While they were a really good-sounding earphone, what made them stand out were the interchangeable passive filter valves—patented by Torque as PAVT, Passive Acoustic Valve Technology. When Sound&Vision initially reviewed the t103z, there were only three filter options. Now, we get a chance to listen to three new offerings from Torque Audio. For choosy music lovers (and who here isn’t?) this is great news.

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Audio Video News
Sony Announces 2015 4K Ultra HD TV Lineup
Bob Ankosko  |  Apr 20, 2015
Sony has announced six new series of 4K Ultra HD TVs, four of which are available for pre-order with delivery set for May.

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Tech2
Death Cab for Cutie’s “Kintsugi” and Why I’m a Terrible Music Reviewer
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 18, 2015
I’m a big fan of Death Cab. I’ve got all their albums, yadda yadda, and several of them are among my favorites of all time (Plans is masterful). So you’d think I’d have been impatiently awaiting the March 31st release of their new album.

Except… I didn’t buy it until last week.

Why? I’m a terrible music reviewer, and not paying attention to new releases isn’t even top 5 why.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Maze Runner
David Vaughn  |  Apr 17, 2015
Picture
Sound
Extras
Thomas is disjointed and confused as he wakes up on a rising elevator not knowing who or where he is. When he finally regains his focus, he’s surrounded by a group of teenage boys and realizes he’s not in Kansas anymore. He’s in the Glade, an enclave surrounded by giant walls that hide a maze, a mostly off-limits area that’s protected by the Grievers—cybernetic organisms that come out at night and will kill anyone who has ventured into the maze and hasn’t exited when the sun goes down.
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3D Projector ReviewsProjector Reviews
BenQ HT1075 DLP Projector Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 17, 2015
2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,199

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bright, punchy picture
Excellent color
Compact size
Minus
Mediocre blacks
High vertical offset with limited lens shift

THE VERDICT
You wouldn’t expect the type of performance this BenQ delivers for the price, but it will impress even a fussy videophile and blow away the newbie.

Flat-screen 1080p HDTVs have been dropping in price. Nonetheless, short of a blowout sale, a really big-screen set—say, 70 inches diagonal or larger, even in plain old 1080p, will probably set you back a minimum of $1,500. Compared with prices even two years ago, that’s cheap, but for most buyers it’s still significant cash.

What if you discovered that for less money you could get a picture that’s three or more times the size (by area) of that 70-inch flat-screen set? How does $1,200 sound?

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TV Reviews
TCL FS4610r Roku LED/LCD HDTV Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 17, 2015  |  First Published: Apr 16, 2015

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Roku home screen accesses source inputs as well as streaming channels
Universal search results finds titles on most channels
Excellent value at under $500
Minus
TV picture can’t compare with high end models
No Ethernet port for wired network connection
Settings for closed captions and many other features require returning to home screen

THE VERDICT
TCL’s Roku TV may be the easiest TV to use for everyone in your family—a great second TV.

Roku is the king of streaming media players. Whether it’s the Roku 3 streaming box or an HDMI streaming dongle, no other streaming system can claim the same variety of channels or simple, intuitive graphic interface. TCL is one of several manufacturers that has integrated Roku into its TVs in some capacity, either with a Roku-friendly remote that can be mated with a Roku stick, or, in this case, a fully-integrated platform in the 48-inch model 48FS4610R ($500 list before discounting). While its picture quality can’t compare with high-end TV models, this is one TV that everyone in the house should be able use.

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SmartStream
Do Online Streaming TV Offerings Make it Easier to Cut Cable?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 16, 2015
New online streaming TV offerings makes it tempting to cut the cord and cancel your cable, satellite, or telecom provider. Is it time and will it save you money?
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