LATEST ADDITIONS

A/V Veteran
It’s a Jurassic World (After All)
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 02, 2018
While the movers behind the Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek franchises aren’t at risk of losing sleep over dinosaurs just yet, the Jurassic worlds and parks do threaten to chomp on more than a few toes over the coming years.

When Jurassic Park debuted in 1993 it could have been a boom or a bust. Computer generated effects (CGI) were just coming into their own, but with a few exceptions (notably Terminator 2) they still hadn’t eaten the film business alive. Though keenly aware of his problems with the anamatronic shark in 1975’s Jaws, director Steven Spielberg was also aware that CGI, while still in its infancy, had significantly advanced the possibilities for special effects since the (on-set) practical effects of 1975.

So Spielberg went ahead. Using a brilliant combination of anamatronics and CGI he crafted a classic movie with effects that still hold up today. Four other Jurassic films have followed, three of them directed by others...

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Onkyo Unveils $250 Integrated Stereo Amp
SV Staff  |  Oct 02, 2018
Onkyo has brought high-end touches to a new entry-level integrated stereo amplifier that follows the A-9010 amplifier it introduced last year.

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Audio Video News
SiriusXM + Pandora = ‘World’s Largest Audio Entertainment Co.’
SV Staff  |  Oct 02, 2018
Satellite radio giant SiriusXM’s $3.5 billion acquisition of music streaming powerhouse Pandora will yield the “world’s largest audio entertainment company” with a combined audience of more than 100 million active users, according to the parties involved. Pandora alone has the largest digital audio audience in the U.S. with more than 70 million users.
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Audio Video News
Best Gear of September 2018
SV Staff  |  Oct 01, 2018
Three of the five audio products that achieved Sound & Vision’s Top Pick status in September prove that you don’t have to empty your wallet to get great performance. Among them is a soundbar that earned our new Top Value designation for combining an impressive set of features with authoritative sound at a price that’s hard to believe. At the other end of the spectrum is a reference-grade 4K Blu-ray player and a power amplifier reserved for listeners who will settle for nothing less than the best. When you’re finished here, be sure to visit our Top Picks page for more recommendations.
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Audio Video News
Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Kicks Off Friday
SV Staff  |  Oct 01, 2018
Ready for the biggest high-end audio show in North America? The annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) opens Friday, October 5 at the Denver Marriott Tech Center and runs through Sunday, October 7.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol UHD
David Vaughn  |  Sep 28, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
When an IMF agent gets killed in the line of duty, critical files containing Russian nuclear launch codes that he was carrying fall into the wrong hands. With the help of two IMF colleagues, agent Ethan Hunt penetrates the Kremlin to find out the identity of “Cobalt,” a terrorist who wants the codes to start a nuclear war. Things go awry when Cobalt plants explosives in the fortress-like complex, and Hunt and his team get blamed for the resulting carnage. As tensions rise between the U.S. and Russia, the President is forced to disavow the IMF, leaving it up to Hunt and his team to solve the crisis.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sol Republic Upgrades its Top Selling Wireless Earbuds
SV Staff  |  Sep 28, 2018
Sol Republic, a Los Angeles-based maker of lifestyle music products, has updated its best-selling wireless earbuds to improve performance across the board.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Pangea Courts Vinyl Enthusiasts with New Accessories
SV Staff  |  Sep 28, 2018
Audio accessory specialist Pangea Audio will showcase three new products for vinyl enthusiasts at next week’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, which runs October 5-7 in Denver.
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Stream On
Streams People Play
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 28, 2018
Who wins in the streaming war between Apple Music and Spotify? You do, of course.

Last month, you and I made a pact, right here in this space. What, you don’t remember? (Apparently, even audiophiles have ADD.) Well, our agreement was essentially this: We the golden-ear people wholly accept streaming as another worthwhile delivery system for receiving and listening to our music, especially given the strides some of the services have been making in providing higher-quality, higher-resolution streams. (Coming back to you now?)

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Soundbar Reviews
Polk Audio Command Bar Soundbar Review
Rob Sabin  |  Sep 27, 2018

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Alexa voice control
Flexible connectivity
Good sound quality
Great value
Minus
No multiroom music functions

THE VERDICT
Polk’s feature-packed soundbar offers Alexa voice control and above-average sound quality. For $300, there’s plenty here to like.

A couple of Consumer Electronics Shows ago I was visiting the booth of Sound United, the parent of Polk Audio, when a friendly executive invited me up a narrow staircase to a private meeting room. Once I was sworn to secrecy, a long, thin, black travel case was brought out and laid on the ground, and its buckles were snapped open for the big reveal. I half expected it to house a bazooka of some sort. Instead, what popped out was the prototype of a thin spear of a soundbar that appeared to have an Amazon Echo Dot sunk into its middle. Polk’s team was rightfully excited about their new project. The smart speaker was just beginning its explosive push into people’s homes, and no one had yet combined Amazon’s increasingly popular Alexa voice control technology with a soundbar. It seemed liked a perfect fit for the emerging market. So, in a way, it really was Polk’s new secret weapon.

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