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Audio Video News
Netflix Adds Download Option
SV Staff  |  Dec 07, 2016
Netflix has added a free download option so subscribers can watch movies and TV shows on iOS and Android devices on the go or when an Internet connection is not available.
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Surround Processor Reviews
AudioControl Maestro M9 Surround Processor Review
Kris Deering  |  Dec 06, 2016
Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $8,900

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent sonics
Dirac room correction
Minus
Limited setup and connectivity options
Dirac execution unintuitive
Very pricey

THE VERDICT
AudioControl's high-end processor is long on sound quality but comes up a little short on features.

The dwindling audio processor market has been shrinking for quite some time now. More than a year ago, while I was wandering around CEDIA 2015, I stumbled on one enticing option that caught my eye from high-end audio purveyor AudioControl. There were a few reasons it piqued my interest. For one, AudioControl is based out of my backyard in the Pacific Northwest, so they're something akin to my hometown brand. Their AV processor also supported the Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio formats, another critical selling point. But perhaps the biggest draw was their inclusion of another hot name in audio circles: Dirac. Dirac's room correction scheme is well respected among audiophiles for its performance and adjustability, and I'd never had a chance to try it out. Finally, after some shop talk, lots of emails and a few months of waiting, the company was nice enough to send us a sample of their $8,900, Maestro M9 flagship.

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Audio Video News
CEDIA Trades "Integrator" for "Technologist"
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 06, 2016
For years, CEDIA has been promoting the term custom integrator over the older term custom installer—even though the latter is more or less embedded in its full name, the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association. But the trade group has changed its tune.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Marantz Unveils New Reference Series, Reinvents the DAC
SV Staff  |  Dec 06, 2016
Marantz today unveiled the Premium 10 Series featuring “technology designed to deliver the best possible sound from high-resolution audio formats and CD alike.”
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Signals
The Sennheisers: Brothers in Sound
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 06, 2016
It has become trendy to bash corporations. And in some cases, if a corporation is big enough and faceless, it's easy to suppose that it's merely a shareholder profit machine that is uninterested in the needs of individuals. But of course many companies certainly do not fit that profile. Instead, you'll find that many small and medium size companies take a very different view of their role in society and, in many case, are family-run businesses. Case in point: Sennheiser and the Sennheiser brothers.

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Audio Video News
Hulu Now Streaming in 4K
SV Staff  |  Dec 05, 2016
Hulu has announced that it is now streaming in 4K/Ultra HD.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
James Loudspeaker Introduces ‘Ultimate Landscape Speaker’
SV Staff  |  Dec 05, 2016
Outdoor speakers may be the last thing on your mind as the holiday season gets underway, but for those counting the days to the serenity of spring, James Loudspeaker is planting a few seeds with the introduction of the “ultimate landscape speaker.”
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Audio Video News
Mario to Make His Debut in Game App
SV Staff  |  Dec 05, 2016
Nintendo has announced that the iconic videogame character Mario is coming to an iPhone or iPad near you, marking his mobile-game debut.

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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Humpback Whales
David Vaughn  |  Dec 02, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
By the mid-1960s, it was estimated that 90 percent of the humpback whales were gone from the Earth when a moratorium was put in place throughout most of the world. Fortunately, the population started to grow again, and there’s now an estimated 80,000 throughout the world. I’m old enough to remember the “Save the Whales” campaign in the mid-1970s as well as George and Gracie from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986 where it took the songs of the humpbacks to save Earth from sure destruction by an alien vessel.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Jungle Book
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 02, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
So I guess revisiting in live action the catalog of Disney animated classics is officially a thing now. And that’s fine, if they can all manage to be as good as director Jon Favreau’s astutely conceived, beautifully realized take on The Jungle Book. The story here is different enough from the popular 1967 version to make the tale of man-cub Mowgli (endearing newcomer Neel Sethi) fresh and worth watching all over again. He’s been raised by wolves and lives happily among the animals until a ferocious tiger sets his sights on the boy, sending brave Mowgli on a dangerous journey back to the world of man. Yes, there are a couple of familiar songs along the way, but plenty of surprises as well, in addition to some rough beast-on-beast combat that might frighten the little ones.
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