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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
The Walk
Chris Chiarella  |  May 20, 2016
Picture
3D-Ness
Sound
Extras
We often live in a locked-down world of dread these days, especially when the subject of the World Trade Center arises. But in the summer of 1974, one week before his 25th birthday, Philippe Petit made headlines with a self-propelled trip between the rooftops of the Twin Towers, and it has become a modern legend almost too daring to be believed. Driven by an all-consuming passion for his wire-walking art and unable to resist the majestic pull of those magnificent skyscrapers since first learning of their construction, Philippe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) truly risked everything to fulfill his dream.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Graduate
Fred Kaplan  |  May 20, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
The Graduate is one of the great American films. It captured a spirit of the 1960s at its cusp, marked the screen debut of Dustin Hoffman (clearing the way for a new, more inclusive type of movie star), altered the nature and function of a movie-music soundtrack—and it’s just damn fine filmmaking. It’s the shrewd mixing of dissonant elements that made the movie so head-spinning in its day and so appealing still—a fairly conventional formula, sly angles on modern themes (empty materialism, alienated youth, sexual license), and raucous comedy done up in a stark, surreal mise-en-scène: Antonioni channeled through Second City, but deeply funny, not just satirical, and oddly moving, too.
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Audio Video News
Google’s Answer to Amazon’s Echo
SV Staff  |  May 20, 2016
Amazon created a whole new product category with Echo, the immensely popular voice-controlled speaker/personal assistant. Its success has Sonos scrambling to stay relevant and prompted Denon to accelerate the development of a voice interface for its products.
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Audio Video News
Portable Audio-Remastering Device Ships in July
SV Staff  |  May 20, 2016
It seems there are no creative boundaries in the rough and ready world of crowdfunding. What will they think of next?
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The S&V Interview
38 Special Keeps Rockin’ Into the Night
Mike Mettler  |  May 19, 2016
Rock is rock, no matter where it comes from and who’s playing it. Sure, certain sounds and styles will always get some kind of genre label attached to them, but it all really boils down to one thing: Does the music move you? “Obviously, we’re from the South and proud to be Southerners — but you know, man, we just write and play music,” observes Donnie Van Zant, co-founding 38 Special guitarist. Adds co-founding 38 Special vocalist/guitarist Don Barnes, “We derive everything from our influences from before and we’ve kept the standards high, just like they all have.” Recently, I got on the line separately with Van Zant, 63, and Barnes, also 63, to discuss the rich musical history of 38 Special and their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, working with Dan Hartman as their early-era producer, and their respective legacies as both songwriters and performers. They’re just two wild-eyed Southern boys caught up in making some good ol’ rock & roll for anyone who’s willing to listen.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-X7200W A/V Receiver Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 19, 2016

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Gobs of power for almost any situation
Audyssey MultEQ XT32
Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro 3D
ISF certified
Minus
Daunting price

THE VERDICT
The Denon AVR-X7200W is pricey, but this flagship is loaded with power, features, and performance.

Ticking off all the feature checkboxes does not automatically confer popularity on a flagship audio/video receiver. Some prospective buyers will look at the four-figure price tag of the Denon AVR-X7200W and just say, no, sorry, not for me—despite the fact that many other high-end audio products, and luxury products in general, sell for far more. The AVR category is the spiritual home of those who love to get more for less. Why, asks the hardheaded audio buff, do I need to pay three grand for all those features, all those jacks—all that stuff I’ll never need? The answer is that the features you do need may be worth the price. If your speakers are a little more demanding than the home theater norm or you have a large room, you’ll want as much power as possible, and this receiver is Denon’s best shot.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Ramping Up Your Room Acoustics
SV Staff  |  May 19, 2016
If the perpetual pursuit of sonic perfection is in your DNA, here’s a wall treatment you might consider.
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Throwback Thursday
Flashback 1991: Welcome to the World Wide Web
SV Staff  |  May 19, 2016
Stop for a moment and try to remember life before the Internet. Typewriters. Trips to the library. Looking stuff up in the Yellow Pages. A different world, right?
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Ask S&V
Can My Gear Support High Dynamic Range Video?
Al Griffin  |  May 18, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I would like to know if my current Vizio TV (P502Ui-B1E) and Pioneer receiver (VSX-1130-K) will be able to support both the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR formats.  I’d really prefer not to have to upgrade the Pioneer receiver since it was purchased recently to support both 4K@60Hz video and Dolby Atmos audio in my system. I'm also interested in picking up LG’s 65EF9500 OLED, a 2015 model,  but am wondering the same thing about HDR support on that TV.  —Johnston Cheng

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Audio Video News
Most Would Dump ESPN
Mark Fleischmann  |  May 18, 2016
If you groan every time you pay your pay-TV bill, consider that the most expensive item bundled into it is Disney’s ESPN, which adds $8/month to the average bill. Can ESPN survive in the dawning age of skinnier cable bundles? Most pay-TV viewers would dump it like a sack of dirt, according to a study by marketing company Civic Service commissioned by financial services company BTIG.
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