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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Apple Adding Voice Control to Apple TV
SV Staff  |  Feb 10, 2016
Apple is aiming to simplify control of its popular Apple TV) streaming media player by adding a voice control feature.
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Audio Video News
Super Bowl 50 Breaks Prior Streaming Records
SV Staff  |  Feb 10, 2016
Nearly 4 million unique viewers live-streamed Super Bowl 50 on phones, tablets, connected TV devices, laptops, and desktop PCs, breaking all prior streaming records for the big game, according to CBS Sports.
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Apptitude
Lost Your Remote? The Tile App Can Help
Michael Antonoff  |  Feb 10, 2016
Have you heard about the sequel to the TV series, Lost? It’s called Found, and the premise is that the island is where all things lost end up: a missing sock, a runaway drone, a lost shaker of salt. Tourists arrive, and the lucky ones are reunited with their stuff.
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Media Server Reviews
Apple TV Streaming Box Review
Michael Antonoff  |  Feb 09, 2016
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $149 (32 GB), $199 (62 GB)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Touch surface remote
Dedicated App Store
Snazzy photo slide shows
Minus
Arduous ID and password entries
Weak implementation of Siri
Lacks 4K video support

THE VERDICT
Apple TV Gen 4 brings a better remote to the table but fails to soar above other top streaming devices.

When Apple TV debuted in 2007, dozens of rival media receivers were already in place. At a time when TVs were too dumb to do their own streaming, Apple TV came along mainly to benefit iTunes users. Since then, other media players have come and gone, but Apple has persevered. The company recently shipped Gen 4.

What’s different in 2016 is that most consumers now own a smart TV, media receiver, game console, or Blu-ray player connected to the Internet. Unless Gen 4 can deliver a richer experience over other Internet appliances, notably the Roku 4 Streaming Player (see review, this issue), Apple TV will be a tough sell.

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Signals
Circuit City: Retail Resurrection
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 09, 2016
When's the last time that Circuit City crossed your mind? It's probably been so long that you can't even remember the last time you thought about it. And yet, the name Circuit City is instantly familiar to you. That's called name recognition. And clearly, rather than starting from scratch to build name recognition, you'd prefer to start with something well known. That is why Circuit City is being resurrected.

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Audio Video News
NYC In High-Tech Test with Gigabit Wi-Fi
SV Staff  |  Feb 09, 2016
Old payphone booths are being replaced with blazing fast gigabit Wi-Fi hotspots in 10,000 locations around New York City, according to a report in Gizmodo. The service is not only fast but free.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
PSB’s First Atmos Speaker, New Sub Due in March
SV Staff  |  Feb 09, 2016
PSB has announced that its first Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker, the Imagine XA, and the new SubSeries 450 subwoofer—both previewed at CES 2016—will ship next month at $499/pair and $1,499.
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Audio Video News
Philips to Demo ColorSpark HLD Projectors
SV Staff  |  Feb 08, 2016
Philips is demonstrating its new ColorSpark HLD light-source technology for projectors at the ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) 2016 show that opens in Amsterdam tomorrow.
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Audio Video News
Audiophile Label Friday Music Launches Webstore
SV Staff  |  Feb 08, 2016
Friday Music, the audiophile label specializing in 180-gram vinyl and “impeccably remastered” CD reissues, has launched a webstore featuring classic albums spanning decades of rock, pop, jazz, and soul
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Ask S&V
How Do I Set Up My Blu-ray Player When Using a Soundbar?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 08, 2016
Q I recently purchased a Bose SoundTouch 130 soundbar and have a Samsung BDP7500 Blu-ray player connected to it. Here’s my question: There’s a setting in the Samsung player’s menu for speaker size and distance. Since I’m using a soundbar that gets calibrated using a headset in five positions, is it necessary to also adjust the Blu-ray player’s speaker size/distance settings, or should I just leave those alone? I called Bose tech support, and they had no answer for me. —Peter Palagonia/Las Vegas, NV
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