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Audio Video News
Jump Start Your Holiday Shopping
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 04, 2021
Though it might seem early, now is the perfect time to jump start your holiday shopping to avoid getting caught empty-handed as the Christmas holiday season draws near. It’s impossible to know how, or if, ongoing shipping delays and component shortages will affect the A/V purchases you’re mulling, so why take the chance, especially with must-have items? Here’s a compendium of Sound & Vision Top Picks with a focus on reasonably priced gear we reviewed in 2021.
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SmartStream
Hands-On: Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ and Roku Wireless 5.1 Surround
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 03, 2021
The newest Roku Streaming Stick 4K model may not make you abandon your current Roku player, but it does provide a step-up in performance, and is priced at a low $50. It's powered by a new Roku OS 10.5 update that ups the surround sound capabilities of Roku soundbars from 3.1 to a full 5.1 wireless setup. The combined updates deliver excellent video quality and decent surround sound at a reasonable price.
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Reavon UBR-X100 and UBR-X200 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Players Review
Kris Deering  |  Nov 03, 2021


Reavon UBR-X100
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

Reavon UBR-X200
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $799 (UBR-X100), $1699 (UBR-X200)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-quality video
Universal disc playback (UBR-X200)
Pure Direct output
Minus
No DVD-Audio or SACD support (UBR-X100)
Build quality lags that of other flagship players
Interface needs polish

THE VERDICT
This pair of players from newcomer Reavon succeeds brilliantly in giving the Ultra HD Blu-ray format, along with other shiny discs, a new lease on life.

It's no secret that the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player market has become a barren wasteland over the past few years. It seems like we've lost more players than we've gained, with little in the way of new models coming from manufacturers who used to debut several players a year during the heyday of shiny discs. And the situation is even worse for someone seeking a high- end player with advanced features, broad disc format support, and top-flight build quality.

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The Connected Life
Troubleshoot Your Network Like a Boss
John Sciacca  |  Nov 01, 2021
For years, most of the service calls my company received were cable TV-related. And it didn’t matter if the customer’s TV screen read “No Signal,” there was no sound, image quality was poor, or they couldn’t change channels or access the program guide, all issues were usually fixed with one simple action: rebooting the cable box. Nowadays, the service calls we get usually involve issues with a home’s network...
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Spiral
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 29, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
An attempt to revive the popular Saw franchise, Spiral (full title "Spiral: From the Book of Saw," whatever that means) continues the legacy of creative torture-horror under the direction of Darren Lynn Bousman who long ago helmed Saws II-IV. The sadistic madman-with-an-axe-to-grind known as Jigsaw is long dead and now a new serial killer is on the loose, an apparent copycat except this time the murderer is specifically targeting dirty cops with his elaborate, painful deathtraps. Once again, the victims must make the brutal choice to do something horrible to themselves to escape or die in gruesome fashion.

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Ask S&V
Can HDR Make Some Movies Look Too Dark?
Al Griffin  |  Oct 29, 2021
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I tried to watch Cruella on Disney+ and was shocked by the poor video quality presented by my Roku streaming device. I was able to make the movie watchable by changing the color mode and lamp settings on my Epson HC 4010 projector, but still wonder exactly what happened. Have you noticed that some movies look notably darker than others? If so, does it have anything to do with high dynamic range (HDR)? —Gary Eickmeier, via email

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Audio Video News
Best Gear of Fall 2021
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 28, 2021
Gear Aplenty could well be the theme of autumn 2021, which has produced a scary good lineup of Top Pick-worthy products as we approach the witching hour. From one of the best TVs you can buy to soundbar options for three budgets to a brilliant reimagining of a ’60s classic, we’ve got you covered.
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Integrated Amp ReviewsMedia Server Reviews
Cambridge Audio Evo 150 Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
Howard Kneller  |  Oct 27, 2021

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent sound quality
Impressive power in a small package
Extensive feature set
Minus
So-so headphone preamp
Lacks room correction
Non-backlit remote

THE VERDICT
Cambridge Audio’s feature-packed wireless network streamer/integrated amplifier offers substantial power and generally excellent performance at a reasonable price.

Now headquartered in London, English audio product manufacturer Cambridge Audio was founded in 1968 in the university city of the same name. The company's initial product was the walnut-trimmed 20 watts-per-channel (Wpc) P40 integrated amplifier. (Notably, the P40 was the first consumer audio amp to contain a toroidal transformer, a now de rigueur feature in high-end audio.)

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A/V Veteran
Dune, at Last
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 26, 2021
There have been several past attempts to adapt Frank Herbert's iconic science fiction novel to film or television. In the mid-1970s, cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky scripted an ambitious version that would have run 14 hours!! The enormous planning effort for this version never made it onto film, due not only to this running length but also to the enormous anticipated costs. (At the time it was never considered for television—this was long before episodic event TV.) But Jodorowsky's work was so ambitious that it inspired a well-received 2013 documentary on the project, Jodorowsky's Dune, currently available both via streaming and on Blu-ray. Nevertheless, the novel itself, and Jodorowsky's aborted version, are said to have inspired other space operas, such as Star Wars, with elements from Dune but clearly different story lines...
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Headphone Reviews
Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds Review
Stewart Wolpin  |  Oct 26, 2021

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $280

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Best-in-class sound reproduction
Sony 360 Reality Audio
Excellent noise canceling
Small buds and case
Long battery life
Minus
Requires deep ear tip insertion
Complicated app, noise canceling options
Doesn't block wind noise

THE VERDICT
The WF-1000XM4 is Sony's best-performing noise-canceling bud yet, with plenty of customizable and automatic features.

Sony's new flagship true wireless earbuds, the WF-1000XM4 ($280), provide best-in-class sound quality and noise-canceling, above-average single-charge battery life, a compact and pocket-friendly charging case, and a control app that offers abundant operational features and customization options. On top of all that, it has Sony's 360 Reality Audio capability for getting enveloping sound from select subscription music streaming services.

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