LATEST ADDITIONS

Throwback Thursday
Flashback 1998: First Feature Film Webcast
SV Staff  |  Mar 17, 2016
The 1994 independent film Walls of Sand became the first feature film to be streamed over the Internet 18 years ago this week.

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Ask S&V
What’s New for AV Receivers in 2016?
Al Griffin  |  Mar 16, 2016
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q What new features are coming to AV receivers in 2016? I guess my question is more about what features might be missing from 2015 models, which already have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth aptX, Airplay, High-res FLAC and DSD support, 4K pass-through, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing. I am interested in the latest Marantz receivers, specifically the NR-1506 and SR-5010, but noticed that those models were announced back in June 2015. Should I wait for new 2016 models? —Jason York

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsReference Tracks
50 Years Later: Bob Dylan's Dont Look Back on Blu-Ray
Mike Mettler  |  Mar 16, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
As iconic as it remains a full half-century later, when Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back was being shot by director D.A. Pennebaker during the Bard’s whirlwind acoustic tour of England in May 1965, there were literally no rules to follow. “It’s the idea of the home movie, the kind of movie that was always made by one person,” says Pennebaker, still as sharp as ever at age 90. “I had gotten the notion in my head not to make a pure music film. I decided to make it about him, right at the time he was trying to figure out who he was.”
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New Products
March 2016 New Gear
SV Staff  |  Mar 16, 2016
Legacy Audio Powerblock² Amplifier
“Incredible performance in a small package…at a fair price” is how Legacy Audio describes the Powerblock², the company’s first amplifier in more than a decade. Assembled in Legacy’s Springfield, Illinois factory, the amp is a dual-mono design boasting an ultra-wide 1.5-Hz to 70-kHz bandwidth and healthy power output of 2 x 325 watts into 8 ohms (or a rip-roaring 2 x 650 into 4 ohms). Ice Ice Baby: The low-profile Powerblock² is built around ICEpower Class D technology featuring self-oscillating closed-loop architecture and a robust power supply capable of supplying peak current of 30 amps per channel. High damping factor (1,000
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The Connected Life
Are You Ready for Your Annual AV Spring Cleaning?
John Sciacca  |  Mar 16, 2016
For most of its life, your audio gear probably just sits there, quietly doing its thing, providing (hopefully) years of quality entertainment. But all the while, a silent killer lurks in your house: dust. And unless your listening room is like some kind of Silicon Valley clean space or you have a hermetically sealed audio rack—in which case you’ve probably got some ventilation issues to address—your gear is under constant attack from dust particles that could shorten its life.
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Audio Video News
All Eyes (and Ears) on Voice Control
SV Staff  |  Mar 16, 2016
The success of Amazon’s voice-controlled Echo speaker/personal assistant apparently has AV companies scrambling.
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Sweepstakes
Serene Audio Talisman Powered Speakers Sweepstakes
SV Staff  |  Mar 15, 2016
Register to win a set of Serene Audio Talisman Powered Speakers (MSRP $395) we are giving away.

According to the company:

Made in Vancouver, Canada, Talisman speakers are hand crafted from bamboo, leather, and brass, and meticulously engineered. Verified by experienced engineers and customers, they enthrall you with the clearest and most transparent sound to come from your desktop. Talisman speakers are designed to sit on your desk, but they have plenty of power to fill the whole room. They are self-powered, meaning they can be paired with almost anything.

[This Sweepstakes is now closed]

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Projection Screen Reviews
Seymour Screen Excellence Ambient-Visionaire Black 1.2 Projection Screen Review
Michael P. Hamilton  |  Mar 15, 2016

Performance
Setup
Value
PRICE $2,257 as reviewed

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Uncanny ability to make any projection technology look exemplary
Greatly enhances contrast and black level, even with budget projectors
Easy assembly with superb fit and finish
Performance enhancement that would be banned if projection video were a sport
Minus
Slightly pearlescent sheen with some high-brightness, fully saturated, high-motion scenes
That it has appeared only recently

THE VERDICT
If you need evidence that a high-quality ambient-light-rejecting screen can give spectacular results with an entry-level projector, look no further than the SSE Ambient-Visionaire Black 1.2.

“Is this heaven?” John Kinsella unwittingly asks his son, Ray, in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. “It’s Iowa,” Ray answers. Turning slowly to walk away, John halts, replying, “Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.”

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Best Buy to Launch Roku Ready Budget 4K TVs
SV Staff  |  Mar 15, 2016
If you’re interested in an inexpensive 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) TV, you might want to drop by your local Best Buy in a few weeks. The national chain plans to roll out three 4K models featuring onboard Roku streaming capability in early April.
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Signals
Where Is Sonos Heading?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Mar 15, 2016
Sonos is a terrific company with terrific products. I reviewed their first-generation wireless speaker, back when no one had ever heard of streaming, and it blew my mind. Since then, of course, Sonos has become the Gold Standard for whole-house playback. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Sonos is changing course and laying off employees. What the heck?

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