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Streaming 4K Video: What You Need to Know
John Sciacca  |  May 27, 2016
Your new 4K, Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV is finally home and now you’re ready to start enjoying 8 million pixels of next-gen, ultra-video awesomeness. But that screen isn’t gonna just fill itself with UHD. Doing so is going to take a bit of planning and logistics to ensure you wring every bit of performance you can from it. Should you buy one of the new UHD Blu-ray players? If you care first about image quality, you probably should. But what about Ultra HD streaming from Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and others—should you write them off? Negative!
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Other Tech
Guide To Hi-Res Audio - Finding Hi-Res Music
SV Staff  |  May 06, 2016
Finding Hi-Res Music: Hi-Res Audio is becoming more plentiful and easier to find online. Here’s where to go and what you’ll discover there.

Heard of Hi-Res Audio? While most folks argue the merits of Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Pandora, enlightened music lovers busily seek out other online sources for their music fix. These destinations are generally small Websites that specialize in selling albums and individual song downloads in Hi-Res Audio formats. But just what is Hi-Res Audio?

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Other Tech
What You Need to Know About Hi-Res Audio
SV Staff  |  Apr 19, 2016
Trying to get a handle on Hi-Res Audio and how it relates to your enjoyment of music? Get answers to frequently-asked questions.
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Other Tech
Video Tour: PS Audio Sprout and Teac AI-301DA AmpDAC Combos
Rob Sabin  |  Jul 10, 2015
What's an "integrated amplifier/asynchronous digital-to-analog converter combo" (a.k.a. amp/DAC)? Editor-in-Chief Rob Sabin explains and presents an overview of the PS Audio Sprout and Teac AI-301DA reviewed by Dan Kumin.

Other Tech
Four Steps to Hi-Res Heaven
Al Griffin  |  Apr 21, 2015
The difference between regular and high-definition video is something that most folks will immediately recognize when they see it. But what about high-resolution audio? Unlike HDTV, which caught on fairly quickly and enjoyed a broad base of support from program providers and hardware manufacturers, hi-res audio or HRA, (now an industry-sanctioned term) has struggled to move out of its audiophile niche since downloadable content first came online back in 2008.
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Other TechAudio Video News
Atmos, Here: Sound & Vision's First Foray Into Object-Based Sound
Daniel Kumin  |  Nov 19, 2014
Dolby Atmos, the latest, “object-oriented” surround sound solution magicked up by the San Francisco technologists, has earned enough ink here and elsewhere that many of us are passingly familiar with it already. Briefly, then, object-oriented means that instead of panning discrete effects or overall mixes to left, center, right, or various surround channels, sound designers and producers can now direct sounds through a virtual listening space, letting the computer work out the details. Ultimately, of course, whether at the theater or at home, sounds still emanate from physical loudspeakers driven by physical amplifier channels, so there’s a certain amount of semantics at play here. But Atmos is scalable: A commercial theater can have as many as 64 discrete, individually addressable loudspeakers, including multiple “height” speakers in the ceiling.
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Other TechAudio Video News
Car Tech Crescendo
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 27, 2014
The Pace of Change Shows No Signs of Letting Up.

The road to driverless cars is lined with technology we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. From auto parking and rich head-up displays to cutting-edge “infotainment” features, dashboard tech is right up there with horsepower/performance, handling, and other traditional car buying metrics. And the pace of change we’ve seen over the past decade shows no signs of letting up—if anything, it’s accelerating now that technology has become an integral part of the shopping experience.

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Other Tech
Getting Started in Computer Audio
SV Staff  |  Nov 12, 2013
Michael Lavorgna’s “Getting Started in Computer Audio,” which appeared in the October print edition of Sound & Vision, is now available online here.
Other Tech
Truly Useful Apps: Watching TV on the Second Screen
Michael Antonoff  |  Feb 21, 2013
So desperate are the networks to keep you cuffed to their shows that they’ve been launching apps for the second screen. Made for the tablets and smartphones to which viewers’ eyes keep darting—often at the expense of the TV screen—these apps are intended to boost fan loyalty.
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Other TechNew Products
Ho-Ho-Home Theater’s 2012 Holiday Gift Guide!
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 07, 2012
What do you get for the home theater buff who has everything…even if that home theater buff is you? We’ve uncovered an assortment of add-ons, doodads, and whatnot that will raise the bar on your audio/video rig and beyond.
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Other TechAudio Video News
UltraViolet: Building a Movie Library in the Cloud
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 24, 2012
I half expected an ordeal as I walked into Walmart carrying a small shopping bag with several movies, ready to take the new Disc-to-Digital service for a spin. I was directed to the electronics department where I was greeted by a large placard that read: “Access your movie collection. Any time. Any place. 3 Easy Steps...” Offered in Walmart stores across the country, the service is operated through the chain’s online streaming service, Vudu, and is intended to provide an easy way to set up a cloud-based digital movie library with DVDs and Blu-ray Discs you already own.
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Other Tech
How to Choose a Media Player/Streamer
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 01, 2012
There is a growing number of media players, media streamers, and other devices that can access Netflix, Hulu, and your own saved media to watch on your TV. The first step in deciding which one to buy is to know why you want it. Do you only want to stream video and music from the Internet? Do you want to watch Netflix or Hulu, or do you like to find unique videos and video podcasts? Have you saved music, photos, and/or videos on your computer that you want to stream to your TV?
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Other Tech
Tech Spotlight: SRS & The Future Of Surround
Rob Sabin  |  Jul 12, 2011
SRS & the Future of Surround

Like most Home Theater readers, I’ve known SRS Labs primarily as the company that does virtual surround sound and other audio solutions for HDTVs and soundbars—features largely dismissed by serious enthusiasts as lightweight hocus-pocus. So it was with some skepticism that, back in March, I rolled into the firm’s Santa Ana, California, headquarters for a private demo of some new surround sound technology.

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Other Tech
The Missing Link: Streaming Connections
Rob Sabin  |  Jun 17, 2011
Successful streaming is about making the right connection.

If you’ve just read “Streaming for the Masses”, you’ve got some idea of the range of hardware that lets you stream video and music from the Internet to your home entertainment system. The primary options include HDTVs, Blu-ray players, A/V receivers, game consoles, and various DVRs and dedicated streaming appliances. To some extent, it does matter which you choose, both in terms of the content you can access and your ability to connect it for the best picture or sound quality.

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Other Tech
Streaming for the Masses
David Vaughn  |  Jun 14, 2011
Streaming video has gone mainstream. Are you ready?

Once upon a time, outside factors controlled when and where you could watch a TV show or feature film. Over the past 35 years, that’s evolved dramatically. The revolution began with the introduction of the VCR in 1976. Its ability to record and archive broadcast TV shows and movies on magnetic tape burst open the floodgates for entertainment in the home. Other formats followed, all the way up to our present-day high-density Blu-ray Discs. One thing they’ve all had in common, though, is their physical nature. That’s all changing now. Like it or not, we’re entering a transition phase from physical media to streaming and the cloud. Looks like a revolution all over again.

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