Mark Fleischmann

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Escient Sees Visions
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 05, 2008
Escient has added a whole new product line, supplementing the fabulous five-year-old Fireballs with the new Vision media servers. Models include the VX600, with four swappable one-terabyte drives, enough to hold 600 movies, $7999; VX-200, two times 1TB, $5999; and VX-100, two times 500GB, $3999. Asked if Escient expected the kind of copyright lawsuits that have bedeviled Kaleidescape, the answer was no, the products are unrancorously licensed with the CCA, the DVD DRM authority. Escient is also working with Sony to make its streaming products compatible with the forthcoming 400-disc Blu-ray player. The GUI looks great, with cover view for both DVD and CD, and Rhapsody compatibility is part of the package.
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Audio Video News
ESPN Wants to Stand Alone
Mark Fleischmann  |  Dec 02, 2015
ESPN is tired of being just another channel in someone else’s pay-TV system. Its parent company Disney is considering going direct to consumers with a video streaming service, as HBO is already doing with HBO Now. CEO Bob Iger raised the prospect in a CNBC interview, though he added the move is at least five years away, presumably because of existing contracts with pay-TV providers. Analysts said the service could get consumers to shell out between $21 and $28 a month.
Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsHeadphone Reviews
Essence HDACC DAC Headphone Amplifier
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 02, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
HDMI input for high-res music on Blu-ray
Adjustable ’phone impedance and sampling rate
Sounds good with different ’phones
Minus
None to speak of...

THE VERDICT
Essence’s HDACC bridges the gap between Blu-ray music content and legacy audio systems with an extremely adjustable and great-sounding DAC.

The most unusual product in this roundup is the HDACC HD Audio Center from Essence Electrostatic, a company that also markets flat-diaphragm loudspeakers. Like the NAD, it qualifies as a headphone amp, DAC, and stereo preamp with TosLink, coax, and analog inputs. But its greater claim to fame is a pair of HDMI jacks, input and output, on the back panel.

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Audio Video News
Estimated DTV Coverage Woes Worsen
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 15, 2008
Remember the research firm that predicted 5.9 million antenna-dependent U.S. households would lose at least some channels after the DTV transition? You know, the survey that convinced the Federal Communications Commission to do further field testing to gauge the extent of the potential problem? Well, that same firm has now upped its estimate, predicting that 9.2 million households will have reception problems. But what's a few million more angry viewers between friends?
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Audio Video News
Et Tu, LG Plasma?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 27, 2009
LG may become the next manufacturer to give up on plasma, following similar moves by Hitachi, NEC, and Vizio and Pioneer's total exit from TV manufacturing.
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Etón Radios Have a Message for You
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 09, 2008
And it's "crank me up, baby." Yup, these radios operate with cranks, old-fashioned wrist power, as opposed to batteries.
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Audio Video News
EU Parliament Gets First Pirate Member
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 10, 2009
File-sharing enthusiasts are rejoicing with the news that Sweden's Pirate Party has captured a seat in the European Union's Parliament.
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Audio Video News
Evil Frank Shot in 6K
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 13, 2015
If you thought President Francis Underwood was scary in Netflix 4K streaming, you may be perturbed to learn that the third season of House of Cards was actually shot in 6K. When Kevin Spacey directed his laser-like gaze at the camera to address the audience, he was burning a hole in a 6K lens. Even the visual effects—often executed in 2K even for 4K productions—were pure 6K, which has nine times the resolution of standard HD. That doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing the show in 6K anytime soon, with TVs and program pipelines still grappling with the 4K transition. But the 6K House of Cards lurks in an archive, waiting to unnerve future generations.
Audio Video News
Eye on AV: This Just In...
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 16, 2015
Dolby Atmos Comes to Tablets via Lenovo’s Tab 2 A10 ($199) and Tab 2 A8 ($129), with 10- and 8-inch screens and Android OS. The surround effects work with any headphones...
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Audio Video News
Facebook May Stream Music
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 21, 2011
Facebook has nearly 700 million users. Think about that. It's close to a hundred New York Cities. So it's big news that the social networking site may be about to launch music streaming.

Rumor has it that Facebook users will soon have access to a Music Dashboard page. In addition to telling you what your friends are listening to, it may also allow streaming.

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