John Sciacca

CES 2016
The Ultimate Projection Screen Transformer
John Sciacca  |  Jan 07, 2016  |  0 comments
Design Screen's incredibly innovative projection screen folds into a piece of art when not in use.
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CES 2016
The HDMI Cable Your Video Has Been Looking For
John Sciacca  |  Jan 07, 2016  |  1 comments
You’ve heard it a hundred times before…”All HDMI cables are the same.” Essentially, if you can see an image on the screen that is lacking in sparklies, or doesn’t flash in-and-out, then your HDMI cable is every bit as good as it needs to be. Well, Marseille is looking to change the game with its new mCable, the only HDMI cable that is designed to improve picture quality.

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CES 2016
Check on Loved Ones with Onelink’s Envirocam
John Sciacca  |  Jan 06, 2016  |  0 comments
For decades, First Alert has manufactured products designed to keep families safe through smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors. Onelink takes the company’s legacy forward into the connected world with a group of products designed to protect and inform you no matter where you are. One of the coolest monitoring products I ran across was the new Wi-Fi Envirocam that is designed to give peace of mind to parents and caretakers alike.

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CES 2016
Eve Wants to Make Your Home an Automation Paradise
John Sciacca  |  Jan 06, 2016  |  0 comments
“Works with Apple HomeKit” was a common theme among many of the new automation companies demonstrating at the International Consumer Electronics Show, and Elgato’s Eve family of devices offers some very affordable options to quickly and easily bring smarts and Siri-based control to your home.

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CES 2016
SecuRAM’s Unhackable Smart Lock
John Sciacca  |  Jan 06, 2016  |  1 comments
There were no shortage of smart locks on display at CES, but the one that truly takes security to the next level is SecuRAM’s Genesis. Not only does the lock have an incredibly high-end, solid and luxurious look, it uses state of the art biometric technology to “analyze the vascular pattern below the epidermal layer of your finger to authenticate.”

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The Connected Life
The State of Immersive Audio
John Sciacca  |  Dec 23, 2015  |  1 comments
As we get ready to head into the new year, 3D "immersive audio" is the driving force behind home theater. A rundown of where things stand with the three competing formats: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D.
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The Connected Life
Ultra HD Blu-ray Is Coming...but Do You Care?
John Sciacca  |  Dec 09, 2015  |  20 comments
As 4K TV sales prices continue dropping and sales steadily increase, the public’s demand for true 4K content continues to increase. At this past CEDIA, Kaleidescape announced its new Strato 4K Movie Player as well as the company’s third generation movie store that will offer more than 100 4K downloads at launch. DISH also discussed plans about its upcoming 4K Joey joining DirecTV in offering some 4K content. And with the International CES just a few weeks away, it seems likely one of the big stories from the show will be the launch of new Ultra HD Blu-ray players. But, will anyone care?

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Vote
Will You Buy an Ultra HD Blu-ray Player?
John Sciacca  |  Dec 09, 2015  |  9 comments
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The Connected Life
3 Things You Can Do to Get Bigger, Better Bass
John Sciacca  |  Nov 18, 2015  |  1 comments
When you consider that subwoofers cover a scant 0.3 percent of the audible spectrum—from 20 to 80 Hz—it might be easy to discount just how important bass is to solid audio playback. I mean, who would complain about having a solid 99.7 percent, right? But when you take those crucial two octaves away, everything else sounds thin and diminished, showing just how important a solid low-end foundation is for your audio playback system.

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The Connected Life
Taking My System to the Next Level
John Sciacca  |  Nov 04, 2015  |  5 comments
We A/V writers and reviewers rarely talk about our own systems here at Sound & Vision. This is partly due to the nature of review gear coming and going into our systems, as the gear we live with is almost always changing. Another reason is we frequently aren’t in a position to own and enjoy the top-shelf stuff in our own homes. (Insert comment about the cobbler’s kids here.) But I’ve been talking about next generation, immersive audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X quite a bit lately, and I thought I’d share what I’m doing with my own personal system to make sure it stays up to date, relevant and reference.

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