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Suggested TV Settings
Al Griffin  |  Oct 08, 2013
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com.

Q. I recently purchased a Samsung 6420 LED TV. I contacted both Samsung and TweakTV looking for suggested calibration settings, but they were of no help. I am not satisfied with the set’s current picture and was wondering if you had some suggested settings for this model or could direct me to other Websites that might help. —Cannon / via e-mail

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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsIntegrated Amp Reviews
NAD D 3020 Hybrid Digital Integrated Amplifier
Daniel Kumin  |  Oct 08, 2013

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Fine performance and sound
Elegant looks
Clear value
Minus
No mute control
Limited detail in volume readout

THE VERDICT
As an integrated amplifier/DAC combo for serious listeners, the D 3020’s audio quality and value are unmistakable.

Audio types old enough to have viewed Chevy Chase’s pratfalls live rather than on demand may remember an unprepossessing integrated amplifier from an unfamiliar brand. The NAD 3020, despite a power rating laughably modest even in 1978 (20 watts per channel) and next to no features, gained notice because, as the lore went, “it sounded great.” And it did—thanks to intelligent amplifier design, a conservative power rating, and the value—widely underappreciated, then and now—of dynamic headroom.

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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Rise Of The Guardians
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 08, 2013
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
When boogeyman Pitch Black schemes to plant fearsome nightmares into the minds and hearts of children throughout the world, it falls on the Guardians to derail his plans. When they attempt to convince Jack Frost, a free-spirit prankster, to join them, he agrees only when things turn truly grim.
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Remotely PossibleCEDIA 2013
CEDIA 2013: A Few of My Favorite Things
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 08, 2013
Shortly before CEDIA 2013 kicked off in Denver last month, I wrote a post about some of the things I was looking forward to seeing at this year’s EXPO. There certainly wasn’t anything earth-shattering or paradigm-shredding introduced within the confines of the Denver Convention Center. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few standout products and super-slick demos hidden amongst the hundreds of crowded EXPO booths. We covered a lot of them.
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Audio Video News
JBL Introduces Inexpensive Cinema Series Home Theater Speaker Systems
SV Staff  |  Oct 08, 2013
Harman International today announced two entry-level surround-sound speaker packages from JBL: the Cinema 610 and Cinema 510, which list for $400 and $300, respectively.

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Ears On
Bar, What Is It Good For?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Oct 04, 2013
Bar, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin', say most audiophiles. But an increasing number of consumers begs to differ, and the audio industry caters to them with an increasing selection of soundbars. At the recent CEDIA Expo, nearly every manufacturer that makes audio-for-video products was showing a soundbar or three, and no doubt I'll be reviewing some of them over the next year. With such a proliferation of soundbars, some of them may actually be pretty good, within their inherent limits, and worth considering in a bedroom system or something other than a primary home theater system.

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Streaming Device Reviews
Western Digital WD TV Play Media Player
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 03, 2013

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $70

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent sound and picture quality
Unit powers on whole home theater and switches inputs
Easy direct-access buttons on remote for Netflix, Hulu, Vudu
Minus
No Amazon VOD app
Poorly executed Facebook app

THE VERDICT
As long as it supports all the services you use, you’ll find the WD TV Play will deliver consistently high video and audio quality and a nice user experience at a very good price.

With all the media players available to me, a Western Digital player has always been my go-to streamer. I know the quality will be good and that I can connect it and be ready to go in minutes. The newest model, the WD TV Play, offers the quality and usability of its predecessors at a lower price. Although Western Digital chose the WD TV Play name to distinguish it from earlier models, little else has changed besides the home screen, and perhaps an increase in audio and video performance.

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Song From My SoundtrackTech2
Song from My Soundtrack: Dominic Baker and The Last Night of the Proms
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Oct 02, 2013
Dominic Baker is the Audio Systems Business Director at Cambridge Audio. He was previously the Chief Acoustics Engineer at Focal JM Lab, and the Acoustic Development Engineer at Tannoy. This is a Song (ok, musical event) from his Soundtrack.
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SmartStream
The Lowdown on Sony's Google TV Stick
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 02, 2013
Sony's NXZ-GUI Bravia Smart Stick is not the newest Chromecast stick. Find out more about Sony's new Google TV dongle.
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Audio Video News
WD Introduces Personal Cloud Drive
SV Staff  |  Oct 02, 2013
WD, a Western Digital company and leader in storage solutions, today introduced My Cloud, a cloud-based hard drive described as a solution for organizing, centralizing, and securing digital content from computers and mobile devices. Once My Cloud is connected to the Internet, content stored on it can be accessed from any device without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control of personal data, according to the company.
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