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This Week
This Week in Music, September 10, 2013: The country side of Sheryl Crow
Ken Richardson  |  Sep 10, 2013  |  First Published: Sep 17, 2013
This Week in Music, September 10, 2013: The country side of Sheryl Crow
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Audio Video News
Acoustic Sounds Launches High-Resolution Music Site Featuring DSD Downloads
SV Staff  |  Sep 09, 2013
Acoustic Sounds, the Salina, Kansas-based company that sells audiophile recordings and operates the vinyl reissue label Analogue Productions, has launched a music site that offers music downloads in a variety of high-resolution formats, including Direct Digital Stream (DSD). The company recently signed a deal with Sony Music and has begun making back catalog DSD recordings available.
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Grace Notes
Movie Premiere: Riddick
SV Staff  |  Sep 06, 2013
Riddick is an intergalactic murderous badass. When things start to go south, he’s your best and only hope.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-NR828 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 06, 2013
Audio Performance
Video Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price $1,099

At A Glance
Plus Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth • Audessey Mult EQ Room Correction • THX Select 2 Certification • Excellent video processing
Minus Lean sonic character can be fatiguing

The Verdict
Chock-full of the latest features and connectivity, the TX-NR828’s less-than-warm sound was more suited to movies than music in our auditions.

Onkyo is like that kid in elementary school. You remember: The one whose hand went up first in response to every question from the teacher.

“Who was the first presi–”

“George Washington!”

“Onkyo, I haven’t even finished asking the question.”

When it comes to features, Onkyo aims to be there firstest with the mostest. Name a feature, and Onkyo’s usually got it, typically in a licensed version with a hip logo, and quite often before anyone else. For the consumer who wants the latest features and wants them now, Onkyo is generally an excellent choice.

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Ears On
CD Quality Is Not High-Res Audio
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 06, 2013
It's official. The future of audio hardware and software now has an acronym. It's HRA, or high-resolution audio, trumpets a press release from the Consumer Electronics Association. HRA may well emerge as a key theme of CEA's 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show. So this would be a good time to discuss what is, and is not, high-resolution audio.

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Audio Video News
Panasonic Announces First 4K Ultra HD TV Based on HDMI 2.0 Spec
SV Staff  |  Sep 06, 2013
In October Panasonic will begin selling the first Ultra HD TV based on HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2a specifications. Part of the Smart Viera line, the 65-inch TC-L65WT600 is THX-certified and accepts 4K 60p video signals.
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SmartStream
Want Faster Streaming? Use an AC Bridge and Router
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 05, 2013
If you have a fast Internet connection and are still having trouble streaming high-definition movies and TV shows, you need to consider getting an “AC” bridge and router to connect to your home theater.
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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Chris Chiarella  |  Sep 05, 2013
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Peter Jackson gave the world a beloved, wildly successful film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, culminating in a record-breaking Oscar sweep, so of course, he was the obvious choice to helm the Hobbit prequels. But whereas the Rings trilogy made a newbie like me love it with its epic thrills and fascinating characters, An Unexpected Journey seems to be in love with its own familiar world and everyone in it. We meet a younger Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit happily minding his own business when the wizard Gandalf drafts him for a dangerous quest.
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Audio Video News
Sony Introduces Curved-Screen LCD HDTV
SV Staff  |  Sep 05, 2013
Sony has announced that its first curved-screen LED-based LCD television, the 65-inch KDL-65S990A, will be available in October at Sony Stores and select electronics retailers nationwide at the price of $4,000.
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TV Reviews
Panasonic TC-P65ZT60 3D Plasma HDTV
Tom Norton  |  Sep 04, 2013

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $3,800

At A Glance
Plus: Rich, accurate color and superb resolution • Full adjustability • Unsurpassed blacks and shadow detail
Minus: Adequate but not very bright 3D

The Verdict
Four years after the Pioneer Kuro plasma exited the market, Panasonic has finally, in its ZT60 series, created an HDTV that is essentially its equal in all key areas of image quality.

In 2009, Pioneer ceased production of its highly regarded Kuro plasma HDTVs, and videophiles everywhere took to wearing hair shirts and pondering self-flagellation.

We knew back then that Panasonic produced excellent plasmas as well, but the Kuro’s inky blacks remained unsurpassed. So when a number of former Pioneer engineers went to work for Panasonic, there was new hope. Big changes don’t happen over a single product cycle, however, or even over two or three. But now, with the release of Panasonic’s new ZT60 series, Panasonic claims to have reached that elusive summit. But has it? Can Kuro buyers stop sweating about their sets breaking down, and can those who missed the Kuro express altogether finally stop kicking themselves? We’re here to find out.

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