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Thorens TD 209 Turntable
Bob Ankosko  |  May 14, 2014
Spinning With Style
You don’t come across many companies that have been in business for 100 years. Founded in 1883 as a manufacturer of musical boxes and clocks, Thorens started building Edison-type cylinder phonographs in 1903 and has been making turntables ever since. Although the company branched out into audio electronics in the ’90s, it remains a steadfast bearer of fine turntables. Its latest specimen is the ultra-modern TD 209, which borrows design cues from its higher-end sibling, the TD 309.
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A/V Veteran
Ultra HD: Is It Soup Yet?
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 13, 2014
Ultra HD has been around for a couple of years now, but prices have now dropped to the point that acquiring an Ultra HD set can be a serious consideration for folks in the market for a new TV, particularly early-adopters. TV makers hope that the next Big Thing in video will be Ultra HD, or as it is widely (and imprecisely) called, 4K. They also hope that Ultra HD has the legs that home 3D (now in its, “Hello, I must be going” phase) lacked.

Ultra HD can be much more than simply 4K resolution (more precisely, 3840 x 2160 in the consumer arena—4K in the pro world , including digital cinema projection, is 4096 x 2160). It also has the potential to offer a wider color gamut, an increased color bit depth, and less aggressive color subsampling. If that string of technobabble sounds intimidating, it simply means that in addition to more pixels, Ultra HD could provide a wider and richer color palette than does our current HD standard.

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Vote
What's Your Take On 4K/Ultra HD?
SV Staff  |  May 13, 2014
It’s been two and a half years since we reviewed the world’s first 4K Ultra HD projector and the high-resolution 4K format hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. TV prices have been steep and 4K content has been hard to come by. The good news is set prices have been moving steadily downward and the availability of 4K content is expected to improve this year with Netflix and others leading the charge. So the question for this week’s poll is: What’s your take on 4K/Ultra HD? Choose the response that best describes your thoughts and, as always, leave a comment to expand on your choice. (For more on 4K/Ultra HD, see Tom Norton's "Ultra HD: Is It Soup Yet?".)
What's Your Take On 4K/Ultra HD?
I own a 4K/Ultra HD TV and watching my first movie in 4K was a life-changing experience
2% (17 votes)
I own a 4K/Ultra HD TV and watching my first movie in 4K left me wondering what all the fuss is about
0% (2 votes)
I don't own a 4K/Ultra HD TV and don't plan to buy one
5% (37 votes)
I don't own a 4K/Ultra HD TV but plan to buy one
18% (133 votes)
4K is a technology in search of a market
4% (32 votes)
4K offers a step up in video quality as long as you have a really big screen
11% (80 votes)
4K represents an evolution, not revolution, in image quality
8% (62 votes)
4K will be an awesome upgrade once content is readily available
17% (129 votes)
I 'm perfectly happy with my 1080p HDTV
13% (99 votes)
I'd like to skip 4K and go straight to OLED
21% (154 votes)
Total votes: 745
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Grace NotesAudio Video News
Apple’s Buyout of Beats for Billions: Is Music Still Alive?
Leslie Shapiro  |  May 12, 2014
Any second now, confirmation is expected on Apple’s buyout of Beats Music for a reported $3.2 billion. That’s billion with a “b”. There’s no doubt that Beats is a valuable commodity. They did for headphones what Nike’s Air Jordans did for sneakers: No one cares if they’re the best product, they just care if it’s got the right logo. Is this a smart business move for Apple? Frankly, I don’t give a damn.

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Ask S&V
LCD TV Technology: Banding or Screen Uniformity?
Al Griffin  |  May 12, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I was thinking of buying a Sony XBR-65HX950 3D LCD HDTV based on Sound & Vision ’s positive review of that set. [Editor’s note: We actually reviewed the smaller XBR-55HX950.] However, I see plenty of ticked-off people on Amazon complaining about banding issues with that model. Do you consider banding a factory defect or just a quirk that has to be accepted with LCD technology? —Mike Cahan / via e-mail

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Tech2
Movie Review: Godzilla
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 11, 2014
GODZILLA!!!! I’m going to admit something here: I’ve never seen a Godzilla movie. Not all the way through. My knowledge (or lack thereof) has only ever existed as what I absorbed through the zeitgeist.

The pieces I saw of the most recent American incarnation seemed right terrible, and best avoided. How dare you do that to Jean Reno. He was Leon FFS.

But the trailer for this one looked really cool, and a friend who is into Godzilla seemed excited. Lucky me, then, I got invited to the premiere.

Don’t worry, no spoilers, I promise.

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Subwoofer Reviews
SVS SB-2000 and PB-2000 Subwoofers
David Vaughn  |  May 09, 2014

SVS SB-2000 Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value

SVS PB-2000 Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $700, $800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Room-friendly form factor (SB-2000)
Outstanding build quality
45-day in-home trial period
Minus
No built-in parametric equalizer
Best for moderately sized rooms

THE VERDICT
For rooms smaller than 3,000 cubic feet, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better bass value than what either of these subwoofers offers.

I've loved movies since I was a kid and have been interested in home theater for more than 20 years now. There are many reasons I prefer watching movies at home versus the local cinema: There's no texting or talking, for example, and I can pause the movie if I need a potty break. But the biggest reason I love watching at home is the sound. Don't get me wrong. It's not that the local theater sounds bad; it's just that my home theater sounds better overall, especially when it comes to bass.

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Soundbar Reviews
Definitive Technology SoloCinema Studio Soundbar System
Daniel Kumin  |  May 09, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,199

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Super-svelte dimensions
Natural voicing and excellent subwoofer blend
Surprising volume ability
Minus
Limited stereo image width
Mediocre remote-control range

THE VERDICT
Solid tonal balance, unusually good soundbar/subwoofer integration, and substantial volume for so slim a design make the SoloCinema Studio a fine performer in its category.

Love them or hate them, soundbars are a big part of what’s keeping audio manufacturers afloat these days—those, at least, that haven’t already repaired to Davy Jones’ Locker. Baltimore’s Definitive Technology, a firm whose “real” loudspeakers have for two decades and more set high standards of performance and value, is no newcomer to the bar scene. Its latest effort is the SoloCinema Studio, a two-piece job, and the bar half is tiny, quite literally a bar: just 3-plus inches square by 42-plus wide.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Last Stand
Chris Chiarella  |  May 08, 2014
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
High on the list of stars needing a good movie under their belt we would find the beleaguered Mr. Schwarzenegger. His box office clout was waning, then he spent many years away from show business to run California. At one point his most promising comeback vehicle seemed to be a bizarre "Governator" cartoon, and then it all came crashing down amid a horrible public scandal. But could he still hold his own on the big screen if he wanted to?
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Ask S&V
Can I Connect a Blu-ray Burner to My HDTV?
Al Griffin  |  May 08, 2014
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I plan to buy a Pioneer BDR-XU03 Blu-ray burner for my iMac. I'd also like to connect it to the HDTV in my family room for watching movies. Is there such a thing as a USB to HDMI converter? If not, do you have any other suggestions? —Kendall Knights via email

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