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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Spring Breakers
Corey Gunnestad  |  Apr 29, 2014
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
The American tradition of the spring break was invented to give hard-working college students a much-needed reprieve from their rigorous course studies and a means to blow off some steam in a reasonably safe environment. At what point then did it become a callow justification to take complete leave of your senses and shamelessly plunge headlong into a sexually hedonistic, drug-induced crime spree? Oh, well. You’re only young once, I guess.
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TV ReviewsOLED TV Reviews
LG 55EA9800 3D OLED HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Apr 28, 2014

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $7,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Astonishing blacks
Crisp, clean detail
Exceptionally bright 3D
Minus
Poor dark-gray uniformity
Expensive for a 1080p set

THE VERDICT
It costs a bundle, has a relatively small screen, and isn’t perfect. But buyers will be rewarded with a picture that, in the ways most important to enthusiasts, is unequaled by any other type of consumer display.

At the 2014 CES, it became clear that, for most HDTV manufacturers, OLED was on the back burner. LCD Ultra HDTV, or 4K, was the big story. But at least one manufacturer, LG, remains aggressive on the OLED front. The company has announced four new models for 2014 and, at the same time, drastically cut the price (as of March 2014) on the 55-inch model 55EA9800, launched late last year and reviewed here.

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3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Gravity
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 28, 2014
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Gravity doesn’t waste a single second: After a brief text reminds us of how utterly dangerous space is, disaster strikes a shuttle crew in the midst of a Hubble telescope upgrade. With the help of veteran spaceman Matt Kowalski (the ever-affable George Clooney), scientist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock, ditching her blatant sass in favor of genuine emotion) must find a way to survive her first mission and return home alive somehow. But with one unfortunate twist after another, her ordeal is relentless.
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Portable Player ReviewsGrace Notes
Review: Bayan Audio Soundbook and Soundbook X3 Jump the Pond
Leslie Shapiro  |  Apr 28, 2014
It’s possible that you’ve never heard of Bayan Audio. The company is better known in the UK, where it has built a solid reputation. Now, Bayan is bringing two new products to North America. The Soundbook and Soundbook X3 are portable Bluetooth speakers packed with some very cool features in very impressive packages. Can they make the jump over the pond and land with a big enough splash in an already crowded speaker market?

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Audio Video News
Elite Introduces Starling Line of Motorized Projection Screens Starting at $299
SV Staff  |  Apr 28, 2014
Elite Screens has introduced the Starling series of motorized 16:9 format projection screens in a range of sizes, including 100, 120, 135 inches (diagonal), at prices starting at $299.
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Audio Video News
Survey Shows Most Unwanted Phones, Tablets, and MP3 Players Are Not Recycled
SV Staff  |  Apr 27, 2014
Americans are well educated on the benefits of recycling bottles, cans, and paper but when it comes to electronics devices all bets are off. The proliferation of cell phones and tablets has led to a growing glut of "e-waste" piling up in people's homes, as well as a lack of understanding about what to do with broken, unwanted, or outdated devices.
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Headphone Amp/DAC ReviewsMedia Server ReviewsOther Source Component Reviews
Sony HAP-S1 High-Resolution Audio Player
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 25, 2014

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
500-GB hard drive
DSD capable
Serious fun to use
Minus
No live streaming from network devices
Lightweight amp

THE VERDICT
This handsome DSD-capable audio player with built-in storage takes the pesky computer out of computer audio—and it’s way more fun to use.

Sony made waves when they announced their intention to market three high-resolution audio (HRA) products built around the company’s DSD file format. True, there was a nascent HRA movement before Sony made the move, with loads of network audio players and USB DACs flooding the market. But somehow the Sony announcement provided the extra momentum that finally made HRA seem not just promising but inevitable. That the Consumer Electronics Association has also launched an HRA initiative is icing on the cake.

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Headphone ReviewsTech2
Review: Jabra Wants You to Rox Your Next Workout
Lauren Dragan  |  Apr 24, 2014
If you’re like me, you can’t get any kind of workout done without music. A driving beat helps to regulate breathing, encourages you to keep up the pace, and energizes you when you’re ready to call it quits. But sometimes the toughest part of working out isn’t my burning muscles, it’s getting the right pair of headphones that sound good, stay put, and deliver my tunes. There’s a lot out of offerings there these days, and Jabra is entering the fray with their first Bluetooth sport headphone, the Rox. But do they have the fortitude to go the distance?
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Audio Video News
Sony Focuses on High-Rez Audio with New Line of Affordable AV Receivers and Speakers
SV Staff  |  Apr 24, 2014
Sony is aiming to make high-resolution music available to a broader audience with the introduction of high-rez-capable AV receivers, a Blu-ray-based home theater system, and a series of speakers, all due out in May. Two of four new receivers and the Blu-ray system are equipped to handle a variety of audio formats from FLAC to Sony's own Direct Stream Digital (DSD), originally developed for Super Audio CD.
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New Products
New Gear
SV Staff  |  Apr 24, 2014
An inexpensive cleaner for your TV screen, GoldenEar's latest tower speaker, an NFC/Bluetooth adapter, and more.
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