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Audio Video News
Who Needs All These Useless Channels?
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 03, 2014
American cable subscribers get way more cable channels than we really want. In 2008, according to Nielsen’s Advertising & Audiences Report, U.S. households received an average of 129.3 channels and viewed 17.3 of them. In 2013, the number of channels jumped to 189.1, of which 17.5 were viewed. So the number of channels went up 46 percent, but the number viewed rose only 1 percent. Why are cable systems jamming so many channels down our throats? Their dilemma is that channels travel in packs—and a network that owns a popular channel will always insist that cable operators buy all of its channels. “However,” says the Los Angeles Times, “the rising cost of sports programming is starting to lead to louder calls that at least some content should be sold to consumers who want it and not forced on everyone.”
Audio Video News
Tidal High Fidelity Music Streaming Service to Launch in U.S.
SV Staff  |  Sep 03, 2014
Service to Include HD Music Videos and Editorial Content from Music Journalists

WiMP HiFi, the Scandinavian music streaming service, today announced it will introduce Tidal, a high fidelity streaming service in the U.K. and U.S. later this fall with a monthly subscription of $19.99.

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Audio Video News
Sony Announces Walkman Hi-Res Music Player
SV Staff  |  Sep 03, 2014
Walkman NWZ-A17 Hailed as “World’s Smallest and Lightest” Hi-Res Audio Player

The iconic Walkman name will appear on what Sony is calling the “world’s smallest and lightest” high-resolution digital music player, the Walkman NWZ-A17, slated to hit store shelves in November with a suggested retail price of $300.

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Audio Video News
Vizio Heads to Canada
SV Staff  |  Sep 03, 2014
Vizio today announced its expansion into the Canadian market. Beginning September 12, the company’s TV and audio products will be available in-store and online at Best Buy and Future Shop locations throughout Canada.

Vizio has also expanded its customer service to the Canadian market.

For more information, visit vizio.com.

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Audio Video News
Long Time CE Industry Leader, CES Founder Jack Wayman Dies at Age 92
SV Staff  |  Sep 02, 2014
Jack Wayman in the early days of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

International CES founder and consumer electronics (CE) industry legend Jack Wayman died Saturday, August 30 of natural causes at the age of 92, announced Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro.

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Signals
Cutting the Cord (with Strings Attached)
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Sep 02, 2014
I am not a cheapskate. I am, however, very careful with my money. Okay, actually I am a cheapskate. In my weak defense, I work hard for the money, and I feel bad, real bad, when I underutilize its value. The continual drip, drip, drip of monthly fees particularly drives me nuts. Thus cord-cutting greatly interests me. Aereo was shining bright on my radar until the Supreme Court shot it out of the sky. Hmm, how can I get a cable experience with an antenna? Enter the TiVo Roamio OTA.

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Audio Video News
Beatles in Mono Listening Sessions in NY and LA Open to the Public
SV Staff  |  Sep 01, 2014
Universal Music Group is celebrating the September 9th release of The Beatles in Mono vinyl box set with listening sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Each session will feature yet-to-be-announced special guest speakers.
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Audio Video News
Atlantic Technology Announces Dolby Atmos Speaker Module
SV Staff  |  Sep 01, 2014
Atlantic Technology announced plans to introduce by the end of the year a compact Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker module that can be added to existing speakers in its line or any existing home theater setup.
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Audio Video News
Poll Results: Surround Height Channels Make a Respectable Showing
SV Staff  |  Aug 31, 2014
With the new Dolby Atmos surround format on the immediate horizon we wondered how many Sound & Vision readers’ are using special surround processing to derive height channels in their current home theater setups. Turns out that nearly a quarter of respondents have setups with height channels—a respectable showing considering the effort involved in installing extra speakers.

Here’s the complete breakdown of answers to the question we posed: Is Your Home Theater Configured with Height Channels?

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Headphone Reviews
JVC HA-FR301 In-Ear Headphone
Steve Guttenberg  |  Aug 29, 2014  |  First Published: Aug 28, 2014
Performance
Build Quality
Comfort
Value
PRICE $40

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Lotsa bass
Comfortable lightweight design
Low price
Minus
Maybe a little too much bass

THE VERDICT
The JVC HA-FR301 isn't an accurate-sounding headphone, and fashion conscious buyers may turn up their noses at the design, but these inexpensive in-ears are a lot of fun to listen to.

Emphasized, or should I say pronounced bass is a guilty pleasure a lot of headphone loving audiophiles rarely admit to indulging in. Funny, almost all headphones, including a fair share of high-end models, have elevated bass, so what we're talking about here is a matter of degree. JVC's HA-FR301 is designed for bass fanatics who can't get enough low-end punch. Indeed, JVC markets them as part of its Xtreme Xplosives headphone line up; that pretty much says it all. But while most bassy headphones suffer from muffled highs and a missing-in-action midrange, the HA-FR301 isn't lacking in detail, not by a long shot.

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