LATEST ADDITIONS

Though it might seem early, now is the perfect time to jump start your holiday shopping to avoid getting caught empty-handed as the Christmas holiday season draws near. It’s impossible to know how, or if, ongoing shipping delays and component shortages will affect the A/V purchases you’re mulling, so why take the chance, especially with must-have items? Here’s a compendium of Sound & Vision Top Picks with a focus on reasonably priced gear we reviewed in 2021.

PRICE $799 (UBR-X100), $1699 (UBR-X200)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-quality video
Universal disc playback (UBR-X200)
Pure Direct output
Minus
No DVD-Audio or SACD support (UBR-X100)
Build quality lags that of other flagship players
Interface needs polish

THE VERDICT
This pair of players from newcomer Reavon succeeds brilliantly in giving the Ultra HD Blu-ray format, along with other shiny discs, a new lease on life.

It's no secret that the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player market has become a barren wasteland over the past few years. It seems like we've lost more players than we've gained, with little in the way of new models coming from manufacturers who used to debut several players a year during the heyday of shiny discs. And the situation is even worse for someone seeking a high- end player with advanced features, broad disc format support, and top-flight build quality.

An attempt to revive the popular Saw franchise, Spiral (full title "Spiral: From the Book of Saw," whatever that means) continues the legacy of creative torture-horror under the direction of Darren Lynn Bousman who long ago helmed Saws II-IV. The sadistic madman-with-an-axe-to-grind known as Jigsaw is long dead and now a new serial killer is on the loose, an apparent copycat except this time the murderer is specifically targeting dirty cops with his elaborate, painful deathtraps. Once again, the victims must make the brutal choice to do something horrible to themselves to escape or die in gruesome fashion.

Gear Aplenty could well be the theme of autumn 2021, which has produced a scary good lineup of Top Pick-worthy products as we approach the witching hour. From one of the best TVs you can buy to soundbar options for three budgets to a brilliant reimagining of a ’60s classic, we’ve got you covered.