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Warner Movies and HBO Max: What You Need to Know
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 09, 2020
WarnerMedia has announced that all of the studio's 2021 theatrical movies will be available to stream on its HBO Max service the same day they get released in theaters. That may be a welcome decision to those of us who either don’t want to spend two hours in a closed room with strangers or where theaters are closed. But it is also causing concern for those in the movie industry. How will this decision alter how we see new movies in the future?
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2020 Blu-ray Gift Guide: Blu Cheer
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 09, 2020
Each autumn, I fret that we won't be able to find ten worthy entries for this gotta-have-'em list, and every year am genuinely surprised at the bounty that has somehow remained heretofore unreleased. I guess there will always be anniversaries and restorations and quadrilogies and the like, and as long as the studios keep investing the time and care to craft these disc-filled boxes we enjoy so much, we'll continue recommending the cream of the crop to help stoke seasonal merriment.
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Audio Video News
Sonos Adds Dual Subwoofer Support
SV Staff  |  Dec 08, 2020
Wireless speaker pioneer Sonos has announced that owners of its Arc, Beam, Playbar, Playbase, and Amp products now have the ability to add a pair of the company’s Sub subwoofers to their home theater setup. Previously, the company’s soundbars and amps only supported a single subwoofer connection. The feature arrives as part of a software update available only in the Sonos S2 control app, and further requires that at least one Sub be a Gen 3 model, which provides additional processing power.
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Editor's Eye
John Lennon Remembered
Al Griffin  |  Dec 08, 2020
It’s hard to believe 40 years have passed since John Lennon was fatally shot outside his home on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on this very day. We’re marking the anniversary of Lennon’s untimely passing with a review of the new Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes box set and Matt Hurwitz’s story on the production of tracks remixed in stereo, 5.1, and Dolby Atmos.
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Signals
Backstabbing for Beginners
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Dec 07, 2020
Good morning students and welcome to Backstabbing for Beginners. In this class, you will learn how to betray like a pro. As we will see, there are many ways to screw over another party. But all backstabbing can be boiled down to two easy steps...
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Music Reviews
John Lennon: Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Remixes - Deluxe Edition
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 04, 2020
Performance
Sound
I always viewed John Winston Ono Lennon as an inveterate seeker—an artist who was forever searching low and high to find both his ballast and his balance. During his time in The Beatles, Lennon was able to connect with listeners on an interpersonal level ("In My Life") while he also remained unafraid to address his own fears and insecurities ("Help!"), was eager to embrace the free-associative nature of the Sixties ("I Am the Walrus"), and was wholly game to confront the depths of his pain ("Julia").
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Product News: Late Fall 2020 Edition
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 03, 2020

New gear to brighten the New Year — and maybe Christmas if you hurry.

With Christmas only three weeks away, the 2020 Holiday Season is in full swing as A/V makers fill the pipeline with new gear and performance updates in hopes of bringing holiday cheer to a pandemic-weary public that’s embracing home entertainment like never before. Thank goodness for big-screen TVs, home theater setups, and the plentiful selection of music and TV/movie streaming services. From a $100 amp/DAC to a unique and nostalgic take on the classic hi-fi console, we review the latest A/V news.

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Stream On
Being There...Virtually
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 03, 2020
With large-scale live events still in a holding pattern, attending VR and AR concerts online could be the next best bet for diehard concertgoers.
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Audio Video News
2020 Holiday Gift Guide
Bob Ankosko  |  Dec 02, 2020
A dozen-plus gifts to give...and get.

With a year of historic turbulence and divisive presidential politics almost behind us, it's time to count our blessings as we look toward the holiday season with hope for peace, prosperity, and a return to normalcy for all. Here we present a dozen or so gifts guaranteed to delight family and friends—and maybe even make your own personal wish list. Our goal was to go easy on the wallet so prices start at $50 and top out at around $300. With any luck, you'll be able to fill in a couple blanks on your shopping list and, ultimately, bring cheer to those you care about as we say good riddance to 2020.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
300
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 27, 2020
Picture
Sound
Extras
Inspired by the 1962 Cinemascope epic The 300 Spartans that he saw as a lad, writer/artist Frank Miller would go on to create the five-issue graphic novel 300, a wildly stylized, heavily fictionalized account of the Battle of Thermopylae. In his telling, full of indelible images and gruesome violence, the historical events of brave King Leonidas and his 15-score soldiers' resistance against an innumerable horde are elevated to nigh-mythological status. Led by the self-proclaimed god-king Xerxes, Persia was mercilessly conquering much of the world, but the willful Spartans, still renowned as the greatest warriors ever, dared to stand their ground.
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