LATEST ADDITIONS

As the holidays draw near, it’s time to start locking down your year-end plan. Which of the products on your upgrade list will make the cut? If a 4K/HDR TV is under consideration but your budget is getting a bit tapped out, we have two recent Top Picks to recommend, along with several other products that got the big Sound & Vision thumbs up in November. Among them an integrated amplifier/streamer audiophiles will love, a soundbar with Virtual DTS:X processing for $300 (no that’s not a typo), a wireless multiroom music system that’s inexpensive and sounds great, and a second-generation Ultra HD Blu-ray player that will take your home theater experience to the next level. All deserve serious consideration.

When a new baby arrives at the Templeton house, seven-year-old Tim has his world turned upside down. He’s even more flummoxed when he sees that the baby is wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase, and is here on a mission from BabyCorp, where babies come from. Puppy Co., the company that Tim’s parents work for, is threatening BabyCorp’s only market by producing cute, cuddly, “forever puppies” that threaten to eliminate the human passion for babies.

P&F USA, the exclusive licensee for Philips televisions and video products in North America, has announced a new series of budget 1080p TVs built around Roku’s OS 8 operating system, which features an upgraded electronic program guide.

PRICE $300

AT A GLANCE
Plus
DTS Virtual:X mimics height/surround
HDMI in and out with ARC
Pleasant voicing in most modes
Minus
Only one video input
3D Surround mode can be slightly harsh

THE VERDICT
The Yamaha YAS-207, which uses DTS Virtual:X processing to simulate height and surround effects, sounds pretty good and is easy on your checkbook.

When Dolby Atmos and, shortly thereafter, DTS:X made their debuts, I expected I’d soon be reviewing a flood of speaker systems and receivers supporting object-oriented surround in a 360-degree soundfield. My hope was that height-capable surround would spark renewed interest in surround speaker packages and receivers — and in home theater overall.