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Can I Link My AVR to a Soundbar in Another Room?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 16, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

A Can I link my Sony STR-DN1060 AV receiver with a Sony soundbar using its Zone 2 output? What I want is for the receiver to drive speakers in my main listening room and for the soundbar to play the same audio in a second room. —Lewis Starman / via e-mail

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Projector Reviews
Optoma UHD65 4K DLP Projector Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Nov 15, 2017
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb resolution in HD and UHD
Effective HDR for a projector
Affordable price
Minus
Poor contrast and black level
HDR color banding

THE VERDICT
If pure picture quality with 1080p standard dynamic range will dominate your viewing there are better options out there at this price and lower. But none of them will do what the Optoma can: accept a 4K input, provide a reasonable facsimile of high dynamic range, and offer picture detail challenged only by native 4K projectors costing many times its price.

Optoma has been in the projector business for years. Go to the company’s website, and you’ll see a bewildering array of models. But the UHD65 is one of the first models to make use of a new 4K DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), the core of Texas Instruments’ Digital Light Processing technology. And along with its sister model, the UHD60, it’s one of the cheapest.

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Triad Expands In-Ceiling Speaker Lineup
SV Staff  |  Nov 15, 2017
Triad Speakers has expanded its R Series of in-ceiling speakers with six models, ranging in price from $225/pair to $325 apiece.
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Audio Video News
Synaptics Announces Hi-Res THX-Certified Codec for Headphones
SV Staff  |  Nov 15, 2017
San Jose-based Synaptics has announced the availability a THX Certified audio codec that supports high-resolution playback on headphones.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Shinola Introduces Canfield Headphone Collection
SV Staff  |  Nov 15, 2017
The Detroit-based industrial design and manufacturing company Shinola is expanding its audio offerings with a line of precision-built headphones.
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Audio Video News
Sound & Vision Tech Tidbits December 2017
SV Staff  |  Nov 14, 2017
LG Welcomes Sling TV to 2017 OLED and Super UHD models. And its ad-supported Channel Plus app now offers more than 100 streaming channels...

Netflix and Dolby Atmos are now a thing. Initial titles will include Okia, Blame, Death Note, Bright, and Wheelman, while supported streaming devices include 2017 LG OLED TVs, Xbox One, and Xbox One S...

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New ProductsPremiere Design
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Shape Wireless Speaker System
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 14, 2017
You’ve gotta hand it to the design team at Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen. Always super creative and always thinking outside the box—the speaker box, in this case. What could easily be mistaken for wall art or a serious acoustic diffuser is a unique modular speaker system. Indeed, the BeoSound Shape is the only wireless speaker system we know of that is modular and customizable in terms of performance and aesthetics. In other words, it’s ridiculously flexible.
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Audio Video News
Top 10 Streaming Services: Can You Rank Them?
SV Staff  |  Nov 14, 2017
HBO Now, Starz, and Showtime moved up in the recently updated 2017 top 10 list of U.S. streaming services while Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu continued to hunker down in the top three slots.
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Samsung UBD-M9500 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review
David Vaughn  |  Nov 13, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $400

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Plethora of streaming options
Outstanding picture quality
Dual HDMI outputs
Minus
No 3D support
Flimsy disc tray
No Dolby Vision support

THE VERDICT
This second-generation Ultra HD Blu-ray player delivers exceptional performance and value, especially for heavy Netflix or Amazon users.

I’m in my 13th year of reviewing consumer electronics, and I’m continually amazed at the industry’s pace of innovation. In the span of about 20 years, we’ve gone from bulky, backbreaking CRT displays to flat-panel TVs that hang on the wall, as well as projectors that are smaller than the base of a vacuum cleaner—all at prices that the middle class can easily afford.

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Audio Video News
Sticky Labels Bedevil Consumers
Mark Fleischmann  |  Nov 13, 2017
Don’t you hate peeling sticky labels off your new phone and other CE purchases? You are not alone...
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