LATEST ADDITIONS

Audio Video News
Bell Tolls for Pay-TV
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 15, 2017
Forty-one percent of cable and satellite subscribers are planning to trim or sever their pay-TV subscriptions, according to a survey of 1,000 customers by FocusVision and Zanthus.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Best Buy Gives VR a Reality Check
SV Staff  |  Feb 15, 2017
The honeymoon is over. Best Buy is closing 200 of its Oculus Rift demo stations less than six months after announcing plans to feature the virtual reality headset in 500 stores in time for the 2016 holiday season.
Continue Reading »
Apptitude
Shopping with Apps: Who Needs a Salesman?
Michael Antonoff  |  Feb 15, 2017
It’s hard to believe that we once drove to big-box stores unarmed: no smartphone in hand; no Wi-Fi for the taking. A recent trip to The Home Depot reminded me how power in the power tool kingdom has shifted from merchant to shopper.
Continue Reading »
Desktop Speaker Reviews
Sony CAS-1 Compact Audio System Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 14, 2017

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Small-footprint amp and speakers
Streaming app
Hi-res capable
Minus
No analog line input
No S/PDIF input
No sub output

THE VERDICT
The Sony CAS-1 is a sleek and simple desktop system, optimized for input from computers and mobile devices, with sweetly addictive near-field imaging.

It’s been 21 years since the MP3 audio file format made its debut, 17 years since Napster revolutionized the distribution of digital music, 15 years since the iPod brought that music to a pocketable device, and 13 years since Apple made downloads legit with the iTunes music store. Computerized audio is now enjoying a vigorous middle age—old enough to support lots of audio products and system configurations, young enough for some of those products to be innovative. Outfitting your desktop with an audio system can cost as little as $13.99 for a pair of AmazonBasics powered speakers or as much as several thousand dollars for the highest-end speakers and integrated amps recommended by our sister site AudioStream.com.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
Okay Google, I Want to Watch CNN Now
SV Staff  |  Feb 14, 2017
Amid the usual flurry of TV-related news at last month's CES—including word that Sony is getting back into the OLED game—almost everyone missed a potentially big part of Sony’s TV announcement: That its 2017 Android-powered 4K TVs will be the first televisions to support Google Assistant, Google’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa.
Continue Reading »
Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sony Announces Pricing, Availability for 4K/HDR TVs
SV Staff  |  Feb 14, 2017
Sony has announced that the high dynamic range (HDR)-enabled 4K/Ultra HD TVs it introduced at CES will be available in March at prices starting at $1,000 for a 43-inch model and scaling up to $7,500 for a 75-inch set.
Continue Reading »
Signals
The Hole in Blu-ray's Bucket
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 14, 2017
Suppose you had a perfectly fine bucket. As you poured water into your bucket, you marveled at the way it perfectly held the water. Then one day a miscreant drilled a hole in your bucket, and put his own bucket under yours. No matter how fast you pour water into your bucket, it inevitably streams out the bottom. To make it even more frustrating, the hole just keeps getting bigger and bigger. All of which brings us to sales of DVD and Blu-ray.

Continue Reading »
Audio Video News
HBO’s Silicon Valley Heading for Blu-ray
SV Staff  |  Feb 14, 2017
HBO has announced that Season 3 of the comedy series Silicon Valley is coming to Blu-ray April 11.
Continue Reading »
Ask S&V
How to Use an External Amp to Create an 11.1 System
Al Griffin  |  Feb 13, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q I have a Denon AVR-X7200WA A/V receiver and a 9.2-channel speaker system. I recently bought an additional pair of height speakers and a Marantz five-channel amp to expand the system to 11.1 channels. How should I go about connecting the Marantz amp? —Dipin Patel / via email

Continue Reading »
Editor's Eye
Ultra HD Settles In Along with UHD Blu-ray & HDR
Rob Sabin  |  Feb 13, 2017
Ultra HD is fast becoming our TV of choice, which bodes well for both UHD Blu-ray and high dynamic range technology.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X