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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Ralph Potts  |  Aug 28, 2023
Picture
Sound
Extras

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is based on the popular ‘90s video game series and tells the story of a pair of Brooklyn plumbers who also happen to be brothers: brave Mario and the more reserved Luigi. When we meet them, Mario and Luigi are trying to find ways to keep their struggling plumbing business afloat. While exploring the city’s sewer system, they stumble across the secret entrance to the Mushroom Kingdom, a magical place where they will discover the adventure of a lifetime. Along the way we’ll encounter a host of familiar, lovable characters, all of whom will have to band together to defeat the power-hungry villain, Bowser.

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Spatial Audio File
Martin Fry on the Deep Affection He Has for the Dolby Atmos Mix of ABC’s The Lexicon of Love
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 25, 2023

ABC didn’t exactly fit into the expected early-1980s new-wave mold—and that was just fine with the band’s co-founding lead vocalist and chief songwriter, Martin Fry. To that end, ABC’s debut album, June 1982’s The Lexicon of Love, cut a wide compositional swath that deployed a mixture of broadstroke keyboard flourishes, grand orchestral swells, and call-and-response vocal passages—and now, it sounds even fuller in its just-released 40th anniversary Dolby Atmos mix on Blu-ray. During a recent Zoom call with S&V music editor Mike Mettler, Fry discusses producer Trevor Horn’s and ABC’s original intentions for how The Lexicon of Love ended up sounding, why he feels listening to it in Atmos is akin to “climbing inside a crystal kingdom,” and what he likes best about how Steven Wilson mixed it for Atmos playback. . .

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SmartStream
Free Discs for Everyone!
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 25, 2023
Well, okay…not everyone but as Netflix gets ready to exit the disc rental service it has run for 25 years, it is offering subscribers to its DVD/Blu-ray mail-order service a chance to get up to 10 more free titles.
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Ask S&V
Got Tech Questions? Ask S&V!
SV Staff  |  Aug 25, 2023
Got tech questions? Looking for advice on how to get the most out of your A/V gear? The experts at Sound & Vision have answers! Email your questions to AskSandV@gmail.com.
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Audio Video News
Sony Interactive Entertainment Ups its Game with Audeze Acquisition
SV Staff  |  Aug 24, 2023
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), keeper of all things PlayStation, today entered into an agreement to acquire Audeze, the Santa Ana, California-based company specializing in high-performance electrostatic and planar-magnetic headphones for the professional audio, gaming, and audiophile markets.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
TCL’s New Entry-Level 98-Inch 4K TV to Sell for $5,000
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 24, 2023
The gloves are off in the battle for super-big-screen dominance with today’s announcement that TCL will sell its new 98-inch 4K TV for $5,000.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Bowers & Wilkins Refines Entry-Level 600 Series
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 24, 2023
Apart from being one of the world’s most respected speaker companies, Bowers & Wilkins is known for its relentless pursuit of sonic perfection. That mission started a half a century ago with founder John Bowers and continues today with a fresh round of upgrades to the brand’s popular 600 Series.
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Audio Video News
LG Adds Luna Cloud Gaming to its Smart TVs
SV Staff  |  Aug 23, 2023
LG today announced new gaming options that owners of its smart TVs in the U.S. can access from the home screen.
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Audio Video News
Netflix Bumbles Bonus Disc Offer
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 23, 2023
When Netflix announced that its disc-by-mail service would end on September 29th, many have wondered what would become of its massive library of discs. The company shed a tiny bit of light on the subject the other day.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Onkyo TX-RZ70 AV Receiver Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Aug 23, 2023

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive amplifier power, dynamics, and quality
Simple, straightforward ergonomics
THX-Select certified
Full-bandwidth Dirac Live included
Minus
No global user-preset feature
Limited on-board streaming

THE VERDICT
A powerful, fine-performing 11-channel amplifier section anchors a flagship AVR that delivers the goods and is mostly free of excess baggage.

It’s been a few years since I’ve had a big Onkyo AV receiver under the operating lights. And the brand’s new flagship model, the TX-RZ70, certainly qualifies: nearly 8 inches tall and some 19 inches deep, and tipping the beam at almost 50 pounds, the TX-RZ70 is no lightweight. As a line-topping design it incorporates all the lead features you’d expect: 11 channels of on-board power, Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D object-oriented surround decoding, 8K HDMI 2.1 all around, and THX Reference certification, plus Dirac Live room-correction EQ with Dirac’s Bass Control.

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