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Audio Video News
Best Gear of December 2018
SV Staff  |  Jan 01, 2019
The editors of Sound & Vision would like to extend a heart-felt Happy New Year to all readers as we kick off 2019 by stepping back into 2018 briefly to revisit a handful of gems that may have gotten lost in all the holiday hullabaloo. Among them, a gift of sorts from the speaker connoisseurs at GoldenEar Technology, a no-holds-barred stereo integrated amp that looks as dazzling as it sounds, a super-sophisticated subwoofer that will delight inveterate tweakers, and a pixel-shifting 4K projector that delivers gigantic images with near perfect color for less than two-grand. May 2019 be prosperous and filled with the latest and greatest AV has to offer!
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Audio Video News
Amazon’s Share of Smart Speakers Projected to Drop in 2019
SV Staff  |  Dec 31, 2018
The popularity of voice-assisted smart speakers will continue in 2019 but the balance of power will begin to shift as Amazon’s leading two-thirds (66.6%) market share declines to just over 63%, while Google’s inches up from 29.5% to 31%, according to the latest forecast from the market research firm eMarketer.
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Vote
What Was the Best AV Gift You Received?
SV Staff  |  Dec 31, 2018
As the holiday season draws to a close and we look ahead to 2019, we’re wondering if any of the AV-related gifts on your wish list ended up under your tree? Or maybe you treated yourself to some audio/video goodness. Either way, we (and your fellow readers) want to know if Santa was good to you this holiday season and, more to the point, what was the best AV gift you received (or treated yourself to)? Be sure to leave a comment and tell us about your special gift. Happy New Year!
What Was the Best AV Gift You Received?
AV Receiver
11% (33 votes)
Separates (preamp or power amplifier)
6% (18 votes)
Speakers (home theater or a stereo pair)
13% (39 votes)
Subwoofer
8% (25 votes)
Soundbar
5% (15 votes)
Multiroom-capable wireless speaker system
0% (1 vote)
Portable wireless speaker
2% (7 votes)
Smart speaker with built-in voice assistant (Amazon Echo, Google Home, etc.)
7% (22 votes)
Amp/DAC (digital-to-analog converter)
6% (17 votes)
Portable hi-res audio player
2% (6 votes)
Blu-ray player
6% (17 votes)
Turntable
8% (24 votes)
Headphones (full-size or earbuds)
12% (38 votes)
Something else entirely (check out my comments!)
14% (43 votes)
Total votes: 305
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Vintage GearAudio Video News
65 Years Ago Today: The First Color TVs Arrive
Stewart Wolpin  |  Dec 30, 2018
The RCA CT-100 and Admiral C1617A were the first color TVs offer for sale on December 30, 1953. Both had a 15-inch screen.

Even though 4K TVs have been on the market for less than five years, numerous companies will announce they’ll start selling 8K TVs at CES next week. This despite the fact that less than half of U.S. homes own a 4K TV, and there’s no 4K programming available yet on U.S. broadcast TV networ

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2001: A Space Odyssey
Al Griffin  |  Dec 28, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
Director Stanley Kubrick's seminal sci-fi epic, co-written with author Arthur C. Clarke, takes the whole of human history as its subject—from the initial flicker of intelligent thought in hominids, to the present day where humans live with the assistance of computer-generated artificial intelligence. The film literally works as a space opera: long stretches pass dialogue-free with just classical music serving to enhance the hyper-realistic images of ships and passengers aloft in the cosmos. (2001: A Space Odyssey won an Oscar for best visual effects, the only one it managed to take home from the 1969 ceremony.)
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Elite Unveils ‘2-in-1’ Portable Projection Screen
SV Staff  |  Dec 28, 2018
Elite Screens has introduced a versatile “two-in-one” portable projection screen that can be hung on a wall or set up anywhere with a lightweight tripod stand.
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Audio Video News
Mastercard: Holiday Sales Were the Strongest in Years
SV Staff  |  Dec 28, 2018
For those who worry about the demise of local retail stores and malls turning into ghost towns, here’s a bit of good news: U.S. retail sales grew 5.1 percent to more than $8.5 billion during the 2018 holiday season, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-store and online spending.
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The S&V Interview
Crack The Sky Move Forward by Living in Reverse
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 27, 2018
Crack The Sky guitarist/producer Rick Witkowski and vocalist/songwriter John Palumbo got on the line with us to discuss the collaborative symbiosis of their in-tandem sonic Crack attack on two concurrent new releases, Living in Reverse and Crackology, how important The Beatles remain in their respective creative DNA, and how embracing the past sets them up for a bright future.
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SmartStream
2018 Streaming Media Player and Content Roundup: It’s All About Convenience
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 27, 2018
If there is one word that describes the streaming innovations of 2018, it’s “convenience.” This year, more media players have added voice control through Google Assistant and Amazon Echo smart speakers, or voice remotes with built-in microphones. As live and recorded TV apps are being added to media players, users can now access all the content they want to watch without switching from one device to another.
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Audio Video News
Google Assistant Wins Smart-Speaker IQ Test
SV Staff  |  Dec 27, 2018
Source: Loop Ventures

Google Assistant answered the most questions correctly in a smart-speaker IQ test conducted by Minneapolis-based venture capital firm Loop Ventures just before Christmas.

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