LATEST ADDITIONS

Home Movie Theaters
Media Room Insider: Seneca Cinema
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 09, 2021
Mike Baturin is an avowed technology enthusiast and proud owner of a Tesla Model 3, one of his "favorite pieces of tech." As cool as the Tesla is with its cutting-edge all-electric design and ability to rocket to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, it still ranks second behind his most prized possession—a dedicated theater he designed and built from scratch for his new home in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Optoma Adds 4K Laser Projector to Home Theater Line
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 09, 2021
Optoma has added a DLP laser projector to its 4K home theater lineup, bringing the number of laser-lit models in the line to four.
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Signals
Revenge Spending
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Nov 08, 2021
I hate Covid. You hate Covid. We all hate Covid. But we love home theater. That creates the circumstances for an interesting scenario that economists refer to as “revenge spending.”

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Labyrinth
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 05, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
After making Return of the Jedi, Executive producer George Lucas was looking for fresh creative frontiers, and he would embark upon new cinematic collabs with previous and first-time cohorts. One such experiment was his team-up with mastermind Jim Henson for the family-friendly fantasy, Labyrinth. With a playful script by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, the story follows an angry teenager Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) with a fondness for fairy tales.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
McIntosh Modernizes Legendary Woodstock Amplifier
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 05, 2021
They call it the amplifier that inspired a generation. The McIntosh MC3500, a 350-watt tube monoblock that was used at the Woodstock music festival in 1969, has been modernized and will be reissued as the MC3500 Mk II in December.
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Audio Video News
Jump Start Your Holiday Shopping
Bob Ankosko  |  Nov 04, 2021
Though it might seem early, now is the perfect time to jump start your holiday shopping to avoid getting caught empty-handed as the Christmas holiday season draws near. It’s impossible to know how, or if, ongoing shipping delays and component shortages will affect the A/V purchases you’re mulling, so why take the chance, especially with must-have items? Here’s a compendium of Sound & Vision Top Picks with a focus on reasonably priced gear we reviewed in 2021.
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SmartStream
Hands-On: Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ and Roku Wireless 5.1 Surround
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 03, 2021
The newest Roku Streaming Stick 4K model may not make you abandon your current Roku player, but it does provide a step-up in performance, and is priced at a low $50. It's powered by a new Roku OS 10.5 update that ups the surround sound capabilities of Roku soundbars from 3.1 to a full 5.1 wireless setup. The combined updates deliver excellent video quality and decent surround sound at a reasonable price.
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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Reavon UBR-X100 and UBR-X200 Ultra HD Blu-Ray Players Review
Kris Deering  |  Nov 03, 2021


Reavon UBR-X100
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

Reavon UBR-X200
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $799 (UBR-X100), $1699 (UBR-X200)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-quality video
Universal disc playback (UBR-X200)
Pure Direct output
Minus
No DVD-Audio or SACD support (UBR-X100)
Build quality lags that of other flagship players
Interface needs polish

THE VERDICT
This pair of players from newcomer Reavon succeeds brilliantly in giving the Ultra HD Blu-ray format, along with other shiny discs, a new lease on life.

It's no secret that the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc player market has become a barren wasteland over the past few years. It seems like we've lost more players than we've gained, with little in the way of new models coming from manufacturers who used to debut several players a year during the heyday of shiny discs. And the situation is even worse for someone seeking a high- end player with advanced features, broad disc format support, and top-flight build quality.

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The Connected Life
Troubleshoot Your Network Like a Boss
John Sciacca  |  Nov 01, 2021
For years, most of the service calls my company received were cable TV-related. And it didn’t matter if the customer’s TV screen read “No Signal,” there was no sound, image quality was poor, or they couldn’t change channels or access the program guide, all issues were usually fixed with one simple action: rebooting the cable box. Nowadays, the service calls we get usually involve issues with a home’s network...
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Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Spiral
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 29, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
An attempt to revive the popular Saw franchise, Spiral (full title "Spiral: From the Book of Saw," whatever that means) continues the legacy of creative torture-horror under the direction of Darren Lynn Bousman who long ago helmed Saws II-IV. The sadistic madman-with-an-axe-to-grind known as Jigsaw is long dead and now a new serial killer is on the loose, an apparent copycat except this time the murderer is specifically targeting dirty cops with his elaborate, painful deathtraps. Once again, the victims must make the brutal choice to do something horrible to themselves to escape or die in gruesome fashion.

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