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Can I Stream MQA Tracks to My Amp via Bluetooth?
Al Griffin  |  Feb 18, 2021
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q My LG V30 smartphone has a high-performance Quad-DAC audio system capable of decoding hi-res files encoded with MQA. I want to use the LG phone as a source to stream Masters-quality music from Tidal via Bluetooth (aptX HD) to my new NAD integrated amplifier. Will this work for MQA, or do I need an external digital-to-analog converter to “unfold” the MQA-encoded files? —Joel Johnson, via email

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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
TCL 6-Series 65R635 Roku LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2021

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Effective, 160- zone local-dimming
App-based color calibration
Affordable price
Minus
Image quality reduced at off-center seats
Some green push with HDR content

THE VERDICT
TCL's 6-Series UHD Roku TV brings the benefits of Mini-LED backlighting to a very affordable price point.

In late 2019, TCL flew me to the company's U.S. offices in California to spend an afternoon with its new flagship, the 75Q825 8-Series UHD Roku TV, a 75-inch 4K LCD model. Not all of the set's firmware was complete, but we took advantage of the opportunity to give our readers a sneak preview. The 75Q825's signature feature was TCL's use of mini-LEDs for backlighting, and at its then price of $3,000, it was something of an outlier for a brand associated with budget TVs.

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Signals
The Sounds of Mars
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Feb 15, 2021
The rover Perseverance is scheduled to touch down on the surface of Mars this Thursday, February 18 at approximately 12:55 pm, PST. I dare you to watch this NASA trailer, and tell me these landings aren't the coolest things ever. Also, this rover carries two microphones. If all goes well, for the first time, we'll be able to listen to sounds from the red planet.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Josef Krebs  |  Feb 12, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
A professional assassin who lives by the ancient code of the samurai finds himself targeted by his Mafia bosses. Ghost Dog, a rare venture into genre films for Jim Jarmusch, allows the writer-director to frequently quote, reference, and build upon many classics in his own quirkily deadpan, deceptively honest way. Dog's unglamorous community of gangsters is reminiscent of John Cassavetes' hoods and lowlifes in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, but—this being Jarmusch—an understated absurdist wit frequently underlies the drama.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Gear for Winter 2021
Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 11, 2021
In the weeks following CES 2021, we’ve witnessed a flurry of new product announcements. From a couple of nostalgic audio products to an outdoor entertainment setup and wireless speakers guaranteed to make your neighbors envious, here’s a look at some of the new gear coming your way.
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Subwoofer Reviews
Bluesound Pulse Sub+ Subwoofer Review
Leslie Shapiro  |  Feb 10, 2021

Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $749 (Black Matte or White)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Impressive kick from a slim, elegant cabinet
Refined sound
Extensive control via smartphone app
Minus
No remote control
No auto-calibration/room EQ feature

THE VERDICT
Designed to work with or without Bluesound’s Pulse soundbar, the new Pulse Sub+ is a bigger and better take on the company’s original Pulse subwoofer.

What's the one thing lacking in even the best soundbar? If you said "deep, realistic, room-filling, floor-pounding bass," then you are absolutely correct. Bluesound is known for its wireless multiroom audio components and speakers, a family that includes the Pulse soundbar.

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Editor's Eye
Stream Theater
Al Griffin  |  Feb 10, 2021
Home video streaming received a boost in 2020 for obvious reasons, while movie theater attendance took a dive for equally obvious reasons. But even with a massive paradigm shift in the way people experience movies and other forms of entertainment clearly taking place in real time, it still came as a shock when WarnerMedia announced in early December that its full slate of theatrical releases for 2021 would drop day and date on the company’s HBO Max streaming service.
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A/V Veteran
The Court Jester Comes to Blu-ray
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 09, 2021
When fishing around for a film to show on a movie night with friends, before Covid-19 rudely interrupted, I recommended The Court Jester. I had it on DVD, but I knew it looked good enough to satisfy non-critical viewers who likely also wouldn't be bothered by its 1950's mono sound. We passed on it that time around, but that old DVD has now taken its last spin. A spanking new Blu-ray of the film has just been released in a video transfer nothing short of stunning.

The movie was originally shot in VistaVision, a widescreen process used (mainly by Paramount) in the 1950's and 60's. It's long-since been dropped as a release format, but is sometimes employed for in-camera special effects created for non-VistaVision productions, particularly in the pre-CGI era. It was used, for example, in the creation of the effects for some of the early Star Wars and Star Trek films when CGI wasn't yet a thing.

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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Total Recall
Roger Kanno  |  Feb 05, 2021
Picture
Sound
Extras
Total Recall is a near-perfect mix of sci-fi action, plot twists, and the kind of warped tongue-in-cheek humor we expect from director Paul Verhoeven, delivered here with gusto by Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Douglas Quaid, a construction worker. More correctly, Schwarzenegger is Carl Hauser, a secret operative for the "Agency" who believes he is Quaid due to a memory implant. After being attacked by agents from the "Agency," Quaid escapes to Mars to aid the rebel independence movement and discover his true identity.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
More Headphones from CES 2021 and Beyond
Bob Ankosko  |  Feb 04, 2021
In post a couple weeks ago, we focused on some of the wireless headphones introduced at last month’s virtual CES 2021, the first virtual gathering in the show’s 53-year history. We’re visiting the massively popular category again, this time with a look at headphones introduced at the show or shortly thereafter, including models that bring new form factors and technology into the fold.
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