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New Products
TCL Announces Pricing, Availability for 2020 Roku TVs
Al Griffin  |  Aug 11, 2020
TV maker TCL today announced that its 5-Series Roku models for 2020 are now available, and that pre-orders are being taken for the new 6-Series Roku sets it expects to ship later this month.
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Signals
The Cat-and-Mouse Game of Predatory Pricing
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Aug 10, 2020
So a woman walks into a store to buy a smart speaker. She sees that the speakers are selling for 20 bucks. “Wow,” she exclaims, and asks the store owner, “How can you sell these for such a low price?” The store owner responds, “Well, actually, each speaker costs us 30 bucks.” The woman says, “Then how do you make a profit?” The owner responds, “We make up for it on volume.” The woman says, “That's illegal!”
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Deer Hunter
Brandon A. DuHamel  |  Aug 07, 2020
Picture
Sound
Extras
With a heavyweight cast including Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, John Cazale, and Meryl Streep, 1979's five-time Academy Award-winning (including for Best Picture and Best Director) The Deer Hunter is an at times elegiac look at an America that was. It also explores the domestic woes of the working class, and later takes a brutal view of the experiences and consequences of war.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
New Gear for the Waning Days of Summer
Bob Ankosko  |  Aug 06, 2020
The summer of 2020 has seen a sizable flow of new gear as A/V makers look to regain their footing after months of pandemic lockdown. Here we highlight a handful of recent introductions with an emphasis on those designed to make outdoor life a little more enjoyable.
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The S&V Interview
Jon Anderson, Soothsayer of Wonderous Stories
Mike Mettler  |  Aug 06, 2020
Forgive the imagery, but Jon Anderson is like the Energizer bunny of progressive music—he just keeps on going and going. The legendary founding Yes vocalist/lyricist forges ever onward like a man perpetually possessed by his muse, whether he's adding to his own solo canon or collaborating on shared-name releases with the likes of violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Flower Kings guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt, or his former fellow Yesmates in the short-lived but quite well-loved musically acrobatic acronym known alternately as ARW, or YES Featuring Jon Anderson - Trevor Rabin - Rick Wakeman.
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Projector Reviews
Vava VA-LT002 4K Laser DLP Projector Review
Al Griffin  |  Aug 05, 2020
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,800

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy installation and setup
Built-in soundbar
Plentiful connectivity
Minus
Limited picture setup options
Limited brightness and contrast
App store lacks popular apps

THE VERDICT
Vava's 4K ultra short throw laser projector provides a simple solution for getting a large image plus sound in your living room, but requires a specific screen for best performance.

Vava's VA-LT002 4K Laser DLP projector is the first product of its kind to arrive from a company that offers a range of lifestyle-type electronics such as camera/DVRs for your car's dashboard and baby monitors to check on junior. At the 2020 CES, the VA-LT002, an ultra short throw model with built-in streaming apps and a 60-watt Harman Kardon stereo audio system, was the centerpiece of the company's suite. Paired with a 100-inch projection screen and playing 4K nature footage, I found the image it beamed absorbing—enough so that I was able to focus and block out an overexcited YouTube tech personality in the room recording a segment.

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A/V Veteran
Movie Theaters: The Way They Were
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 04, 2020
We all have our own early experiences with moviegoing. My mother once told me that when I was two or three she took me to a movie about a dog. I apparently sobbed uncontrollably when the dog got lost and couldn’t find his way home. This probably left a lifelong scar; as the old saying goes, never follow a dog act. I’m not a cat person, perhaps because few movies have ever been made about a cat (well, there was at least one recently about a bunch of them, but let’s not go there!). There was never a Fluffy Come Home.

Once upon a time the movie on the screen was only part of a theater experience; the theater itself was often part of the show.

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Audio Video News
Sony Designates TVs as ‘Ready for PlayStation Five’
Al Griffin  |  Aug 03, 2020
With Sony readying its long-awaited PlayStation 5, the company’s TV and Interactive Entertainment divisions have teamed up to create a ‘Ready for PlayStation Five’ designation for specific 2020 TV models. According to the company’s press release, the tagline will “make it easier for consumers to select the optimum TV in preparation for the highly anticipated launch of the PlayStation 5 (PS5), the next-generation game console releasing this holiday season.”
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Chris Chiarella  |  Jul 31, 2020
There is nothing like Star Wars. Across its three trilogies of Roman-numeraled Episodes, creator George Lucas and the inheritors of his galaxy far, far away opened the minds of audiences across the globe as well as across generations of fiercely devoted fans, thanks to their unique spin on epic fantasy. Love it, hate it, or anywhere in the middle: Star Wars has left an undeniable mark on the world of entertainment.
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Audio Video News
Best Gear of July 2020
Bob Ankosko  |  Jul 30, 2020
At Sound & Vision we celebrated our own special brand of fireworks in July with a handful of Top Picks that command the attention A/V enthusiasts. From a super well-executed soundbar and crème de la crème suite of home theater speakers to one of the best (and most affordable) OLED TVs on the planet, we present five Stars of the Summer of 2020 — a time we will remember for years to come. Kick back, grab a beer or glass of wine, and see which of these gems inspire you. We’re confident that at least one of them will. Here’s to an enjoyable summer, whether you’re staying home or embarking on a much-needed vacation getaway.
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