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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsMusic Reviews
10 Top Concert Blu-ray Discs
Mike Mettler  |  May 21, 2020
One thing our ongoing pandemic lockdown continues to remind many of us music lovers of on a daily basis is just how much we all miss attending live concert events.
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SmartStream
Watch Together Online with Netflix Party and TwoSeven
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 20, 2020
It has been months since we could go out to the movies with friends and family, but there still are ways to view movies with friends during this time of safe social distancing. At a basic level, you could coordinate a movie start time while having a FaceTime conversation on your phones. You could also start a movie and share your screen in Zoom, Discord, or Microsoft Teams. But a better option is to install a web browser extension that synchronizes the viewing experience alongside video-chat or text messaging.
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Projector Reviews
Epson Home Cinema 3800 4K LCD Projector Review
Al Griffin  |  May 20, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Very good contrast and light output
Low input lag
Generous lens shift range
Fully backlit remote
Minus
Limited DCI-P3 color space coverage

THE VERDICT
Epson's latest 3LCD projector goes easy on the wallet while delivering performance and features typically found in more expensive models.

Epson's Home Cinema LCD projector lineup ranges from basic, inexpensive beamers designed for portable use to high-end models meant for serious home theater installations. Of these, we typically devote space to the company's premium UB (Ultra Black) offerings such as the 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD (reviewed in the August/September issue and also on soundandvision.com), along with mid-range models like the 3800 under evaluation here. A big plus of the Epson projector family is that the costs usually top out at $3,000, with mid-range offerings priced about one-third to one-half that amount while providing many of the same features found in the high-end offerings.

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A/V Veteran
Reopening Guidance for the A/V Shopper
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 19, 2020
As we march into the third month in this Days of Our Lives lockdown, it appears that the jail doors are starting to inch open, if ever so cautiously. Before long we might be back to some semblance of normal. The long term effects of our response to the Covid-19 virus might be worse than the virus itself, but that story won’t fully hit the presses for a few months—or years. In the meantime, here are a few, pithy thoughts on some perennial home theater topics.

TV Shopping Takes a Hit… Unless you’re Amazon, this virus has been a serious blow to the consumer electronics market.

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Ask S&V
Can I Use AirPlay 2 With Both Wireless and Wired Speaker Setups?
Al Griffin  |  May 19, 2020
Is there an amp or integrated amp with Apple’s AirPlay 2 that I can use to power my passive JBL towers while simultaneously streaming music to multiple Apple HomePod speakers? —Marc Rocard
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Signals
Watch Your (Audio/Video) Language
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 18, 2020
You can tell the age of a tree by counting its rings. You can tell the age of a person by counting the number of times they say something anachronistic. For example, if I start talking about Compact Discs, kids will instantly identify me as being, uh, mature. They will make snide remarks about the La Brea Tar Pits and mastodons. Kids can be cruel. Ask me how I know.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsMusic Reviews
Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll
Mike Mettler  |  May 15, 2020
Picture
Sound
Extras
It would be easy to characterize Chuck Berry, who passed away at age 90 in 2017, as one cantankerously acrimonious fellow, but after revisiting Taylor Hackford's astute 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll, now available on Blu-ray for the first time via Shout Select, I'm reminded of how captivating, creative, and downright business-savvy the pioneering, guitar-playing singer/ songwriter actually was.
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Audio Video News
Yamaha Introduces A-S Series Integrated Amps
Al Griffin  |  May 15, 2020
Back in fall 2019, Yamaha took a page from the Technics playbook and introduced a series of upscale components aimed squarely at audiophiles. The 5000 series it rolled out consisted of speakers, a preamp/amp, and a belt-drive turntable, each sporting a design that referenced the golden age of hi-fi and a price tag typical of much high-end gear. Yamaha has now added a trio of integrated amplifiers, the A-S series, to its Hi-Fi component lineup, providing audiophiles with a somewhat less pricey, though no less premium, system-building option.
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Audio Video News
Best Gear of the Year (So Far in 2020)
Bob Ankosko  |  May 14, 2020
Home entertainment in all of its many forms has remained a constant during this time of great uncertainty, providing a welcome distraction from a pandemic that continues to command attention around the world. In the spirit of providing an escape from the unrelenting parade of COVID-19 statistics and prognostications, we offer a summary of Top Pick-worthy products we have reviewed so far in 2020 — any of which could be a valuable addition to your AV setup. It’s an eclectic mix for sure, running the gamut from $300 earbuds made of wood and a like-priced vacuum-based record cleaning system to an assortment of speakers, ranging from a $1,000 soundbar to an $8,000 home theater speaker system with several great options in-between. Enjoy, and drop us a line to let us know how you’re coping.
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Surround Sound System Reviews
Enclave Audio CineHome PRO Wireless Home Theater System Review
Rob Sabin  |  May 13, 2020

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $1,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Easy, app-driven automatic setup
Good audio quality via hi-res wireless WiSA platform
Simple and intuitive control app
Minus
Lack of A/V switching may be an issue for some systems
No included remote control or learning feature
No decoding or full-resolution transmission of DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD bitstreams

THE VERDICT
Enclave's THX-certified wireless system delivers highly dynamic and enjoyable surround sound in an easy-to-install and use package...though it comes at a price.

When I was a trade reporter many years ago, I wrote an article about the skyrocketing sales of packaged home theater audio systems. Inside each box was a rudimentary A/V receiver, five or six speakers (typically compact satellites in plastic cabinets), color-coded speaker cables, and graphic instructions to get things hooked up. The article's big takeaway was that the brands selling these (Sony, Panasonic, et. al. ) had discovered that many buyers either left the rear surround speakers in the box or wired them up and placed them on top of the front left- and right-channel speakers.

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