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A/V Veteran
Is it 4K Yet?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 13, 2018
Any flat screen TV advertised as 4K will actually display the full 8 million pixels in a 4K (3840 x 2160) source. You can't be certain about how well it will do a wider color gamut or high dynamic range—the other keystones of Ultra HD—but it will put 8 million discrete pixels on the screen. Whether or not the 4K source material is actually true 4K from the camera to your Ultra HD disc is a different issue for another discussion.

But with projectors there are two versions of 4K resolution...

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Origin Acoustics Ships Voice-Activated Valet System
SV Staff  |  Mar 13, 2018
Custom-installation specialist Origin Acoustics is now shipping the voice-controlled Valet Amplifier it previewed last fall at CEDIA 2017.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Time to Get Serious About Outdoor Sound
SV Staff  |  Mar 12, 2018
It’s official. Spring fever is here as winter prepares for its annual victory lap a week from today. All of which explains why audio manufacturers are starting to share info on their new outdoor speakers.
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Audio Video News
AudioControl Joins The Cinema Designer
SV Staff  |  Mar 12, 2018
AudioControl, the Seattle-based maker of home and car products known best for its signal processors, has announced that it is now part of The Cinema Designer (TCD), a powerful cloud-based tool/database used by professional integrators to design home theaters and media rooms.
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New Products
March 2018 New Gear
SV Staff  |  Mar 09, 2018
A TV with Roku onboard, speakers that hug the wall, kid-safe headphones, and more.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
War for the Planet of the Apes
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 09, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
War for the Planet of the Apes concludes a trilogy that began with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011. It tells the story of Caesar, from a nascent, intelligent ape to the leader of a band of smart simians. Humankind here has been nearly wiped out, with the survivors fighting to retain their freedom and humanity. In a twist from the classic 1968 original, however, the humans here are the villains, and the apes, fleeing the remnants of an army led by an obsessed, Ahab-like colonel, are the heroes. We’re driven to root for the Apes, from the story’s beginning to its near-biblical conclusion.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Dark Tower
John Sciacca  |  Mar 09, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
Bringing Stephen King novels to the big screen is always fraught with conundrums, the expansive detail not often translating well to film. Condensing the eight Dark Tower novels into a single sub-100 minute movie seemed especially ambitious. The Dark Tower screenwriters plucked bits and pieces from the series, beginning in the middle and crafting a tale from there.

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The Connected Life
The Big Screen Debate: Direct-View TV Vs. Projection
John Sciacca  |  Mar 09, 2018
There are lots of cool aspects to my job as a custom installer, but my favorite is installing home theater systems. And when designing a surround system with a customer, one of the first discussions is whether they should go with a direct-view, flat-panel display or with a two-piece projection system. Sometimes this choice is obvious; either due to room size, budget, aesthetic demands, or some construction issue that dictates one over another. Other times it becomes a gray area.
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Audio Video News
SpectraCal Updates Auto-Calibration for Samsung QLED TVs
SV Staff  |  Mar 09, 2018
Video-calibration software leader SpectraCal has extended its partnership with Samsung and expanded the CalMAN color-calibration control options in Samsung’s 2018 QLED TVs.
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AV Receiver Reviews
Denon AVR-X3400H A/V Receiver Review
Daniel Kumin  |  Mar 08, 2018

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $999

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Solid two-channel and multichannel power
3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos/DTS:X virtual height effects
Excellent Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction
HEOS wireless multiroom
Minus
Wired multiroom limited to one zone

THE VERDICT
A fine seven-channel amp, attractive ergonomics, full 4K/HDR-readiness, and 5.2.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X make for a very competitive midrange option.

Denon’s new AVR-X3400H A/V receiver scored points with me even before I got it out of its box: The four-piece packaging foam (top/bottom front and back) allows for easy removal of a heavy-ish item without battling box flaps, splintering full end-cap pieces, or leaving a trail of Styrofoam crumbs behind. (Yes, I’m packing-material obsessive.) But let me not prejudge.

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