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Audio Video NewsNew Products
James Loudspeaker Unveils All-In-One 2.1 Soundbars
SV Staff  |  Jan 30, 2018
James Loudspeaker, the Napa, California-based speaker designer and manufacturer, has introduced a new series of 2.1-channel soundbars that team speakers for left- and right-channel audio with a built-in subwoofer in a low-profile enclosure.
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Projector ReviewsProjection Screen Reviews
Epson Home Cinema LS100 LCD Projector and Elite Screens Aeon CLR Screen Review
Al Griffin  |  Jan 30, 2018
Epson Home Cinema LS100
Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

Elite Screens Aeon CLR
Performance
Setup
Value
PRICE $3,000 (Epson), $799 (Elite)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bright picture
Compact form factor
Can be used in average room-lighting conditions
Minus
Below-average picture contrast
Some center-to-edge brightness dropoff
Mediocre remote control

THE VERDICT
This combination of Epson projector and Elite screen represents a great value for those seeking a daylight-friendly, ultra-large-screen viewing option.

Ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to regular front-projection systems. The reason is that, unlike regular projectors, which require careful lighting control to perform their best, UST models can operate in well-lit environments. They beam light upwards and are designed to be mounted only a few inches away from the screen, an arrangement permitting clean installations that not only are free of ceiling mounts or long wiring runs but also avoid the problem of onscreen shadows when someone traverses a projector’s beam.

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A/V Veteran
Richard Shahinian R.I.P.
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 30, 2018
We lost two greats in the field of high-end audio this past year: Arnie Nudell (co-founder of both Infinity Systems and Genesis Advanced Technologies), and Charley Hanson (co-founder of Avalon Acoustics and more recently of Ayre Acoustics). While neither will be as widely known as those whose name is attached to the companies they helped found (Bose, Marantz, Polk, and others) both left a lasting impact on the audio landscape.

But as the old-wives-tale suggests about things hitting in threes, we also lost a third...

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Audio Video News
‘Homeland’ Season 6 Hits Blu-ray Feb. 6
SV Staff  |  Jan 30, 2018
20th Century Fox has announced that the season six of the award-winning series Homeland will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD February 6.
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Audio Video News
Sonos Closes NYC Store for a Day In Protest of FCC Net Neutrality Ruling
SV Staff  |  Jan 29, 2018
Sonos closed its store in New York City’s trendy Soho district yesterday and blacked out its windows to protest the FCC’s December ruling lifting “net neutrality” regulations enacted to ensure equal access to the internet. Repeal of the regulations gives internet service providers greater control over the internet “pipe.”
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Audio Video News
Survey: Super Bowl to Spark Sales of 8.3 Million TVs
SV Staff  |  Jan 29, 2018
American adults are expected to spend a whopping $15.3 billion on purchases related to 2018 Super Bowl, a significant part of which will be earmarked for new TVs, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
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Grace Notes
Ion Raptor Portable Bluetooth Speaker, When Size Matters
Leslie Shapiro  |  Jan 29, 2018
Manly. Tough. Diesel. Heavy Duty. All-Beef Patty. Extra Cheese. Get out of my way. My truck is bigger than your truck. It has bumper stickers, lots of bumper stickers, all of them politically incorrect. And mudflaps. Say hello to my good buddy, the Ion Raptor.

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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
Make Room for HomePod
Bob Ankosko  |  Jan 28, 2018

15 Minutes with Apple’s Phil Schiller

On Friday, Apple announced that it will begin taking pre-orders for the HomePod. We reached out to Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, for an inside look at the company’s entry into the burgeoning smart speaker space.

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Audio Video News
Super Bowl TV Deals Better than Black Friday
SV Staff  |  Jan 26, 2018
Are you ready for Super Bowl LII? How about your TV? Is it of suitable size and quality? 4K? Ready to put you on the field as the Patriots and Eagles fight for pigskin supremacy?
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Big Sick
Josef Krebs  |  Jan 26, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
Shot on a budget of $5 million, acquired for $12 million, and promoted with a $20-million marketing budget, The Big Sick grossed $50 million worldwide and claimed much acclaim. For me, The Big Sick initially came across as The Big Suck, but on a second, more sobering screening, it made sense, building from the characters’ youthful shallowness to emotional growth into something like near-human depth.
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