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How Do Older Receivers Handle Atmos Soundtracks?
Al Griffin  |  Oct 19, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q My current setup includes an “older” 7.1-channel receiver that isn’t equipped to decode new sound formats such as Dolby Atmos. I understand that when you play an Atmos disc, older receivers are presented with a standard 5.1- or 7.1-channel version of the soundtrack for decoding. What difference, if any, is there between this default version and something like a Dolby True HD mix? My assumption is that it would be better to select a dedicated lossless mix over a backward-compatible, and presumably compressed, fallback mix. — Jason Acosta

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Audio Video News
Texas Builder Offers Smart Features in Base Homes
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2017
Texas-based Megatel Homes has announced plans to include smart home features in the base home package for more than 1,200 homes in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
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New Products
November 2017 New Gear Part 1
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2017
Samsung HW-MS750 Sound+ Soundbar
Samsung means business with its new soundbar. It won’t win any beauty contests, but the five-channel Sound+ deserves credit for squeezing three wide-dispersion tweeters, six woofers, and two up-firing tweeters into an enclosure 45 inches wide, 3 inches tall, and 5 inches deep...
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Audio Video News
McIntosh Audio Pioneers Tagged for CTA Hall of Fame
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2017
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) today announced that two high-fidelity audio pioneers from McIntosh will be inducted into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York on November 7.
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Audio Video News
Meet Plugfones: Earplugs and Headphones in One
SV Staff  |  Oct 18, 2017
You need ear protection for a loud home project (or for use at work) but want to be able to listen to music or (Sound & Vision) podcasts rather than complete the job in (near) silence. What to do?
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AV Receiver Buying TipsAV Receiver Tech
How to Buy an AV Receiver
Rob Sabin  |  Oct 17, 2017
Yeah, we keep hearing how the awesomely versatile, stupendously well-performing, and tremendously high-value audio/video receiver is going away, soon to be replaced by all manner of soundbars and soundbases, self-powered tabletop wireless speakers, or perhaps just your old Aunt Matilda playing her kazoo from atop a stool in your living room.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sennheiser Updates its Popular HD 650 Headphone
SV Staff  |  Oct 17, 2017
Sennheiser has launched a new dynamic headphone that builds on the popular HD 650 open-back model it introduced more than a decade ago.
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Audio Video News
Tech Gifts Top Holiday Shopping Lists
SV Staff  |  Oct 17, 2017
Two-thirds of U.S. adults — 170 million people — are planning to spend an average of $478 on tech gifts this holiday season as overall tech spending reaches a record breaking $96.8 billion, according to the Consumer Technology Association’s 24th annual holiday outlook forecast.
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Audio Video News
Gearing Up for Black Friday (Yes, Already)
SV Staff  |  Oct 16, 2017
The first signs of Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal mania have arrived on Groupon. Let’s take a look.
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Ask S&V
My AVR Is Degrading Picture Quality. What Can I Do?
Al Griffin  |  Oct 16, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

A I own a Panasonic plasma TV and a Denon AV receiver. When I connect my sources directly to the TV, the picture looks great. But when I run my Oppo BDP-105 Blu-ray player, cable TV box, and Amazon Fire TV media player through the Denon using HDMI cables, the picture quality degrades. Is there a way I can work around the picture quality problems caused by my AVR? I want to continue using the AVR for audio switching and prefer to not have to connect sources directly to the TV. —Henry Yeboah / via e-mail

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