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3D TV Is Dead
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  May 17, 2017
It’s official. 3D TV, once heralded as The Future, is now officially only to be referred to in the past tense. Please adjust your vocabulary accordingly. This news is not surprising. In fact, you are probably only surprised in that you assumed 3D’s demise had occurred years ago. When’s the last time you watched a 3D Blu-ray? Well, there you go.
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The S&V InterviewAudio Video News
Bruno Putzeys: Head of the Class (D, That is)
Bob Ankosko  |  May 16, 2017
You may not have heard of Bruno Putzeys but if you’re an audiophile and have purchased a high-performance power amplifier in the recent past, you might know his work. Putzey’s ground-breaking NCore Class D amplifier module, created under the aegis of Netherlands-based Hypex Electronics, is used in amplifiers from ATI, Marantz, Jeff Rowland, and Bel Canto, to name a few. That Morris Kessler, founder of ATI and long-time champion of Class AB amplification, chose NCore for his new AT527NC and AT524NC amplifiers, is telling. Both models received Sound & Vision’s Top Pick designation, earning five stars in the Performance category, suggesting designs that are a far cry from Class D devices of just a few years ago. We tracked down Putzeys, now CTO at Kii Audio, to learn more about the new Class D and the apparent revolution he has started.
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A/V Veteran
Nits and Bits: HDR and Color
Thomas J. Norton  |  May 16, 2017
To make sense of some of the complexities of the new Ultra High Definition (UHD—4K or 2160p) high dynamic range (HDR) sets, you have to appreciate some of the simplifications that have long been a part of standard dynamic range (SDR) high definition television.
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Audio Video News
Vizio Releases HDR Update for E-Series Displays
SV Staff  |  May 16, 2017
Vizio today announced a firmware update that enables support for HDR10-encoded high dynamic range (HDR) content on E-Series Ultra HD displays with screen sizes 55 inches and up.
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Audio Video News
MQA Strikes Deal with Indie Music Labels
SV Staff  |  May 16, 2017
MQA, creator of the end-to-end audio encoding technology Master Quality Authenticated (MQA), has entered into a multi-year agreement with digital rights agency Merlin that paves the way for the independent music labels it represents to encode their master recordings in the MQA format.
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Audio Video News
Smart Speakers Now in 1 in 10 Internet Households
SV Staff  |  May 15, 2017
In just two years, smart speakers have found their way into one in 10 U.S. broadband households as sales continue to grow rapidly, according to a new study from Parks Associates.
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Ask S&V
Can the Music Apps in My AVR Stream in Hi-Res?
Al Griffin  |  May 15, 2017
Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

A I own an Integra DTR-40.6 AV receiver that is capable of playing Hi-Resolution Audio (HRA). Here’s what I want to know: If I were to upgrade my Pandora or Spotify account to stream HRA, would I be able to listen to it using the Pandora or Spotify app built into the receiver? My internet service plan is 50-Mbps FIOS, and I have the receiver connected to my router with an Ethernet cable. &Tony Held / via e-mail

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Onkyo Ships New Personal Music Players
SV Staff  |  May 15, 2017
Onkyo has announced that the DP-X1A ($800) and DP-S1 ($450) personal audio players unveiled at CES in January are now shipping.
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Tech2
Legion Season 1 Review
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 13, 2017
Legion is the best show I’ve seen in a long time. Incredibly creative, fascinating to look at, and tremendously fun. Here’s a non-spoilery look at the first season.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Arrival
Chris Chiarella  |  May 12, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
When a gaggle of gigantic, otherworldly objects parks itself at various points around the Earth, life as we know it is paused while collective humanity figures out our next move. Our finest minds—tempered by the military—seek to determine the mysterious visitors’ even more mysterious purpose, leaving us with the complicated business of learning how to communicate with them. The best hope is brilliant language professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams), who is tasked with deciphering a bizarre form of “speech,” impossible for humans to emulate. But if she doesn’t make meaningful contact, and soon, all hell might break loose, with no guarantee of how such a conflict would end.
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