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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Kubo and the Two Strings
Chris Chiarella  |  May 05, 2023
Picture
Sound
Extras

Endless kudos to Kubo’s studio, Laika, for doing more than anyone to keep the waning art of stop-motion animation feature films alive. Shout! Factory has been celebrating their most popular titles in recent 4K upgrades (available in standard or steelbook); among them The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman and Coraline; and now Kubo and the Two Strings. An original story with classic underpinnings, Kubo takes us along on a boy’s quest to acquire some mystical armor in anticipation of a showdown with a powerfully malevolent foe.

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SmartStream
Amazon to Add 400 Free Fire TV Channels
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 04, 2023
The FAST (free ad-supported TV) trend in streaming shows no signs of letting up. On the heels of Google TV’s recent addition of 800 free channels, Amazon has announced plans to add 400 free Fire TV Channels.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Dangbei Launches Portable 1080p Projector with Built-in Netflix
Bob Ankosko  |  May 04, 2023
China-based Dangbei today introduced a portable 1080p projector with built-in Netflix streaming capability.
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Bluetooth Speaker ReviewsBookshelf Speaker Reviews
JBL 4329P Powered Studio Monitors Review
Daniel Kumin  |  May 03, 2023

Performance
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $4500

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Outstanding sound quality, dynamic abilities
Deep bass extension
Subwoofer output
Minus
No music-data or volume display
On the large side for stand-mount use

THE VERDICT
Big, powerful, flexible, dynamic, and all-around-excellent streaming loudspeakers.

How do you know when an audio trend is more than just a bandwagon? When America’s oldest hi-fi brand climbs on board. (Yes, I know that JBL and Klipsch were both founded in 1946. But JBL’s earliest incarnation goes back to the 1930’s.)

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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Denon Focuses on Sound Quality and Versatility with New Network Player
Bob Ankosko  |  May 03, 2023
Denon has introduced a versatile network player designed to handle most digital audio sources, including TV sound, with built-in support for wireless streaming and multiroom playback through the company’s HEOS streaming platform.
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Audio Video NewsNew Products
Sony Reveals Pricing & Availability for Bravia XR TVs
Bob Ankosko  |  May 02, 2023
Sony has announced pricing and shipment details for the 2023 Bravia XR lineup of mini-LED, LED, and OLED TVs it previewed in March. Seven mini-LED and OLED models are either available to order now or will be available for preorder in the coming weeks with LED-based models coming later in the year.
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Audio Video News
PAC Rolls Back Klipsch & Pioneer Elite Pricing
Bob Ankosko  |  May 01, 2023
Is there anyone out there who is going to complain about being able to buy AV gear today at pre-COVID prices? I didn’t think so — and that’s what makes today’s announcement from Premium Audio Company (PAC), the company behind Klipsch, Pioneer Elite, Onkyo, and a handful of other AV brands, so refreshing.
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Audio Video News
McIntosh ‘Best-of-Tubes-and-Solid-State’ Amplifier Now Sold Online
Bob Ankosko  |  May 01, 2023
McIntosh Labs has announced that the MA252 integrated amplifier, the first to feature the intriguing Hybrid Drive circuit design the company introduced last year, is now available to purchase online through several authorized dealers. The amp had previously been available only in dealer showrooms.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Empire of Light
Josef Krebs  |  May 01, 2023
Picture
Sound
Extras
Made by British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter Sir Sam Mendes, Empire of Light is set in the English seaside town of Margate of 1980-81 (where I grew up) in a two-screen cinema. Regular life for duty manager Hilary (Olivia Colman), the box-office and concession staff, and the projectionist is gradually changed after handsome, young black man, Stephen (Micheal Ward), is hired by the manager (Colin Firth) to be a ticket taker.
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Spatial Audio File
New World Man: Richard Chycki on Mixing Rush’s Signals in Atmos
Mike Mettler  |  Apr 28, 2023

Rush’s September 1982 album Signals celebrates the release of its 40th anniversary Super Deluxe Edition today, April 28, 2023—and it’s a spatially inclined box set that contains a stunning new Atmos mix of the core album by longtime Rush confidante and noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki on Blu-ray. In a recent Zoom interview, Chycki and music editor Mike Mettler discuss the esteemed producer’s overall Atmos mixing M.O. for Signals, the one specific request from Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson that was honored in “Subdivisions,” and why “Countdown” truly lifts off into the stratosphere in Atmos. Read on to decipher all the fine immersive signals accordingly. . .

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