Thomas J. Norton

CEDIA 2018
Harman, a Samsung Company
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 06, 2018
The Harman booth housed a number of sister companies, including Revel, JBL, Mark Levinson, Arcam, Lexicon, and Harman itself (Harman once owned Infinity, but that classic marque appears to have been killed off).

Shown in the photo is a new line of wireless and “smart” products boasting the also once iconic (then Harman Kardon) Citation name, most of which will ship this month...

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CEDIA 2018
JVC Shifts to Native 4K with New Projectors
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 06, 2018
JVC put its pixel-shifting prowess on hold today at CEDIA Expo with the introduction of three native 4K projectors.
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CEDIA 2018
Sony's Unveils Three 4K HDR Projectors
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 06, 2018
Sony introduced three new 4K HDR projectors at the 2019 CEDIA EXPO: the VPL-VW295ES at $5000, the VPL-VW695ES at $10,000), and the VPL-VW995ES at $35,000. (Remaining in its extensive home projector lineup are the 4K VW5000ES and VW885ES, the 2K HW65ES and HW45ES, and the short throw 4K VZ1000ES).

The lamp-based VPL-VW295ES replaces the VPL-VW285ES, and is very similar to its predecessor in a number of ways—the same motorized lens but without lens memories, and no iris control, either manual or dynamic. But it adds a number if significant features...

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CEDIA 2018A/V Veteran
Hands On with Sony’s New VPL-VW295ES, Part 1
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 06, 2018
For 2019, Sony has further refined the VPL-VW285ES projector I reviewed last year and is now calling it the VPL-VW295ES. I was able to spend some time to spend with it before heading off to CEDIA.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Coco
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 24, 2018
Picture
Sound
Extras
Miguel, a feisty youngster in small town Mexico, loves music, particularly the work of his hero, the long dead guitar and singing star, Ernesto de la Cruz. But because his great-great grandfather abandoned his wife and daughter for a career in music, his family remains virulently opposed to music and forbids Miguel’s having anything to do with it.
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Bookshelf Speaker ReviewsSubwoofer Reviews
ELAC Adante AS-61 Loudspeaker Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 22, 2018

Adante AS-61 Speakers
Performance
Build Quality
Value

SUB3070 Subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $2,500/pair

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Detailed, clean highs
Superb vocal reproduction
Bloat-free bass
Minus
Relatively low sensitivity
Limited bass extension

THE VERDICT
Elac's step-up AS-61 standmounter gets most everything right. Combined with the company's well-matched SUB3070 subwoofer, it makes for a highly appealing, high-performance speaker package.

Germany-based ELAC was well known in the 1960s and 1970s for its automatic (Miracord) turntables. The company disappeared from North America in the ensuing decades while transitioning into a major European loudspeaker brand. A few years ago, it decided that the time was right to return to the U.S. market. To produce new designs for that move they lured veteran speaker designer Andrew Jones away from his extended gig at TAD/Pioneer. The ELAC Debut line (now in its second generation) came first and seriously shook up the budget speaker sector. That was followed not long after by the pricier, but hardly pricey, Uni-Fi series.

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A/V Veteran
Avengers: Infinity War-When Home Theater Trumps IMAX
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 21, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War was a more compelling experience at home in 4K and HDR than in my local IMAX theater.
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A/V Veteran
An Inside Look at Sony’s Latest TV Technology
Thomas J. Norton  |  Aug 07, 2018
Last week Sound & Vision editor Al Griffin wrote on this site about Sony’s recent New York event. The subject was the launching of the company’s new Master Series flagship televisions, the new A9F OLEDs (in 55- and 65-inch sizes) and Z9F LCDs (65- and 75-inches). The event was held in a venue that in its past life was an exclusive dinner theater from 1938 to 1951, fell into disrepair in the following decades, and was remodeled in 2013. Since then it has been contracted to Sony, renamed Sony Hall, and used for a variety of theatrical and business events.
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4K TV ReviewsOLED TV ReviewsTV Reviews
LG OLED65C8PUA OLED Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 26, 2018

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $3,499

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Deep black levels
Extremely wide viewing angle
Supports Dolby Vision and HLG
Minus
Expensive compared to same-size LCD UHDTVs
Lower peak brightness than LCD UHDTVs

THE VERDICT
This new C8 series set exceeds the performance of LG’s previous OLED models, making it the best OLED TV from the company I’ve yet tested. Its price is also significantly lower than last year’s C7, which means more buyers can now bring home an LG OLED instead of dreaming about one.

The picture quality improvements in LG’s 2018 OLED Ultra HDTVs aren’t a dramatic upgrade over the company’s already superb 2017 sets, but they are accompanied by a new Alpha 9 processor, an autocalibration option, and a few new and updated features. LG has gathered all of these capabilities under the “LG ThinQ AI” rubric. While the AI (Artificial Intelligence) claim may be a bit overstated, that’s where the market is going and LG is not alone in it. I wonder if adding a blinding blizzard of do-everything geegaws makes the screen interface too complex for the average user who simply wants to turn on his or her TV and watch a movie.

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A/V Veteran
Giving Movie Musicals Their Due
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 24, 2018
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (that is, a sequel) opened in theaters this week. I didn’t realize that the first film, Mamma Mia! The Musical was a major hit when it was released in 2009, selling hundreds of billions of tickets to folks worldwide. I wasn’t of them, having a love/hate relationship with the Abba tunes featured in the film.

In fact I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with movie musicals. La La Land lost me after the first song and dance number from the otherwise appealing leads who could neither sing nor dance. And apart from that title and a few others (notably The Greatest Showman—a recent release now available on a spectacular UHD Blu-ray), the musical hasn’t received a lot of film love in recent years. But it was, for decades, a movie staple...

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