Thomas J. Norton

A/V Veteran
Hidden Treasures, Guilty Pleasures: The Dish
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 23, 2016
We assume you’re into home theater because you love movies, so this blog is the first in an on and off series of movie (and possibly TV-series) recommendations. I first wanted to dub them “Hidden Treasures and Guilty Pleasures.” But while I liked the alliteration, it was too long for a headline so I’ll have to settle for alternating between the two, as appropriate. [Ed. note: We worked a little magic to make the head fit.]

I have a broad taste in movies, from historical to science fiction and a lot in between. I’m not big on crime dramas, grisly horror movies (unless the sci-fi elements outweigh the gore, as in Alien and Aliens), or gross comedies that make me squirm more than laugh. But almost anything else is fair game. The Dish isn’t a story about Hollywood gossip, but rather an Australian film about a 100-ton satellite communications dish parked in a sheep paddock near the small town of Parkes in the rural Down Under. If that sounds boring, it’s anything but...

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Tut
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 16, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
Egyptian history is astonishingly long by modern standards. The pharaoh Tutankhamun lived roughly 13 centuries after the pyramids were built, and another 13 centuries would pass before Cleopatra friended an asp.

The plot of this two-disc, 4.5-hour miniseries is centered on the limited facts we know about Tut. He was the son of Akhenaten, whose worship of the sun god Aton and rejection of Egypt’s traditional deities nearly tore the country apart. Tut became pharaoh around age nine and eventually restored the old gods and stabilized the kingdom. But by the time of his death at a young 19, he had failed to produce an heir by his wife and half-sister Ankhesenamun.

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A/V Veteran
Searching for Mr. Big Screen
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 02, 2016
Living in coastal northwest Florida has its benefits, but first-rate movie theaters isn’t one of them. In moving from the Los Angeles area last year I left behind some of the best movie theaters in the country...
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A/V Veteran
Countdown to Ultra HD Blu-ray
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 26, 2016
We’re only a couple of months away from the scheduled introduction of Ultra HD Blu-ray players and the UHD discs to play on them. At CES both Samsung and Philips announced players due in March, and 17 titles are currently listed on Amazon for release March 1.
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4K TV ReviewsLCD TV ReviewsTV Reviews
Vizio RS65-B2 LCD Ultra HDTV Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 26, 2016

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $6,000

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Full Ultra HD capability including HDR and wide color
Superb blacks and shadow detail
Integrated soundbar with subwoofer and surrounds
Minus
Expensive
HDR limited to Dolby Vision
Ineffective color management system (CMS)
2D only

THE VERDICT
Most current 4K sets deliver only the 4K slice of Ultra HD’s full pie. The RS65-B2 goes all the way, including 4K resolution, advanced color, and high dynamic range.

In a recent review of Vizio’s relatively affordable M65-C1 Ultra HDTV (soundandvision.com), I reflected on that company’s vision in having “sale prices low enough to attract millions of buyers.” But reality has a way of intruding on a dream, and a state-of-the-art Ultra HD set isn’t cheap to produce. With its new, two-model Reference Series (the 120-inch, RS120B3, which sells for $130,000, and the 65-incher under review here), the company now challenges the thin-aired peaks of cost-no-object sets previously dominated by older, more established brands. In fact, only selected dealers and some custom installers even carry the Reference Series.

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CES 2016
Wolf in the House
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2016
Wolf Cinema has upgraded its existing four projector platforms for 2016. It showcased the STC-15 ($15,000) at CES on a 10-foot wide, Seymour Screen Excellence 2.35:1 screen. It's images were truly spectacular...
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CES 2016
Arcam Gets Dirac
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2016
Arcam has added Dirac Live to its new range of receivers. The headliner shown at CES 2016 was the AVR 850 with Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2, and 7 channels of Class G amplification at $6,000...
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CES 2016
TCL's Ultra-Wide 21:9 LCD
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 11, 2016
Like many demos at CES 2016, this 2.35:1 (21x9) “scope” curved LCD widescreen Ultra HD design was likely brought in to test its commercial viability with the army of retailers who attend CES. According to the information I received, however, TCL (a Chinese company) does plan to distribute it in Hong Kong, at least initially.
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CES 2016
China's Changhong Showed OLED at CES...but Why?
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 10, 2016  |  Published: Jan 11, 2016
Changhong is virtually unknown outside of China, but it's a very big deal there. So why did the company attend CES 2016 (and CES 2015)?
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CES 2016
Monitor Audio Stands Up
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 10, 2016  |  Published: Jan 11, 2016
Monitor Audio's Alan Hook (6'4") posed next to Monitor Audio's PL500II at CES 2016. The speaker is one of the models in the company's newly redesigned Platinum II speaker series.
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