Barb Gonzalez

Audio Video News
Behind the Scenes at Bang & Olufsen
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 04, 2013
A visit to Bang & Olufsen’s headquarters in Struer, Denmark provides a rare look inside the AV company know for trendsetting design.
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SmartStream
A Google TV by Any Other Name
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 17, 2013
Rumor has it that Google is about to change Google TV's name to "Android TV." What do we know for sure?
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Streaming Device Reviews
Western Digital WD TV Play Media Player
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 03, 2013

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $70

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent sound and picture quality
Unit powers on whole home theater and switches inputs
Easy direct-access buttons on remote for Netflix, Hulu, Vudu
Minus
No Amazon VOD app
Poorly executed Facebook app

THE VERDICT
As long as it supports all the services you use, you’ll find the WD TV Play will deliver consistently high video and audio quality and a nice user experience at a very good price.

With all the media players available to me, a Western Digital player has always been my go-to streamer. I know the quality will be good and that I can connect it and be ready to go in minutes. The newest model, the WD TV Play, offers the quality and usability of its predecessors at a lower price. Although Western Digital chose the WD TV Play name to distinguish it from earlier models, little else has changed besides the home screen, and perhaps an increase in audio and video performance.

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SmartStream
The Lowdown on Sony's Google TV Stick
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 02, 2013
Sony's NXZ-GUI Bravia Smart Stick is not the newest Chromecast stick. Find out more about Sony's new Google TV dongle.
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CEDIA 2013
Anyone Can Install the Fire-FX Media Server and Player
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 29, 2013
Unlike other custom installation, high end media servers, Fire-FX boasts that their system is easy to install. It auto detects the network, maps itself and connects
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CEDIA 2013
ReQuest Adds 3D Server and Improved Web-Based Controller
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 29, 2013
The ReQuest media server and media player system has added a new 3D media player and has improved it web-based controller for easier discovery and playback of movies.
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CEDIA 2013
DVDO Air3 Outperforms Other Wireless Technologies
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 29, 2013
The DVDO Air3 appears to be better than other wireless technologies. Here's a first impression as I witnessed a test "drive" at CEDIA.
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CEDIA 2013
Advice We Can All Use From the Women in CE CEDIA Breakfast
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 28, 2013
Women in CE (Consumer Electronics) offers some tips on being a success and having a balanced life.
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CEDIA 2013
The Scoop On Sony's 4k Media Player
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 28, 2013
There have been much speculation and misinformation on how Sony's 4K media player works. The FMP-X1 is included in a bundle with Sony's 4K TVs and projectors. Here is the lowdown to dispel much of the speculation and misinformation that has been circulating.
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CEDIA 2013
Ripwave Media Streamer Does it All
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 27, 2013
Two-year old RipWave has come out with the ultimate media streaming machine. Not only can it rip your Blu-rays and DVDs to its hard drive, you can add a cable card or off-air antenna and use its hard drives as a DVR. It can also stream videos from most any video streaming website using the PlayOn server or stream to other devices using the Plex DLNA server.

Models names follow the surf theme. They are offering a dedicated movie player model, the Tsunami for $2000. The media player line can also play music and photos and includes the Stingray with 3 to 12 TB of storage, the Barracuda, and the Orca with 9 TB up to 30 TB of storage. The software menus are as impressive as the hardware features. Users can choose from a number of graphic menus from a carousel to a grid to extensive information about a movie that displays metadata from 7 different sources. The menu options make it one of the truly intuitive devices as each user can choose the view that is easiest for them to use.

The Ripwave is the best media server I've seen yet. Let's see if it performs as well as its first impression.

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