Dreaming of Cinerama

A strangely vivid dream reminds Tom Norton of another time, long ago, when movie theaters were in trouble.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/was-cinerama

B&W Refines its Vaunted 800 Speaker Series

In its first major move since being acquired by home-audio powerhouse Sound United last October, Bowers & Wilkins (a.k.a. B&W) has introduced “evolved” versions of its iconic 800 Series Diamond speakers.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/bw-refines-vaunted-800-series

CEDIA 2021: The Incredible Shrinking Expo

The highly-anticipated 2021 “reunion” edition of CEDIA Expo has been hit hard by worries over the rapid-rise of the Covid-19 Delta variant.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/cedia-2021-incredible-shrinking-expo

Déjà vu: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Performance
Sound

As acclaimed as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 magnum opus Déjà vu is, it somewhat helplessly plays perpetual second fiddle to the sea change garnered by the stacked-harmonic conver- gences in evidence on 1969's Crosby, Stills & Nash, which preceded it by 10 months. Granted, CSN was a breath of fresh vocal-arrangement air and instinctual instrumental accompaniment, but Déjà vu fostered the initial intersection of the volatile four-way street of headstrong artistic personalities with the addition of Neil Young into the fold.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/de-ja-vu-50th-anniversary-deluxe-edition

Top TV/Video Picks in 2021 (So Far)

Supply disruptions and the ever-lingering effects of the COVID-now-Delta pandemic have made it a challenging year for getting new A/V products to market. Despite the slowdowns, we’ve managed to corral enough gear to keep our reviewers busy even though we would have preferred having more options in some product categories. Our test reports have focused on TV and video projection in recent weeks so we decided to broaden the scope of this roundup to include all TV- and video-related products that have been awarded Top Pick status so far in 2021.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/top-tvvideo-picks-2021-so-far

Netflix Secret Codes and More Tips for Discovering Movies and TV Shows

There are over six thousand movies, and TV shows on Netflix in the U.S. Chances are that you only see what comes up on your home screen or in suggestions of “more like this” when you choose a title. But if you are looking for a specific movie genre, there are ways to see all the movies and TV shows that might suit your mood.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/netflix-secret-codes-and-more-tips-discovering-movies-and-tv-shows

Stewart Filmscreen Harmony G2 Acoustically Transparent Screen Review

Performance
Setip
Value

PRICE $3,242 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb uniformity and detail rendition
Precise color tracking and accurate saturation
Minimal reduction in audio fidelity
Minus
Woven design involves inherent light loss
Beer budgeteers may find it champagne-priced

THE VERDICT
Stewart's remarkable new Harmony G2 is a reference-level Acoustically Transparent offering for systems with speakers installed behind the screen.

A myriad of boulevards dissects a tract of former citrus groves, referred to long ago as Hollywoodland. Of these thoroughfares, singularly, there is Hollywood Boulevard, known the world over for a century of broken dreams. As lore recounts, and contemporary tales of woe reveal, there is little left to ponder beyond what should have been after most fame-bound aspirants leave.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/stewart-filmscreen-harmony-g2-acoustically-transparent-screen-review

Polk Refreshes 2 Home Theater Speaker Series

Looking ahead to the rapidly approaching 2021 holiday season, Polk Audio today introduced not one but two full-line home theater speaker series.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/polk-refreshes-2-home-theater-speaker-series

Two Decades With Kaleidescape

The luxury video business is hard. Don’t believe me? Consider companies like Pioneer, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Runco, Escient, and ReQuest. And those are just a few brands that have either exited that market or no longer exist. One company that has consistently delivered the highest quality home theater experience since its inception 20 years ago is Kaleidescape.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/two-decades-kaleidescape

David Sonos v. Goliath Google

Cognitive dissonance, that's what it is. When we are growing up, small and weak, we yearn to be big and strong. We naturally admire anything that dominates. And yet as adults most of us do not dominate. We must endure submission and we resent it. We root for the underdog. So, how do you feel about Sonos beating the tar out of Google?

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/david-sonos-v-goliath-google

Donnie Darko

Picture
Sound
Extras

It's the end of the world and Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) doesn't feel fine. He's unhinged and uneasy. He's been sleep- walking, waking up in the middle of golf courses, and experiencing waking daydreams. A jet engine has fallen from the sky and crashed into his bedroom and a giant rabbit named Frank is telling him the world will end soon unless he stops it. But how?

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/donnie-darko-0

The Sansui 9090DB: A Receiver for the Ages

We go back to the Bicentennial year of 1976 to revisit a top receiver from a largely forgotten hi-fi brand.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sansui-9090db-receiver-ages

KEF Music Lounge Theater: A THX Certified Oasis

After almost a year-and-a-half in lockdown, I was honored to be the first member of the press to experience the KEF Music Lounge Theater. In late May, I visited the company's U.S. headquarters in Marlboro, NJ and received a warm—and long overdue—Jersey welcome from KEF VP David Kroll and marketing director Stephanie Scola.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/kef-music-lounge-theater-thx-certified-oasis

Can I Use Dipole Speakers in a Dolby Atmos Setup?

Got a tech question for Sound & Vision? Email us at AskSandV@gmail.com

Q Way back when surround sound at home was the new big thing, installing dipole surround speakers at either side of the main listening position was recommended. Are dipoles still the optimal surround speaker choice now that technology has transitioned to object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos? —Steve Benoff, Beaumont, CA

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/can-i-use-dipole-speakers-dolby-atmos-setup

Big TV or Projector?

In case you haven't noticed, big screen TVs are becoming almost affordable. And by big screen, I mean BIG, as in over 80-inches diagonal. I was browsing in Sam's Club the other day where rows of TVs in that size were on sale. If an 85-inch Vizio P-Series Quantum X at $2900 isn't surprising enough, how about a Samsung Crystal UHD 7-Series TU700SD, also 85-inches, for $1396.

Granted, both sets were 2020 models on closeout and not the latest 2021s. The Vizio was that company's best, or next to best, model for 2020, but the Samsung was in a 2020 budget range. But still, about $17 per diagonal inch for the Vizio and $34 per inch for the Samsung?

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/big-tv-or-projector

Monitor Audio to Deliver Silver Series 7G this Fall

Monitor Audio, the British company that has been building high-quality speakers for almost a half a century, is putting the final touches on the seventh generation of the Silver Series it introduced 22 years ago.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/monitor-audio-deliver-silver-series-7g-fall

EISA Home Theater Audio & Video Awards 2021-2022

EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is an organisation representing 60 of the most respected special interest publications and websites from 29 countries that cover Hi-Fi, Home Theater Video, Home Theater Audio, Photography, Mobile Devices, and In-Car Electronics. Every year EISA's Expert Group members, including editors from this publication, test a very wide range of new products from their field of expertise before comparing results and voting to decide the cream of every product category.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/eisa-home-theater-audio-video-awards-2021-2022

My Fair Lady

Picture
Sound
Extras

George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion premiered in London back in 1913. Loosely based on an ancient Greek myth, its plot involves a linguistics professor, Henry Higgins, teaching a bedraggled flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to speak proper English—not only well enough to pass her off as a duchess at an embassy ball, but to "get her a job as a lady's maid or a shop assistant, which requires better English!"

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/my-fair-lady-0

New Gear August 2021

NAD, JBL, LG and other top A/V brands have all announced new products in recent weeks. Here’s a look at some of the gear coming your way.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/new-gear-august-2021

EPV Screens DarkStar UST 2 Efinity Projection Screen Review

Performance
Setup
Value

PRICE $2,799

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Highly immersive image from 123-inch screen
Easy assembly
Five-year warranty
Very good value
Minus
Requires high brightness projector for best performance

THE VERDICT
If you're looking for an ultra-large screen to pair with your ultra short throw projector, the DarkStar UST 2 Efinity offers impressive performance and value.

With ultra short throw (UST) projectors available from a growing list of companies including Epson, LG, Hisense, Optoma, Vava, and now Samsung, it's clear that the category has become firmly established. That's no surprise given the ergonomic and screen real estate- per-dollar benefits such models offer, but getting the best picture quality from a UST setup requires a specific screen pairing. We've frequently discussed ambient light rejecting (ALR) screens in Sound & Vision and have reviewed a fair number of them. But a UST projector requires a specialized type of ALR screen—one like the DarkStar UST 2 Efinity from EPV Screens.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/epv-screens-darkstar-ust-2-efinity-projection-screen-review

Limitations in YouTubeTV's 4K Plus Bundle

YouTubeTV has added a 4K tier to its live TV subscription service. The 4K Plus bundle includes other benefits like downloading recordings and unlimited concurrent streams. While it may be desirable to stream live 4K HDR TV shows, there are limitations, and it may be best to wait before committing to this add-on subscription fee.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/limitations-youtubetvs-4k-plus-bundle

Elac's Solano Series Features Signature Jet Tweeter

The speaker-meisters at Germany’s Elac are keeping busy these days. Following closely on the heels of the new Uni-Fi Reference series, the Solano series brings the brand’s signature Jet 5 folded-ribbon tweeter to more affordable price levels.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/elacs-solano-series-features-signature-jet-tweeter

Note to Disney: Avenge This

You, my friend, are a movie star. That might be a notch below rock star, but it's still pretty darn good. Congratulations! But even movie stars can have a bad day. Case in point: your employer pays you a salary, then does something that you think causes you to lose money that was promised to you. Superhero team of attorneys, assemble!

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/note-disney-avenge

LG’s Disappearing 4K OLED TV Is Finally Here

It’s been a long time coming but the futuristic roll-up OLED TV LG previewed at CES two-and-a-half years ago is finally here — with a catch.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg-s-disappearing-4k-oled-tv-finally-here

The Making of All Things Must Pass

George Harrison had a stockpile—fantastic compositions overlooked by his bandmates over the years, along with some written more recently following The Beatles' official breakup. The band's final album release, Let It Be, came on May 8, 1970. But by that time, George had already put the ball in motion to begin recording his first true solo album later that month: All Things Must Pass. The triple-album set would join Paul's McCartney LP as the first Beatles solo albums to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/making-all-things-must-pass

Sony XR-65A80J OLED Ultra HDTV Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,299

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Crisp resolution from Cognitive Processor XR
Ultra-wide viewing angle
Impressive shadow detail
Minus
Picture setup menu limitations
Minor black level issues with HDR

THE VERDICT
Sony's 65A80J delivers top-shelf video performance, HDMI 2.1 connectivity, along with many of the same features found in the company's flagship A90J OLED models at a significantly lower price.

Sony's new XR-65A80J OLED TV isn't a member of the company's Master Series—that designation belongs to its XR-A90J OLED models, which are spec'd to deliver higher brightness than the XR-A80J sets. And while we haven't yet tested those pricier Sony OLEDs, the XR-65A80J is far from being a second-class citizen.

The A80J's physical design is solid and well-executed. If you opt for a conventional installation instead of a wall-mount, its feet can be installed either 40 inches or 27.3 inches apart to accommodate a wide range of TV stands or cabinets, and they can also be slightly elevated to make space for a soundbar.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-xr-65a80j-oled-ultra-hdtv-review

Exploring Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV Streaming Service

Qwest TV steps outside the streaming mainstream to offer up a wider swath of multicultural live concert and documentary selections.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/exploring-quincy-jones-qwest-tv-streaming-service

Sony Previews 4-Speaker Home Theater System, New Flagship Soundbar

Sony is previewing a new flagship Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar and home theater system that creates an immersive sound field from four compact speakers. Both are due out early fall.

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https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-previews-4-speaker-home-theater-system-new-flagship-soundbar