Channel Surfing Survives in the Age of Streaming

The death of channel surfing is greatly exaggerated and commercials aren't really that bad after all. These are just two of the many findings of TiVo's latest Video Trends Report. Find out how your TV viewing habits stack up.

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XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K DLP Projector Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $1,699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bright, detailed 4K image
Excellent auto-setup features
Potent built-in audio system
LED lamp provides 25,000 hours use
Minus
Limited contrast ratio
Non-backlit remote control
Picture adjustments reset to default after unplugging

THE VERDICT
XGMI's pricey portable delivers crisp, bright 4K images along with auto-setup features that make it incredibly easy to get up and running.

Even as TVs grow ever-larger, the projector category continues to be an active one, with more recent designs like ultra short throw models giving viewers an alternative to room-dominating hang- from-ceiling setups. And while we here at Sound & Vision typically advocate for high-performance, and accordingly high-priced, options, the reality is that much of the action in the global projector scene involves affordable lower- end models, many from brands you may have not heard of before.

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The Streaming Jungle

If your TV is 7-10 years old and free of built-in streaming services, or you haven't yet used an outboard streaming device, your life is simple. Turn the set on, study the easy-to-search opening screen and, via your remote control, select from the limited selections offered.

But if your set is anywhere near new, and you're using its on-board, so-called Smart TV opening screen, it's a very different experience. For starters, if you don't want to select something as basic as your cable box, disc player, or gaming console, there are roughly 99,999 other options (Apps and the like) to choose from. Some set makers even have their own "free" channels, with program guides listing reams of old TV shows, films that no other streaming site wanted, reruns of sports from 1995, and documentaries on hedge pruning. The long-established options, such as Netflix , Amazon, and Hulu, are selectable as well, along with relative newbies like Disney+, Peacock+ (why today's the fascination with "+"?) and others.

Ever wonder why all this stuff now clutters up your home screen? ...

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PRO’s Latest Speaker Is a Three-in-One Marvel

Pro Audio Technology (PRO), the Lake Forest, CA-based company specializing in professional-grade high-end speaker systems, has developed a super speaker that can fill the roles of three speakers at once.

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What Is My Stereo’s Gender?

Readers will recall, distressingly, that I have tried their patience on just about every topic that marginally relates to audio. LP grooves, CD bumps, flat response, boomy bass, warm recordings, cold binary bits — I have waxed philosophically on all of them. Which bring us to today’s audio topic: gender.

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Zack Snyder's Justice League

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In what will surely go down in history as a textbook example of a successful online campaign to release a much-wanted movie, the #releasethesnydercut movement ultimately convinced Warner Bros. to complete and distribute director Zack Snyder's original vision for his DC Comics Extended Universe ("DCEU") team-up flick, Justice League. Snyder's departure from the project during production led to the hiring of Joss Whedon to oversee final work on the movie for its November 2017 theatrical debut, writing and directing new scenes on the way to a two-hour cut. That version largely left audiences cold, particularly fans of Snyder's previous DCEU films, despite co-star Gal Gadot's wave of popularity from her Wonder Woman solo film a few months earlier.

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Fall Review: Best Gear of 2021

With the holidays fast approaching and only three months to go before we ring in 2022, it’s a great time to take stock of Sound & Vision’s Top Picks in 2021. We’ve categorized three dozen exemplary A/V products, a third of which can be had for $1,000 or less. Whether you’re in the market for a budget soundbar or a state-of-the-art surround processor, we’ve got you covered. Every A/V category is represented.

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Roku Announces New Streaming Stick 4K and Roku OS 10.5

Roku announced new products, including Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ that will be released this fall. A Roku operating system upgrade is being rolled out as well. Roku OS 10.5 has added features that make it faster to get to content, improvements in Roku Voice commands, wireless surround sound, and easier audio adjustments.

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Klipsch Cinema 1200 Soundbar System Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $1,699

AT A GLANCE
Plus
All-in-one 5.1.4 Atmos system
Stupendous dynamics
Great sound quality with music and movies
Class-leading 12-inch subwoofer
Minus
Ineffective surround processing of stereo music
No mic on remote or bar for Alexa and Google Assistant
No DTS decoding

THE VERDICT
The Klipsch Cinema 1200 is among the least expensive of today's high-end soundbar solutions and over-delivers on both sound quality and value.

Klipsch's new Cinema series soundbars are the latest effort of an iconic, 75-year-old speaker maker to push new performance barriers while delivering a product that is quintessentially, well, Klipsch. There are four systems, each with the real wood cabinetry and the signature Tractrix horn- loaded tweeters that have come to define the brand. These run from the entry-level Cinema 400 ($299), a 40-inch-wide 2.1-channel bar with an 8-inch wireless subwoofer, to the Cinema 1200 ($1,699) reviewed here—a 5.1.4 system with a 54-inch-wide Atmos-enabled bar, a wireless 12-inch sub, and a pair of wireless Atmos- enabled surrounds.

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Onkyo and Pioneer AV Receivers Get Dirac Live

Dirac Live, the sophisticated speaker setup/room correction system developed by Swedish technology company Dirac, is for the first time making its way into the mainstream AV receiver (AVR) brands Onkyo, Integra, and Pioneer Elite.

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An Exuberance of Loudspeakers

Sound System Designer: “How many speakers would you like in this car?”
BMW: “Yes.”

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Apple Music: Spatial Audio Relations

Back in May 2021, Apple significantly boosted the appeal of its Apple Music streaming service with the addition of two new features: Lossless Audio (including high-res versions for some albums and tracks) and Spatial Audio. While the term "Spatial Audio" might indicate that Apple has created a completely new surround sound music format, it's essentially Dolby Atmos—the same immersive, object- based mixing technology used for movie soundtracks.

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Amazon TVs on the Way, Sony and LG Win TV Shootout

The world’s largest online retailer just keeps getting bigger and is now seeking to expand its stake in one of America’s favorite pastimes: watching TV.

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Rotel RA-1572MKII Integrated Amplifier Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,099

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Generous power
First-class sound
High-quality fit and finish
Minus
Network connection doesn't support audio
Lacks Wi-Fi, AirPlay wireless streaming

THE VERDICT
Rotel's MKII version of its RA-1572 integrated amp delivers impressive power and transparent sound with digital and analog sources but lacks the comprehensive streaming features found on similar designs from other manufacturers.

True story. My very first hi-fi system featured a Rotel integrated amplifier—if memory serves, a model RA-20 of some 20 watts per channel. I bought it brand new for around $60 from K&L Sound in Watertown, Massachusetts, with money saved from my after-school job building shelves, sweeping floors, and punching holes in sheet- metal panels that would become the very first ARP synthesizers. (The late Alan R. Pearlman was my next-door neighbor and a lovely, kind, brilliant guy.)

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Can I Stream Hi-Res Audio Over Bluetooth?

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

Q I have tried streaming Amazon Music HD to my Marantz SR7015 receiver over Bluetooth from my iPad using the receiver’s HEOS app. The app shows resolutions all the way up to 24 bit/192kHz — something I didn’t think was possible with Bluetooth! Will I get the same resolutions if I make a hardwired connection from iPad to AVR using an AudioQuest DragonFly Red USB DAC? —Paul Giovino, via email

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High, Low, or Middle Dynamic Range?

As any serious photographer can tell you, color is a complex subject. There are researchers devoting their careers to it. It's also central to properly setting up a television in a process we call calibration.

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When HDR Is MDR

As any serious photographer can tell you, color is a complex subject. There are researchers devoting their careers to it. It's also central to properly setting up a television in a process we call calibration.

Getting the color right becomes even more challenging when we're dealing with high dynamic range (HDR). Take a look at the above post-HDR calibration compilation chart performed recently using the most widely used calibration software, Calman from Spectracal. While we typically publish charts in our reviews only for SDR (due to space limitations), we use data from the above type of chart for the HDR results we print in text form. The fine details shown here are difficult to discern when reduced to a size compatible with a blog post, but the major trends are visible in the charts.

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Sonos Upgrades Beam Soundbar with Dolby Atmos

Wireless speaker pioneer Sonos today announced an upgraded version of its popular Beam soundbar, recipient of a Sound & Vision Top Pick in 2018.

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Nomadland

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Movies can reveal a world mainstream audiences might not have been aware of, and in doing so they go beyond mere entertaining to offering actual enlightenment. Such is the case with Nomadland. Winner of 2020 Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and Actress, the film depicts a culture of folks with little in the way of material possessions—really just a vehicle and a few incidentals—who relish their freedom and mobility as they roam this great land.

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Technics Announces SU-G700M2 Integrated Amplifier

Technics is planning an October launch for its latest integrated amp, the SU-G700M2. The new model is an upgrade of the previous SU-G700, and features technology used in the company’s flagship Reference SU-R1000 integrated amp such as LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration) to permit optimum matching with any speaker and the JENO (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimization) Engine.

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Samsung QN65QN90A NEO QLED LCD Ultra HDTV Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $2,600

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Standard-setting HDR performance
Wide viewing angle for LCD
Deep blacks and strong shadow detail
Minus
Lacks Dolby Vision
Occasional blooming artifacts

THE VERDICT
The price for Samsung's latest sets may be up from last year's equivalent models, but if you're in the market for a new TV, the improvements to be found in the new QN90A series make it worth serious consideration.

In 2020, Sound & Vision tested Samsung's 65-inch Q90T series TV, an LCD model that lacked some of the features and refinements found in the company's flagship sets from the previous year. But at $1,900, it also struck us as a solid deal given the overall price-performance ratio and received a Top Pick. Samsung's new Neo QLED QN90A series LCDs, available in 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch screen sizes, are pricier than the Q90T models they replace, though the higher prices in this case come with marked performance upgrades.

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Clearing Up the Confusion Around DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream launched recently as the newest DIRECTV incarnation. There are a few changes, but for those who subscribe to AT&T TV, the only difference will be the onscreen logo and mobile app name. There has been much confusion about DirecTV Stream, from the name change, to how to stream it and the differences between it and the DIRECTV satellite service.

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Hasta la Vista, Baby

I've watched all the Terminator movies. Thirty-two times. Each. I know all about Skynet and how it will exterminate the human species. And I know that science fiction can become science FACT. But you future robot rulers of the planet, your name isn't Skynet. It's Alexa.

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Judas and the Black Messiah

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The messiah here is Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party (BPP), preaching and gathering disciples to join him in his efforts to help feed and free the people. Judas is Bill O'Neal, the follower who's secretly working for the oppressive force—the Chicago PD and the FBI circa 1968, who see the BPP as more of a threat than the Russians or the Chinese.

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CEDIA Expo 2021: The Show Must Go On

Concern over the rapidly spreading Covid-19 Delta variant has wreaked havoc on CEDIA Expo 2021 but the show is soldiering on. Here’s some of the CEDIA-related news that has crossed our desk.

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JVC Launches New 8K Projector Lineup

JVC’s projector line is getting a refresh, with three new models ranging in price from $9,999.95 to $24,999.95. All models employ the company's BLU-Escent laser diode light source—a feature previously available only in the flagship DLA-RS4500—along with its proprietary 8K/e-shift technology. They are also outfitted with 8K60p/4K120p-capable HDMI inputs (48Gbps)—a first for a home theater projector, according to JVC.

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Vizio V21d-J8 Soundbar Review

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

PRICE $100

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Great value
Impressive dialogue clarity
Voice Assistant input
Minus
Lacks bass impact
Complicated LED display
Narrow soundstage

THE VERDICT
With its strikingly clear dialogue delivery, Vizio's V21d-J8 might just be the best $100 soundbar you can buy.

Whoever complained that you get what you pay for never listened to Vizio's V21d-J8. The company's latest 2.1-channel soundbar is a $100 entry-level model offering strikingly clear sound. Although the V21d-J8 lacks a dedicated subwoofer, it delivers a fair amount of upper-bass impact. For the price, it can't be beat.

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