Expertise

Contrast ratio vs black level
Tied together, but not the same importance.
The Connected Car: 2013 Edition
New in-dash receivers play nice with smartphones. Plus: Sync and MyLink app updates.
The "mad scientist" of Sony audio
The engineer who guides development of Sony audio electronics—right down to the choice of solder

What's New

Is UV Hazardous to Your Health?

Will a cloud-based video delivery system mean consumers get burned?
- By Ken C. Pohlmann
- Posted July 27, 2011
- 1
Sure, before you head to the beach, it’s imperative to slather on the sunblock. (Note: as far as I know, this is the first time I’ve used “slather” in a written sentence.) Everyone knows that too many UV rays are bad for you, and that SPF is the remedy. But what about another kind of ultraviolet?

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What Makes a Cheap Speaker Sound Good?

With small, portable products, the old rules may not apply.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted July 26, 2011
- 4
The review I just wrote of the Sonos Play:3 streaming music system, and another I recently finished of several small Bluetooth speaker systems (you’ll see the full results soon in the print edition of Sound+Vision) reminded me of just how important listening is in audio produ

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iControl Your Life

Remote contact via iPad is a beautiful thing indeed.
- By John Sciacca
- Posted July 13, 2011
Some people immediately get that the iPad can become the controller for an automation system, allowing them to control not only their audio/video gear but also their lights, HVAC, security, and irrigation systems.

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Deepest Bass Ever?

The track that tortures the supersubs
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted July 11, 2011
- 5
We’ve received a few inquiries from readers about a music track I’ve mentioned in recent subwoofer reviews. Considering that I’ve described the piece in question as having “the most intense low bass I’ve ever heard,” this interest isn’t surprising.

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See It Now!

Looxcie’s wearable Bluetooth camcorder shoots everywhere, all the time.
- By Gary Dell'Abate
- Posted June 6, 2011
Everybody loves to post fun videos of the cool things they’re doing on Facebook, YouTube, and even Twitter. Sometimes, though, you miss the coolest, funnest stuff because it’s hard to record all the time. But wait. What if you could?

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3D Titans Talk Transformative Tech

Action-movie masters Michael Bay and James Cameron discuss the present and future of stereoscopic movies
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted May 19, 2011
A crowd of movie-industry folk, film students, and press assembled last night for a preview of clips from the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon — the first in the series to be shot in 3D — as well as a lengthy and surprisingly technical discussion between Transformers director Michael Bay and Avatar director James Cameron.<

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Will Apple Kill Custom?

The growing number of AirPlay-compatible audio devices has the custom installation industry worried.
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted May 11, 2011
Technologies that distribute audio and video around a home are incredibly cool—if you can afford them, if you can tolerate complicated installation, and if you can figure out how to use them once they’re in.

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Robbie Robertson Presents: How to Score an Audio Movie

The onetime Band leader on the art of creating timeless sounds, the album as a journey, and the resurfacing of the ever-mysterious “Madame X.”
- By Mike Mettler
- Posted April 5, 2011
- 1
When Robbie Robertson met Jimi Hendrix in New York’s Greenwich Village in 1966, Hendrix (then going by the name of Jimmy James) was intent on learning about a subject crucial to his future as an artist. “He only wanted to talk about songwriting,” revealed Robertson.

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Tron: Re-Entering the Grid

Tron created the template for extensive computer-generated imagery in movies. Three decades later, you can experience Tron: Legacy on Blu-ray 3D.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted April 3, 2011
GREETINGS, PROGRAMS!

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Tommy Shaw: The Next Right-Sounding Thing

Why the Styx guitarist's bluegrass masterpiece The Great Divide will reward your ears again and again.
- By Mike Mettler
- Posted March 22, 2011
Good is good. It’s a simple adage, but one that’s especially true when it comes to music. Genre and predetermined preferences should be secondary if you’re truly interested in having your ears entertained, challenged, and enriched.

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Subwoofers: 4, 2, or 1?

Everybody knows that four subwoofers are better than one...or are they?
- By Brent Butterworth
- Posted March 1, 2011
- 2
Everybody knows that four subwoofers are better than one. But are four little subs better than a single big one or two midsizers? Only a blind test could tell.

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A Classic S+V Interview with Oscar Winner Trent Reznor

The former NIN frontman and The Social Network scoresman looks at his pioneering surround-sound work.
- By Mike Mettler
- Posted February 28, 2011
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Social Network, and it's a modern and adventurous film score if ever I've heard one. It's haunting, of-the-moment, and immersive — and, best of all for us S+V types, it's available in surround sound. Go here to get yours.

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