John Sciacca

3D TV Demystified

Before you try to jump on the 3D bandwagon, make sure you know what you need.

By John Sciacca
Posted September 10, 2010

My dad called me the other day. He had just rented Avatar and he wanted to know if I had seen it and if the version I watched was in 3D and why his wasn’t. A client sent me an e-mail asking whether he could use a new 3D TV to watch regular, non-3D programming.

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Review: Meridian Sooloos Control 15 Music Server

Built for audiophiles seeking a high tech way to integrate their CD library with their high-end audio systems.

By John Sciacca
Posted November 17, 2010

Key Features $7,500 meridian-audio.com/sooloos • 500-gigabyte hard disk stores approximately 1,000 CDs in loss

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Seen at CEDIA 2010

Our install expert reports on all of the tech goodies that caught his eyes — and ears.

By John Sciacca
Posted November 17, 2010

At this year’s CEDIA Expo, held in Atlanta at the end of September, I felt that the mood on the show floor was decidedly upbeat. The positive vibe exuded by many suggested that the worst of the recession is over and that business is actually starting to pick back up.

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Control Your Remote

The most important component in your system is often the smallest.

By John Sciacca
Posted January 14, 2011
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There are so many Pow! Bang! Ka-chow! buzzwords thrown out by the consumer electronics industry's marketing war chariots that smaller, more important things often get lost or completely overwhelmed in the ground clutter.

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The Custom Installer: Three DIY Projects You Can Handle

From easy to hard, you can totally tackle these home theater jobs.

By John Sciacca
Posted February 10, 2011

People often ask me, “John, how hard is that? Could I do it myself?” And the answer is often, “It depends.” A walk in the park for one person might be a Grand Master Sudoku puzzle for another. Take my friend Jon. He’s like Rain Man when it comes to working with engines or motors or pretty much anything mechanical.

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Runco D-73d 3D Projector

Runco's new offering makes a 3D skeptic into a believer

By John Sciacca
Posted March 14, 2011

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Total Control Rack

URC Looks to take Total Control

Remote control giant URC debuts new whole-house automation system

By John Sciacca
Posted July 1, 2011
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Friday the 13th is nothing to fear this month as remote control giant URC releases the first wave of its new Total Control platform of housewide automation, control, and audio distribution components today.

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collage of iPad home automation applications

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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Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 Digital Media System

Review: Meridian Sooloos Media Core 200 and DSP3200

The minimalist audiophile's dream system

By John Sciacca
Posted August 16, 2011
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Wikipedia says minimalism “describes movements in various forms of art and design . . . where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features.” At Sound+Vision, we generally preach the exact opposite: a “go big or go home” view toward TVs, speakers, and subwoofers. Why settle for 5.1 and a 42-inch screen when 9.2 and a 100-inch screen would be so much better?

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John Sciacca's column from the October 2011 issue

Out-of-Sight A/V

Keep down the clutter by hiding your home theater gear away.

By John Sciacca
Posted September 19, 2011

Prices for flat-panel TVs have been reduced to a level where they’ve literally become throwaway commodities. Just yesterday, a customer informed me that he was going to put a TV outside on his deck and “leave it there until it breaks, then buy another one.”

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