…and my review of Star Wars: Rogue One
Another Blu-ray disc review (because Disney still mostly doesn't support 4K): Star Wars: Rogue One
…and my review of Star Wars: Rogue One Read MoreFantastic New Beasts Review
Does it seem like this site just exists for me to shunt you over to Sound & Vision for movie reviews? Yeah, this site is supposed to be a labor of love, and it hasn't received much love in a long time. But here's a new 4K UHD Blu-ray review for you!
Fantastic New Beasts Review Read MoreMore Disc Reviews
My latest disc reviews for Sound & Vision Magazine: Sully on UHD with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack 10 Cloverfield Lane on Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack
More Disc Reviews Read MoreBlu-ray review: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2
My latest Blu-ray/Atmos review is up at Sound & Vision: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2 I did not review The Hungry Games – Catching Fur, but if you're a fan of Sesame Street parodies, this is a good one. May the cookies always be in your flavor.
Blu-ray review: The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2 Read MoreBlu-ray reviews
I've started contributing movie reviews to Sound & Vision, one of the last home theater magazines still available in print form (Home Theater Magazine merged with them back in 2013). You can also find some of my reviews on their site online; Everest is up. I'm focusing on titles with Dolby Atmos soundtracks and/or 3D for now.
Blu-ray reviews Read MoreCEDIA 2015: Focused on Core Custom Install Audience
This year's CEDIA has come and gone, and unless the journalists in attendance badly missed something, I didn't see many announcements with broad applicability outside the core custom install base. (I attended CES and IFA this year, but was not able to attend CEDIA live.) Sony showed off new projectors, including a native 4K model priced at "just" $10,000, but these had been announced at IFA in Berlin. JVC introduced a trio of projectors from $4,000 – $10,000 that create pseudo-4K from 4K source material. Kaleidescape is now offering a 4K digital storage/playback solution in the $5000 – If You …
CEDIA 2015: Focused on Core Custom Install Audience Read MoreOnkyo Swallows Pioneer’s A/V Line
I was on the road covering Apple when this happened, so I missed it at the time, but it appears that Pioneer is divesting its A/V reciever and headphone business and selling it to Onkyo by March 2015. While Sony, Yamaha, and Harman all still make A/V receivers, Onkyo (and its Integra custom install brand) dominates the premium segment in a steadily shrinking market. If I read the disclosures correctly, Onkyo intends to keep the Pioneer brand, but will consolidate all back office functions and manufacturing. I like Onkyo's recievers, and Pioneer has been losing money, but this still feels …
Onkyo Swallows Pioneer’s A/V Line Read MoreOrb Audio Mod2X review
It's been a long time since I've done a full formal home theater speaker review, but my "reference" Carver HT5.2 speakers are over 15 years old and I've had the upgrade urge for most of the past decade. When Orb Audio reached out early last year* and offered to send over a complete set of speakers with sub, I thought it was time to start the process of finding a new mid-priced system for our home theater — or at least start listening to something new. Orb sells complete packages that start at $600 and go up to $2500; I …
Orb Audio Mod2X review Read MoreAvi’s Audio Heirarchy
A practical guide for the order in which you should upgrade (or build) your AV system: Avi's Audio Heirarchy: External speakers – even a cheap soundbar – are nearly always better than the tinny ones built into your HDTV. More speakers and discrete surround sound are always better than a soundbar. Subwoofers in particular make a movie sound like a movie. (Note: I have found that there is often gender bias when it comes to subs – stereotypical men want them to make things go boom, stereotypical women don't think they watch movies where it will make a difference. The …
Avi’s Audio Heirarchy Read More