Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2015 i Sound & Vision

Emotiva Audio is expanding beyond its direct-to-consumer online retailing into traditional A/V specialty retailers and integrators. The benefit to consumers is that you could listen before you buy... Video Streaming Will Be 85 percent of U.S. Internet traffic and 80 percent outside the U.S. within five years, Cisco projects. Daily viewing on mobile devices has gone from less than an hour a day five years ago to three hours daily now... Mobile Video Will Surge eight times over by 2019 but is unlikely to choke cellular networks, says Juniper Research. Fifty-nine percent of it is likely to travel via Wi-Fi... M-Go Ultra HD Streaming with performance-enhancing HDR will make its debut by year-end on Samsung TVs. The non-subscription PPV site from Technicolor and DreamWorks will charge $4 to $6 for…

AUDIO This graph shows the VSX-1130’s left channel, from CD input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk, signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all within expected performance parameters. Full details available at soundandvision.com.—MJP VIDEO The Pioneer’s only upconversion capability is 1080p to 4K when connected to a 4K UHD set. (This upconversion can be defeated by selecting Pure instead of Auto in the video menu if you prefer to have the 4K upconversion performed elsewhere, typically by the set.) With any other source, and a non-UHD set, the Pioneer outputs the same resolution as the input; that is, it doesn’t upconvert. Therefore, our normal HD (1080i-to-1080p) and SD (480i-to-1080p) upconversion tests weren’t applicable here. On the relevant tests (clipping, resolution, and 3D…

THE measurements here were made using CalMan measurement software from SpectraCal, together with Photo Research PR-650 and Klein K-10A color meters, and the AVFoundry VideoForge 2K and DVDO 4K pattern generators. FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio: 46,857:1 FOR the picture settings used in this review, go to soundandvision.com. UNLIKE with most full-array local dimming, with a full black test pattern on the screen the Vizio’s LED lighting doesn’t shut down completely but rather simply goes very (but measurably) dark. At a peak white light output of 32.8 foot-lamberts, the black measured 0.0007 ft-L (this varied a bit from reading to reading, but most of my several readings clustered around 0.0007). Turning the Active LED Zones off with no other control changes increased the peak white level to 42.1 and the black level…

PRICE $2,600 IS IT SAFE YET TO BUY A 4K TV? Manufacturers want us to think so, even though it seems that there’s always some new hitch to make consumers wary that the set they buy today will be an expensive doorstop a year or two down the road. For example, the first few 4K TVs lacked an HDMI 2.0 interface—a necessity if you wanted your set to be compatible with future 60-fps Ultra HD content like sports. When the next generation of 4K sets came out, there was a question of whether the HDMI 2.0 interface would support HDCP 2.2 content protection—a necessity if you wanted to watch copy-protected Ultra HD movies. AT A GLANCE + Plus ▀ Accurate color ▀ Good contrast ▀ Android TV smart UI -…

Spongebob Squarepants is a fry cook at a popular fast-food diner called The Krusty Krab in the undersea city of Bikini Bottom. The Krusty Krab is famous for a particular burger-type delicacy called The Krabby Patty. They’re insanely popular, and the secret formula is kept under lock and key. Unbeknownst to Spongebob and his compatriots, an enterprising surface-dweller pirate named Burger Beard, played with delightful relish and gusto by Antonio Banderas, has found an ancient text that essentially tells the story of the movie you’re currently watching. This gives Burger Beard the ability to rewrite the story as it progresses. He decides to steal the secret formula for himself and make a fortune selling Krabby Patties to the human populace. Unbridled chaos ensues, and the sudden depletion of Krabby Patties…

About a year before Matthew Broderick assumed the greatest role of his career as a hooky-playing teenager named Ferris Bueller, he collaborated with director Richard Donner and a superlative supporting cast on a medieval fantasy adventure film called Ladyhawke. When I learned that Ladyhawke was finally being released on Blu-ray, I bristled at the probability that Warner Bros. would work another slap-dash rush job like they did with Goodfellas and Unforgiven. I’m elated to be proven wrong. The Warner Archive Collection has given Ladyhawke a full restoration, and the results are magnificent. All previous home video versions from VHS to Laserdisc to DVD were shoddy disappointments in picture and sound quality, which is why my expectations were low. A good portion of this film features low-light interiors and nighttime scenes…

In this witty and pithy examination of modern New York living circa 1991, director Terry Gilliam posits the absolute necessity to abandon cynicism in order to believe in something and someone. Jeff Bridges is wonderfully arrogant and nasty as stretch-limo-riding radio shock-jock, Jack, who accidentally provokes a desperate caller into entering a restaurant and slaughtering its yuppie patrons. Jack bails on his life, climbing into a bottle of whiskey and a chasm of sarcasm, self-loathing, and self-pity. Parry (another wonderfully manic Robin Williams performance), still traumatized by having seen his beloved blown away in the massacre, has gotten out of a mental institution only to become a crazed homeless person. After a chance meeting, Jack is drawn by his guilt to help Parry on a quest to steal the Holy…

PRICE $599 MOST A/V RECEIVERS HAVE seven audio channels for reasons that date back to 1999 and are all but forgotten. The original rationale for adding two channels to surround sound’s basic 5.1 footprint was to accommodate back-surround speakers for THX Surround EX (later renamed Dolby Digital EX) and DTS-ES. While I mean no disrespect to the many readers who enjoy the back surrounds in their 7.1 systems, I’ve been against back surrounds from the beginning. My argument in one sentence is: Three channels in front, four in back—what’s wrong with this picture? I’ve always considered 5.1 the bedrock standard of surround sound, and I still do, even today. Once 7.1 pushed out 5.1 in all but the lowest-priced models, manufacturers came up with new and creative uses for the sixth…

AUDIO This graph shows the STR-DN1060’s left channel, from CD input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk, signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all within expected performance parameters. Full details available at soundandvision.com.—MJP VIDEO The Sony passed all of our standard tests. However, in order for it to upconvert lower-resolution sources to 1080p on a 1080p set, the HDMI in 4K control (under the HDMI Setting menu) must be set to Auto. This is not intuitive, and if that control is set to Off, the receiver’s output resolution will be the same as the input resolution. THE Sony will also pass a 4K signal from a 4K source to a 4K set, though the above tests indicate its performance with a maximum…

RP-150M (purple) +2.85/–0.85 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 66 Hz, –6 dB @ 57 Hz; impedance minimum 4.10 ohms @ 205 Hz, phase angle –50.86º @ 111 Hz; sensitivity 88 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. RP-250C (green) +4.25/–1.62 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 86 Hz, –6 dB @ 72 Hz; impedance minimum 4.01 ohms @ 218 Hz, phase angle –37.21º @ 129 Hz; sensitivity 91 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. RP-250S (red) +4.46/–3.36 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 106 Hz, –6 dB @ 90 Hz; impedance minimum 3.98 ohms @ 218 Hz, phase angle –51.81º @ 120 Hz; sensitivity 90 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. R-110SW (blue) Close-miked response, normalized to level @ 80 Hz:…

PRICE $4,785 SO MANY AUDIO PRODUCTS start as marketing necessities. But how many start as personal quests? When Bryston’s James Tanner wanted to design a one-off “ultimate loudspeaker” for his own reference system, the resulting Mini T floorstanding tower impressed his colleagues so much that it squirreled its way into the upper-echelon marketing channels usually reserved for Bryston’s formidable preamps and amps (which, incidentally, include surround-friendly three-, five-, and eight-channel models). This left turn was hardly a surprise coming from Bryston, a company whose early movers and shakers were involved in medical equipment and NASA before moving into high-end audio. Daniel Kumin reviewed a $9,000 system based on the Mini T, using the Mini A as surround speakers, in October 2014 (available at soundandvision.com). The more affordable system reviewed here gives…

FULL-ON/FULL-OFF Contrast Ratio: 34,150:1 FOR the picture settings plus additional details on calibration and video-processing tests for this review, go to soundandvision.com/TestBench. THE measurements here were made using CalMAN measurement software from SpectraCal, together with a Photo Research PR-650 color meter and DVDO AVLab 4K test signal generator. PRE-CALIBRATION measurements were made in the Cinema Pro preset at the default settings. Post-calibration measurements were made in the same mode. With the Sony XBR-65X850C’s Advanced Contrast Enhancement mode set to High, its black level measured 0.001 foot-lamberts and peak white 34.15, for a contrast ratio of 34,150:1. With Advanced Contrast Enhancement switched off, black level measured 0.052 ft-L and peak white 37.45 ft-L, for a contrast ratio of 720:1. The Sports mode’s default settings delivered the highest peak brightness at 86.4…

Forty-four-year-old documentarian Josh Srebnick (Ben Stiller) is slouching towards middle age, sobered by his stalled career and his inability to finish his decade-old magnum opus or sire a child, when he and wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) are rejuvenated by a mid-20s filmmaker, Jamie (Adam Driver), and his New Age spouse Darby (Amanda Seyfried). The hipster couple becomes a time machine for the Srebnicks, enticing them into forsaking their age-appropriate friends for block parties in Brooklyn and strolls through subway tunnels. Josh embraces Jamie as his lifestyle guru and hopes to become his professional mentor, a quest that becomes the essence of the story. Unfortunately, writer/director Noah Baumbach, who authored 2005’s touching The Squid and the Whale, doesn’t plumb the same emotional depths here, delivering an ersatz variation on a Woody…

Apollo 13 launched on April 11, 1970, to a world unconcerned. Manned space flights were routine and no longer covered on TV. It wasn’t until a fateful explosion left the crew potentially stranded in space that anyone cared about the mission and its three-man crew. Ron Howard’s 1995 historical docudrama about the ill-fated mission won two Oscars for its taut editing and its brilliant sound design. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Jim Lovell catapulted him into the stratosphere as a serious dramatic actor, and Bill Paxton also put in one of the strongest performances of his career as Fred Haise. Apollo 13 was restored in 4K from the original 35mm film elements and digitally remastered on Blu-ray in an AVC 1080p transfer. The results are magnificent, with superb contrast, a fine…

Released after the crest of Hollywood musicals, the charming 1776 has nonetheless become a patriotic staple for many, thanks in part to frequent small-screen airings since the mid-’70s. An inspirational, educational entertainment, this fact-infused tale of America’s final push toward “independency” and the signing of a certain Declaration is elevated by an often profound, often catchy songbook. The narrative focuses on the resolute champion John Adams (William Daniels) and his cohorts, the intellectual Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) and the bawdy Ben Franklin (Howard Da Silva), who adds no shortage of comedic nuggets to the mix. This Blu-ray debut was restored at 4K from the original camera negative, presenting Hunt’s preferred Director’s Cut with more than 20 minutes reinstated, along with a slightly more Extended Cut via seamless branching. The Oscar-nominated…

As a custom installer, meeting with clients building new homes, remodeling, or just looking to upgrade their entertainment systems is a big part of my job. And after 17 years of walking through job sites and looking at blueprints, I pretty quickly hone in on the few key areas that determine the project’s difficulty and cost. While decisions like speakers, electronics, and TVs are important, it’s the “big picture,” infrastructure items that need to be focused on early. Ultimately, with the correct infrastructure in place, virtually any gear can be installed and—hopefully—leave the project prepared for upgrades and technology changes down the road. When it comes to installing a new TV, there are four big-picture items beyond just making sure the mount is securely affixed to the studs. These are…

PRICE $600 LESS THAN A YEAR HAS PASSED since I called the Pioneer VSX-1124 both “a top-performing receiver at a competitive price point” and, just in case that seemed too dispassionate, “a miracle.” So much has happened since then. For starters, Dolby Atmos happened, adding object-oriented surround with dedicated height channels to the basic surround footprint. Yet it’s almost a shock to see Atmos in a $600 receiver, the new VSX-1130. If you’re still on the fence about Atmos, Pioneer hasn’t stopped there. Bluetooth, formerly a $99 accessory, is now baked in. And what’s that thing sticking up in the back? Oh, that’s the Wi-Fi antenna, formerly a $129 accessory. Those two changes essentially add $228 of value to Pioneer’s $600 receiver, and together with Apple’s AirPlay, they make it what…

AUDIO This graph shows the TX-NR545’s left channel, from CD input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads. Measurements for THD+noise, crosstalk, signal-to-noise ratio, and analog/digital frequency response were all within expected performance parameters. Full details available at soundandvision.com.—MJP VIDEO The Onkyo does not upconvert; the resolution at its output is the same as the resolution at its input. It will pass a 4K source at an HDMI input to a 4K set.—TJN SPECS Power Output: 7 x 65 (8 ohms, 2 channels driven) • Auto Setup/Room EQ: AccuEQ • Video Processing: 4K passthrough • Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 17.13 x 6.81 x 12.94 • Weight (Pounds): 19 • Video Inputs: HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 (6), component video (2), composite video (4) • Audio Inputs: Coaxial digital (1),…

PRICE $1,500 VIZIO IS THE VALUE LEADER IN A tough HDTV market. While the safest route for them to maintain their commanding share would have been to change their 1080p E series and M series models just enough for a “new for 2015” promotional campaign, Vizio chose the long view: The E series remains the company’s 1080p budget line, but the M series is now 4K, while still priced well below most of the competition. AT A GLANCE + Plus ▀ Excellent 4K upconversion ▀ Good blacks ▀ Solid value - Minus ▀ Odd gamma ▀ Clips above white and below black ▀ No enhanced-color or HDR future-proofing Exploring the M65-C1 Vizio has launched a flood of M series 4K models for 2015: nine in all, ranging from 43 to 80…

MINI A (purple) +2.41/–3.68 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 66 Hz, –6 dB @ 54 Hz; impedance minimum 6.24 ohms @ 4.0 kHz, phase angle –42.67º @ 114 Hz; sensitivity 85 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. AC-1 MICRO (green) +2.04/–2.67 dB, 200 Hz to 10 kHz; –3 dB @ 115 Hz, –6 dB @ 92 Hz; impedance minimum 7.51 ohms @ 263 Hz, phase angle –44.50º @ 139 Hz; sensitivity 86.5 dB, 500 Hz to 2 kHz. MODEL A SUB (blue) Close-miked response, normalized to level @ 80 Hz: lower –3 dB @ 45 Hz, –6 dB @ 35 Hz, upper –3 dB @ 118 Hz with crossover switch set to 150 Hz.—MJP SPECS Mini A: 6.5 in aluminum-cone woofer, 3 in aluminum-cone midrange, 1…

Reviews in High Definition As popular as 007’s grittier, more credible exploits have been of late, fans raised on the character’s more extreme tendencies have wondered what those movies might be like if he had continued his cheeky, over-the-top evolution. And for them, there’s Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. Here a small but well-funded super-secret organization, independent of government, is populated by consummate gentleman (and lady) spies, quietly risking their lives to save others and maintain peace. Headquartered in a posh Savile Row tailor shop, they have access to impossible high-tech gadgets, bold training, and virtually unlimited resources. In a first act that closely parallels 2009’s Star Trek, juvenile delinquent Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is recruited as a Kingsman candidate, like his father before him. While capable, he still has…

Born under the stars crossing the Atlantic while her mother immigrated to the United States, Jupiter Jones was told she was destined for great things. Unfortunately, it looked like her destiny was to clean toilets as a poor immigrant teenager in Chicago until Caine, a genetically engineered alien, arrives on Earth to save Jupiter from a band of Keepers (alien hit men). It turns out that Jupiter’s genetic markings label her as intergalactic royalty—she’s the reincarnation of the matriarch of the House Abrasax, who was murdered and somehow reborn on Earth. This upsets the balance of intergalactic politics, and Jupiter’s now in mortal danger. The Wachowskis became household names when their film, The Matrix, burst onto the scene in 1999 and became an instant classic. That’s a film I’ve watched…

Timbuktu is a film of soaring beauty, sly humor, and urgent sorrow. An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Film, it should have won if the actual winner, the Polish masterpiece Ida, hadn’t. Shot in Mauritania, which stands in for Mali (of which Timbuktu is capital), it unspools the tragic ways in which a peaceful village is robbed of family, tradition, and the stuff of a full life when occupied by armed jihadists bearing the black flag of ISIL. At first, the dissonance seems comical: clueless outsiders, proclaiming a ban on music, soccer, and exposed female flesh, while camels block the roads and the locals lounge indifferent. But as the jihadists take over the courts and prisons, and impose their law unimpeded, life devolves into a stream of indignities, though a…

Poet Audio • poetaudio.com When I stumbled upon Poet Audio’s Pandoretta, I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at. I knew it was a speaker and not some sort of fancy air-filtration system, but what kind of speaker? Was it a new take on Yamaha’s Digital Sound Projector with an array of tiny drivers behind all those holes? It didn’t occur to me that the stainless steel “grille” might be an elaborate design element. Yet that’s exactly what it is. The heart of Pandoretta is seven speakers arranged in a six-sided, multi-chamber MDF cabinet: a top-mounted woofer, two midrange drivers on angled front panels, and four tweeters—one firing upward, one forward, and one from each side. System power is 170 watts via a Class D amp (20 to 20,000…