Sound & Vision

Customer Service And Subscriptions soundandvision@emailcustomerservice.com Call (800) 666-3746 (international calls: 386-447-6383) or write to: Sound & Vision, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 Please include your full name, address, and phone number on any inquiries. Summer Strikes Again WELCOME TO SUMMER 2023! At the time of writing, Hollywood writers are on strike. While a brief strike may not have a significant impact, there are concerns that a prolonged strike could be catastrophic for movie theaters that depend on a constant flow of blockbuster releases to remain profitable. The participation of than 11,000 film and television writers marks the first strike of its kind during the streaming era. While it will be felt in today’s entertainment landscape—some TV shows already ended their seasons early—there are almost countless alternatives to movies and scripted TV shows, including gaming, live sports,…

I was all set to plunge into Atmos—I have a Marantz AV receiver that can decode the signal—by getting a couple of upward-firing Atmos speakers and letting it rip. However, I just read Dolby’s guidance regarding object-oriented sound and they say, among other things, that four in-ceiling speakers properly situated are necessary to get the real impact. Upward-firing speakers, let alone two of them, are described as being seriously inadequate. And yet the market seems to be filled with upward-firing speakers which are sold in pairs. As of now, I’ve put the brakes on a move to Atmos pending an assessment of an impartial, informed technical expert—who would be you, I hope. Hi Steven, There is an answer to your question, but there are several factors to consider before deciding on one approach…

A Simple Streaming Solution Multiroom streaming audio is a fun and affordable way to upgrade your home. Juke Audio’s six-zone or eight-zone (12- or 16-channel) smart amplifier is a quick, easy, and reasonably priced way to get started. Leveraging AirPlay/AirPlay2 and Spotify Connect, it communicates directly with a wide array of supported apps. Features and Specifications Juke Audio amps come in two configurations: a six-zone model ($1,349) and an eight-zone model ($1,499), with the only difference being the number of active channels. Both models have identical hardware and the limitation is due to a software restriction. Upgrading from six to eight zones costs $325. The 15x8x3-inch (WxDxH), 6-pound chassis features a minimalist “black box” design with a large logo on the front. The Juke supports up to four concurrent stereo inputs, with its Class…

Recently, I described how a certain airline has devised a fiendish way to torment its passengers. That is, a type of torment beyond the usual run-of-the-mill torture of flying on any airplane. In a letter to the editor, alert reader Douglas Mandel commiserated with me but pointed out that I was overlooking another kind of torture that is much, much worse. In the February/March issue, I described waterboarding, an interrogation technique that makes a person feel like they are drowning. After about five minutes, you’ll tell them all about that time you told your wife you were going jogging, but instead, you met some buddies and stopped into a bar and drank beer. Cold beer. Draft beer. Really good beer. I also described a kind of audio torture called musicboarding. This where…

Rush’s September 1982 album Signals is being properly feted with a new 40th anniversary Super Deluxe Edition via UMe, and it’s a spatially inclined box set that contains a stunning new 24-bit/48kHz Dolby Atmos mix of the core album by longtime Rush confidante and noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki on Blu-ray. In a recent Zoom interview, Chycki and I discuss his overall Atmos mixing M.O. for Signals, the one specific request from Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson that was honored in “Subdivisions,” and why “Countdown” truly lifts off into the stratosphere in Atmos. (A longer version of this interview appears in my monthly Spatial Audio File column on the S&V site.) Mike Mettler: Tell me the philosophy behind your approach to the Signals Atmos mix. Richard Chycki: The label had said to me, “We…

Once as ubiquitous as a Blockbuster plastic bag, the Netflix envelope defined the era between video cassettes and streaming. Subscribers to the disc-by-mail service were informed in April that the company will ship its last disc on September 29, 2023. The announcement, coming 25 years after Netflix gave new life to First Class Mail, was seismic but not surprising. Subscribers will receive their last monthly bill in August, and the company will accept returned discs until October 27. Mail subscriptions will be automatically canceled. Customers who stream will not be affected. Netflix says that it will delete your queue, rental and shipping history, ratings, reviews and taste preferences. Preserved data will include your name and login, DVD billing history and charges for unreturned discs. Netflix encouraged users to download their DVD history via…