Sound & Vision

track one

AS SOMEONE WHO has spent the past two-plus decades writing about and reviewing TVs, projectors, and associated gear, I have to say that the addition of high dynamic range to video is among the more impressive developments I’ve encountered. Not since high-definition TV took over the airwaves back in 1999 and then made its way to Blu-ray (and HD DVD) discs a few years later have video enthusiasts been treated to such a massive leap in visual quality. Oh right, there was the launch of Blu-ray 3D back in 2010, a format that required a new player and TV, goggles, and a 50 percent hit in screen brightness, but…oh, never mind.What are the main benefits of HDR? Viewed on a capable and properly set up display, images have deeper and…

prog rock bookends

Two music contributions by Mike Mettler to this issue’s Entertainment section effectively serve as bookends for the progressive rock genre. On one side, we have the rock/classical mashup of England’s The Moody Blues, a band noted for bringing the Mellotron to the world’s attention on 1968’s In Search of the Lost Chord. On the other side, there’s the progmetal of Rush, a Canadian trio that pushed its longform sonic explorations to the limit on 1978’s Hemispheres before heading down a more poprock road. Reading these made me nostalgic for my own music-listening past. Hearing the stereo soundscapes of The Moody Blues at a neighbor’s house as a kid served as an introduction to higher-quality hi-fi. Then, as a teen in the early 80s, I caught Rush live during their tour…

sound & vision

EDITOR: Al GriffinSENIOR EDITOR, TECHNICAL EDITOR: Tom NortonEDITORS-AT-LARGE: Bob Ankosko, Darryl WilkinsonCONTRIBUTING TECHNICAL EDITORS: Kris Deering, Barb Gonzalez, Steve Guttenberg, Michael P. Hamilton, Daniel Kumin, Rob Sabin, John Sciacca, Michael Trei, David VaughnCONTRIBUTORS: Michael Antonoff, Brandon A. DuHamel, Roger Kanno, Fred Kaplan, Josef Krebs, Ken C. Pohlmann, Leslie Shapiro, Stewart WolpinMUSIC EDITOR: Mike MettlerMOVIES EDITOR: Chris ChiarellaTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Joel Silver, Imaging Science FoundationART DIRECTOR Jeremy MoylerWEB MONKEY Jon IversonAVTech Media Americas IncEDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul MillerFINANCE DIRECTOR Owen DaviesGeneral Manager Keith Praykpray@avtechmediausa.comAdvertising Manager Ed DiBenedettoedibenedetto@avtechmediausa.comSales Coordinator Rosemarie Torciviartorcivia@avtechmediausa.comDigital inquiries Keith Pray, kpray@avtechmediausa.com…

letters

4K, 8K, and Planned ObsolescenceYour February/March 2019 issue had a small clip mentioning 8K broadcasting in Japan. Here in the U.S., 4K has just been settling in, with streaming and discs stepping up to fill a broadcast TV void. And now, all of a sudden, 8K is on the horizon. When will this madness stop? You buy some gear and before you turn around it has become outdated. This applies equally to the entire electronics field: You start salivating for one product, buy it, and then they start you salivating again. But if you wait, you will never buy anything. Planned obsolescence?John FairVia emailWhile it’s true there will be many new 8K TVs arriving in the U.S. in 2019 from a range of manufacturers (see Wide Angle on page 16…

wideangle

CES 2019: TVS TAKE CENTER STAGEThe Consumer Electronics Show that takes place each January in Las Vegas has evolved into a broad showcase for the latest technology developments—everything from robots and VR hardware to smart bathtubs and toilets can be seen and experienced. But for Sound & Vision, the main items of interest are the TVs. CES remains a showcase for set-makers to unveil the high-profile products they’ll release in the year to come. It also gives them a chance to dazzle attendees with future-tech concepts that may or may not ultimately make it to market. Here are the TVs and trends that caught our eye at CES 2019.Roll-up OLED: LG Signature Series 65R9LG’s CES booth featured an array of roll-up OLED TVs that raised and lowered in synchronized formation.…

the most important thing at ces 2019 wasn’t at ces

I have been going to the Consumer Electronics Show ever since Edison debuted his new, hit single “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” At every show, everyone always asks me, “So, what’s the most important thing you saw at the show?”In years past I have cited things like Compact Disc, DVD-Video, Blu-ray, 4K TVs, and so on. This year the most important thing wasn’t a gizmo in a booth. Rather, it was a message on a billboard hung on a hotel across from the Las Vegas convention center.More specifically, it was an Apple billboard that read, “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone.” That, of course, is a riff on the well-known Las Vegas advertising slogan. But in this case, Apple is calling out the sins of its competitors.Apple,…