Home Theater AV News

In mid-May, Sound United LLC announced the signing of a term sheet agreement to acquire Onkyo Corporation’s consumer audio division, including the Onkyo, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, and Integra brands. We were both stunned and excited when we first learned of this. Today we learned this deal has been terminated. Read on to find out why it's "Hasta La Vista Baby".

Netflix has launched a “high-quality audio” feature that promises studio-quality sound for 5.1-channel and Dolby Atmos soundtracks. Netflix is now streaming audio at much higher bit rates in order to deliver sound that is indistinguishable from the original master, according to the company. When bandwidth is limited, the audio quality is automatically downgraded to prevent playback interruptions. Read on to learn more.

2019 was a busy year in consumer audio as evident by all of the new and exciting products released by some of the big name brands like Polk, Denon, Arcam, MartinLogan, etc. We haven't seen this much enthusiasm among manufacturers for a CEDIA show in a very long time. We covered the latest advances in loudspeakers, immersive surround processors, and more. Check out our CEDIA coverage broadcasts on our Youtube channel.

Netflix is feeling the summer heat! Three of the most high-powered entertainment conglomerates are moving into streaming, and removing some of the most popular shows from your Netflix queue. Add some bad financial news, limp international subscribers and a falling US subscriber-base, Netflix is just not having a good summer. But don't count everyone's favorite streaming app out just yet, they've been preparing for this for years. Let's take a closer look at how Netflix plans not only to survive, but to maximize its competitive advantages and thrive in a new era for streaming video on-demand.

The China-US trade dispute has spilled over into consumer electronics in a big way, and it’s changing the competitive landscape for cell-phones. After months of problems for Huawei, including the loss of its Android operating system, the company has deployed a sweeping "Plan B". Consumers worldwide may be better off for it. Was Trump right?

Ever since the first Spears and Munsil Test High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray edition came out, it has been our go to calibration disc for setting color, black level and various other picture alignment settings that allowed even a novice user to get near professional calibration status of their display with careful use and patience. We've been waiting for a UHD HDR disc capable of calibrating the latest UHD displays and projectors. Spears & Munsil heard the calls of the videoholics with the release of such a test disc. Check out what it offers and how to get it on Amazon for only $39.95!

RBH Sound (RBH), a privately held manufacturer of high performance loudspeakers and audio products, today announced the purchase of the company and its assets by Todd A. Stewart. Stewart’s interest in the company began last year when his son’s woodworking company became an important vendor partner for RBH. Stewart’s acquisition advances and extends RBH’s US-based production capabilities, a strategic move RBH sought to avoid paying high tariffs on China imported goods. See what else is in store for RBH's future under new leadership.

Sound United recently held its first ever North America dealer conference in New Orleans at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the heart of the city’s French Quarter. Gene DellaSala, Audioholics’ President, and I were invited along with about a dozen other journalists to take a deeper dive into Sound United’s portfolio of companies and products. We got an intimate look at Sound United's portfolio of products and technology and a sneak peek into the future. Check out our YouTube interviews with Classe, Denon and Marantz as well as our discussions about Sound United and our Truth in Power (TiP) movement.

The social commentary in much of today's TV and film has become too obvious and predictable, its superficial depictions of stereotypes play out like parodies. The latest example of this debauchery can be seen in the new Batwoman trailer on Youtube that received a 5:1 thumbs down to up ratio. Role reversals of 1950s-style prejudices, while exploiting politically-charged identity issues, is the opposite of progress. Instead of woke, Hollywood is putting us back to sleep.

Control4 has just updated their operating system in a big way. The goal was twofold; personalization and ease of operation for the end user. This is the 3rd generation of their OS hence the name OS 3 and we got a chance to beta test it. In this editorial we take a closer look at the Control4 OS 3 and how it has impacted the operation of their system integrated into the Audioholics Showcase Home. See what's new from Control4 and how home automation just got a lot neater.

This is the final installment in our ongoing look at the upcoming 5G revolution. We'll look at how our lack of privacy online began in the early days of Google and how it's used to manipulate us with the promise of personalization through behavioral data collection. We each get a unique Internet experience through search and social media, designed to shock as with a skewed version of reality based on our own biases to keep us angry, and engaging with ads. The result is tearing democracy apart with online outrage. But all is not lost, with an election year coming, we already see momentum behind meaningful online privacy regulations that could nip this problem in the bud, before the 5G Internet of Things technologies brings the relentless online spying to the world outside.

Sound United is poised to create what some would say is a monopoly of the consumer based home theater industry! If the merger goes through, Sound United will acquire Onkyo Electronics, which also means Pioneer and Integra. Will this be good for consumers or will we now get FOUR of the same receivers just rebranded with a different name? We see a bright future for Sound United and consumers. Read on to find out why.

Anthem Electronics just made a good thing better with the launch of ARC Genesis™, the third generation of their critically-acclaimed Anthem Room Correction (ARC®) software. Pputs the sophistication and power of an advanced audio lab in your hands so that you can achieve "perfect sound" at home is what Anthem claims. But what updates do they bring to the table with their latest "Genesis" edition? Read on to find out.

Part two of our 5G Wireless Apocalypse series. 5G will bring us the smart IoT (Internet of things) technology of the future. The first fully-formed smart city, built from the Internet up, will be in Toronto, Canada. It promises to be a marvel of technology, but a disaster for your personal privacy. What can we expect when the city itself is spying on you for both private companies and government agencies?