Home Theater AV News

Bose announced that they would close ALL their retail stores in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia by the end of 2020 which equated to about 120 stores, but would keep open 130 stores in India, South Korea, and China. How will this affect distribution and marketing for the audio giant? Read on to find out.

Google Stadia is the latest in a video-game subscription services trend. Cloud and streaming services will be the new wave in video games for the 2020s. But we’ve seen this trend before as other media switched from discs to downloads to streaming. Will gaming fit recurring revenue business models that provide value to consumers? Not without a few hiccups along the way. Read on to understand the challenges ahead in cloud and streaming video-game ecosystems.

The new HBO Max streaming service will launch in May of 2020 with a price tag of $15 per month. The service will be free for current HBO subscribers, but will deliver a vastly larger content library than the company’s previous offerings. Like its biggest competitors, HBO Max will serve up new, exclusive content from big-name creators, plus a deep catalog of (WarnerMedia-owned) movies and TV. Read on to learn more.

It's amazing how many online A/V websites fit the mold laid out herein which gives one pause to wonder if they actually have product in hand when conducting their "reviews". Did they actually do any objective analysis or measurements? Did they discuss the inner details of how the products function? Did they furnish their own images of the product under review? As a reader, this is something you must decide for yourself. Things are getting even foggier now that it seems apparent Google is actually rewarding "comparison" style articles monetized with embedded Amazon affiliate links. Are fake reviews the new norm? Be sure to watch our recently added YouTube discussion.

Amazon Music HD is the first streaming service to support Dolby Atmos Music. Dolby has teamed up with Universal Music Group to produce thousands of songs in the new format, from major artists across a wide variety of genres. Will Dolby Atmos Music be the next big thing, or will it be destined for audiophile obscurity? Read on to learn more.

What happens when your pre/pro separates are a hair too big for your entertainment center and your new replacement amp fails after a year and a half? Follow the saga of finding just the right amplifier for a three zone house. The journey will take you to an unexpected ending that leads to a vintage audio piece saving the day. Buckle up and enjoy the ride...

The rivalry between Marvel and DC is still alive and well through the three major conglomerates that now own all of the most popular characters that were born in comics. But the next battleground for popularity will be in the digital delivery of Marvel and DC characters to your favorite screen. The decision-makers behind the capes and cowls may sit in the air-conditioned offices of AT&T, Disney and Sony but the contest remains as fierce as it ever was in print-publishing as our favorite heroes do battle in the new business-arena of Streaming Video on-Demand. The stakes couldn't be higher, the objective is nothing less than the total subjugation of rival SVoD apps.

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.