Scott Wilkinson
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Ask Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson Jun 21, 2012 4 comments
I am very close to pulling the trigger on an Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray player. Is there any benefit to using the XLR stereo outputs even though my Marantz SR7005 A/V receiver does not have such inputs? Is it worth buying XLR-to-RCA cables to take advantage of those connections?

Emmanuel Margetic

News, The Big Picture
Scott Wilkinson Jun 20, 2012 12 comments
As I recount in my coverage of the world premier of Brave, it's the first movie with a soundtrack mixed for the Dolby Atmos sound system, which envelops the audience much more than conventional 5.1 or 7.1. But as a brand new technology, Atmos is currently installed in only 14 theaters around the country.

Do you live near one of them? If so, I strongly recommend seeing Brave there so you can experience the next generation of cinema sound. Here's a list of theaters with Dolby Atmos:

News, The Big Picture
Scott Wilkinson Jun 19, 2012 9 comments
Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend the world premier of Brave, the latest animated feature from Disney and Pixar that will open nationwide on June 22. The star-studded event was held at the newly renamed Dolby Theatre, home of the Academy Awards and Cirque du Soleil's Iris located in the heart of Hollywood, California.
Scott Wilkinson Jun 19, 2012 2 comments
Tyll Hertsens, editor of our sibling website InnerFidelity.com, responds to Steve Guttenberg's comments on a previous podcast that objective measurements are not useful in predicting a user's preference for one piece of audio gear over another, illustrating his points with graphs from his measurements of various headphones. He also talks about the importance of subjective listening, answers chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 1:04:41

Vote
Scott Wilkinson Jun 15, 2012 Published: Dec 31, 1969 21 comments
This image is an autostereogram. To see the 3D effect, cross your eyes slightly or focus on a point behind the plane of the screen.

Last week, I asked how much you have invested in your home theater. Among the many interesting comments was one from willieconway, who proposed a related question: How much do you plan to invest over the next few years?

I realize that, in an uncertain economy, it's difficult to predict how much you might spend on your home theater. But assuming your circumstances remain as they are now, do you plan to upgrade your system in the next, say, two years? If so, how much do you think you might spend? Will you concentrate more on the video, audio, or environment?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

How Much Do You Plan to Invest in Your Home Theater?
Ask Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson Jun 15, 2012 4 comments
If an A/V receiver does not have DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD decoding capabilities, can the Blu-ray player provide high-resolution audio to the receiver? I have a Sony BDP-S570 Blu-ray player and STR-DA3300ES AVR, which cannot decode the advanced audio formats.

Don Sigman

Scott Wilkinson Jun 13, 2012 1 comments
The inimitable Michael Fremer, editor of the new website AnalogPlanet.com, talks about his career as an analog advocate, the sonic and emotional difference between vinyl LPs and CDs, converting between digital and analog audio, objective measurements versus subjective listening, consumer preference tests, how to enjoy vinyl LPs without spending a fortune, his own reference system, answers to chat-room questions, and more.

Run Time: 56:01

Ultimate Tech
Scott Wilkinson Jun 11, 2012 12 comments
This morning, I attended a press preview of the newly renamed Dolby Theater at the Hollywood and Highland complex in Hollywood, California. The official unveiling of the venue's new signage will take place this evening amid throngs of people—an extravaganza not unlike the Academy Awards ceremony that makes its home there—so I was glad to get a sneak peek beforehand.
Vote
Scott Wilkinson Jun 08, 2012 Published: Dec 31, 1969 33 comments
A home theater is a blessing for those who have one, and it needn't cost a fortune to get decent picture and sound quality. Of course, the more you spend, the more potential there is for truly great performance, though high prices do not guarantee it. Also, as cost increases beyond a certain point, the gains in performance generally become smaller.

These musings lead me to wonder, how much have you invested in your home theater, including display, sound system, and source devices? If you've built a dedicated room, please include furniture, acoustic treatments, ambient-light control, décor, and construction as well. What proportion of your budget has gone for video, audio, and environment?

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

How Much Have You Invested in Your Home Theater?
Ask Home Theater
Scott Wilkinson Jun 08, 2012 13 comments
When one streams a movie from Netflix or other online services, the video probably looks good, but will I get the sound of DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD through my system, or just Dolby Surround as one gets from cable?

Wolf

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