The TPV section in Playback

Wolfgang -- Fri, 05/16/2008 - 21:13

I was a bit dismayed when the print version of TPV went away, but I must say, that I think the TPV content in Playback is even better! You guys seem to be reviewing more gear and as I've said in some of my other posts, the movie section and the best rock LPs in the latest issues are outstanding.

I hope people don't miss them because Playback has grown so big.

Congrats!

However, my wife has been giving me grief for taking my laptop into the can to read Playback.

Thanks,
Wolfi

sheepherder -- Thu, 05/22/2008 - 05:39

Sorry in comparision to TPV Playbacks coverage sucks. Oh its free I dont care. I dont want the music reviews and especially the jazz reviews which only seem to review white artists you never heard of. Kind of like that Scandavian jazz album everyone used to use for system autitions back in the 80's. Maybe the sound was great but the music and playing abilitity of the musicians was awful.

Product coverage is awful. Technical articles etc just arent there. Now maybe Playback is appealing to those twenty and thirty somethings who bougth a no name 40in LCD or plasma and cheap HITB at Sam's Club but they lost their TPV subscriber base. Also their best reviewers have left or longer publish reviews in Playback. Dont blame Mr Cordesman for wanting nothing to do with Playback!

Wander what HP thinks of all this from his bed in the assisted living facility and how all his hard work has been a sell out to peplum and crap.

Playback is just the internet version of the old Stereo Review.

Playback appeals to same bunch who think a loud happening restaurant is in herently better than a quieter one with great food and service!

So in closing Playback sucks! Why not take a look at Winding Road and how it appeals to both internet savy 20 something and the 50 something
guy who has subscribed to Road and Track for 30 years.

Sheepherder
Shenandoah Valley, VA

Wolfgang -- Thu, 05/22/2008 - 11:58

Ouch!
I'm glad PB is reviewing music and movies. What the heck are we buying all this gear for anyway? As I said, I really liked the latest rock and movie reviews, perhaps because some of the old crew (JV and WG) wrote them.
Scanning the contributing writers listing, it looks like many of them are returning?

I'd like to see a lot more reviews of vinyl releases, but I'll admit that isn't very mainstream (The shear number of vinyl releases each month is pretty astounding though, and the quality of them is quite variable).

As for Jazz, I think Chick Corea/Gary Burton, Miles Davis, and Avery Sharpe's tribute to McCoy Tyner, Arhcie Shepp and Yusef Lateef in the latest issue all merit consideration from even Downbeat. Hopefully, they'll avoid reviews of those Swedish jazz guys on Proprius (e.g. Jazz at the Pawnshop). I remember when dealers routinely pulled them out to show off gear. Yuk!

The original HP Perfect Vision was a very different publication and I learned a lot from it, even though I was working for a desktop video company and thought I knew my stuff. Its in-depth articles on different technical aspects of home theater stand-up even today. But it was certainly not for the casual reader, or even many enthusiasts. Its a tough balance to try to appeal to both, but hopefully PB will find a way.

Happy listening (and viewing),
Wolfi