2021 Top Picks of The Year

Looking back on 2021, I can honestly state that it represented an improvement over 2020, though it didn’t end up being the full-scale return-to-normal everybody was looking for. A/V consumer and trade shows such as CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis were gutted. Supply chain logjams delayed the arrival of new gear, particularly in core categories like speakers and A/V receivers, both of which ended up underrepresented in our 2021 Top Picks of the Year list compared with previous years. But even with all the challenges, the wheels of industry continued to grind, with much fantastic gear coming in for us to test and recommend.

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What else happened in 2021? It was yet another peak year for video streaming, and for Premium VOD releases that let viewers stream the same movies showing in theaters at home in glorious 4K/HDR with Dolby Atmos sound. Relative newcomers like Disney+ racked up millions of new subscribers based on shows like Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back series, along with legacy content such as the Star Wars franchise and Marvel Cinematic Universe. Music streaming also made big waves, with Apple Music adding both lossless high-res upgrades and Dolby Atmos mixes to its extensive library, and Amazon Music Unlimited expanding on the Atmos front by making its offerings available for listening with third-party hardware. High-res music stalwarts like Tidal and Qobuz, meanwhile, continued to flourish and to add features.

Even as streaming continued its unstoppable forward march, physical discs sales remained vibrant, though numbers were down by as much as 20 percent compared with 2020, the year movie theaters shuttered and everyone was watching from home. Still, we saw plenty of great new and catalogue titles released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, along with many excellent box sets, including lavish ones from George Harrison (All Things Must Pass) and The Beatles (Let it Be). We also witnessed the arrival of new Ultra HD disc players, a category that had been dithering, from French startup Reavon in 2021. We of course were quick to review these, and to award them TPoY in the Source Component category.