Home Entertainment
BRAVIA TV Stand with built-in 3.1ch surround, HDMI inputs
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Bringing a new spin to the term "functional furniture", Sony's BRAVIA™ Theatre TV stand (RHT-G500) integrates a 3.1-channel virtual surround sound system, three HDMI inputs, audio inputs for TV, DVD and Blu-ray Disc™, plus support for Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi... and it can all be controlled from a single remote. The sound system consists of center, left and right speakers plus a subwoofer and uses "S-Force PRO Front Surround", a technology that promises realistic surround sound without the need for rear speakers and therefore no wires to upset the system's clean lines. Read More
High-resolution, high-end projector system from Meridian
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Comprising the 810 Reference Video Projector and the 810 Reference Video Scaler, the new US$185,000 flagship front projection system from Meridian is capable of a resolution of 4096 x 2400 or 9.8 megapixels, boasts a a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and is designed to optimize both High and Standard Definition inputs. Read More
LG announce BD30 Network Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming capability
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August 4, 2008 In January, prior to the 2008 International CES, LG Electronics and Netflix announced their intention to team up and provide a set-top box for streaming movies and TV episodes from the Internet to the TV beginning in the second half of the year. Now, true to their word they’ve announced the LG BD30 - the first Blu-ray disc player that can stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix’s library of more than 12,000 choices directly to your TV. It also plays Blu-ray discs and up-converts standard DVDs to 1080p. Read More
How to choose the right speakers for your amplifier or AV receiver
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August 4, 2008 Of all the equipment we use in our hi-fi and home theater systems, the thing that’s changed the least over the past 20 years is the speaker. After all, there’s only so many ways you can move air to produce sound. With that in mind, matching speakers to an amplifier should be easy, right? Well...it’s not rocket science, but there are a few key specifications that affect their overall performance. Our AV expert Tim LeFevre explains. Read More
Matsushita/Panasonic joins the OLED TV race
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Japanese company Matsushita Electric Industrial Co (Panasonic) has announced its plans to have 40 inch OLED TVs on the market by 2011.
Dell shipping their 24-inch, HDMI-equipped S2409W LCD monitor
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July 30, 2008 Dell's new 24-inch LCD monitor has an HDMI input and a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, making it a perfect fit for Blu-ray and video game consoles. Read More
GEAR4 DUO 2.1 iPod speaker system
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The GEAR4 DUO is a 2.1 home stereo speaker system made for, yes you guessed it, the iPod. The versatile design of the DUO speaker system, which comprises the Bass Unit and the Satellite Speaker, means both can be used together as a home stereo speaker system, or the Satellite Speaker can be un-docked resulting in a portable unit for music around the house, garden or on your travels. While docked, the Bass Unit charges up the Satellite Speaker’s rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, making it permanently ready for portable use. Read More
Apple Core release aTV Flash hack for the Apple TV
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July 29, 2008 Apple Core have released an updated version of their Apple TV hack, dubbed aTV Flash. The unofficial update addresses many of the Apple TV's shortcomings including underwhelming format support, turning it into the device it should have been from the start. Read More
Industry leaders back AMIMON's Wireless Home Digital Interface technology
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July 25, 2008 AMIMON, Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony have formed an interest group to develop a standard for multi-room connectivity using AMIMON's Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) technology. Read More
Samsung unveils flagship Series 9 LED-backlit LCD HDTV
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July 24, 2008 Samsung's new flagship Series 9 LCD is the second generation of HDTV to use their LED SmartLighting technology, achieving a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and "actual" black levels thanks to its ability to completely shut off the light source of each pixel. Read More
Sony’s HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System features golf ball size speakers
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July 22, 2008 No, that’s not a giant strawberry in the accompanying picture – it’s a mini speaker. The Sony HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System is a 5.1 channel system delivering 450 watts (RMS) of power through a subwoofer with integrated 32-bit S-Master digital amplifier and five incredibly small speakers roughly the size of a golf ball. Designing the system at people who don’t want their home theater system to overpower their décor Sony says the “HT-IS100 packs all the power of a conventional home theater system in five discrete speakers that practically disappear in your living room.” Read More
Open Air Cinema’s CineBox Backyard Home Theater Kit
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July 22, 2008 Movie nights are always a great way to have a good time with family and friends and you could really "wow" them this summer by leading them through the house and outside to your personal open-air theater in the backyard. Open Air Cinema's CineBox backyard home theater package includes an inflatable movie screen, projector, powerful speakers and DVD player to make your movie night under the stars a real cinema experience. Read More
ZN9 Dual Alarm Clock Radio
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July 21, 2008 With all the third party devices released for the all conquering iPod it can be easy to forget that there are actually other digital media players on the market. Like Logitech’s iPod Pure-Fi Dream and Altec Lansing’s iM600, the new ZN9 Dual-Alarm Stereo Clock Radio from iHome turns a digital music player, this time Microsoft's Zune, into a clock radio so you can wake to the sounds of your music library. Read More
Kodak’s Theatre HD Player with gyroscopic remote
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Kodak’s new Theatre HD Player is a Wi-Fi-enabled set top box that connects to your HDTV. Kodak describes the unit as, "An interactive device displaying personal content - pictures, video, podcasts, music - and Web-based content on a HDTV, while wirelessly connecting to a household's private Wi-Fi network.” The Wi-Fi connection allows the unit to connect to websites such as Kodak Gallery and Flickr for photos, YouTube for video content, and RadioTime for streaming audio. Jumping on the Wii bandwagon the Theatre HD Player also includes a gyroscopic remote, which allows users to navigate the on screen menus with a wave of the hand. Read More
Batman Begins now available on Blu-ray
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Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento) with Christian Bale as Batman, Batman Begins saw a much needed return to the darker feel of the comics and Tim Burton's 1989 film. This week sees the release of the film on Blu-ray, in standard and limited editions. Read More
The Godfather Collection gets release date for Blu-ray
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The original Godfather film is widely regarded as one of the best films ever, with a #1 position on the top lists of both IMDB and Metacritic - and now it's coming to Blu-ray bundled with its two younger brothers. Read More
What's new in high-definition content? (July 1, 2008)
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Hard up for high-definition content? July 1 sees the release of 10 movies (and a TV series) on Blu-ray, and those of you with HD DVD players could try this list of 20 HD DVDs available for under $12 each including Aeon Flux and Tomb Raider. Read More
What's new in high-definition content?
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Hard up for high-definition content? Amazon has opened pre-orders for Transformers on Blu-ray, and knocked at least 30% off the price of the eight Blu-ray movies released this week - including Persepolis, The Spiderwick Chronicles and 10,000 B.C. Read More
Panasonic launches new Blu-ray/DVD range
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The DMR-BW500i can record up to 72 hours of Full High Definition 1080p recording onto the built in 500GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or 6 hours 40 min on a 50GB double layer Blu-ray Disc. In addition to video, it can record 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound broadcasts and Blu-ray movies are played in studio-master quality at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. Read More
The rise and rise of iTunes
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June 22, 2008 The remarkable success of Apple’s iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) continues to grow. This week Apple announced that five billion songs have now been downloaded, which means that in less than a year it has sold two billion tracks. The remarkable growth means that in the last year, Apple has moved past Amazon, Target, BestBuy and Wal-Mart, to become the largest music retailer in the US. It is now also the world’s most popular online movie store - not bad for a business that opened its doors in April 2003. Read More
JVC adds flip-down iPod dock to LCD range
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The impact of MP3 and MP3 players on the way we consume music has been massive – more people now listen to music than ever before and there has been a fundamental mindset shift about the portability and accessibility of music. Video too seems destined for the same mindset shift and the latest pointer to this is that JVC’s latest LCD Tvs all feature JVC's new TeleDock®, a flip-down iPod dock at the base of the set, providing a direct connection for playback through the TV. Read More
Sony to release energy-saving 32-inch LCD
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Massive screens are not the answer for everyone in the flat screen TV market and energy conscious consumers might be persuaded to think small with this new 32-inch addition to Sony's Bravia range which is set for release in Japan. Read More
Pre-order Iron Man on Blu-ray
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It's one of the best super hero movies ever, even more so for gadget enthusiasts - meaning there's a boatload of early adopters out there who will be glad to add Iron Man to their Blu-ray collections once it hits shelves. Unfortunately there's no release date set, but Amazon is now taking pre-orders for the "Special Collector's Edition" Blu-ray release. Read More
What's new in high-definition content?
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Hard up for high-definition content? HD Cheaply brings news of 10 HD DVDs available for under $10, the Blu-ray Starter Set and all three seasons of Weeds available on Blu-ray starting at $20. Read More
Bridge II iPod docking station
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June 3, 2008 Harman Kardon has announced the successor to its Bridge docking station for iPod. The appropriately titled Bridge II retains the smooth curved line of the original Bridge docking station, connecting the iPod touch, nano and all Click Wheel models to a Harman Kardon Bridge-ready audio/video component and enables expanded capabilities such as audio/video playback from the iPod through a home entertainment system, on-screen menu display, remote control operation and charging. Read More
High-end retro lusso turntable
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May 29, 2008 If you’re a die-hard vinyl fan you are going to love the lusso turntable on offer from German company, Montegiro. Its retro good looks might even tempt you to slip on some sixties gear and mix yourself a dry martini while you’re selecting an LP! Read More
Eos digital wireless iPod-based speaker system
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May 29, 2008 The benefits of wireless speakers are clear - they do away with the pesky (and costly), need to rip up carpet or tear up walls to run cabling and provide a versatility that enables easy reconfiguration of the set-up whenever the need arises. The latest to cross our desk is the Eos system, which is compatible with any iPod with a docking connector, consists of up to 4 self-contained remote speaker/receivers and a base unit/transmitter and can broadcast over 150 feet, inside and out, upstairs, downstairs, through walls, doors, ceilings. Read More
82-inch, ultra-HD display heads Samsung's SID line-up
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May 20, 2008 Samsung has showcased an ultra-high definition, (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), 82-inch LCD panel for 120Hz television sets at the Society for Information Display (SID) 2008 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition which is running from May 18 to 23 in Las Vegas. The world’s largest LCD panel supplier said the panel uses a red/green/blue LED backlight, which has been added to raise true color saturation to 150 percent, based on the NISC standard of 100 percent. It displays ultra-definition (UD) resolution at 120 frames per second, minimizing the blurring that is sometimes experienced at 60Hz. Read More
Pioneer’s 2008 KURO plasma displays
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Pioneer's new 2008 line of KURO plasma displays feature black levels five times deeper than the previous award-winning KURO, plus SRS WOW HD technology incorporating SRS Definition and Optimum Mode, which adjusts the picture based on video and room light conditions. Read More
Camouflage speakers for the great outdoors
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Hooking up an outdoor sound system for your backyard can be unsightly with big black speakers unable to blend in with the surrounds. This line of camouflaged outdoor speakers from Niles Audio Corporation is designed to address these issues and look like common backyard items. Read More
Pioneer releases BonusView Blu-Ray Disc Player and Elite A/V receiver
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May 8, 2008 Pioneer has announced the Elite BDP-05FD and Pioneer BDP-51FD Blu-Ray Disc players and Elite SC-07, SC-05, VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH A/V receivers designed to give users that true theater experience in their own homes. The Elite BDP-05FD and Pioneer BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Disc players support next generation high resolution audio and video formats, feature picture-in-picture interactivity and a redesigned platform. The new players work in tandem with Pioneer’s KURO displays and new Elite A/V receivers. Read More
A flatter flatscreen: LG's PG60 Plasma TV
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May 6, 2008 Once an afterthought in terms of interior design, televisions have become an aesthetic centerpiece in many new homes and as a result, manufacturers are striving to complement the sleek, minimalist lines that distinguish modern architecture. LG's new Plasma offering - the PG60 - does just that by incorporating "single layered technology" which merges the screen and TV into one continuous unit, creating a seamless, bezel-less unit that looks like a single sheet of glass. Read More
Television 2.0 offering from Sezmi promises personalized, on-demand viewing
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May 2, 2008 The way people watch, and indeed interact with their televisions is undergoing a fundamental shift - a shift from mass entertainment to a personalized, targeted, interactive entertainment (and advertising) platform. Sezmi Corporation (formerly known as Building B, Inc.) has seen the writing on the wall and is hoping to be a major player in what has been dubbed Television 2.0. The company has announced that it is commencing trials in pilot markets in preparation for commercial launch with broadband service providers and national retailers later this year. Read More
Orb Audio's handmade, modular speaker system
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April 28, 2008 Orb Audio’s line of handmade compact speakers promise to deliver a sound usually reserved for much larger units by using state-of the-art components and high carbon steel housings in a modular and easily upgradeable package.
Sunbrite's 46 inch 1080p full-HD outdoor TV
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April 22, 2008 This isn’t the first outdoor TV we’ve covered – and it's unlikely to be the last. The new 4610HD from SunBrite is a 46-inch all-weather LCD television which, like previous models, is designed with a corrosion resistant, powder-coated aluminum exterior that protects the internal TV components from rain, dirt, insects, and extreme temperature ranges. Now hammock potatoes can enjoy their outdoor viewing in full HD as the 4610HD is SunBrite’s first full 1080p full-HD model. It also features a baffled and filtered dual-fan airflow system to quietly keep the unit cool in temperatures up to 122 degrees F while, in extremely cold climates, the internal thermostatically-controlled heater activates automatically when the TV’s internal temperature dips to 32 degrees F, allowing the TV to safely remain outdoors in temperatures as low as -24 degrees F. Read More
