Home Entertainment
Control your A/V system with an iPhone or iPod Touch
April 11, 2008 The iPhone’s quest for world domination continues with the announcement that SpeakerCraft’s new interface for its award-winning MODE multi-room A/V control system allows the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch to be used as a wireless remote with control of all sources and routing accessed on the touch screen through a GUI. The system operates through the home’s wireless data network via a wired port on the user’s wireless router. An unlimited number of iPhones can be used to operate the system and two iPhones can operate the system simultaneously in multiple zones. Read More
New iPod dock, amp and speaker range from Scandyna
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March 18, 2008 Danish speaker company Scandyna’s ‘v dock’ is an iPod dock with integrated amplifier that is specially designed to complement the iPod Video models. It combines high quality audio with an S-Video connection to play videos from the iPod on a TV or computer. The dome shaped unit includes a 3.5mm mini jack stereo line out for output to a subwoofer as well as a 2x15 watt RMS ClassT active amplifier, remote control and inserts for use with different iPod models. Read More
Meridian releases MF10 High-Def Projector
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March 17 , 2008 High-end projector specialists Meridian has released its latest high-definition video projector, the MF10, which offers extraordinary black reproduction capability, with 30,000:1 native contrast ratio achieved without the use of a dynamic iris, thus ensuring true black reproduction without loss of brightness. Read More
Sony’s TP2 - the living room PC
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March 6, 2008 The Sony VAIO is a fully functioning PC that integrates HDMI connectivity, a bundled HD TV tuner and Blu-ray playback capability to turn a HD TV into a high definition PC monitor and form the hub of digital entertainment in the home. Read More
It's official: HD DVD is dead
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Toshiba has officially announced what was only a matter of time - the discontinuation of their HD DVD businesses. They have already begun reducing shipments of HD DVD players and recorders, and expect the phase out to be complete by March. Read More
HD DVD vs Blu-ray: The Endgame
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The last week has seen multiple nails added to the HD DVD coffin, with official price drops, extended Amazon clearance sales, and both Netflix and Best Buy announcing they have made the decision to back Blu-ray as the HD format of choice. Read on for a brief history of the HD format war, recent developments, our advice to consumers, and more bargains. Read More
HD DVD, Blu-ray bargains at Amazon
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Amazon has launched a massive HD DVD sale
Outlaw LCR loudspeaker optimized for vertical or horizontal placements
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February 3, 2008 Outlaw Audio has introduced the Outlaw LCR, a flexible home theater loudspeaker that is the first to include the company's exclusive Main/Center Optimization, (MCO), selectable crossover technology. This allows the speaker's acoustic radiation pattern to be optimized for use as either a left or right front speaker or as a horizontal center channel speaker simply by flipping the MCO switch. Designed and hand-built in the USA to audiophile-grade performance standards, the Outlaw LCR features two long-throw 5-1/4" SEAS woofers flanking a custom designed 1-inch ferrofluid-cooled soft-dome tweeter, giving it improved bass performance and enabling the flexible MCO crossover circuitry. It is this circuitry that enables users to select between two crossover configurations to optimize the speaker's output for either center channel (horizontal) or main channel (vertical) placement. Read More
UCLA-Harvard study exposes Oscar nominations predictors
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January 21, 2008 In a little over 24 hours from now, actors around the world will be holding their breath, hoping for a nomination for the most prestigious award possible in their profession – an Oscar. Interestingly, a new study from UCLA's California Center for Population Research has analysed nearly previous 20,000 films and their nomination record, showing that odds favor dramas, female performers and big distributors. Read More
1TB LaCinema Premier Multimedia Hard Drive
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January 16, 2008 Lacie has announced a new multimedia hard drive with up to 1TB of storage capacity that plugs directly into a television for playback of a wide range of video, audio and photo formats. Read More
Logitech's Squeezebox Duet wireless home audio system
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January 15, 2008 Logitech’s Squeezebox Duet network music system integrates home audio by allowing users to access Internet radio, online subscription services and their personal music library, wirelessly, through any speaker system in their house without switching on a computer. Read More
Slingbox PRO-HD streams HD content around the home and over the Internet
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January 11, 2008 People who can’t bear to leave the lounge room because it means leaving their HD entertainment behind can now venture forth thanks to Sling Media, Inc., which has announced the next generation Slingbox PRO-HD. The unit is capable of streaming HD content from a home television source, including over the air HD digital signals, HDTV cable or satellite receivers, or HD DVR’s, to a laptop or desktop computer in and around the house. When paired with Sling Media’s new SlingCatcher - a set-top box that delivers broadcast TV, Internet-based content and personal media to the TV - the Slingbox PRO-HD will also transmit the HD signal to another TV in the house. Read More
Mitsubishi launches LaserTV and creates a new display category
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January 10, 2008 This week in Las Vegas, Mitsubishi announced the world premiere of its new laser television and created a new television category into the bargain. The 65 inch sets on show at the Palms Casino launch looked incredibly good but with no traditional technologies to compare with, we’ll need to wait a bit longer before we can attempt to verify the company’s claim that it produces 80 percent of the color spectrum that the eye can see compared to the “less than 40% today's HDTVs” can display. There’s no info yet on pricing and availability is “later this year” but it’s definitely an exciting new development in home entertainment. Read More
Sony’s Vaio Home Theatre PC gets HD upgrade
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January 10, 2008 Sony’s VAIO Home Theatre PC has received a recent upgrade, creating a high definition version with added functionality. The unit's distinctive spherical chassis serves as an entire entertainment center so you can watch and record analog, digital and cable TV and access the Internet to play back online TV programming on a compatible big-screen television. Read More
Hitachi's 1.5 inch Ultra Thin HDTVs debut at CES
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January 9, 2008 More TV news from the CES where Hitachi is introducing its 1.5 inch Ultra Thin LCD HDTVs to the U.S. market. The models will be available to consumers early this year in three sizes: 32”, 37” and 42”. Read More
Sony OLED XEL-1 television hits the U.S. market
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January 8, 2008 Following on from an appearance at CEATEC last year and a Japanese release in December, Sony has announced the availability of the industry’s first Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television in the United States. Read More
Panasonic's gargantuan 150-inch plasma display
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January 8, 2008 The size of nine 50" plasma screens combined, the world’s largest advanced high definition (HD) plasma display panel has been unveiled by Panasonic at the 2008 International CES. The prototype 150-inch PDP features an 8.84 million pixel resolution (2,160 x 4,096), an effective viewing area of 11 ft (3.31 m) wide x 6 1/4 ft (1.87 m) high 103-inch PDP and boasts true-to-life color reproduction and quick response with the same brightness as the then record breaking 103-inch PDP shown at the same event a year ago. The 150" plasma is one of several prototypes in the PDP field being presented by the company at the CES. These include a 42-inch panel with "double efficiency technology" that halves energy consumption compared with previous Panasonic panels and a one-inch super-thin 50-inch PDP. Read More
JVC's wood cone speakers
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January 3, 2008 Now available in a range of audio systems, JVC wood cone speakers deliver acoustic characteristics unavailable with other materials by utilizing the combination of high sound propagation speed and natural vibration attenuation (internal loss) that enable the speakers to naturally reproduce a wide frequency range. While conventional paper cones spread sound at the same speed in all directions, causing unnatural resonant points with limited frequency response, wood cones produce few resonant points because of the grain, so frequency response is improved and sound quality is enhanced. Read More
S-52 joins Denon’s S series of compact music player
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December 19, 2007 Denon has announced the release of the S-52 wireless network CD music system which features the ability to stream audio either via Ethernet or wireless from Internet radio sources, together with other network attached storage devices including computers on the network.
Meridian/Ferrari collaboration yields versatile, all-in-one home entertainment system
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December 14, 2007 Combining the acoustic and electrical engineering smarts of Meridian Audio with the materials and composites technology expertise of Ferrari, the Meridian F80 is an eye-catching, all-in-one portable home entertainment system that delivers high-end sound and exceptional versatility. Its sculptured, high-tech enclosure design with a deep gloss lacquered finish house an FM/AM and DAB radio, CD player, DVD player and 80 watt, 2.1 digital loudspeaker system and yes - it's available in Ferrari's signature red. Read More
Belkin HDMI 2-to-1 Video Switch
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December 5, 2007 Since its introduction, HDMI has quickly become the connection of choice when connecting HD devices to HDTVs due to the quality of sound and image it is able to deliver and the convenience of having one cable for both sound and video. Unfortunately many of the earlier HDTV’s sitting in lounge rooms around the world came equipped with only one HDMI input – fine back in the days when HDMI devices were thin on the ground, not so good now that HDMI devices are proliferating. This has led to a similar proliferation in HDMI switches that allow two or more HD devices to be connected through the one HDMI input. One such device is Belkin’s new HDMI 2-to-1 Video Switch which links two HD devices to a HDTV through a single HDMI or DVI connection. Supporting 480i, 480p, 720i, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p resolutions the unit comes with an IR remote which lets users toggle between two HDMI devices, such as a HD-DVD player and video game console, to enjoy full 1080p video on your HDTV. Read More
Acoustically transparent home cinema screens from SmX
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December 3, 2007 SmX Cinema Solutions has unveiled a range of innovations aimed at bringing the technology Hollywood uses to produce the movies into the living room. Foremost is a line of audio-transparent screens created with a proprietary, patent-pending material called CineWeave HD that keeps speakers hidden from view while retaining high projected image quality and allowing audio to pass through without distortion. Delivering 160° hotspot-free viewing angles and edge-to-edge image brighness regardless of seating position, CineWeave screens are available in sizes up to a whopping 270x112.5-inches. Read More
Sharp adds a touch of gold to AQUOS range with D83X models
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November 30, 2007 Joining Sharp’s AQUOS family is the new D83X range of LCD TV’s featuring styling similar to their PD5 and PD7 stablemates with the familiar piano black finish, but adding a champagne gold colored line inset and new blade boundaried edge. It is not just the aesthetics of the TV that have received a makeover with the entire D83X range featuring full HD next generation Advanced Super View (ASV) LCD panels from Sharp’s Kameyama plant in Japan. Read More
EDGE Tech Corp's new 12-inch digital photo frame with MP3 player
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November 17, 2007 With the upsurge in the popularity of digital photo frames, it may not be too long before photos printed on paper are considered quaint. EDGE Tech Corp’s new offering is a 12-inch 800 x 600 resolution display for still and video images with an integrated MP3 player for musical accompaniment utilizing the inbuilt stereo speakers. Read More
Denon’s new S-302 promises big sound in a compact package
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November 8, 2007 Technology has proven time and time again that bigger isn’t always better, and that seems to be a view that audio/video specialist Denon subscribes to with the introduction of the S-302 compact Smart Theatre system - a little unit that promises a big sound and a wide array of features crammed into its compact body. Denon says the S-302 creates a true surround sound experience from just two speakers and a subwoofer (2.1), a feat that usually requires a 5.1 channel speaker system. The unit’s built-in 1080p DVD/CD player will scale content - including up-conversion from all analogue sources - to 1080p outputting via HDMI and also perform I/P conversion from interlaced to Progressive Scan from all video sources. Read More
Dolby offers new TV volume-leveling solution
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October 30, 2007 The issue of TV audio variation across channels and during commercial breaks is one which affects most of us – in fact, rushing for the remote to dampen the sound when an ad breaks in at uncomfortable volume has become the modern day equivalent of the quick-draw. Solutions to this problem have been sought for years with varying degrees of success, but now a new technology unveiled by Dolby promises to provide “set and forget” volume-leveling while preserving the full listening experience at any volume level. Read More
Hitachi announces 1.5 inch ultra-thin LCD HDTV’s
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October 25, 2007 Hitachi has announced a new line of Ultra Thin LCD HDTV’s which measure a mere 1.5 inches (35mm) thin and will initially be offered in three sizes (32”, 37” and 42”). The Ultra Thin series will be available in the Japan market in December of 2007 while U.S. consumers can expect to see Ultra Thin models in early 2008. Read More
Runco release 42-inch outdoor flat-panel LCD
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October 24, 2007 Feel the need for some fresh air but don’t want to miss your favorite TV show? Joining an emerging trend towards televisions geared to take the rigors of exposure to outdoor environments, Runco has released their first flat-panel weatherproof LCD display. The 42-inch WP-42HD features a 1366 x 768 native resolution panel housed in a weatherproof enclosure which ensures protection from adverse environmental conditions including temperature, exposure to moisture, dust, oils and intermittent direct water spray.
LG releases world's only 32-inch Plasma TV
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Oct. 23, 2007 Recent trends have seen LCD screens growing large enough to rival their plasma cousins, but now LG have announced its first 32-inch plasma TV, giving consumers the option of a plasma screen in the fast growing small TV market where LCDs are dominant. The new 32PC5RV will be released in Brazil this month followed by a worldwide rollout to 27 countries by November. Read More
TakeTV PC-to-video recording device
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October 23, 2007 Most of us watch video content, movies and TV shows from the Internet via our PC or laptops screens but it’s not always the best avenue for viewing quality visuals. In response to this, SanDisk has released a new device that aims to simplify the process of taking videos from your PC and watching them on your TV. Read More
Helios Labs takes the PC out of network media centers
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October 23, 2007 Looking to improve the usability of networking media hubs while retaining their flexibility and functionality, Helios Labs have taken the PC out and kept the media center with the announcement of the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a networking media hub capable of streaming content to multiple network media players, such as Helios Labs X-Line players, as well as any UPnP-enabled devices. The Odyssey supports up to 1TB storage capacity, features a fan-less, passive cooling design and will be the centerpiece of the company's focus on a PC-free home entertainment solution. Read More
3mm-thick Sony OLED screen: TV takes another giant leap forward
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Fresh from a recent showing at CEATEC 2007, Sony has announced that its 11” Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display will be available in Japan from December. The Sony XEL-1 will be the world’s first commercially available OLED screen, promising a whole new category of low-cost, low-consumption TVs that will offer exceptional viewing characteristics including million-to-one contrast ratios, ultra-quick refresh rates, unparalleled viewing angles and a screen thickness of only 3mm at its thinnest point.
Panasonic reveals Blu-ray recorder with 1-Terabyte hard drive
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October 3, 2007 Panasonic has released a Blu-ray disc recorder with a stonking 1-terabyte hard drive built in. That’s a mind-warping 381 hours of full HD video. Read More
DVD CCA paves way for legal burning of digital movies to DVD
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In a move designed to help combat DVD piracy the DVD Copy Control Association (DVD CCA), the group responsible for the licensing of the Content Scramble System (CSS), has cleared the way for commercial vendors and individual consumers to be able to legally create CSS copy-protected DVDs for playback on existing DVD players. Read More
BlueTinum all-in-one “Internet Home Entertainment System”
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September 25, 2007 European electronics company BlueTinum has announced the imminent release of what it labels “Internet Home Entertainment System”. Aiming to give consumers a complete solution that covers all the digital audio and video bases, the system combines the features of Internet Radio, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Radio, MP3, DVD, an iPod cradle, direct PC streaming and good old FM Radio in one package. Read More
