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Holiday Special - Home Theater-In-A-Box Systems
Looking for the perfect gift to get that special someone started in home theater without all the hassle of buying everything and figuring out how to install it? Then a home theater-in-a-box system may be just the perfect gift to give this holiday season. These systems come packaged with ev...
Wednesday, Nov 18
California Energy Commission Approves TV Efficiency Regulations
In a meeting filled with self-congratulatory comments about the hard work of its members and staff, as well as the leading role that California plays in impacting government regulations across the nation, the California Energy Commission by unanimous vote, formally adopted regulat...
Home Theater Term of the Week - Toslink
TOSLINK refers to a fiber-optic connection that is used for transferring digital audio signals (such as PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS) from a source device, such as CD or DVD player, and an AV receiver or Surround Sound Preamp/Processor. See also, Digital Optical Connection. For additiona...
Tuesday, Nov 17
Consumer Alert: Warner Offers DVD to Blu-ray Movie Exchange Program
Earlier this year, I reported that Warner Bros had set up an HD-DVD to Blu-ray trade-in/upgrade program which gave HD-DVD owners the opportunity to get Blu-ray Disc versions of the same titles at a deeply discounted price. Apparently, that turned out to be successful, as Warner Bros has j...
Holiday Special - Home Theater Receivers
Here is a great gift idea for the home theater fanatic in your family. The Home Theater Receiver (also referred to as a Surround Sound or AV Receiver) is the heart of a home theater system. It not only provides power to the speakers, but serves as an integrated control center for all of your comp...
Sunday, Nov 15
Home Theater - Products Of The Year - 2009
It is that time of year where every consumer electronics journalist picks their favorite products of the year. While many choose the most expensive and/or only high end products, I take the approach of picking items from a broad range of product classes and prices that provide a good value...
Question of the Week - What Type of Television Do I Need To Use With a Blu-ray Disc Player or Recorder?
Although DVD is the most successful home entertainment product in history, ever since it was introduced in 1997, it lacks true high definition playback and recording capability. Two competing camps came up with a solution: Blu-ray and HD-DVD. However, only the Blu-ray format now remain...
Saturday, Nov 14
Holiday Special - Plasma Televisions
Looking for something "hot" this holiday season? Flat panel Televisions (either LCD or Plasma) are selling like hotcakes in the consumer market. This year, prices are lower than ever, and, combined with the switchover from analog to televisions broadcasting earlier this year, purcha...
Friday, Nov 13
Best Buy Goes Blu For The Holidays and Black Friday Preview
Best Buy, bolstered by movie studio support, has announced that will be allocating 30% of its in-store entertainment software retail space to Blu-ray Discs. This means that its in-store DVD and CD offerings will be reduced and de-emphasized in anticipation of increased demand for Blu-...
LG Electronics BD390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player - Product of the Week
LG has experience with both the now-defunct HD-DVD and surviving Blu-ray Disc formats, and was the first manufacturer to introduce a networked Blu-ray Disc player at CEDIA 2008. However, their new BD390 expands on the success of their previous networked Blu-ray Disc player platform an...
Thursday, Nov 12
Holiday Special - LCD Flat Panel Televisions
Flat panel televisions are definitely hot this holiday season. With lower prices and more variety in screen sizes, there is a flat panel television out there for just about everybody. Today, I am putting the spotlight on LCD flat panel televisions by featuring some suggestions for sets 40...
Wednesday, Nov 11
Moxi Intros New 3-Tuner DVR
Are you a video recording fanatic? If so, DVR maker Moxi has just announced a product may be just right for you. The new Moxi HD-DVR has three built-in tuners, combined with 500GB of storage (expandable to 6.5 Terabytes), that allow you to record either two shows and watch another at the same t...
The CEA Hits Back at the CEC Over TV Regulations
The California TV regulation controversy continues to heat up as the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) has come out with their written response to the CEC (California Energy Commission). The CEA is claiming, in a written presentation, that the CEC has made significant errors and...
Tuesday, Nov 10
Home Theater Term of the Week - TIVO
TIVO refers to a popular video recording device that records on a hard disk drive, rather than on video tape or disc. TIVO use also requires a paid subscription to allow use of its operating system. For specific details, refer to the TIVO Website. For additional terms and definitions, check o...
Holiday Shopping Tip: Don't Forget Needed Accessories
When giving a home theater component, such as a DVD player, Television, speaker system, or other high-tech gadget gift, make sure you include the accessories that make it work. For more details, check out my article: Don't Forget Needed Accessories For other useful Holiday Shopping Tip...
Sunday, Nov 8
Toshiba 46SV670U LCD TV with LED Backlight and Local Dimming - Product Review
The Toshiba 46SV670U is one the new breed of LCD TVs that incorporate LED backlight technology. The type of LED backkight system used here is referred to as the Full Array system. This allows for Local Dimming, which enables a wider ontrast ratio, even within small areas of the sceen (such as...
Saturday, Nov 7
Walmart Setting Tone For Holiday Price Wars
One thing about a down economy is the great deals that can be found on consumer electronics items, especially televisions. So, if you have the cash, this year's holiday shopping season may yield some great treasure due to a growing number of retailers, including Walmart, that are not wait...
Blu-Con 2.0 Conference Celebrates Everything Blu
No, Blu-Con is not a porno comic book convention, it is a gathering of Blu-ray Disc format supporters from movie studios and other content providers, to manufacturers, retailers, and industry analysts. The attendees were treated to a positive market outlook from the Digital Entertain...
Friday, Nov 6
Attention Californians: Your TV is Safe...For a Little While Longer
Due to the last minute submission of comments by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) in opposition to proposed TV energy consumption regulations, the CEC (California Energy Commission) has postponed its decision until at least November 18th. For more details, check out the re...
Denon AVR-2310CI 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver - Product of the Week
When it comes to Home Theater Receivers, Denon offers some great options, and the Denon AVR-2310CI is a great value. The AVR-2310CI is a 7.1 channel home theater receiver that features audio decoding/processing for all Dolby/DTS surround sound formats including the Dolby Pro Logic IIz o...
Thursday, Nov 5
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen to be Issued on a USB Flash Drive
In a peak at a possible disc-less future for movie releases, Paramount has issued the popular summer blockbuster, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, on a USB Flash Drive for a suggested price of $29.99. However, for that price, is it up to Blu-ray standards? For all the details, and what...
Ultra High-Definition TV Closer To Reality
While billions of dollars are being invested by broadcasters, manufacturers, and consumers on currently available HDTV technology, and with 3D TV just beginning to get off the ground, the next step in television technology, Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV), is moving beyon...
Wednesday, Nov 4
Home Theater Term of the Week - S-Video
S-Video refers to analog video connection in which the B/W and Color portions of the signal are transfered separately. The signal is then recombined by the Television or video recording device at the receiving end. The result is less color bleeding and more defined edges than with a standa...
Tuesday, Nov 3
Best Buy Jumps on the Movie Download Bandwagon
With movie download/streaming via network media player enabled products becoming increasing popular, Best Buy has jumped on board the bandwagon by inking a deal with Sonic Solutions/Roxio to provide CinemaNow access to its network/internet capable Blu-ray Disc players, PCs, and s...
Quick Tip: DVD Recording Times and Disc Writing Speed - Important Facts
When you buy a blank recordable DVD, on the label it not only refers to the disc size and record mode time, but also refers to Writing Speed. The disc label may indicate a 2x, 4x, 8x, or higher Writing Speed capability. What does this mean to the average consumer? For the answers, check out my Qui...
Monday, Nov 2
Top Home Theater Gifts for Holiday Shoppers
It is that time of year where the stores begin to fill with eager Christmas and Holiday Shoppers looking for great deals on consumer electronics products, such as televisions, DVD players, Audio systems, and more... For those that haven't been able to keep up with latest, check out my Top Hom...
Saturday, Oct 31
3D Home Theater To Be Big By 2013...
San Diego Comic-Con Reveals A Glimpse At The Future Of Home Theater Panasonic Takes Home Theater 3D on the Road Panasonic Makes Bold Move With New 3D Plasma TV Samsung Unveils 3D LCD TV (Electronista). Permalink | Comment | Email this
3D Home Theater To Be Big By 2013...
That is unless the World ends in 2012. All kidding aside, the continued poplarity of the 3D movies is exciting manufacturers to make 3D-capable televisions for the home. In fact,...
Friday, Oct 30
Roku Debuts Two Internet Streaming Media Players
Roku, maker of the popular HD Netflix Player, has announced that it is expanding its product line with two new units: Roku SD and Roku HD-XR. The Roku SD is a bare-bones unit that offers standard definition (480i) audio/video streaming via wireless or wireless network connection, while t...
Onkyo TX-SR707 THX Certified 7.2 Channel Home Theater Receiver - Product of the Week
The Onkyo TX-SR707 7.2 Channel Home Theater Receiver brings THX Certification, high-end audio and video performance, as well as flexibility to a reasonable price. This bereceiver is THX Select2 Plus Certified is rated to deliver 100 wpc, and features Dolby TrueHD/DTS-Master Audio dec...
Thursday, Oct 29
Holiday Shopping Survival Guide
Yes, it's that time of year to gear up for the coming Winter holiday shopping frenzy, but before you actually go out and buy that home theater or other gadget gift, you need to know how to buy. Check out some great tips on how to prepare for the holiday shopping season that will ease your holiday...
Wednesday, Oct 28
Home Theater Term of the Week - Surround Sound
Surround sound is a term applied to several types of processes that enable the listener to experience sound coming from all directions, depending on the source material. For a detailed explanation of how surround sound is applied in home theater, please refer to my reference article Sur...
Blu-ray Disc Player Prices Continue Downward Plunge as Holidays Approach
It looks like Blu-ray Disc Players may be the HOT holiday shopping item this year. Best Buy has placed its NS-BRDVD3 Blu-ray Disc Player, which also includes Netflix streaming capability on sale for $99. This is leading some analysts to forecast the possibility of someone offering a Blu-r...
Tuesday, Oct 27
Sony Adds Netflix Streaming to PS3 Blu-ray/Game Console
With popularity of video downloads on the rise, Sony has decided to "add" Netflix streaming to its popular PS3 Blu-ray Disc-player equipped game console. This is good news for those that use the PS3 with their home theater system. For more details, check out the reports from CEPro and About....
Best Blu-ray Disc Players
Blu-ray disc players are popping up everywhere. With prices of an increasing number of Blu-ray disc players now coming in below $200, this year may bring a "blu christmas" for many.Watch for additional promotions that may include free Blu-ray disc movies with a purchase of select Blu-ray...
Monday, Oct 26
Home Theater - What's Hot and Not For The Holidays - 2009
Shopping for electronic gadgets isn't as easy as it used to be. A TV was a TV, a radio was a radio, and a stereo was a stereo. However, now there are Blu-ray Disc players, flat panel LCD and Plasma TVs, 5, 6, and 7 channel surround sound receivers, speakers, subwoofers, and the choices go on and on...
Saturday, Oct 24
Wal-Mart Jumps Into HDTV Home Installation
In an effort to provide more after-purchase support for its customers, especially those that are not technically inclined, Wal-Mart has made the decision to offer a new home installation service for HDTVs, home theater systems, and home office products. Of course, another motive for W...
Friday, Oct 23
Panasonic SC-BT200 Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System - Product of the Week
Get the most out of your HDTV with the Panasonic SC-BT200 Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System. The Blu-ray Disc player section provides Blu-ray Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) capability for access to special added internet-based features available on an increasing number of Blu-ray Discs, YouTub...
Thursday, Oct 22
Sony To Enter "Low-End" LCD TV Market
Sony is probably the most recognizable name in Televisions, but the Sony brand name, and the extra price it carries with it, isn't doing as well in the current economic climate. Taking a page from current top U.S. TV seller Vizio, Sony has decided to gamble on what it perceives as the "low end" o...
Wednesday, Oct 21
Home Theater Term of the Week - Subwoofer
A subwoofer is a speaker that is specifically designed only to reproduce the lowest of audible frequencies. For more details on subwoofers, refer to my reference articles: Subwoofers - What You Need To Know and Before You Buy A Subwoofer. For additional terms and definitions, check out my...
Tuesday, Oct 20
Best Network Media Players and Media Extenders for Home Theater
As result of the increased convergence of the PC and Home Theater, a new type of product has emerged, referred to as the Network Media Player or Media Extender. These products allow access to PC media content or the streaming/downloading of audio, video, and still image content directly f...
Monday, Oct 19
CBHD (China Blue High Definition) Players Arrive in the UK
Although Blu-ray is the dominant high definition disc format currently available, the Chinese have taken major elements of the defeated HD-DVD format and have created their own homegrown high definition disc format, CBHD (China Blue High Definition). The original intent of CBHD was t...
Sunday, Oct 18
Disney Disappointed With Blu-ray Disc Movie Sales
Although Blu-ray Disc player and Disc sales have been on a steady upward pace since the end of the Blu-ray/HD-DVD format war, growth has not been as robust as the previous DVD growth timeline. Of course, the current state of the economy doesn't help as many have postponed consumer electron...
Saturday, Oct 17
Samsung Teams Up With Amazon and Blockbuster Internet Streaming Services
The incorporation of internet streaming of audio/video content via a new breed of network-enabled TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, and Home Theater-in-a-Box systems is giving consumers a wider variety of home entertainment program options. As a result, Samsung is adding access, via firmw...
Friday, Oct 16
Vizio VF551XVT 55-inch LED/LCD TV- Product of the Week
Vizio has a reputation in the consumer electronics industry as an aggressive competitor by offering good performing products at extremely low price points. Their latest product, the VF551XVT LCD TV, is causing quite a stir as it offers consumers a large 55-inch screen, full 1920x1080 (...
Thursday, Oct 15
Complaints Swell Against DirecTV Early Cancellation Policies
Consumers Give DirecTV Top Rating...Not According to My Readers. originally appeared on About.com Home Theater on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 10:00:56. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Wednesday, Oct 14
California Energy Commission Holds Hearing On TV Regulation
On the other side of the issue were CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association), CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), Panasonic, JVC, and TIVO, all of which expressed concern over any officially mandated state regulations governing television energy consum...
Home Theater Term of the Week - SRS Tru-Surround
Tru-Surround is a sound-scheme that has the ability to take multi-channel encoded sources, such as Dolby Digital, and reproduce the multi-channel surround effect by just using two-speakers. The result is not as impressive as true Dolby Digital 5.1 (the front and side surround effects a...
Tuesday, Oct 13
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player - Product Review
Seagate is a familiar name in the PC world as makers of hard drives that are used in PCs, DVRs, and DVD Recorder/Hard Drive Combos. Previously, I reviewed the FreeAgent Theater hard-drive based media player. Now, Seagate has introduced an upgraded model, dubbed the FreeAgent Theater+, th...
Monday, Oct 12
Mitsubishi Shows Off Modular 155-Inch OLED TV
At the now-concluded CEATEC trade show in Japan, Mitsubishi was on hand to demonstrate a possible solution to the current size limitation of OLED TVs. Taking a modular approach, Mitsubishi unveiled a prototype 155-inch OLED Television that is actually made up of 720 small 1.5 square inch...
Saturday, Oct 10
Trend Emerging for Increased Sales of Smaller LCD TVs
When you think of a TV these days, you probably think of a room-dominating large screen LCD, Plasma, or Rear-Projection TV. However, as an increasing number of consumers replace their aging CRT TVs in secondary rooms in the house, they are looking for smaller screen sets that are more appr...
Friday, Oct 9
Sony BDV-E300 Blu-ray Home Theater System - Product of the Week
Get more out of your HDTV with a home theater-in-a-box system that includes both a Blu-ray Disc Player and a Surround Sound System. The Blu-ray Disc player section of the Sony BDVE300 provides Blu-ray Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) capability plus an HDMI output for connection to your HDTV. A Digita...
Wednesday, Sep 30
Home Theater Term of the Week - SCART
The SCART Connection is a common type of audio/video cable used throughout Europe and UK for connecting DVD players, VCRs, and other components to Televisions. The SCART connector has 21 pins, with each pin (or groups of pins) assigned to pass either an analog video or analog audio signal....
Tuesday, Sep 29
Furman Elite-15 PFi Linear Filter AC Power Conditioner - Product Review
You've spent a lot of money and collected a lot home theater components over the years. With each component upgrade or addition you have another power cord to plug in. After the number of wall outlet options run out, you add a surge protector, then another one, and then you still run out. One sol...
Thursday, Sep 24
Battle Rages in California Over TV Power Regulations
In order to save what little electricity we may have access to in the future (due to poor government policy, not the lack of available resources), televisions are only the beginning. Watch out home theater and audio enthusiasts - amplifiers and video projectors can also be classified as "...
Wednesday, Sep 23
Home Theater Term of the Week - SACD
SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc) is a high resolution audio disc format developed by Sony and Philips. Based on Direct Stream Digital Recording (DSD), SACD provides for more accurate sound reproduction than the Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) used in the current CD format. While the current C...
Tuesday, Sep 22
Blu-ray Disc Players at the 2009 CEDIA EXPO
Blu-ray was heavily represented at the 2009 CEDIA EXPO, with a variety of new Blu-ray Disc players and Blu-ray-equipped Home Theater-in-a-Box Systems. For a peek at some the Blu-ray Disc player offerings at the 2009 CEDIA EXPO, check out my CEDIA Blu-ray Disc Player Photo Gallery and Rep...
Friday, Sep 18
Yamaha YHT-791BL Home Theater-In-A-Box System - Product of the Week
The YHT-791 is made up of separate components that include a HTR-6250 7.1 channel (90wpc) receiver, YST-SW216 100-watt Subwoofer, and a very styish center/satellite 7 channel speaker system. This system provides a clean, even, sound for both movies and music. In addition to sound qualit...
Wednesday, Sep 16
Home Theater Term of the Week - RF Modulator
An RF modulator is a box that converts the video (and/or audio) output of a DVD player (or camcorder or video game) into a channel 3/4 signal that is compatible with a TV's cable or antenna input. For a more comprehensive look at RF Modulators, check out my articles: The RF Modulator - DVD Conn...
Monday, Sep 14
How To Recycle Your Old Home Theater Electronics
One of the concerns by both Environmentalists and Consumer Electronics Manufacturers is what to do with the increased number of analog televisions being disposed of as a result of this year's Digital TV Transition that took effect this past June 12th. As a result, there are a growing numb...
Saturday, Sep 12
Optical vs Coaxial Digital Audio Cables
Are you unsure whether you should use a Digital Optical or Digital Coaxial audio connection between your DVD player to your home theater receiver? If so, check out a great article from Gary Altunian, About.com Guide for Stereos: Coaxial and Optical Digital Audio Cables: What are the Diff...
News From CEDIA 2009 - Lampless Video Projectors Taking Hold
Trade shows, such as CEDIA are great indicators of coming trends in home theater. One trend that is finally taking hold is the use of LED technology in video projectors. Runco and Sim2 were both on hand at CEDIA showning off what is being referred to as the "Lampless" video projector. In other w...
Thursday, May 14
Panamax M5400-PM Home Theater Power Management System - Product Review
You've spent a lot of money and collected a lot home theater components over the years. With each component upgrade or addition you have another power cord to plug in....
