Home Entertainment
Sony to release energy-saving 32-inch LCD
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.
Pre-order Iron Man on Blu-ray
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.
What's new in high-definition content?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Control your A/V system with an iPhone or iPod Touch
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
