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Panasonic's 3D Full HD TV system
By Darren Quick
22:42 January 28, 2009 PST
With the head of LG Display recently quoted as saying that flat-panel LCD prices have bottomed, the world's electronics manufacturers are looking for the next big thing to keep the coffers ticking over. With a number of companies rolling out various 3D TV technologies over the years, it’s obvious that many think that this will be the next big thing. Panasonic is one such company that has spent a lot of time and money investing in 3DTV. The fruit of its labor: the world’s first 3D Full HD (3DFHD) Plasma Home Theater System. Read More
Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV launched in the UK
By Tim Hanlon
23:24 January 27, 2009 PST
Sony is asking "What recession?" with the launch of their coveted XEL-1 OLED TV in the UK. With the price set at a whopping 3,489 pounds, which is double the US launch price set last January, we're wondering how many of these things will sell after the "hundreds" of pre-orders are fulfilled. Read More
IOGEAR's new wireless multimedia solution
By Darren Quick
23:14 January 27, 2009 PST
With so many people downloading video content via their PC, IOGEAR have decided to make the process of getting said content from the study to the lounge room a fuss-free, and more importantly, cable-free affair. The company's Wireless USB Audio/Video Kit unveiled at CES 2009 can stream audio and video content from a PC to a monitor or TV with VGA input up to 30 feet away. Read More
PS3 gets DivX 3.11 playback, Photo Gallery in Firmware 2.60
By Tim Hanlon
00:08 January 23, 2009 PST
The PlayStation 3 Firmware 2.60 has been released, adding DivX 3.11 playback, a new photo gallery feature, and allowing guests without PlayStation Network accounts to access the PlayStation Store. Read More
Bowers & Wilkins announces Panorama soundbar
17:27 January 20, 2009 PST
The company that set a new benchmark for iPod docks with the Zeppelin has made its first foray into the soundbar market with an offering dubbed Panorama. Designed to inject a dose of high-end audio into your flatscreen TV viewing experience, Panorama incorporates Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and six separate, individually amplified speaker channels - two front, two rear, one center and one subwoofer - positioned to reflect sound off walls and create a surround effect that can be tailored to a particular environment from a single enclosure. Read More
Cambridge Audio’s Azur 640 Blu-Ray player and Version 2 AV receiver
By Tim LeFevre
03:45 January 19, 2009 PST
On show at CES 09 this year was Cambridge Audio’s latest offering to the Blu-Ray player market, the Azur 640BD. As this is the company's first Blu-Ray offering they’ve released a Version 2 update of their Azur 640R AV Receiver that partners nicely with their new player. Read More
Toshiba's flagship Regza SV670 series LED-backlit LCD TVs
By Tim Hanlon
11:08 January 16, 2009 PST
We saw more than a few "me too" LCD TVs at CES 2009, so we have to give it to Toshiba for the laundry list of features in their flagship Regza SV670 series, including a few that no-one else has bothered to think of including in a TV - like Dolby Volume, which promises to sort the age-old problem of volume inconsistencies between advertising and programming, or between channels. Read More
Sony shows off prototype OLED TVs at CES 2009
By Tim Hanlon
11:01 January 14, 2009 PST
While Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV represents a leap forward in technology, the 11-inch size leaves a lot to be desired for applications like the living room. It won't be long though, as Sony showed off their prototypes for larger OLED TVs including 21-inch and 27-inch models at CES 2009. Don't miss the gallery. Read More
Netgear’s new set-top boxes connect internet video to TV
By Mike Hanlon
15:07 January 7, 2009 PST
Internet video consumption is growing rapidly, and many people are finding their choice of video source (the internet) is still cut off from their preferred video viewing medium/location (the TV and loungeroom). People want to access internet video from a TV and two products debuted by Netgear at CES today offer just that. The US$200 Internet TV Player (ITV2000) enables internet video on a HDTV or old analog TV, but it was the US$400 Digital Entertainer Elite (EVA9150) that really blew our socks off. Think of the EVA9150 as a wireless video jukebox that automatically finds all digital media files on the home network (including Win, Mac and Linux PCs) and organizes them into an accessible library supporting almost any file format, to deliver a configurable living space media experience. F’rinstance you can pause a video in one room and resume it in another or synchronize music/video playback for every room. Read More
LG “Trumotion 480Hz” LCD TV Panel
By Mike Hanlon
12:19 January 6, 2009 PST
January 7, 2009 LG Display is showing its latest kit behind closed doors at CES in a private room at the Bellagio Hotel - an LCD TV with 480Hz refresh rate , further accelerating the advent of ultra high-speed images without sacrificing picture quality. LG Display’s ‘scanning backlight’ is the technology that enables a backlight to be repeatedly turned on and off to reduce motion blur and enhance contrast. When combined with the company’s 240 Hz technology, the display can refresh 480 images per second. The “Trumotion 480Hz” LCD TV panel has a response time (MPRT) of 4ms, eliminating motion blurring for fast moving images and will hit the market in the second half of 2009. Read More
Marantz's versatile hand-held iPod dock
20:47 December 28, 2008 PST
Marantz is set to release a best-of-both world's solution for those who want the convenience of a hi-fi docking station without giving up the use of the iPod's intuitive interface. The IS301 system effectively turns the iPod itself into a remote control via a detachable, Bluetooth-equipped hand-held module that lets you stroll about with your iPod while controlling the audio output from your home system. Read More
The Top 50 Best Selling Home Theaters
By Tim Hanlon
23:47 December 19, 2008 PST
If you're still relying on the speakers built in to your HDTV, the home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) is an inexpensive way to make your home theater experience a lot more authentic. Here's a list of the 50 best selling HTIBs on PriceGrabber, complete with the best prices available online. Read More
The Top 50 Best Selling Blu-ray Players
By Tim Hanlon
18:13 December 19, 2008 PST
If you're not too keen on the idea of using a games console as your Blu-ray player, we can help - even if your budget is less than US$180. Here's a list of the best selling Blu-ray players on PriceGrabber right now, with links to the places offering the best prices available on the net. Read More
High Definition Audio explained
By Tim LeFevre
20:28 December 11, 2008 PST
High definition TV’s and displays offer obvious visual benefits over conventional standard definition sets, but what about the audio side of things? Along with the Blu-Ray and HD DVD formats have come new high definition sound formats to match their high quality picture. To understand what these new high definition audio formats have to offer, it’s important to know how that digital information is stored and transmitted in the audio visual world. Read More
Vision-X DYNA-CURVE home theater screen
By Darren Quick
21:01 December 10, 2008 PST
With big screen HDTV’s becoming the rule rather than the exception it can be a little hard staying one step ahead of the Joneses. Nowadays the only way to truly impress the neighbors in the home entertainment department is with a true home theater comprising a projector and screen. So for those looking to be the envy of the neighborhood Vutec has introduced a new generation of high-gain curved screens dubbed the Vision-X Dyna-Curve. The Dyna-Curve screens feature an advanced multi-aspect masking system for use with all widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic lens projectors, masking to 16:9 and 4:3, while maintaining constant image height for movie, HDTV and Standard TV formats. Read More
20th Century Fox beams latest sci-fi flick into space
By Darren Quick
19:14 December 10, 2008 PST
Any aliens bored with anal probing and cattle mutilation will be able to kick back and enjoy The Day The Earth Stood Still tomorrow when 20th Century Fox makes history by beaming the first motion picture into space. The company is touting the transmission of the remake of the 1951 classic movie as the first ‘galactic release’ of a movie and hopes to get some favorable reviews from Alpha Centauri in eight years – accounting for the round trip communication. Read More
New releases on Blu-ray: December 9, 2008
By Tim Hanlon
17:03 December 8, 2008 PST
This week brings a relatively huge number of new releases on Blu-ray, including the eagerly awaited Batman movie The Dark Knight, kid-friendly Horton Hears a Who! and cult comedy classic Super Troopers. Read More
Denon Launches World's First Universal Blu-Ray Player
By Kate Seamer
22:12 December 7, 2008 PST
Denon are planing the release of their ground breaking universal Blu-ray player, the DVD-A1UD, across Europe in March 2009. The term 'universal' refers to the fact that the player is designed to play multiple formats (unfortunately this is not a reference to region-free playback). It joins the award-winning reference class AVP-A1HDA pre-amplifier and the POA-A1HD 10-channel power amplifier in the company’s flagship HD home entertainment system. Read More
Aquavision's full-HD waterproof TV set for launch
By Darren Quick
21:05 December 4, 2008 PST
For those who think that relaxing in the tub with a nice novel is a bit outdated, Aquavision will be launching the first full HD waterproof TV at ISE in Amsterdam in 2009. The new S4 HD 40-inch wall/waterproof television incorporates a true, full High Definition (1920 x 1080) LCD panel, integrated Freeview digital tuner, a component video, S-Video and analogue PC input, twin HDMI inputs, full scart connection and built-in games. The unit is also available in the Mirrorvision finish, so that when the television is off, the glass takes the form of a mirror that is perfect for shaving or putting on make-up. Read More
Backyard drive-in: the 16-ft inflatable outdoor screen
21:05 December 3, 2008 PST
Looking to add some open-air ambience to your next big screen gathering? While outdoor TVs are the most obvious option, inflatable projection screens present an attractive alternative in terms of affordability, portability and size - which is where Open Air Cinema's gargantuan new Inflatable Movie Screen comes in. Tailored for home use, the 16ft x 9ft screen weighs less than 20 pounds when deflated, withstands winds of up to 20mph and inflates in seconds using the included blower to deliver a 220" diagonal projection surface. The catch - you may have to build your own grandstand. Read More
ZVOX Z-Base 550: big sound, small package
15:35 November 25, 2008 PST
Running with the theory that bigger isn't always better, ZVOX has crammed a complete home theater sound system into a compact cabinet measuring 28" wide x 14.5” deep x 3 3/8” high that doubles as a minimalist base platform for stand-mounted flat panel TVs. Within this small footprint the Z-Base 550 incorporates five 2" full-range speakers, a 5.25" powered subwoofer, 60W amplifier and virtual surround circuitry with only one connection required to the TV for a simple set-up. Read More
WinePod's entry–level US$2000 Garagiste Personal Winemaking System
By Mike Hanlon
01:14 November 24, 2008 PST
November 24, 2008 Two years ago we wrote quite bullishly about the impending launch from a Silicon Valley start-up producing US$4500 domestic devices for artisan winemaking and we’re pleased to report that WinePod (at left) has since won countless awards, and is now set to spawn a more affordable, entry–level personal winery – the Garagiste (at right and not to scale). The US$2000 Garagiste presses and ferments wine in a self–contained unit and makes four cases of world-class wine per fermentation – personally, we’d still go for the much smarter upmarket model because it is so clever and connects to your computer for micro fermentation monitoring and management. Read More
Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 5 digital music system
By Tim LeFevre
15:25 November 22, 2008 PST
As more of us store and access music and media in a digital format and our personal collections grow, the need for fast and convenient access becomes increasingly important. Bang & Olufsen have addressed this with the Beosound 5 digital music system, a product designed to bridge the gap between the company’s high-end hi-fi system. The heart of the system is the BeoSound 5 controller. Sporting a 10.4 inch 1024 x 768 LCD display and aluminium scroll wheel, it weighs in at 2.65kg and can be table top or wall mounted. Read More
i-Station Rotate iPod dock goes both ways
By Darren Quick
19:43 November 20, 2008 PST
Logic3 has come to the rescue of all those iPhone and iPod Touch users who have been straining their necks sideways so they can watch full screen videos while the iPhone or iPod is housed in their speaker dock. The i-Station Rotate is an iPhone/iPod speaker dock that features a clever built-in rotating mechanism that allows an iPhone, iPod Touch, or new iPod nano to be turned sideways for watching videos in all their widescreen glory. Read More
The Top 50 Best Selling HDTVs
By Tim Hanlon
17:01 November 18, 2008 PST
With 40-inch, 1080p-capable televisions available for well under $1000, we can understand how tempting a new TV purchase might seem. If you are in the market, be sure to check out this list of the 50 best selling HDTVs on PriceGrabber, along with links to the cheapest online retailers. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
