Home Entertainment

06:55 September 19, 2007 PDT

September 19, 2007 From the speaker company whose high-end reference units grace the studios at George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch and Abbey Road comes a portable iPod speaker dock to drool over. The $599 Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin packs a 5” subwoofer, plus twin 3.5” midranges and two 1” tweeters straight from the company’s famous M-1 studio monitors. Sweet! Read More

Individual Sound Projector from Loewe

By Shaun McKeegan

22:49 September 10, 2007 PDT

September 11, 2007 Consumer electronics manufacturer Loewe showcased its recently released Individual Sound Projector at this year’s IFA in Berlin. The sound projector is a genuine 5.1 surround sound system that operates from a single device, allowing TV, DVD and other digital sources to be operated from one remote control. The multi-channel surround sound system features integrated cinema settings and over-head effects without the need for any additional speakers or cables and after encountering the system at the IFA, Gizmag can attest that it sounds amazing. Read More

Alienware High-Definition 4 terabyte media server

23:34 September 9, 2007 PDT

Alienware High-Definition 4 terabyte media server

September 10, 2007 Media servers are set to become an essential item in 21st century households and like all things associated with digital storage, the bigger the better. Last week Gizmag featured the 500GB Sony Home Entertainment Server, and now news of a new HD Media Server from Alienware that comes with up to four terabytes of hot-swappable hard drive storage. Read More

JBL’s iPod dock now fully portable

01:02 September 6, 2007 PDT

JBL's On Stage 3 iPod docking station - now fully portable and compatible with your iPhone...

September 6, 2007 JBL have released an update to their popular On Stage iPod docking station. The new On Stage 3 offers a full featured remote control and it’s finally equipped with battery power, making it fully portable. It's even compatible with the iPhone. Read More

Sony announce 200-disc, 500GB Home Entertainment Server

By Noel McKeegan

23:54 September 5, 2007 PDT

September 6, 2007 Sony has unveiled a new Home Entertainment Server featuring a full HD 1080p 200-disc changer and a 500GB hard disc drive that stores up to 137 hours of video, 40,000 songs or 20,000 digital photos. The stand-alone HES-V1000 is Sony’s first Blu-ray Disc-capable component (other than a VAIO notebook or optical PC drive) that can burn content to Blu-ray Discs as well as DVDs. Read More

AKG wireless headphones unveiled at IFA

By Shaun McKeegan

01:05 September 4, 2007 PDT

AKG K930 wireless headphones, transmitter and docking station/charger

September 4, 2007 AKG's K930 wireless stereo headphones are among the plethora of noteworthy new products Gizmag has encountered at the IFA show in Berlin this week. With a range of approximately 100 meters, the K930 headphones do not require a line of sight from the transmitter enabling the signal to penetrate through walls and ceilings and greatly expanding the user’s mobility. Read More

LG "Black Label" LCD TVs

18:30 September 2, 2007 PDT

September 3, 2007 LG has released a new "Black Label" LB9 LCD television range that incorporates full HD (1920 x 1080p) resolution, in-built HD tuner, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms response time in a glossy black finish, wave-inspired bezel design. Read More

46 inch all-weather outdoor LCD TV

By Emily Clark

16:25 August 29, 2007 PDT

SunBriteTV 46”high definition LCD television

August 30, 2007 Lovers of big screen viewing need not worry about missing the game whilst soaking up the outside ambience with options like this SunBriteTV 46”high definition LCD television built for the great outdoors. The super-sized 4600HD model comes complete with water-resistant speakers and universal remote control. Read More

The first speakers with crystal membranes

01:12 August 29, 2007 PDT

The first speakers with crystal membranes

August 29, 2007 One of the first innovations to be shown at IFA 2007 in Berlin will be a new speaker technology that employs crystal membranes in its quest for perfect sound reproduction. The drive units in the new ELAC 240 series are characterised by stunningly three dimensional soundwave propagation and the new transducer system for bass and midrange uses a highly rigid aluminium membrane with an angled crystalline surface structure. Read More

iMirror home stereo iPod dock with full-feature LCD remote

22:06 August 23, 2007 PDT

Bexy's iMirror lets you dock your iPod to your home stereo and control it through a full-f...

August 24, 2007 With their mix of convenience, portability and ease of use, mini music players like the iPod are rapidly taking over from CD collections as many users’ primary music repositories – and as more consumers start connecting their iPods into their home stereo systems, remote-controlled audio docking stations like Bexy’s iMirror start to make a lot of sense. Just dock the iPod, pick up the iMirror remote control and you’ve got the full ability to manage your iPod remotely as it plays through your home stereo. Read More

Logitech iPod bedroom music system features motion and light sensing technology

21:40 August 17, 2007 PDT

August 18, 2007 Logitech have unveiled two new iPod speakers - one designed specifically for the bedroom and the second aimed at iPod portability. The iPod Pure-Fi Dream speakers for the bedroom are designed as a replacement of the conventional alarm clock and incorporate innovative functions such as motion and light sensing technology that allow you to access the "Snooze" feature with a simple wave of the hand. Read More

The Compact Disc turns 25

By Noel McKeegan

23:38 August 16, 2007 PDT

First worldwide presentation of the Philips CD Audio made by Joop Sinjou, Head of Philips ...

August 17, 2007 In an event that marked the shift from analogue to the new digital era in the music industry, the world’s first compact disc rolled off the production line at a Philips factory in Langenhagen, Germany, twenty-five years ago today. Philips and Sony co-developed the CD (which was invented by American James T. Russell in the late 1960s) and an estimated 200 billion have been sold around the world in last quarter of a century - that’s enough to circle the earth six times. Read More

Micronas announce latest full HD frame rate converter

07:03 August 15, 2007 PDT

August 15, 2007 Market research firms forecast a fast transition towards full high definition displays accompanied with the latest high frame rate 100/120Hz LCD technology, with predictions that the market could exceed 10 million LCD TVs in 2008. Micronas has announced its 4th generation HD frame rate converter - a processing technology that generates 120 individual frames per second (fps) from 50/60Hz broadcast content and from 24 fps film source, delivering improved overall picture quality on high definition (1080p) displays. Read More

Yamaha unveil 11.2 Channel flagship home theater receiver

23:11 August 12, 2007 PDT

August 13, 2007 Yamaha have unveiled their latest a new home theatre - the RX-Z11. Aimed at setting a new benchmark in the category, the receiver carries an industry-first THX Ultra2 Plus certification and full HDMI version 1.3a including 1080p resolution with over a billion colors, supporting the latest HD formats for Blu-Ray and HD DVD technology. The 11.2 channel RXZ11 adds front and rear presence speakers to traditional configurations and includes custom install features that suit complex multi-room/zone configurations. Read More

Be blown away by Micro Spheres

22:27 August 11, 2007 PDT

August 11, 2007 Taking advantage of the research made in developing the La Sphere, winner of the Best Sound Award at the Consumer Electronics Show, the new 5.1 Eole system by Cabasse consists of five new spherical satellites and a very compact subwoofer. At a fraction of the cost of La Sphere, the new Eole system is sure to be a winner with home theatre and music enthusiasts alike. Read More

The i-Sing MP3 player encourages singing along wherever you are

July 18, 2007 Ancient Zimbabwean wisdom suggests "if you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing" though we're sure it is also true that if you can hold a note, carry a tune and belt out something relatively pleasant to the ear, everyone has more fun. There is currently a renaissance of music sweeping the world. More people are listening to more music thanks to the low cost high convenience MP3 player, and advances in user-friendly software and devices mean more people are beginning to explore not just listening to music but making it. One such device is the i-Sing, an MP3 player with the ability to digitally cancel out the original artist's vocals on any track, display song lyrics and record the user's own vocals over the instrumental tracks at the touch of a button. Bound to be popular with fans of the (insert country here) Idol TV phenomenon, the i-Sing harnesses some very cool technology and combines it with childproof ease of use. Read More

Apple TV to include direct YouTube access.

AppleTV - now includes YouTube access. Picture courtesy of Apple.

May 31, 2007 Apple TV was launched in February in a whirlwind of potential. The classy-looking set top box promised a 21st century television experience where the web, the PC and the movies could converge in your lounge room - but it has so far failed to live up to expectations. Still, Apple is pressing ahead, today announcing a deal that allows users to browse and watch YouTube's endless supply of content through their Apple TV unit. Read More

Lifemedia, the high-end digital home media server

Exceptional Innovation's Lifemedia digital home entertainment server.

May 23, 2007 Digital home entertainment servers seem to be heading high-end as Exceptional Innovation announces the release of its new Lifemedia server. Ready to integrate with home networks and EI's Lifeware home automation software, the Lifemedia units feature multi-core Intel processors, up to 4.5 Terabytes of storage, and high-end optical audio with Dolby Master Studio decoding. Most importantly, they look extremely sexy in an AV rack system. Read More

MasonIP Network-Attached Video Player

April 11, 2007 In advance of the NAB show in Las Vegas next week, Wired has released details of its US$3000 MasonIP network video decoder and proofing system. Designed for anyone who wants to play video content from a server rather than from disc, MasonIP brings a whole new level of convenience and quality to playback of networked media files. The MasonIP is a professional-quality network video and DVD decoder that delivers unmatched flexibility and image quality for the most demanding playback and proofing applications. The MasonIP can decode nearly every flavor of SD and HD video and output it to virtually any professional monitor or consumer TV. Read More

BeoLab 9 loudspeaker combines superior sound with freedom of placement

April 2, 2007 A strong manifestation of Bang & Olufsen’s sound competences, the BeoLab 9 is the fourth loudspeaker from B&O that applies Acoustic Lens Technology licensed from Sausalito Audio Works in the treble area. Partly integrated into the conically-shaped cabinet that holds the mid-range and bass units, the lens sits atop the speaker - almost like a lighthouse – dispersing the treble in an arc of 180 degrees. Normally, a loudspeaker’s performance is strongly influenced by its physical position in the room. Yet, Beolab 9 adapts to its placement through a manual position switch that makes it possible to place the speaker in a corner or close to the wall without compromising the sound. Read More

Cheater Checker – spying on your loved ones

March 10, 2007 The effects of new and improved communication technologies on society are clearly profound, though we’re aware of very little research being done into what those changes are. What began as a reader request to cover a software program earlier this week unearthed the clear signs that infidelity is on the rise due to the information revolution. With the advent of technology, cheating has become easier to facilitate. Dating sites, online social networks and instant messaging make it extremely easy to start communicating with people you would never otherwise meet. Anyway, by the end of the story, your humble scribe felt very naïve. For starters, Cheaterchecker is in Version 4.2 and we didn’t even know it existed. It’s a software package that, once you’ve installed it on your computer, enables you to spy on anyone else using that computer and keeps track of everything from emails to web pages visited and even instant messaging. As the name implies, Cheater Checker is designed to catch a cheating spouse or partner. It’s only legal to install it on your computer – doing it to someone else’s computer is illegal but we suspect that’s how it’s being used. What caught our eye was what appeared to be some poetic license with the facts in the promotional video – 1 in 2 people in a relationship cheat on their partner, 57% of women cheat on their partner, 3 out of 4 married men cheat on their wives, 2 out of 3 people being cheated on never find out ... so we asked for their sources and they provided them. Read More

Invisible sound from Bang & Olufsen