Home Entertainment
ELAC shows of world’s smallest subwoofer – ‘probably’
By Darren Quick
11:05 August 28, 2008 PDT

August 28, 2008 German speaker manufacturer ELAC was showing off what they dubbed ‘probably the world's smallest hi-fi subwoofer’ IFA 2008 this week. Their 2.1 desktop speaker system is made up of two satellite speakers and the 2010 BT MicroSUB, which contains four amplifiers, (two for the two bass drivers and two for the two connected satellites), in a unit that measures just 21.8 cm tall, 15.0 cm wide and 17.8 cm deep, and weighs just 4.8kg. Read More
Hidden sounds from Revox speakers
By Emily Clark
11:04 August 28, 2008 PDT

Revox of Switzerland manufactures a wide range of audio equipment that implements functional technology into everyday items. Two of its more notable products are speakers designed to replace traditional ceiling lights and bass speakers that double as stylish leather seats. Read More
Parasound introduces the Halo P7 dual-mode analogue pre-amp
By Tim LeFevre
00:02 August 26, 2008 PDT

August 26, 2008 High-end Californian AV specialists Parasound have introduced their latest preamp, the Halo P7, which is designed to cater to multichannel music and surround sound from Blu-ray, HD DVD, DVD-Audio, and SACD players as well as to traditional stereo sources. To achieve this, it incorporates both a 2-channel and a 7.1-channel analog preamp, offering a range of balanced XLR and RCA stereo inputs and outputs. Read More
VUDU streaming movies for 99 cents
By Emily Clark
10:35 August 24, 2008 PDT

VUDU enables users with high-speed broadband to get instant access via their TV to video entertainment including 1080p HD movies and television shows. Now the company is offering a summer special, which will see customers rent one of 99 films for just US$0.99. Read More
Criterion Collection's new reference Blu-ray player: a PlayStation 3
By Darren Quick
10:47 August 19, 2008 PDT

The PS3’s credibility as a Blu-ray player has received another boost with the news that the folks at the Criterion Collection – the distributors of “important and classic and contemporary films” – use the PS3 as their reference Blu-ray player in their new HD home theater. The news might come as a surprise to those that would assume a stand-alone player would trump a game console/Blu-ray player in the picture quality department, but the PS3 has consistently received favorable reviews of its Blu-ray playback capabilities after overcoming some early teething problems... Read More
Leon Speakers introduces Profile 404-X-A on-wall speakers and A3-SUB subwoofer
By Tim LeFevre
19:03 August 11, 2008 PDT

August 12, 2008 Leon Speakers, established in 1995, is a world leader of high performance, on-wall loudspeakers. The company's new Profile 404-X-A speakers allow you to set them up on, or against a wall. The shallow profile (3.25-inches deep) helps them blend with their surroundings, and a choice of veneers and finishes (including paints) are available to finish the look. Read More
High-resolution, high-end projector system from Meridian
By Darren Quick
03:25 August 5, 2008 PDT

Comprising the 810 Reference Video Projector and the 810 Reference Video Scaler, the new US$185,000 flagship front projection system from Meridian is capable of a resolution of 4096 x 2400 or 9.8 megapixels, boasts a a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and is designed to optimize both High and Standard Definition inputs. Read More
LG announce BD30 Network Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming capability
By Darren Quick
05:16 August 4, 2008 PDT

August 4, 2008 In January, prior to the 2008 International CES, LG Electronics and Netflix announced their intention to team up and provide a set-top box for streaming movies and TV episodes from the Internet to the TV beginning in the second half of the year. Now, true to their word they’ve announced the LG BD30 - the first Blu-ray disc player that can stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix’s library of more than 12,000 choices directly to your TV. It also plays Blu-ray discs and up-converts standard DVDs to 1080p. Read More
How to choose the right speakers for your amplifier or AV receiver
By Tim LeFevre
02:23 August 4, 2008 PDT

August 4, 2008 Of all the equipment we use in our hi-fi and home theater systems, the thing that’s changed the least over the past 20 years is the speaker. After all, there’s only so many ways you can move air to produce sound. With that in mind, matching speakers to an amplifier should be easy, right? Well...it’s not rocket science, but there are a few key specifications that affect their overall performance. Our AV expert Tim LeFevre explains. Read More
GOOD Magazine on Vampire Energy
By Tim Hanlon
01:30 July 30, 2008 PDT

July 30, 2008 Power wastage associated with standby modes in consumer electronics devices makes up a staggering 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and costs the average household the equivalent of one months bill every year. GOOD Magazine has dubbed this wastage "vampire energy" and assembled a compelling graph that shows the average yearly cost of standby modes in common household devices - with the increasingly common plasma TV costing a whopping $159.76 per year to leave on standby. Read More
Dell shipping their 24-inch, HDMI-equipped S2409W LCD monitor
By Tim Hanlon
01:10 July 30, 2008 PDT

July 30, 2008 Dell's new 24-inch LCD monitor has an HDMI input and a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, making it a perfect fit for Blu-ray and video game consoles. Read More
GEAR4 DUO 2.1 iPod speaker system
By Darren Quick
09:07 July 29, 2008 PDT

The GEAR4 DUO is a 2.1 home stereo speaker system made for, yes you guessed it, the iPod. The versatile design of the DUO speaker system, which comprises the Bass Unit and the Satellite Speaker, means both can be used together as a home stereo speaker system, or the Satellite Speaker can be un-docked resulting in a portable unit for music around the house, garden or on your travels. While docked, the Bass Unit charges up the Satellite Speaker’s rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, making it permanently ready for portable use. Read More
Industry leaders back AMIMON's Wireless Home Digital Interface technology
By Tim Hanlon
00:02 July 25, 2008 PDT

July 25, 2008 AMIMON, Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony have formed an interest group to develop a standard for multi-room connectivity using AMIMON's Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI) technology. Read More
Samsung unveils flagship Series 9 LED-backlit LCD HDTV
By Tim Hanlon
00:16 July 24, 2008 PDT

July 24, 2008 Samsung's new flagship Series 9 LCD is the second generation of HDTV to use their LED SmartLighting technology, achieving a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and "actual" black levels thanks to its ability to completely shut off the light source of each pixel. Read More
Sony’s HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System features golf ball size speakers
By Darren Quick
22:01 July 21, 2008 PDT

July 22, 2008 No, that’s not a giant strawberry in the accompanying picture – it’s a mini speaker. The Sony HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System is a 5.1 channel system delivering 450 watts (RMS) of power through a subwoofer with integrated 32-bit S-Master digital amplifier and five incredibly small speakers roughly the size of a golf ball. Designing the system at people who don’t want their home theater system to overpower their décor Sony says the “HT-IS100 packs all the power of a conventional home theater system in five discrete speakers that practically disappear in your living room.” Read More
Open Air Cinema’s CineBox Backyard Home Theater Kit
By Jude Garvey
21:38 July 21, 2008 PDT

July 22, 2008 Movie nights are always a great way to have a good time with family and friends and you could really "wow" them this summer by leading them through the house and outside to your personal open-air theater in the backyard. Open Air Cinema's CineBox backyard home theater package includes an inflatable movie screen, projector, powerful speakers and DVD player to make your movie night under the stars a real cinema experience. Read More
Kodak’s Theatre HD Player with gyroscopic remote
By Darren Quick
13:11 July 16, 2008 PDT

Kodak’s new Theatre HD Player is a Wi-Fi-enabled set top box that connects to your HDTV. Kodak describes the unit as, "An interactive device displaying personal content - pictures, video, podcasts, music - and Web-based content on a HDTV, while wirelessly connecting to a household's private Wi-Fi network.” The Wi-Fi connection allows the unit to connect to websites such as Kodak Gallery and Flickr for photos, YouTube for video content, and RadioTime for streaming audio. Jumping on the Wii bandwagon the Theatre HD Player also includes a gyroscopic remote, which allows users to navigate the on screen menus with a wave of the hand. Read More
Batman Begins now available on Blu-ray
By Tim Hanlon
00:17 July 10, 2008 PDT

Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento) with Christian Bale as Batman, Batman Begins saw a much needed return to the darker feel of the comics and Tim Burton's 1989 film. This week sees the release of the film on Blu-ray, in standard and limited editions. Read More
The Godfather Collection gets release date for Blu-ray
By Tim Hanlon
03:47 July 2, 2008 PDT

The original Godfather film is widely regarded as one of the best films ever, with a #1 position on the top lists of both IMDB and Metacritic - and now it's coming to Blu-ray bundled with its two younger brothers. Read More
Man vs Machine foosball
By Darren Quick
00:32 July 2, 2008 PDT

Up until now foosball aficionados have had to find another living, breathing human being to engage in rod spinning combat. Not anymore, thanks to a highly competitive automated foosball table capable kicking human opposition ‘off the park’. Read More
What's new in high-definition content?
By Tim Hanlon
05:25 June 27, 2008 PDT

Hard up for high-definition content? Amazon has opened pre-orders for Transformers on Blu-ray, and knocked at least 30% off the price of the eight Blu-ray movies released this week - including Persepolis, The Spiderwick Chronicles and 10,000 B.C. Read More
Panasonic launches new Blu-ray/DVD range
By Darren Quick
23:31 June 25, 2008 PDT

The DMR-BW500i can record up to 72 hours of Full High Definition 1080p recording onto the built in 500GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or 6 hours 40 min on a 50GB double layer Blu-ray Disc. In addition to video, it can record 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound broadcasts and Blu-ray movies are played in studio-master quality at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. Read More
Pre-order Iron Man on Blu-ray
By Tim Hanlon
10:51 June 14, 2008 PDT

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. Read More
What's new in high-definition content?
By Tim Hanlon
07:04 June 12, 2008 PDT

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. Read More
Arpro packaging turns into a TV stand
By Jude Garvey
06:16 May 20, 2008 PDT

Concerned about the high volume of non degradable waste which makes up most consumer packaging, UK designer Tom Ballhatchet has developed an innovative idea for re-using the box your television comes in as a durable stand. Read More














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- November 26, 2009 @ 19:45 UTC