Onkyo Intros First 3D Home Theater with THX Certification
Written on Jul 23, 2010 by Charles Jefferies and filed under Featured, News, Onkyo
Onkyo has introduced the first 3D-ready home theater in a box (HTiB) system with THX I/S certification.
JVC TH-BA3 & TH-BS7 Soundbar Home Theater Systems Released
Written on Dec 14, 2009 by Brian and filed under JVC
JVC has released a pair of soundbar systems today that are both unique. The JVC TH-BA3 includes a soundbar, wireless subwoofer and a wireless rear speaker kit. The JVC TH-BS7 is designed to pair with a wall-mounted flat panel TV and features a slim soundbar, wireless subwoofer and a wall mountable amplifier/control unit. Both systems will be available this month.
Amazon Disc + On Demand Program Launched
Written on Dec 10, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Amazon has launched a new program called Disc + On Demand which will give consumers who buy one of a select bunch of DVD and Blu-ray titles instant access to the digital version on Amazon’s Video On Demand service. Buyers will now have both immediate access to the title on Amazon VOD, along with the hard copy of the disk.
Boxee Streaming Box Unveiled
Written on Dec 8, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
D-Link and Boxee have jointly announced the new Boxee media streaming box. The Boxee box features the latest Boxee open source software designed to aggregate networked and online content, along with hardware features including HDMI, SPDIF and RCA Audio outputs, 2 USB ports, WiFi (802.11n) and wired Ethernet. The box is expected to be available in 2Q 2010 for $200.
Review: JVC TH-BA1 Sound Bar System
Written on Dec 1, 2009 by Steve and filed under JVC, Reviews
The JVC TH-BA1 is a 4.1-channel home theater system that consists of a 4 speaker sound bar and wireless subwoofer unit. The system is designed for minimal hassle and easy setup with sleek styling. With an MSRP of $399, it’s in the mid-high price range for sound bar systems.
LaCie LaCinema Classic HD Media Player Announced
Written on Nov 25, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
LaCie has announced another unit in their media player lineup. The LaCinema Classic HD offers 1080p playback, 1TB of storage and a built-in DLNA media server. The $250 unit will start shipping soon.
Roku Launches Open Content Platform and 10 New Content Channels
Written on Nov 22, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
We just posted our review of the Roku HD XR last week, and as promised, Roku has released new content channels for the media streamer. The headline additions include Pandora, Flickr and Facebook photos, but the other content is compelling too. Tbe best part is that while the first three Roku channels were all paid, this new batch of 10 are all free. Most require accounts, but otherwise, there are no subscription fees. Roku has successfully mad what was a must-have media streamer, the preeminent leader in the space and an absolute-must-have for home theaters.
Review: Roku HD XR
Written on Nov 20, 2009 by Brian and filed under Reviews
Roku recently updated their product line to include the Roku HD XR, which adds high speed WiFi (802.11n) to the popular HD streaming box. The upgrade gives consumers access to the fastest WiFi protocol so they can take better advantage of high speed Internet connections. This means consumers with an 802.11n router in their home and a fast broadband connection can expect the highest possible quality when streaming Netflix, Amazon on Demand and MLB.tv content.
ViewSonic VOT530 and VOT550 Home Theater PCs Released
Written on Nov 19, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
ViewSonic is known more for their displays than anything else, but they’ve recently made a concerted effort in the home theater space. Earlier this month it was the VMP70 media streaming box and now ViewSonic has released a pair of home theater PCs dubbed PC Minis. The VOT530 and VOT550 feature Windows 7 Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz processors, built-in WiFi and HDMI output.
Review: Lenovo IdeaCentre D400 Home Server
Written on Nov 18, 2009 by Brian and filed under Reviews
With the mass of media files most of us are collecting across various computers, it’s getting more important to find a way to not only preserve that repository, but to also make it consumable on just about anything, including computers and home theaters. Lenovo has an offering to solve just that pain, the IdeaCentre D400 Home Server. The D400 features up to 8 terabytes of storage space across four disks, auto-backup options for networked computers, easy file transfer and a host of other features that make it not only easy to use, but perhaps more importantly, easy to forget about.
Review: ZVOX 430 Sound Bar
Written on Nov 5, 2009 by Thomas S. and filed under Reviews, ZVOX Audio
The ZVOX 430 Sound Bar follows the path less taken, giving users a simple to use sound system with no compromises in quality. Where most manufactures find ways to cut costs, either by using an over abundance of plastic or cheap components, ZVOX holds nothing back in their wood enclosure speaker systems. The end result is an easy to setup speaker system that brings other “full-size” systems to their knees.