Onkyo Announces New 7.1 and 5.1 HTiB Systems
Written on Feb 11, 2011 by Charles Jefferies and filed under Featured, News, Onkyo
Onkyo has announced two new home theater in a box (HTiB) systems: the 7.1-channel HT-S5400 and the 5.1-channel HT-S3400. The receivers feature four HDMI inputs and one output plus support for 3D video.
Review: JVC TH-G41
Written on Sep 8, 2009 by Thomas S. and filed under JVC, Reviews
Home theaters have been coming in kit form for years, now; gone are the days when you had to buy each piece all on its own. As a result, manufacturers have been forced to seek out new ways of differentiating themselves and appealing to the consumer. JVC is taking a shot at it with their new TH-G41, a 5.1 setup that offers 1080p DVD upscaling, video, audio, picture and FM playback as well as the opportunity to dock your iPod and play back media through your television and speakers. Let’s take a look at what JVC gives you for three hundred dollars.
Fujitsu ESPRIMO Q1500 HTPC Announced
Written on Sep 4, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
The Fujitsu ESPRIMO Q1500 is the latest micro-PC from a mainstream vendor, coming on the heels of announcements from Lenovo, Asus and others. As with the competing devices the ESPRIMO Q1500 boasts power efficiency and HDMI output. This little guy has one more trick up its sleeve though, optional Blu-ray, which is something we haven’t seen yet out of the competition. The computer is available now in Europe, hopefully a US release comes along quickly.
Samsung Adding YouTube Support on Blu-ray Players and Home Theater Systems
Written on Sep 4, 2009 by Brian and filed under Samsung
Samsung has just announced a deal with YouTube to bring more Internet-based content to Samsung’s Blu-ray players which are sold independently and as part of their home theater in a box systems. This comes just two months after Samsung integrated with Blockbuster. Samsung has a bulk of the major players wrapped up now with YouTube, Blockbuster, Netflix and Pandora all on board.
Philips Announces Four Blu-ray Home Theater Systems and Blu-ray Soundbar
Written on Sep 3, 2009 by Brian and filed under Philips
Philips has used IFA to launch four new home theater systems and a soundbar, all with Blu-ray. Three of the home theater systems are 5.1 channel packages with varying speaker combinations. The third HTiB is a lifestyle 2.1 channel system. The soundbar builds on Philips’ Ambisound line and comes in black or white with a subwoofer and touch controls.
Sony and Panasonic Lead the Charge for 3D Home Theater
Written on Sep 3, 2009 by Brian and filed under Knowledge Base, Panasonic, Sony
This year’s home theater tech shows have been quite the bed of activity around 3D technology for home theaters. By now most of us have seen a 3D movie in the theaters, though they’ve largely been geared toward kids. But if Sony, Panasonic and others have their way, you won’t have to go to the theater to get the immersive 3D experience we all enjoy. To get the message out that 3D is 2010′s big thing, Panasonic and Sony have kicked the PR engine into full gear to get the word out.
Logitech Harmony 700 Universal Remote Released
Written on Sep 3, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
The Logitech Harmony 700 is a mainstream universal remote that easily takes over for up to six remotes. The remote features a color screen, rechargeable batteries, one-click control of your most common activities and easy online setup.
Asus Teases the EeeBox PC EB1012 HTPC
Written on Sep 1, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
The entry-level HTPC space is about to get more crowded. With Lenovo and Dell already announcing micro-sized HD HTPCs, Asus is playing catch-up by teasing their new box, the Asus EeeBox PC. The EeeBox features an Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor, 2GB RAM (supports up to 4GB), SATA 250GB hard drive, eSATA port, NVIDIA MCP7A IONgraphics, Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI out, S/PDIF out, multi-card reader, USB ports and the other usual suspects.
Brite-View CinemaTube Media Player Available Now
Written on Sep 1, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Brite-View has their new CinemaTube 1080p HD media box available for pre-order now, with a nice $30 discount if you move quickly. Similar to the Western Digital TV, the CinemaTube does the basic media playback from connected devices, but it also offers YouTube streaming and a built-in torrent engine for sharing and downloading media files form the Web.
DirecTV to Roll Out Double Play Feature for DVRs
Written on Aug 26, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
DirecTV is about to roll out a new software release for their DVRs called “Double Play.” Double play will let users switch between two live 90 minute buffers, currently there’s only one. The timing couldn’t be much better, with football season about to begin in earnest.
Western Digital Releases WD TV Mini Media Player
Written on Aug 18, 2009 by Brian and filed under News
Western Digital has announced a second version of their popular WD TV product, this one dubbed the WD TV Mini Media Player. The Mini connects to a TV and plays back media connected to its USB port including devices like USB drives, camcorders and digital cameras. The Mini handles video, music and photo files and supports up o 1080i HD resolution.