Archive for Home Theater

Inada W.1 Massage Chair

Posted in Health, Home Theater by Nino Marchetti on May 30th, 2007

Inada W.1 Massage ChairHere’s a chair you might find worth adding to your home media room layout. The Inada W.1 Massage Chair, claims its manufacturer, is the world’s first massage chair which synchs music and sound from a home entertainment system with massage.

The chair, which has a built-in amplifier as well as speakers integrated into the head rest, connects to your home entertainment system. It takes the music and sound playing from that system and tries to time the massage to the bass range, while also doing tapping and back vibration for the treble range and leg vibration. It comes complete with up and down buttons to adjust the bass and treble levels and is designed to provide you “deeper mental relaxation.” I’m not sure about that last part though - can you imagine trying to relax as an action scene from a movie like Miami Vice …

Bravia Finally Meets the iPod

Posted in Dock, Home Theater, Sony, iPod by Chetz on April 5th, 2007

Sony Digital Media Port iPod Dock TDM-IP1Two months after releasing its first docking station for Apple’s iPod, Sony is back to show off a new adapter that connects your ‘pod to Bravia home theaters. The Digital Media Port iPod Dock, a.k.a. TDM-IP1, acts as the middleman between the two technology titans, a move that Sony had been putting off for some time.

The sleek black appearance weighs about 220 grams and is 90 x 78 x 65 mm, so it doesn’t take up too much space somewhere close to your TV. The TDM-IP1 is compatible with the more recent iPods (like the first and second generation nanos and the fourth and fifth gen iPods/iPod minis), but does anyone still have an older model kicking around anyway?

Sony has priced the adapter at a penny under $100 which doesn’t make it the cheapest iPod adapter out there, but …

The Star Wars Home Theater Experience

Posted in Home Theater, Star Wars by Chetz on March 14th, 2007

Star Wars home theaterThose of you who are fans of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” saga and feel the need to elevate your home theater experience into the Force, will probably be targeting Nikko Electronics 2.1 speaker system that is shaped like twin TIE Fighters. There’s also a subwoofer unit that bears the distinctive logo of the movie, just in case you have someone over that doesn’t quite get the connection.

The company will exhibit the TIE Speakers at this week’s CeBIT where we’ll probably get prices and availability. Nikko also offers a life-size R2-D2 home projector unit, remote control shaped like the Millennium Falcon and an Anakin Skywalker lightsaber Skype phone so you really could go all-out and deck your pad in a complete “Star Wars” motif. All you need is a Han Solo-encased-in-carbonite piece of art to hang on the wall and you’re all set.

Sony BRAVIA Flat-Panel LCD HDTVs

Posted in HDTV, Home Theater, LCD, Sony, Television by Paul Patterson on March 1st, 2007

Sony BRAVIA High Definition TelevisionsSony has been busy with product announcements this week. The latest announcement from Sony is a new line of seven BRAVIA high-definition televisions.

The BRAVIA televisions come in two series – the 1080p V-series and the 720p S-series. The V-series units include 40- and 46-inch (pictured) screen sizes, while the S-series offers 26-, 32-, 40-, 46-inch models.

The new televisions are compatible with Sony’s new BRAVIA Internet Video Link module which provides access to Internet video, music videos, movie trailers, user generated videos and RSS feeds. The module mounts on the back of the TV and connects to the Internet via broadband Ethernet connection.

The BRAVIA televisions are expected to be available in Summer 2007. The pricing details have not been released.

No Tuxedo Required

Posted in Home Theater, Plasma, Samsung, Television by Chetz on February 28th, 2007

Samsung plasma televisions named after Cannes film festivalSamsung brings some of the glitz and glitter of the Cannes Film Festival to your home with three newly announced plasma screen televisions named after the prestigious French movie party.

The company says that its new PDP image quality delivers brighter screens, richer colors and clearer images using new technological features incorporated into the Cannes line. For example, the Ultra DayLight component delivers a contrast ratio of 1000:1 in brightly lit rooms and 15000:1 in dimmed environments. The reproduction of natural colors is improved with Natural True Color Technology which processes reds, blues and greens with faster 18 bit speed processing. Finally, the Real Motion Studio technology sharpens the image on-screen, making letters and hard outlines less blurry.

That sounds all well and good but the bottom line is how much will it cost? Samsung is going to launch three sizes …

Seven New Sonys

Posted in Home Theater, Sony by Chetz on February 28th, 2007

Sony Electronics released new stereo systems to retail in MarchSony Electronics has plans to release seven new home theater systems to retail starting in March, with three of them specifically tailored to complement its Bravia line of TVs.

The DAV-HDX500 ($500), DAV-HDX267W ($300), DAV-HDX265 ($300) BRAVIA models combine a DVD player/changer with HDMI output with 720p/1080i video upscaling, a Digital Media Port that allows WiFi and Bluetooth devices connectivity to the system, and Bravia Theater Sync, making it easier for each component to talk to each other over HDMI. Sony is also installing Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC) in each unit, allowing you to balance your multi-channel surround sound setup with the use of an included microphone.

If you have a Bravia TV already and want your system to compliment its style, your best bet is probably the HDX500 which matches the look and height of …

Home Stereo with HDD, Ethernet, USB and AnyMusic

Posted in Digital Audio, Home Theater by Darrin Olson on February 9th, 2007

Onkyo Home stereo with anymusicOnkyo has released a new compact home stereo system that’s designed to integrate nicely with your digital music collection. The Onkyo BR-NX10 also has Sony’s AnyMusic service built in.

The Onkyo home stereo holds an 80GB hard drive to store digital music, and with the CD player it allows playing or ripping of the audio disks to the hard drive. This device also has a USB port to transfer files from a PC and an Ethernet port to connect to the internet. Once connected users can browse, purchase and download songs from Sony’s AnyMusic.

An FM Stereo tuner to allow recording the radio would be a nice feature in this package, however we didn’t notice any controls or features for FM radio. The BR-NX10 from Onkyo is expected to retail for about €600 (~$780 USD).

Onkyo via Akihabara News

LG HDTV’s With Built In Hard Drive

Posted in HDTV, Home Theater, LG, Television by Darrin Olson on February 6th, 2007

LG HDTV with built in hard driveLG has some new HDTV’s coming your way with a nice built in feature. The new XCanvas high def televisions almost negate the need for a DVR by housing a built in hard drive.

We’ve seen LCD and plasma televisions with built in DVD players, but we seem to like this even better. Using an internal 160GB hard drive, high definition television and movies can be recorded and played back at a later date, even in a dual picture mode similar to having two tuners.

Your might soon start to wonder just how much high def TV the 160 HDD can hold, but have no fear. The new LG XCanvas televisions come with a USB port to transfer the media in or out, although we’re not sure of the format at this point.

These new hard drive toting TV’s also come with the …

Sony VAIO TP1 Living Room PC

Posted in Home Theater, PCs, Sony by Paul Patterson on January 29th, 2007

Sony VAIO TP1 Living Room PCSporting a spherical form factor measuring 10.63″ in diameter and 3.58″ high, the Sony VAIO TP1 Living Room PC is a bold new approach to home PC design. Promoted as a “Living Room PC”, the TP1 was made to blend with your home decor and allow you to surf the web and watch live and pre-recorded TV shows from the comfort of your sofa.

The TP1 comes equipped with a matching wireless keyboard and remote control. The lightweight keyboard was designed to fit on your lap and has a built-in touchpad with hot buttons that launch your frequently used applications.

Frequently accessed features such as the optical drive, USB ports and multi-card reader are located on the front of the PC, hidden behind a curved slide-away panel, while constantly-connected terminals are hidden from sight on the back of the unit.

Specifications
The TP1 features Windows Vista …

Bang & Olufsen Release BeoLab 9 Loudspeakers

Posted in Bang & Olufsen, Home Theater, Speakers by Darrin Olson on January 20th, 2007

Bang & Olufsen Beolab 9 SpeakersIn the quest for superior sound quality combined with superior designs, the BeoLab line of loudspeakers from Bang & Olufsen often times will end the search, for a price.

Bang & Olufsen has recently released the BeoLab 9 loudspeaker, which is the latest in their line of high-end speakers, and the fourth offered with their Acoustic Lens Technology for treble sounds. The lens sits on top of the speaker in a specially shaped housing which distributes the treble in an 180 degree arc, and limits it’s exposure to echoing from the floor and ceiling. The BeoLab 9 speaker also has a manual position switch which changes the sound based on it’s position in the room. Placing the speaker in an open area, a corner or against a flat wall can be accommodated without sound compromise.

The look of these high-end speakers gives it …

IntelliTouch Wireless Speakers for iPod

Posted in Home Theater, News, Speakers, iPod by Chetz on January 7th, 2007

IntelliTouch Eos Wirless Speakers for iPodToday IntelliTouch announced its new Eos wireless speaker system for the Apple iPod. The speaker system uses WiFi technology to provide high-quality sound to the remote speakers.

The system comes with a docking station for the iPod which includes built-in speakers, and one additional wireless speaker. More wireless remote speakers can be purchased and added on separately. Each remote speaker can be mounted directly on a power outlet or set on a counter top with a cord to be powered.

The wireless connectivity for the speakers can transfer the sound up to 150 feet away, through walls and works indoors or outdoors. There is also a wireless accessory for a weatherproof outdoor amplifier with it’s own volume control to run the sound off of existing outdoor weatherproof speakers.

IntelliTouch expects the Eos iPod speaker system to be available in March of this year retailing …

Siren Screamer Bridges PC and Stereo

Posted in Accessories, Digital Audio, Home Theater by Chetz on January 4th, 2007

Siren ScreamerA common problem with digital music is that it sits on your PC. Sure you can listen to it with headphones or transfer it to DAP, but what if you want to play it on that kick-butt stereo system that you have?

Well, your in luck. There are a number of ways you can get your digital music to come through your stereo, but the Siren Screamer may be one of the easier and more convenient ones. Connect on component to your stereo, and the other to the USB port of your PC. The music is transmitted wirelessly from your PC to your stereo, and you can control it with a handy remote, to boot.

The remote has an LCD display and can run Windows Media Player and iTunes to control the playback, all without wires. The receiving unit connected to the stereo uses has …

Epson MovieMate 30s Portable Projector Combo

Posted in Epson, Home Theater by Paul Patterson on December 24th, 2006

Epson MovieMate 30sThe Epson MovieMate 30s is a portable projector, CD/DVD player, and speakers all in one unit. You can take the MovieMate with you anywhere to enjoy a widescreen performance - in your living room or your backyard. The MovieMate is perfect for sporting events, watching home movies, or video games.

The MovieMate can project directly on any white wall to create an 80-inch to 12-foot image. You can project an 80″ widescreen image from 6′6″ away and a 12′ image from 12′ away (16:9). Featuring offset lens shift functionality, you can align the image even if the unit is not aligned with the screen or wall.
Epson MovieMate 30s
The MovieMate also includes an integrated Progressive Scan DVD/CD player that reads multiple formats, two built-in 10W speakers, and remote control. It works with satellite and cable TV receivers, video gaming devices, …

Seura Television Mirror

Posted in Home, Home Theater by Quagmire on December 5th, 2006

Seura Television Mirror
The Television Mirror from Séura uses a specially formulated mirror designed exclusively for LCD TV’s that can be discreetly hidden when the display is turned off.

The Seura Mirrors come in two product lines: the Premier Series and the Enhanced Series. The Premier HDTV Series TV mirrors are designed for larger rooms and feature 32″, 37″, 45″ and soon 60″ liquid crystal displays that include a widescreen HDTV tuner with CableCARD technology. The EDTV Enhanced Series features 15″ or 20″ liquid crystal displays and are better suited for smaller rooms such as a bathroom, kitchen, or home gym.

Both product lines are available in recessed or surface-mounted configurations. The recessed models blend nicely into the wall, giving the illusion that the TV is simply a mirror. The surface-mounted units mount on a wall like a painting or picture and feature side panels that can be finished …

Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote

Posted in Home Theater, Logitech by Quagmire on December 4th, 2006

Logitech Harmony 890Imagine a world in which you control all your home entertainment and advanced lighting systems using only one remote. Such a world could be yours with the Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote. The Harmony 890 allows you to wirelessly control your home entertainment system without direct line-of-sight to the components.

The Harmony 890 uses both radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) wireless signals to control the parts of your home-entertainment system that may be hidden behind walls or cabinet doors. The 890 breaks the line-of-site barrier by sending RF commands to a wireless A/V bridge receiver. The receiver serves as a bridge by converting RF signals to IR commands, and then broadcasts infrared signals to the components allowing you to achieve true wireless bliss.
Logitech Harmony 890 Screen
Programming the 890 is easy; just connect the remote to your …





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