Asus Eee Keyboard due in August

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on June 25th, 2009

Asus Eee touchscreen keyboard PCLast we heard the Eee keyboard was supposed to be available in May/June. Now Asus has confirmed that its Eee keyboard, originally shown at CES, will be arriving in August. The company’s marketing executive, John Swatton, revealed the news while launching several new laptops.

The Eee Keyboard will be the first wireless media center enabled by ultra wideband HDMI, meaning you’ll be able to stream HD content from your lap to your television. It’s good looking sure, but it is also packing Wi-Fi, Ethernet, speaker, mic, and a 5-inch touchscreen display, as well as a 32GB SSD to store all that HD content on.

Akai AISS010 All-in-one Home Theater System

Posted in Home Theater by Conner Flynn on June 15th, 2009

Akai AISS010 All-in-one Home Theater SystemThis Akai AISS010 All-in-oneHome theater system has it all. We’re not sure, but there may even be a place that spits out movie tickets, in case you miss the theater.

Some features include: Docks and charges iPod, Compatible with CD/ DVD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3/WMA/VCD/JPEG/DIVX/MPEG4, AM/FM radio with digital readout, HDMI 1080P, Supports USB and card audio playing, Built-in DVD player, LCD clock display, Composite video, S-video, Y, Cb, Cr video output, Supports all iPods, Digital coaxial & optical audio output, VFD Multi-function display, Automatic age lock and screen protection function, Remote control unit, 2.1 + 1 track power output (double sub-woofer), 4″ x 4 + 5″ x2 bass speaker 40w + 20w*2 (RMS 10% THD).

Monster MCC AV50 Home Theater Controller? Or 1970’s Sci-Fi prop?

Posted in Remotes by Conner Flynn on June 11th, 2009

Monster MCC AV50 Home Theater ControllerThis new remote from Monster looks like a vintage Sci-Fi prop. The bad kind. You can almost hear the cheesy sound effects and bad soundtrack. Which is why I think this is awesome. The Monster MCC AV50 Home Theater Controller will be available next month for $50.

It’s a “tabletop universal remote control” with a “Web-based setup.” That means it’s super huge and has a simple onscreen setup.

LG Home Theater Combo awaits your iPod

Posted in LG by Conner Flynn on May 13th, 2009

LG Home Theater Combo awaits your iPod LG is making it easy for iPod owners to get into home theater with the LG HB954TBW Blu-ray 5.1 Home Theater Combo that features a unique slide-out iPod dock. It will accept all iPods, but we aren’t sure if it spits iPhones out or not.

We just think that pop out iPod tray is cool and keeps it all tucked away when not in use. It was introduced at CES 2009 and the system is selling in Korea and includes 5.1 speakers, amplification and a Blu-ray player. It will cost about a grand, which isn’t bad at all.

Sharp announces two new Aquos TV racks

Posted in Sharp by Conner Flynn on May 10th, 2009

Sharp announces two new Aquos TV racksSharp just rolled out two new home theater racks in the AN-AR410 and the AN-AR510. The racks support 37″ – 42″ and 42″ – 52″ LCD TV’s.

Both racks are equipped with 3.1 channel surround sound, 3 x HDMI ports, 2 x Digital inputs and a digital amplifier which delivers an output of 485W. The AN-AR410 is priced at 90,000 Yen ($900), while the AN-AR510 sells for 100,000 Yen ($1000). Both units will be available in Japan starting June 10.

Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote Review

Posted in Review by Shane McGlaun on April 24th, 2009

harmony-1100-logitechI talked about the Logitech Harmony 1100 universal remote control back in February when we learned that the slick tablet style remote would sell for about $500. Today we are going to take a hands on look at the Harmony 1100 and see if the touchscreen beauty is worth all that cash. If you are in need of a universal remote for your complex home theater and those cheap, checkout line remotes can’t handle your gear, this may be just the product you need. Read on for all of the details on the Logitech Harmony 1100.

Solar Powered Home Theater system

Posted in Home Theater by Conner Flynn on April 19th, 2009


Solar-powered gadgets are nothing new. But a solar powered home theater system? It’s appropriately named the “Guiltless Green Home Theater” and was manufactured from scratch by Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA). It’s the first of its kind and has some surprising specs.

For one thing it will give you up to 19 hours of video and audio playback even if the sun isn’t shining that day. They didn’t sacrifice quality either, with a Sharp projector, a 100″ Stewart Filmscreen, six SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers, an Integra AV receiver, Monster Cable wiring, Lutron lighting, and Universal Remote Control.

LG All-in-one “Champagne” XCanvas home-theater

Posted in LG by Conner Flynn on April 16th, 2009

LG All-in-one "Champagne" XCanvas home-theaterThe latest XCanvas home theater from LG looks pretty futuristic and is available in two different varieties. The HT964TZ (5.1ch) and HT564DG (2.1ch) come in the unique form of a glass of champagne with a red wine color.

Both models support only DVDs with LG’s state of the art upscaling technology. No price on these yet, but just look at them, they are sure to be an expensive non-Blu-ray option. Currently they are only available in Korea.

Asus Eee touchscreen keyboard PC available in May/June for $400-$600

Posted in ASUS by Conner Flynn on March 3rd, 2009

Asus Eee touchscreen keyboard PCGreat news. Asus’s awesome Eee Keyboard will be available in May or June for only $400-$600. It’s essentially a home theater PC inside of a keyboard, complete with wireless HDMI and a secondary touchscreen. According to Asus CEO Jerry Shen, they’re working on two different models, one wired and one wireless. The wired version will cost around $400 while the wireless will be around $600.

The keyboard features a 5-inch built-in display, 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16/32 GB SSD, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It’s got all of the ports you want like wireless HDMI, 2 USB 2.0, VGA, HDMI, and audio in/out. We’ve been waiting for this one. It’s almost here.

Logitech Harmony 1100 available for $500

Posted in Logitech by Conner Flynn on February 6th, 2009

Logitech Harmony 1100 available for $500We told you about Logitech’s flagship Harmony 1100 touchscreen universal remote a month ago and now it’s available at retailers. The main selling point is the customizable, 3.5-inch QVGA full-color touchscreen and the new black anodized aluminum body.

The unit boasts a rechargeable battery and RF capabilities, and the guided online setup makes programming simple. You can get an RF extender that’s sold separately for additional control options, up to 100 feet away.

Bowers & Wilkins announce high-end in-ceiling home theater speakers

Posted in Bowers & Wilkins by Shane McGlaun on January 22nd, 2009

Bowers & Wilkins CCM816When it comes to adding a home theater in your living room there can be several problems. The first of which is wires running around your room. You can get around some of this with wireless rear speakers, but that still leaves the second problem; namely, the unattractive design of many speakers themselves.

The choice for those who don’t want wires and don’t want to see the speakers are in-ceiling or in-wall units. Bowers & Wilkins has announced a new high-end set of in-ceiling home theater speakers. The speakers are called the CCM816 and will retail for $600 each when available in February.

Stealth mini PC fits in your palm

Posted in PCs by Conner Flynn on January 18th, 2009

Stealth mini PC fits in your palmSmall PCs are the way to go for HTPC enthusiasts. It fits in a component shelf, offers cutting edge performance and connectivity without being an eyesore. This one is engineered with the latest blazing fast Intel 64-Bit EMT64 Core 2 Duo Processors, and packed in a 6×6.5-inch enclosure. The Stealth computer LPC-650 offers another mini PC with desktop power at only 2-inches tall.

It boasts a rugged all aluminum chassis and is loaded with desktop-grade connectivity with Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 802.11g, 4-USB 2.0, Serial, 2-VGA Video, Audio and HDMI ports. The board supports 3D GPU with memory expandable up to 4GB, and has a built-in 2.5-inch anti-shock hard drive slot.

MECO command center does it all

Posted in Home by Conner Flynn on January 15th, 2009


Pearing Core Systems’ MEdiaCOre or MECO system is a digital command center/ convergence device that is basically a compact, hand-crafted cabinet for your living room. The unit runs off of a full-featured PC powered by Windows Media Center. It uses the Internet and your home’s audio, video and other automation to manage your digital life all from one place.

You can watch Internet movies and television, stream Internet radio, listen to MP3s and check out your digital photos and video. The device also helps to eliminate all of your media clutter, because MECO has two cable boxes, a wireless router, Blu-Ray and DVD-RW/CD-RW drives built right into the system, with room to integrate your own components, like iPods and game consoles.

Eee keyboard: A touchscreen Home Theater PC

Posted in Keyboards by Conner Flynn on January 6th, 2009

Eee keyboard: A touchscreen Home Theater PCMeet the new best keyboard ever. The official Eee Keyboard. It features wireless HDMI, and it’s a “fully functional PC” with full QWERTY and an awesome mini secondary touchscreen.

Asus is mum about if and when we’ll actually see the Eee Keyboard come to market (It looks like a very real product), but if it’s a concept for a home theater PC, it is an amazing one. With wireless HDMI you could probably make any television into your monitor without having a huge PC taking up space.

ZVOX Z-Base 550 puts surround sound under your TV

Posted in Home Theater by Shane McGlaun on December 18th, 2008

ZVOX Z-BaseI wanted a surround sound system for many years and for one reason or another, I was never able to get one set up. In the early years of being married, our apartments were too small for a surround sound setup. Then once we had a house the wife deemed wires and speakers too ugly.

At the time, there were no sound bars for me to use, but for those in similar situations today you have options. ZVOX has a new device called the Z-Base All-in-One Home Theater that sits under the TV. Inside the scratch resistant case resides five 2-inch full-range speakers and one 5.25-inch powered subwoofer.





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