If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Now you can sling HD video a your local network to a nearby PC-or, theoretically, to a Net-connected laptop that’s thousands of miles away. Sounds cool, but unless you’ve got megabit-level uploading speeds on your home broadband connection, you’d better keep your high-def expectations in check.

The PRO-HD ($299, shipping now) isn’t the first Slingbox capable of receiving an HD signal (both the low-end Solo and the high-end, four-input Pro can accept 1080i sources), but it is the first to actually sling HD-quality video (maximum resolution: 1280 by 768) to a remote laptop or desktop PC. And when I say PC, I mean PC-the SlingPlayer software is available for both Windows and Mac, but you’ll need the latest version (2.0) to receive HD video, and for now it’s Windows-only (although a Mac version is “coming soon”).

Anyway, setup for the PRO-HD is essentially the same as with previous Slingboxes; you just connect your various set-top boxes (such as cable/satellite boxes, DVRs, DVD players, or even an Apple TV) to the PRO-HD’s A/V inputs (component, composite, and S-Video inputs are available, along with analog and Toslink audio inputs), then connect passthrough cables from the PRO-HD to your TV. After that, you connect the Slingbox to your home broadband connection via wired Ethernet, while a three-way IR blaster lets the PRO-HD control all your video components. Read the rest of this entry »

The best contemporary technology combined with traditional Marantz quality.  That’s what the Marantz AV8003 is all about.  It’s more than just an outstanding A/V processor.  It unites all the entertainment possibilities you want: Movies, music, photos, streaming audio and video.  And the AV8003 does it in a single room or throughout your home.  Enjoyment?  You bet.  But enjoyment raised to the level only Marantz panache can reach.

Let’s start with the basics.  For a “net-friendly” A/V pre/pro/tuner, or for any home entertainment component, that means a high capacity and well shielded power supply so each circuit has all the current it needs and stray leakage from the transformer doesn’t interfere with data signals.  To that end, Marantz engineers specified a low-flux toroid transformer and encased it in an anti-magnetic steel shield for even greater stray flux control.

This baby has a price tag of $2500 or so.

And because interference can come from outside as well as inside, they gifted the AV8003 with a heavy copper-plated steel chassis to lock out electromagnetic and radio frequency noise as well as external vibrations.  On the practical side, the chassis is shallower than conventional designs, too, so the AV8003 fits where others don’t. Read the rest of this entry »

With most endeavors, it’s the devilish details that distinguish the great from the also-rans. And the Marantz SR6003 surround sound A/V receiver definitely ranks as one of the greats.

You’ll see this immediately in the elegantly simple front panel where aluminum extrusions and glass-reinforced resin meld their respective qualities to shield internal circuitry while absorbing extraneous resonances. Only three controls interrupt the smooth three-dimensional flow – power/standby, input selection, and volume. A drop-down door hides secondary controls until you need them. The result is another visual milestone in the Marantz pantheon of superb industrial designs.

A high-density fluorescent front panel display gives you all the feedback you need to set up and operate your SR6003. In addition, a color GUI (graphical user interface) appears on your TV to help make system setup simple and error-free. Read the rest of this entry »

Fed up with finding the remotes of each of your electronic devices, then a universal remote control comes as an easy answer. In general a universal remote is a remote control that can be easily programmed to operate various brands and one or more types of electronics devices such as TV, music system, Air-conditioners and many other devices.

Typically, the low-end universal remotes can only control a set number of devices pre defined by their manufacturer, while the mid- and high-end remote controls allow the user to program in new controls codes to the remote for controlling a number of other devices.

With the increasing use of these remote controls many remotes sold with various electronic devices include universal remote capabilities for other types of device, which allow the remote to control other devices apart from the device it came with.

The universal remote controls can be broadly classified in two types like

Device Based Universal Remote Controls
Most universal remotes that are sold today are device based and they are quite popular. The use of the device-based remote control is simple and the user has to press a button associated with the desired device to control and then uses the remaining buttons to control that single device.

Controlling other devices is also simple as the remote control identifies the other devices when the user presses a different device button and then the remote starts sending command to the new device. An example of a device-based remote is the Home Theater Master line of remotes.

Activity Based Remote Control
These types of the universal remotes are programmed to work on the concept of activities and not on the devices. In this instead of controlling each device individually the user can instead focus on the activity that they want to perform. For instance the user might want to watch a movie, or listen to some music, or just watch TV.

It is when a particular activity is selected the universal remote control may send out the necessary signals and commands to various necessary devices in to turn on and to configure device to accomplish the desired activity. For instance selecting an activity like watch a movie the remote control might turn on the TV, configure the TV to the DVD video input, turn on the amplifier, configure the amplifier to the DVD audio input, turn on the DVD player, and start the DVD playing. One of the most popular activity based remote controls is the Logitech Harmony line of remotes.

The journey with the universal remote control just doesn’t stops there, but can continue with the up gradations that are required with the changing electronic devices. That is why many universal controls allow the code lists programmed into the remote to be updated to support new brands or models of devices not currently supported by the remote.

Interestingly the lower end universal remotes accomplish this by allowing audible signals to be sent over a telephone to a receiver on the remote. This is applicable when the user calls customer service, an operator can have the caller place the remote next to the phone’s speaker and then send a signal over the telephone to upgrade the remote for any requested new brand of model of supported device type.
About the Author

Make your life easier by getting a universal remote control. End the days of picking up the wrong remote.

There are two factors that really matter when it comes to creating ‘the movies at home’ experience that you want from a home theater system. Those are the picture and the sound. A good picture backed up by crystal clear sound can sweep you up and into the action. There are a myriad of options available for delivering and receiving a good picture, as there are good quality sound. This article will examine the options available for creating a great sound system and aid you in choosing home theater speakers.

You really want to get the best home theater speakers you can afford, even at the expense of the video component of your system. This is true for two reasons. The first is that, as humans we don’t like poor picture quality but we can put up with it. However we really can’t stand poor sound quality. Sound creates the atmosphere and mood of most movie experiences and the movie doesn’t have the same emotional impact if this quality is sub-standard. Secondly, you will probably use the home theater to listen to music or digital radio, so the speakers serve two purposes.

There are lots of aesthetic qualities that are used to sell speakers. You may want wireless home theater speakers to make the system look sleek and minimalistic. The same could be said for speakers that fit into the walls. In-wall home theater speakers are often expensive to install and the only real benefit is that they save space and make the room look less cluttered. The same could be said about small home theater speakers. Whilst the look of the room is important, in terms of sound, the ability to surround yourself in it is the most important factor.

Home theater surround sound speakers let you become involved in the film. If, for example, you are watching a car chase, you want to hear the screeching of the tires at the side of you, the swerving cars up ahead of you and the thumping collisions at the back of you. With those sort of effects you feel like you are in the drivers seat. That is a movie experience.

Surround sound works by having numerous speakers dotted around you. Typically this might involve three speakers and a sub woofer in front of you. Two speakers to the side of you and another two behind you.

This is called multi-channel surround sound. Movie audio is mixed to a specified number of channels so that specific sound can be heard from a different speaker or channel. This gives the feeling of screeching tires to the side, swerves up head and collisions to the back.

As more information can be stored on DVD’s or the new generation of DVD, such as Blu ray or HD DVD the amount of channels increases. Thus you want a speaker set up that can handle numerous channels.

The main names in movie audio tracks are Dolby that have released their latest format as Dolby Digital plus. There is also Digital Theater Systems (DTS) that are comparable to Dolby. You should insist that your speakers are compatible with these systems if you want to get the best out of your home theater speakers.

Find reviews on the latest home theater components, including more on Home theater speakers at http://www.hometheaterreviewed.com . Adrian Whittle writes reviews and features on home theater equipment and accessories.

Rotel is easily one of the best companies in the world for creating high end amplifiers and the RMB-1077 is one of the reasons why. At $2500 it is certainly not a cheap piece of equipment for your home theater but it is definietly one of the best.

Class D amplifiers are not new. But, to date, many Classe D amplifiers have been relegated to low performance electronics, or limited bandwidth products such as subwoofers. Now, with ICEpower® technology, Rotel’s new RMB-1077, delivers full bandwidth, high performance sound with plenty of power output and very low heat and distortion.

The new technology is based on two principals named Controlled Oscillation Modulation (COM) and Multivariable Enhanced Cascade Control (MECC). Together, these two designs form the intelligent power processing (the brains) of the technology to ensure that the amplifier’s power supply and output is rock solid even under complex speaker loads or power supply variations.

The result is a high power, high performance, multichannel power amplifier that occupies only 60mm of height; a minimal amount of space compared to regular amplifiers for heat dissipation. That’s because the RMB-1077 Classe D amplifier is over 90% efficient and produces almost no heat.

The RMB-1077 offers up a lot of power in a small package. At 7 x 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, it is a superb choice for all but the very largest home theater systems.

The Specs

SR8001 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
$1999.99
Do you call the SR8001 an “audiophile’s receiver” or a “videophile’s receiver”? May we suggest that the answer is simply “Yes”? Here, you’ll find the power, flexibility, and advanced performance you expect from Marantz. And a few surprises, too! All in a new chassis size that’s more convenient than ever

* HDMI (v1.2) Repeating - 4 In, 2 Out
* Up-Conversion (with TBC) to HDMI with 480I/480P Converter
* Current Feedback Amplification
* XM-Ready with Discrete IR Station Access
* Assignable Dual Component Outputs
* 2nd Zone (A/V) and 3rd Zone Audio Outputs (Individual sources)
* IR Receiver In and x2 IR Emitter Outs
* 2 DC Trigger Outputs
* Audyssey Auto Calibration
* Toroidal Transformer & Copper Plated Chassis
* New Shallow Chassis (<16″)
* 125W x7-Ch Discrete Amplifier

Home theaters are getting to be extremely popular among American homes. This modern technology is slowly giving movie theaters a run for their money. Basic knowledge of home theater system and its basic components may be best for people who want to bring home relaxation and entertainment.

The most important consideration in the design and complete set up of your home theater is the size of the room. The home theater speakers and the other components of your home theater may need to consider the size of the room. Too small rooms for your home theater may not require so many speakers. Only three speakers may be good if the room is quite small. Do not overload your small room; you may not be able to get the entertainment and relation you want if you feel overloaded with so many home theater speakers. Because you only need three home theater speakers in your small room, you may need to acquire the high-end brand of home theater speakers to compliment the size of the room and the other equipments for your home theater.

If you have a bigger room however, the basic three home theater speakers may not be enough. You may need to put up to six speakers around the room, you may also consider complimenting your home theater speakers with subwoofer to complete the surround sound like in movie theaters. In addition to the speakers, you may also need to purchase a high-end television set which should not be smaller than 27 inches. It may not be reasonable if you buy a smaller television set because it may drown in the fineness of your home theater speakers. Additionally, the DVD player needs to be of high quality, having progressive scan your DVD Player may help provide sharp images and flicker-free pictures for your home theater system. The home theater speakers, television and DVD player are the basic components of a home theater system especially if the room is quite small. However, for bigger room, adding home theater furniture and home theater projectors may be necessary to complete the package. Again, it may be worth it, if your home theater speakers are of high quality. This is because of the need to provide a surround sound for the home theater set up. The DVD player and the television set may answer for the requirement of sight in a movie theater setup. Your home theater speaker needs to answer for the sound requirement, and if your home theater speaker is not of high quality brand, it may not be able to do the job for you.

In order for you to avoid making mistakes in your choice of home theater equipments including home theater speakers, and home theater furniture, you may require the services of a home theater designer. They will be able to provide the best recommendation that will ensure you will get the most out of your home theater system including topnotch home theater speakers. Additional home theater furniture may be necessary to complete the package and to dress up the whole room. Since they are the designers, they will be able to recommend the best for your home theater system set up. If you have a properly designed home theater, you will be the best entertainment possible.

Your home theater designer may take on the huge responsibility of choosing the most suitable home theater speaker to attain the best design for your home theater.

Bring home relaxation and entertainment right in your own living room, home theater system can provide this to you and your family.

Going to the movies is a common and most popular recreation especially for young professionals living a very stressful life of running corporate affairs. However, for some who cannot afford to waste the time traveling to and from movie theaters, the answer to this recreational endeavor might be just inside your own living room. Bring home the sight and sound of movie theaters with your very own home theater system. The best home theater set up may indeed include high quality components that may bring forth the entire movie theater experience without having to drive from your house to the movie theater spending time and effort tiding heavy traffic. This modern innovation will grant you the relaxation and experience real life movie theaters provide.

Having the basic components such as the big screen and speakers with clear and flicker free images from a high quality DVD may provide the almost real movie theater experience. Home theater experts recommend that before you decide on the final set-up and equipments for your home theater system, the size of the place maybe the first consideration. If you have a small size room for your home theater system, television set may be best placed in the center and three speakers placed on the left, right and center might be enough to provide the surround sound you want in a movie theater. However, if you have a bigger place, a home theater projector might be best to provide the big screen requirement. Home theater projector screen can provide the real-life movie theater experience. It is therefore necessary that if you have a huge room for your home theater system, in combination with your home theater projector and home theater projector screen, adding more speakers around the room could be a neat recommendation. A subwoofer may also help to provide the best surround sound that will enable a movie theater surround sound come in to your living room.

There are various designs and models you can choose from for your home theater projector. You may need to understand each of their features before you decide on buying one. It may also be necessary for you to require the services of a home theater designer in order to complete the home theater package that will give you the best entertainment. This will avoid having to spend unreasonably for your home theater system including your home theater projector.

Buying unrealistically huge capacity equipments for your home theater is possible especially if you do not know what are the possible choices and their differentiations that your home theater may require. A too huge home theater projector screen and the total set-up of your home theater system should be of great consideration. Your home theater designer may also provide options that may not require a television set for your home theater. How is this so? The reason for this is the technological innovations provided by your computer and home theater projectors. Home theater projectors like InFocus screenplay models maybe used with computers and small room set-up. Home theater projectors are also lightweight and maybe transported easily. For this reason, the use of home theater projectors for business presentations is helpful.

Home theater projectors and home theater projector screens may help provide the theater like experience, even for business this set-up may be extremely useful and thus is getting to be popular. Your home and office home theater system setup is an innovation only a few intelligent consumers can avail of. However, I am sure that knowing all these options and the basic television, three speakers and DVD player may be worthy for people who wants a home theater, you may not really need a home theater projector if the room for your home theater system is not very huge.

Enjoy theatrical experience right in your living room by intelligently researching your possible option. You may then experience the relaxation movie theaters give without having to tide heavy traffic going to the movie theater.

Onkyo has been known for years as having boring looking great sounding recievers but most have been a little high end for my tastes…that is until I ran across the Onkyo TX-SR505 home theater receiver today

Just when you thought upgrading your home theater receiver to support HDMI was going to cost you an arm and a leg, Onkyo comes to the rescue with the TX-SR505 receiver. It features HDMI switching (up to 1080p with HDMI version 1.3 support), high def-compatible component video switching (480i/480p/720p/1080i) plus your usual assortment of composite and S-video inputs. And all for a buck less than $300.

The unit even features Audyssey’s advanced auto-calibration software called “2EQ.” Hold a microphone in your primary listening positions, hit a couple of buttons, and the receiver calibrates speaker crossover, delays, and levels automatically, for the best sound out of your speakers in your particular room.

Specs are still fairly preliminary, but HDMI support is described as “passthrough-only” meaning you will also need to connect your HDMI components to the receiver using a separate analog or digital audio cable in order to get sound. It will not process sound over HDMI connections, just pass it through to your display. But hey, what do you want for $300?

Read the rest of this entry »