Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
11:58 am
All it takes is one trip on a Saturday to a Costco anywhere in America
to see the phenomenon. People are wheeling huge HDTVs to their SUVs in
numbers that make even the most optimistic Consumer Electronics (CE)
industry analysts’ heads spin. 60-inch plasmas for $2,999 have taught
mainstream America that the idea of owning a big, beautiful, flat HDTV
is not just for the people who we feature in ModernHomeTheater.com –
it’s for them, too. And they believe it and are investing in these sets
in record numbers.
The power behind the consumer
electronics industry is high-definition. Not just HDTV televisions that
are bigger, brighter and cheaper than ever before, but also HD content.
Regionally, more and more cable providers are offering far-reaching
sports packages that promote beloved teams in beamingly beautiful 1080i
HD resolutions. Nationally, satellite providers offer access to entire
leagues of sports, like DirecTV’s “super fan” deal. For about the cost
of two modest tickets to a game, you get practically every MLB or NFL
game in high-definition. Movies in HD beam in on cable and satellite on
a good handful of channels. Native HD content from network and
specialty providers like Food Network, Discovery HD Theater and HDNET
all make for an increasingly tempting offering of content for general
consumers, reaching far beyond the audience of videophiles and home
theater enthusiasts.
Continue Reading…
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
11:13 am
Onkyo has announced four new THX Certified receiver models to be
introduced beginning this spring, incorporating a range of high-end
features and core performance improvements designed to deliver the
highest levels of performance available. These new THX Certified Onkyo
A/V receivers will feature HDMI 1.3a compatibility, including internal
decoding for DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Each will
also feature a sophisticated set of internal video processing
capabilities, with two of the models boasting the first inclusion of
Reon-VX HQV processing in an A/V receiver. Three of the new models, the
TX-SR805, the TX-SR875, and the TX-NR905, each feature THX Ultra2
certification, while the TX-SR705 is THX Select2 Certified.
Continue Reading…
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
11:07 am
Slim, stylish model 425 delivers hassle-free wireless home theater while producing incredibly
realistic sound – including bass down to 35Hz!
ZVOX is about to change how the world listens to TV with the model 425
single-cabinet home theater system. Only five inches deep, the new ZVOX
425 is a wall mounted surround system that combines elegant design and
compact dimensions with performance. Not much bigger than many center
channel speakers, the ZVOX 425 contains a powerful amplifier, five
speakers, two powered subwoofers and ZVOX’s exclusive PhaseCue virtual
surround circuitry.
“We believe we have developed the perfect audio system for use with
flat-panel TVs,” says ZVOX founder Tom Hannaher. “There’s no bulky
subwoofer to hide. No mass of connecting wires. No owner’s manual the
size of a phone book. The 425 is the first wall-mountable system that
puts everything in one cabinet – and it does so without sacrificing
performance. People are going to be shocked by how good it sounds.”
Continue Reading…
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
10:59 am
Recently I was sitting by the pool at a Runco dealer-rep-press event
and the topic of conversation among a prominent editor, one of the most
prolific salespeople in the industry and myself was the future of
high-end AV. Runco represents the pinnacle of consumer video equipment
and, in many cases, as you might expect, comes packed with a price tag
to match. Baby Boomers and well-heeled members of Generation X line up
to invest in these projectors and plasmas that go beyond the mass
market standards and include the new, lofty THX video standard, as well
as professional calibration. They see the performance benefits of what
a few hundred or thousand dollars gets you. But will the Generation Y
with their “whatever” attitude ever feel the same way?
Continue Reading…
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
10:25 am
PSB Speakers, long renowned for affordable excellence in loudspeaker
designs, announces the addition of the PSB HD8 and PSB HD10 Powered
Subwoofers — the outcome of an 18-month endeavor to provide the
performance of its award–winning subwoofers in a more broadly
acceptable size.
Continue Reading…
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007 at
9:51 am
KEF, renowned British manufacturer of audiophile-quality speakers, has
unveiled MUON, a distinctively new loudspeaker that features audio
innovation and a cutting-edge, ultra-modern design. The speakers are
the direct result of the marriage between KEF’s engineering team and
visionary designer Ross Lovegrove, one of the leading industrial
designers of our time. These loudspeakers, standing nearly 7 feet tall,
were recently unveiled during the famed Milan design fair, arguably the
most prestigious design gathering in the world.
Continue Reading…
Monday, April 9th, 2007 at
9:21 pm
There’s been a lot of talk about all the Apple TV hacks of late (who wants to read RSS feeds on their TV anyway?) but another less sensational topic is starting to bubble up to the top – poor picture quality.
Continue Reading…
Saturday, March 24th, 2007 at
9:09 pm
The new MAJIK System is a dedicated music
component system developed from more than 30 years of Linn’s experience in
designing specialist components to recreate the emotion of a live performance
from vinyl and CD recordings.
Continue Reading…
Saturday, March 24th, 2007 at
8:57 pm
The Fatman iTube Valve Dock is a docking station that is compatible with all
iPods (except Shuffle).
Continue Reading…
