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New Epson Home Theater Projector Info Leaks?

Sep 1

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

According to a poster on AVS forum, Epson is set to announce a new range of home theater projectors just in time for the CEDIA expo.  On top of the food chain is the anamorphic-compatible Epson 9700UB reportedly selling for a retail price “similar” to the 9500UB.  The 8700UB will replace the 8500UB and a 8350 will likely fill the shoes of the current 8100.  No exact specs yet but ETA is said to be first week of October.  We’re big fans of Epson because they offer terrific picture quality for the money and the new lineup if confirmed sounds to up the value quotient even more.

Read the post here –>

Roku Announces Lower Prices, 1080p Support

Aug 30

Posted by James Y. in HOT Deals, Home Theater | No Comments

Show me someone with a Roku box and I’ll show you a satisfied customer.  Fans of Roku have more to cheer about as the company announced price drops on their official forums today.  New pricing is as follows:

Model SD: $59 (was $79) (standard def)

Model HD: $69 (was $99) (720p)

Model XR: $99 (was $129) (1080p, WiFi N 2×2 dual band, USB)

The company also announced the top-of-the-line XR model will receive 1080p  support.   The timing is certainly understandable as many believe Apple is set to announce a $99 iTV streaming set top box on their music event on Wednesday.

Read the Post here –>

Netflix App arrives on the small screen

Aug 26

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

Netflix iPhone App Video from Netflix on Vimeo.

The Netflix app previously an iPad exclusive is now available on the iPhone and iPod touch.  Enjoy!

[Expired] Onkyo TX-SR608: $379 Free Shipping

Aug 17

Posted by James Y. in HOT Deals, Home Theater | No Comments

Amazon has the popular Onkyo TX-SR608 receiver for only $378 with free shipping.  This is our top pick for a midrange receiver featuring THX Select 2 certification and 6, thats right 6 HDMI 1.4 inputs. Throw in 100 watts her channel, Audyssey DSX and 1080p upscaling and you have one helluva deal.

See the deal here –>

Star Wars announced on Blu-ray!

Aug 16

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

Perhaps there’s no better proof that Blu-ray has gained mainstream acceptance, than when George Lucas himself blesses the series with the Star Wars trilogy.  Well it’s official folks, the special edition series (not original) will be coming to glorious 1080p and losses audio sometime in 2011.  When asked if the original movies will ever see the light of day on blu, the company stated a full restoration job from scratch would be too expensive.  Oh well beggers can’t be choosers.

[Expired] Dell i5 2.4Ghz 500GB Studio 15 Laptop: $690

Aug 13

Posted by James Y. in Computing, HOT Deals | No Comments

It’s back to school time! If you’re looking for a great deal on a laptop this is is.  Dell is offering a beefy i5 Studio 15 laptop with a 15.6″ LED display for only $699 when you checkout with code HKV$VFLSQZ$PLG and ?8CN$RJ?W5TQ0C. You even get free shipping!

  • Intel Core i5-450M 2.4GHz
  • 6GB DDR3
  • 500GB Hard Drive
  • 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5470
  • 15.6″ LED Display w/ Camera
  • WiFi N
  • 6-Cell battery
  • Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit

See the deal here –>

Android rooting & customs ROMs: Not just for your son anymore

Aug 12

Posted by James Y. in Mobile | No Comments

Think rooting your Android device and installing a custom ROM is only for pimple-faced hormone enraged geeks who live in their Mom’s basement?  Think again.   We dug through the tutorials and sampled a few ROMs on our Google Nexus One to see what the fuss is about.  What did we find?  Custom ROM’s can seriously improve the overall experience of your device.  Here’s some of our favorite improvements:

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Blockbuster throws a Hail Mary

Aug 11

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

Blockbusters financial woes are well documented with many analysts predicting  the 6500 store Dallas based company will run out of cash sometime in 2011.  That’s not stopping them from going out without a fight.  Total Access subscribers can now add video game rentals to their queue’s, and just like movies you can keep them as long as you’d like with no late fees.  Whether or not it’s enough to sway Netflix subscribers (and their streaming)  is unknown but gamers are definitely salivating at the mouth.

Via Blockbuster

Apple set to announce iTV?

Aug 11

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

Maybe the rumors are true.  Engadget is reporting that Apple is set to announce a $99 set top box that would allow for 720 streaming of content over the web.  Considering the Cupertino company has been hard at work building a full on data center this [still-unconfirmed] rumor could bear some weight.  The question remains – what kind of content is available and will it be enough to kick your Hulu or Netflix habit?  Only time will tell.

See the article here –>

Pioneer announces G-Clef lineup. No Blu-ray in sight

Aug 9

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

Ask  the average Joe what he considers to be “high end” audio and you’re certain to get a different answer from an audiophile.  Pioneer’s new G-Clef is designed to bridge the gap between the big box stuff, and the gear you’ll find on the cover of Stereophile magazine.  It starts with a pair of integrated amplifiers the SX-A6MK2 ($700) and SX-A9MK2 ($1,600), feature a 24 bit Burr Brown and Wolfson DAC’s and along with a pair of CD/SACD players, the PD-D9MK2-K ($1,500) and PD-D6MK2-K ($700) that feature vibration free transports and cases.

While this new gear looks impressive, we’re curious as to why Pioneer won’t add SACD/DVD-A playback to it’s already high-end BDP-09FD blu-ray player and call it day as I’m a big fan of consolidating devices to save precious shelf space in my rack.

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Scoop: Pioneer BDP-51FD 1.66 FW Leaks!

Aug 1

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

A newer version (1.66) of the Pioneer BDP-51FD FW has leaked which is said to improve disc compatibility and address drop-outs with certain Denon receivers.  This is a service center release which means it’s designed to address specific issues and will (likely) not be an official release from Pioneer.

Disclaimer: Apply at your own risk.  Once updated you cannot downgrade to a prior release!

Instructions: Download the ISO and burn a CD using ImgBurn.  Insert the disc and wait 10 mins for the update to complete.  NOTE:  It’s always a good idea to reset your player to factory defaults after the update.

Update: The FW update went just fine on both of my 51FD’s.  So far I haven’t noticed much of a difference as they’ve been rock solid in terms of playback.

[Expired] Onkyo TX-SR608: $394

Aug 1

Posted by James Y. in HOT Deals, Home Theater | No Comments

The Onkyo 606 and subsequent 607 were some of the best bang for the buck receivers ever.  The 608 continues the tradition . New this year are full 3D HDMI 1.4 spec through all of its 6 HDMI inputs and Audyssey’s latest DSX technology which adds 2 front height speakers.  That’t the bang–ready for the buck?  Newegg has this receiver for only $394 with free shipping which is a terrific buy in our opinion.

Update: Price went up to about $429 which still ain’t bad.

See the deal here –>

5 Common Home Theater Mistakes

Jul 20

Posted by James Y. in Editorials, Home Theater | No Comments

As an AV installer I definitely see my share of configuration mistakes.  While some are blatantly obvious like a blu-ray player set to 480i, others are less so.  Here’s 5 off the top of my head:

1.  Using your TV as an audio switch

Got an older non-HDMI receiver and want to integrate it with your system?  Connecting your HDMI sources to your TV and using the optical output to your receiver should do the trick right?  Wrong.  While you’ll definitely get 5.1 Dolby Digital from over-the-air broadcasts, virtually all televisions today will not pass multi-channel audio from HDMI to optical.  That means the audio from your cable box, DVD player and game consoles will downgrade to 2 channel PCM when passed through your flat panel so keep that in mind.  It’s always best to connect each device directly to the AVR instead.

2.  Not running your AVR automatic setup properly

Today’s receivers are more advanced than ever consisting of processing power available in a full blown PC just a few years ago.  These chips are used for things like room correction algorithms that run in real time!  To get all the technology you paid for, follow the instructions that came with your device and make sure the setup microphone is placed at ear height using a tripod and NOT on the sofa seat cushion.  A little prep work goes a long way in improving sound quality.

3.  Overscan

The word “overscan” is like nails on a chalkboard for a professional calibrator.  Overscan is the ~3% zoom that many televisions apply by default to shield you from artifacts on the edges of broadcast television.  It’s a legacy problem inherent in the CRT days, however in the world of digital television overscan does nothing but rob you of information and overall picture clarity.  Bottom line: Look through your TV menu’s and find a way to turn it OFF. Unfortunately manufactures have not settled on a standard name for overscanning so read the manual carefully before pushing random buttons.

4.  Poor speaker placement

Most people seem to get the front/center/right speakers correct however the rear speakers are usually improperly placed.  For rear speakers you generally want a diffused sound so avoid aiming them directly towards your ears. In the end you want to create a sense of immersion so experiment with the placement of the front and rears to give you the biggest sound “bubble” your space allows.

5.  Booming Bass

Let’s face it we all love bass but if you’re calibrating your subwoofer using your favorite movie scenes, chances are it’s way too loud.  To avoid damaging your sub and scaring the bejeezus out of people in the next room, use test tones either the ones built into your AVR or from a disc and bust out a radio Shack meter.  Be sure the db meter is set to “slow” and “c” weighed and bring them down to the same levels as your other speakers.  Your neighbors will appreciate it.

That’s it for now folks!  Stay tuned for more in a few weeks!

Introducing Audyssey MultEQ XT 32

Jul 20

Posted by James Y. in Home Theater | No Comments

We’ve sung the praises of Audyssey’s wonderful room correction and automatic setup technology prominently integrated in Denon and Onkyo AVR’s in the past, and now the Southern California company is announcing an update to it’s high-end MultEQ XT technology by adding a “32″ at the end.  What’s the difference you ask?  How about 32 times the resolution of the filters using the same processing power by concentrating on bands that need the higher sampling rate.  The technology is already being used in several units as we speak.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cable/Sat companies feeling the heat. Considers lower cost plans?

Jul 9

Posted by James Y. in Editorials, Home Theater | No Comments

Last weeks announcement of Hulu plus which offers prime-time television shows in 720p quality for $10 a month along with Apple’s rumored subscription iTunes deal in the works, cable and satellite companies are certainly feeling the heat.   The average subscriber pays $80 a month which is a LOT of money during a recession.  In response Time Warner CEO Glenn Britt was quoted this week as saying:

It would be a good thing if we could all figure out a way to have one or more smaller packages that would be attractive to people who can’t afford bigger ones, especially if we could do it in a way that the entertainment companies are still able to finance the product

How many times have you caught yourself saying  ”If only I can watch ________ online I would kick my cable subscription in a heartbeat”.  For me it’s sports and if Comcast offered a sports-only package for $20 a month I would be all over that.  It doesn’t make sense to pay for channels you never watch so hopefully change is coming soon. Knowing how these media companies work I wouldn’t hold my breath.