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My annual holiday gift guide, the Last Minute, Mostly Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide has been posted over at LiveDigitally.com. Due to the bad economy, all items on the list are under $200. Past versions can be found here for 2007, and here for 2006. Happy holidays!
2008 Holiday Gift Guide Read MoreAnother one from the email bag today: I've been searching for a great sounding speaker system for computer use (Pc & MacBook Pro in the near future). I mainly want it for music, it will also be used for movies & games since I have a 40" connected to my pc. I've heard a bunch of systems, but nothing stands out of the crowd (I like to hear all sounds in a track as recorded). I ended up deciding on the (Axiom Audio Audiobytes and EPZero Subwoofer) till I read your review of them. What is your choice since I …
Klipsch vs. Klipsch Read MoreHere's one from the mailbag: Avi, We want to buy a 37" LCD TV. Is there a significant difference between 720P and 1080P? Yes, there is a significant difference between 720p and 1080p – though it depends on what you’re watching on it, and even then you may not be able to see the difference. The bottom line is that you can almost always get away with buying a 720p set and saving the money, but nobody seems to believe this answer, so here’s a slightly more involved one: First, two quick definitions: 1. the “p” in 1080P …
Home Theater Basics: 720p vs. 1080p, Analog/Digital Switchover Read MoreI was talking to my wife this evening, telling her about the new SlingCatcher (her term for these conversations is "lectures"), and she pointed out that my terminology, "wicked cool," is really, really old. Sad thing, I'm really really old. I have no idea what current slang for that would be. Tight? Sweet? Five by five? (That last one was on Buffy. Which has been off the air for years now, sadly.) Any help appreciated. Oh, and the SlingCatcher is now shipping. The "wicked cool" feature I was trying to describe to my wife – before she so rudely interrupted …
Help me learn the new lingo (also the SlingCatcher is finally shipping) Read MoreLogitech sent over Z-5 Omnidirectional notebook speakers. They're not going to put my Klipsch THX speakers of business (not by a long shot), but you need to remember that they're powered entirely via USB and don't take up too much desk space. Simplicity is clearly the goal here; the last USB-powered speakers I looked at, Altec Lansing's XT1's were designed with portability in mind. Compared to the XT1's, Logitech's Z-5's play extremely loud and sound extraordinary. They should make a great holiday gift for the notebook user who listens to music through fuzzy notebook speakers. Logitech also sent over triple.fi …
Odds and Ends Read MoreBlogging is strange. I can’t tell you how many times I get asked to provide links or link exchanges or even the occasional "please review our stuff and we’ll pay you for placement." Now, if this were about my day job (Research Director for Mobile Devices), it would be somewhat understandable – I am quoted by the press, and it’s my job to influence industry decision makers. But Home Theater View? Who reads this? Coverage here basically just influences my brother – my mother doesn’t even read this! Perhaps all they’re trying to do is up their Google rankings. So, …
Blogging for Dollars Read MoreCEDIA and IFA news is filling up my inbox, but one press release jumped out at me. I’ve seen similar features from other manufacturers (Onkyo immediately comes to mind), but the emphasis on digital media features in a new receiver from Yamaha was a big enough shift for me to write about it. Here’s the headline: NEW YAMAHA RX-Z7 7.1 CHANNEL HOME THEATER RECEIVER EXPANDS ON YAMAHA’S HIGHLY ACCLAIMED Z-SERIES, OFFERING SOPHISTICATED HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND BEST-IN-CLASS HD PERFORMANCE Well that sounds like any other high end super receiver. But wait, here’s the subhead: Following the Lead of the Company’s Flagship …
Is it a Receiver or a PC? Read MoreLogitech announced today that it is buying high end earbud vendor Ultimate Ears. UE is best known for $1000+ custom headphones for professional musicians, but it also has a line of consumer headphones in the $40 – $400 range. Its business model is incredibly similar to Shure – both come from professional audio (initially microphones in Shure’s case) and branched out into the consumer space. In contrast, etymotic’s background was in hearing aids, and V-MODA seems to have come from the fashion world. Without the custom business, Ultimate Ears is just another headset vendor, and its brand differentiation will be …
Logitech Buying Ultimate Ears Read MoreBrent Butterworth reviewed Cinepro’s speaker line in a sales showroom combining home theater and Lamborghinis a while back over at Home Entertainment Magazine. I’ve heard Cinepro’s amps at various shows, and they always claim to have the room with the most power – truly crazy claims, especially at some of the smaller audio shows where 10,000 watts of power is pressurizing a tiny hotel room. I have long respected Brent’s reviews and personal integrity, and he’s listened to nearly every high end system on the market and somehow remains grounded in the real world. He stays true to form here, …
Crazy Amps Get Crazy Speakers Read MoreSonos announced several upgrades today to its whole-house audio system (my review of the original system is here). The receiver modules have shrunk in size, have been upgraded with an upgraded version of Sonos’ proprietary wireless mesh networking technology, and the one with an internal amplifier (the ZonePlayer 120) has gotten more power. The software has been upgraded, and it now supports ridiculously large music collections (65,000 songs), OS X Leopard, and NAS devices (networked hard drives, which means you can listen to your own songs without turning on your PC). What hasn’t changed: The Controller 100 ($399) gets no …
Sonos 2.0 Read More