Home Theater Systems

Panasonic SC-HTB350 2.1-Channel Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:14:02 +0000

Panasonic SC-BTT195 3D Blu-Ray Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:05:27 +0000

Panasonic SC-BTT190 3D Blu-Ray Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:01:10 +0000

Panasonic SC-HTB550 2.1-Channel Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:56:28 +0000

Panasonic SC-BTT490 3D Blu-Ray 5.1-Channel Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:06:14 +0000

The SC-BBT490 is one of Panasonic’s home theater system options for 2012 packing 3D Blu-Ray playback, 2D-to-3D conversion and 3D surround sound.

One of the best features brought forward by the SC-BBT490 is the 3D surround feature that will provide the highest quality sound experience for movies and will make you believe you’re in the middle of the action. This feature, in combination with the 3D Blu-Ray capability will lead to a theater-like experience in the comfort of your own home.

Panasonic has packed a whole slew of high-end features with this one and although it the price is on the high side for a home theater system, it aims to satisfy the most pretentious users.

Other high-end features include 24p Output for VOD, Adaptive Chroma Processing, 2D-to-3D conversion, Viera Connect platform for watching online content, 3D Cinema Surround Sound, Anti-Jitter Digital Amplifier and Skype functions.

As an added bonus, you’ll be able to control the SC-BBT490 using only your smartphone after you’ve installed a free app on your handset. Further more, you’ll be able to use the DLNA feature to wirelessly share content among devices or playback you multimedia library from an external hard drive.

If you’re looking for a 2012 high-end home theater system you can’t go wrong with Panasonic’s SC-BTT490.

Samsung HT-E5500W 5.1 Channel 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System

Marty — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 13:06:23 +0000

Samsung’s presence at the CES 2012 was a remarkable one and the company brought an entire slew of high-end products. A lot of the attention was directed towards the new flagship LED and Plasma TV models – the ES8000 and the E8000, but that was not everything Samsung had to bring to the table.

If you were in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year, visiting the Consumer Electronic Show you might’ve noticed the HT-E6730W and the HT-E5500W home theater systems, featuring built-in WiFi connectivity and allowing anyone to easily connect to the Internet to watch Internet streaming content and even surf online with the aid of the proprietary web browser.

Samsung HT-E5500W Features

The built-in WiFi connectivity also means you’ll be able to enjoy the new Samsung apps gallery, including premium apps from MTV, CNBC, ESPN, NBA or The Broadway Channel. Internet connectivity also means that you’ll be able to make use of the newly implemented social networking features and share content with friends on Facebook or Twitter.

Basically, you’ll have every great feature at your fingertips, however if you still want to take advantage of your old media collection, Samsung has equipped the HT-E5500W with an upscaling feature that will allow you to convert your old content to 1080p HD.

The Samsung HT-E5500W 3D Blu-Ray home theater system comes with 5.1-channels of surround sound, however you won’t be able to find the same technology as with the high-end HT-E6730W. If you’re looking for top-notch sound quality, you’d better take a look at that one.

Still, there’s no lack of quality with the HT-E5500W home theater system, and although this one comes with 5.1-channels of sound, you’ll still be able to enjoy a virtual 7.1 channel sound experience. The HT-E5500W packs the new 3D Sound technology and BD Wise Plus in order to provide the highest quality picture for your movies.

Samsung HT-E5500W Connectivity

Connectivity-wise, the HT-E5500W comes with two HDMI 1.4a inputs which will allow users to hook up their gaming consoles or large screen display to this one and there’s also an iPhone/iPod dock in order to allow users to access their private media collection using a connector cable.

Other features of the HT-E5500W home theater system include Crystal Amp Plus and Anynet+ and there’s also support for high-definition audio codecs. This one is able to playback 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, CDs, DVDs and DivX and help you make the most of your older media collection.

It is a quality home theater system from Samsung packing all the great 2012 features and topping it all of with great audio quality using wireless rear speakers.

The Samsung HT-E5500W 3D Blu-Ray home theater system is available right now for $379.

Panasonic SC-HTB15 Home Theater System/Sound Bar

Marty — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:34:19 +0000

If you’re looking for a good deal and high quality sound this holiday season, you’ll find the Panasonic SC-HTB15 sound bar to be the perfect companion to your large screen TV.

The Panasonic SC-HTB15 is a multi positional sound bar which can split up into two equal parts, letting you position it however you please within your home theater setup. The best thing about the SC-HTB15 from Panasonic is that it gives you enough alternatives for positioning and mounting to accommodate any setup.

The sound bar itself comes along with a subwoofer and can be used in a horizontal layout, under your HDTV or vertically, on each side of your screen.

As for the Panasonic SC-HTB15 subwoofer, it will deliver a powerful bass when placed on the floor to lend the impression of a large theater room. The sound bar, on the other hand will reflect the immersive sound towards the display giving the impression that the soundtrack is coming out of the screen and improving your home theater experience even more.

The SC-HTB15 sound bar from Panasonic is compatible with the ARC (Audio Return Channel) feature. The ARC feature allows the receiving the audio signals from the TV, on top of the preexisting HDMI function of sending audio/video signals to the TV with just one cable. This feature simplifies connection by eliminating the audio cable connection between the TV audio output and the main units audio input. * ARC compatible TV is required.

The Panasonic SC-HTB15 is able to decode high definition audio with the aid of its Dolby Digital and DTS decoders, features two HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, offers 3D compatibility and Clear Mode Dialog for an immersive sound experience.

The SC-HTB15 has received some great reviews on Amazon.com lately. So, if you’re looking for a great, new sound experience you should definitely check out the Panasonic SC-HTB15. It’s currently available for $254 on Amazon, but if you wait a while you can get an even better deal with Black Friday fast approaching.

The Panasonic SC-HTB15 is also available in Europe and you can get it just in time for the holiday season, on Amazon UK for £212.

LG LHB996 Network 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System

Marty — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:09:53 +0000

Here’s a brand new home theater system coming from LG. The LG LHB996 7.2 Channel Network 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System is definitely high-end gear coming with six speakers and a receiver that will make your music and movie collection seem out of this world. The LG LHB996 is here just in time for the holiday season for $1169 on amazon.com.

LG LHB996 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System Features

The LHB996 delivers 1280W of power, supports 3D content and provides the ultimate surround sound experience for your 3D movies. Apart from the 7.2 channels that were designed for audio excellence, the LHB996 also comes with high definition audio decoding in the form of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The high definition audio decoding embedded in the LG LHB996 will deliver lossless multi-channel audio, allowing for a deeper, wider and more detailed audio experience than you ever imagined was possible.

The LG LHB996 has been equipped with 192kHz/24-bit Burr Brown D/A converters on all channels, providing high resistance to clock jitter.

Smart TV
3D Blu-ray Disc Playback
3D Sound
Built-in Wi-Fi
Dual Subwoofers
DLNA Certified
1080p Upscaling
Made for iPod/iPhone
2 HDMI Inputs
SIMPLINK Connectivity

LG LHB996 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System Connectivity

If you’re thinking about connectivity, you needn’t worry as the LHB996 has been equipped to deliver in all areas. You can use this 3D home theater system to connect your iPod or iPhone and access your portable media in a matter of seconds. You also AM and FM radio and “music tags” to let you know the name of the song playing on the radio at any time. The “music tags” make for a great feature when you’re buying media in the iTunes store.

Other connectivity features include built-in WiFi, DLNA, Smart TV applications (LG App Store, Neflis, VUDU, CinemaNow etc), USB 2.0 playback, SIMPLINK Connectivity, two HDMI inputs to connect with your 3D display and dual subwoofers.

LG LHB996 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System Performance

What’s really great about the LG LHB996 is the high quality audio that it’s able to provide. You’ll never be able to go back to your old system again.

The LHB996 is able to improve the quality of MP3 and AAC audio formats using the Advanced Music Optimizer on-board, that is able to decode the entire file and compensate for the lost bit information which happens during the encoding of the particular file.

The design is very sleek coming in a black, glossy finish that will look fantastic and deliver the highest performance on the market this season.

If you’re looking for the ultimate audio and video experience for your movie collection this holiday season, the LG LHB996 is a great gift for any home theater enthusiast out there. The LHB996 will lend new life to your movies and music and you won’t be able to watch anything on other equipment than your own LHB996.

The LG LHB996 will make for a great gift and it’s now available for $1169 on amazon.com.

The Best Home Theater Design

Marty — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:30:46 +0000

During my teenage years when I was not yet allowed to watch movies with boys I would often sneak out of my room. My date would meet me with a bucket of popcorn and a cold soda and we would go to the movies. It would take a week’s allowance for my date and me to afford another movie, so we scheduled it as a weekend activity. We were always excited for the weekend because the movies were so different than just watching old movies at home. The sound was good and the screen was so much bigger. That was then.

Now, with the constant innovation in technology, we can already taste the same experience that of being inside the cinema houses at the comfort of our homes. Home theater is the new way to enjoy lengthy films with the whole family without having to get out of the house. A home theater room is a special area exclusive for watching movies. Home theater furniture would include a big flat screen television, surround stereo system, a player, some comfortable chairs, a DVD rack and maybe a corner for some refreshments. One of the advantages of setting up a home theater is the savings on gas and expensive snacks. It is also convenient since you don’t have to get dressed and can watch the movie at any time. The best benefit you can get is the time you can spend and bond with your family.

The Perfect Home Theater Arrangement

For people like me who love watching movies, I might as well make my home movie theater at par with the public theaters because it’s what I enjoy doing the most. For my home theater design, I would take into consideration the lighting, the home theater seating, the stereo output I’m going to use, the size of the screen and its location. For lighting, I would install the right number of ambient light with dimmer control for perfect watching experience. Next to consider is the home theater seats. How many people would fit in the room? How would I arrange the theater chairs without blocking the view of the screen and the view of other people? Theater seating for home is quite tricky as comfort of chairs must be balanced with the fitting in the limited space. Typical home theater seating is arranged side by side in rows with the screen in front, but if the space does not allow such arrangement, adjustments must be made. A good home theater chair must be made of soft and durable materials to give comfort while being seated for hours. It must not strain the back of my guests and must have enough leg room to avoid cramps. Of course I won’t forget that it must have a cup or a bottle holder for my soda. If I had enough money, I would buy a chair that has controls in it for various recycling positions and the lights. Once everyone is seated, all I have to do is hit some buttons and there goes off the lights, in time with the opening credits of the movie. That would be neat, huh?

My Dream Sound System

For my sound system, I would set up surround speakers with subwoofer bass to give me the best audio output. Clear, crisp and loud. It would provide enhanced music score and the dialogues of the characters. The subwoofers would definitely make me scream when the thunder rumbles and will make my heart skip a beat when there’s a jet crashing. For my player, I would choose one that is top of the line quality. I am thinking I should spend quite a sum for this so that I would get the feel of being inside the real theater. I would buy a fully packed audio-video system that is really designed for home theaters. It must have multi-purpose ports compatible with USB flash drives, MP3s, video and audio importing and a remote control to make my life easy. My player should be one that plays Blu-ray discs, 8 regions coded DVDs and is compatible with my HDTV screen. Since I have already mentioned my television set, which should it be? A Plasma, LED, LCD, HD or Bravia which one is it? I’m not particular on those types; I just want a big flat screen with perfect picture quality and sound output. If it’s already with full LED backlights, why not?

I can already vividly imagine my home theater now. The room is located just near the staircase for easy access. When you enter the room, the lights are already dimmed; speakers are well installed in all corners with the comfy chairs arranged just like theatre seating, in the middle. On one side of the wall there goes my flat screen with the player and audio system just below it. The Blu-ray discs are well arranged on the side. There’s a little table I see for some refreshments. On one corner of the room is where the mini bar is located which is actually where I can get my snacks. I have stocked some peanuts, microwaveable popcorn, candy bars, different flavored water and soda and maybe some chips.

Now, who wants to watch a movie with me?

Home Theater Furniture – What you should know

Acer S5201M Ultra-short-throw Projector

Marty — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:17:57 +0000

Acer has just released a new ultra-short-throw projector coming with Acer’s SmartPen product. The SmartPen allows users to write and project the image at the same time, leading to a more interactive presentation.

The Acer S5201M is a DLP 3D ready projector featuring a sleek design, a dark steel finish and rounded corners. As for the features, the Acer S5201M comes with XGA resolution, 3000 ANSI of brightness, 4500:1 contrast ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. You can set it to work at a maximum UXGA resolution and 1080p Full HD reoslution and 16:9 aspect ratio. There’s also the option of projecting 3D content if you add a 3D player and 3D glasses.

You will get this projector with the Acer eProjection Management software allowing this projector to be controlled via LAN and WiFi. You can also playback presentations and images directly from a USB drive, without the help of a computer or laptop.

In terms of connectivity, the Acer S5201M features two HDMI outputs, two USB ports, miniUSB, composite and component video and a mini stereo jack.

You will also get the Acer SmartPen which will dramatically help your presentations become more interactive and also serves as a remote control which can be used up as far as 32 feet away from the device.

The Acer S5201M projector is available right now for $999.99 in the US and Canada.