-
TVii Streams Live and Recorded Content to Your Wii U[teaser]The program is compatible with all cable and satellite providers and TiVo units. [/teaser] Nintendo's Wii U is well known for its innovative controls, but the new console also brings something new to gaming. The Wii U has the capability to interact with your TV, streaming content and DVR so you never have to change the channel to get what you want to watch. It's an impressive feature to be sure. Controls are done through the Wii U Game Pad, but there's more to it than just play, stop, fast-forward and rewind. Social networking, Wikipedia and IMDB are integrated right into the experience so you'll never be hungry for mostly-accurate information about your favorite actors and directors. You can search across all of your available sources, whether that's a DVR, Netflix, Amazon or live TV. There's also a very cool feature for sports enthusiasts. Rather than having to search and see what's on, you can simply bring up the tab with your sport of choice and see all games currently being played, then pick the one you want to watch. Nintendo says you won't have to worry about your provider or the make of your DVR – TVii plays nice with all of it. Source: PC MagazinePosted Thu Sep 13, 2012 at 12:30 PM PDT by: -
Panasonic Announces a New 3D Projector with Advanced 3D Customizability Features[teaser]The PT-AE8000U also sports a brightness of 2,400 lumens and a contrast ratio of 500,000:1. [/teaser] Panasonic's newest 3D projector is a follow-up to their first one, and it boasts plenty of improvements, especially in the 3D department. For starters, images are brighter by 20 percent, which should make viewing a bit more comfortable. Of course, there's plenty more to it than that. The PT-AE8000U is packed with features that allow you to adjust the 3D viewing to your liking. If you want to get really nitty gritty, you can adjust the parallax, which helps with comfort and varies according to screen size. Want to adjust color, contrast and brightness? 3D Picture Balance allows you to adjust those settings for each eye individually. "The PT-AE8000U is the ideal projector for home theater enthusiasts who enjoy customizing their settings," says Panasonic marketing manager Scott Wellington. "The PT-AE8000U provides several advanced 3D customization features, previously only supported in 2D, including 3D Motion Remaster, 3D Lens Memory, Keystone Correction and a powered zoom and focus functionality." Engadget says they've confirmed a price point somewhere around $3,499 for the AE8000U, which is due out late this month. Source: EndadgetPosted Thu Sep 13, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Apple Debuts the iPhone 5 – Screen Finally Goes 16:9[teaser]The company has also finally retired the old earbuds in favor of a new, more comfortable, better sounding option. [/teaser] If you somehow haven't heard already, Apple announced the iPhone 5 yesterday, as well as a few other improvements to their hardware and software. The biggest and most obvious improvements to the iPhone are directly tied to your movie watching and streaming experiences. For starters, the screen size has increased, and we're finally looking at a 16:9 aspect ratio. It's not 720p, coming in at 1,136 x 640. The size and resolution aren't quite up to snuff with what's available on some Android phones, but it's a step up for Apple. The company also announced that their phone with be compatible with 4G networks, which means your download speeds will be incredibly fast. If you're into streaming content, this is incredibly good news. And yes, those earbuds of old, which were only slightly better than the free ones you get on a flight, have been retired. Instead you'll get EarPods, which those that have gone hands-on say are more comfortable and better sounding. They're not audiophile quality of course, but they're not painful like the old ones. Source: ApplePosted Thu Sep 13, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Revel Launches New In-Wall and In-Ceiling Speakers[teaser]There are seven new models in all, including the W253L, an L/C/R that can be placed horizontally or vertically. [/teaser] Revel, a Harman brand, has just announced seven new in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for those that want audio power but don’t want to fill their room with it. All of these new models, aside from two low-profile, in-ceiling speakers, use a new C-2 clamping mechanism that locks speakers in place on surfaces up to two inches thick. The in-ceiling speakers – four new models in 6.5 and eight inch sizes – come packed with both round and square grilles to match your preferred look. All of Revel's new speakers utilize new PEI dome tweeters and feature bezel free magnetic faceplates. Source: Electronic HousePosted Wed Sep 12, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Niles Announces a Pair of Ceiling Mounted Subs[teaser]The 6.5 and 8-inch subs are made to be wall or ceiling mounted for those that desire the option. [/teaser] There are times where a sub on the ground just isn't optimal. Maybe you don't have the room for another home theater component or maybe you just don't want the sound to carry through your floor and into the kid's bedroom or neighbor's apartment. Whatever the reason, Niles has a solution for you. The SW6.5 and SW8 from Niles are made explicitly for this purpose. They come complete with an OmniMount compatible bracket mount, allowing them to be easily hung from ceilings or walls. You can even pick up a wireless receiver and transceiver to make wiring a thing of the past. The $499 SW6.5 offers a single 6.5 inch active driver and a pair of 6.5 inch passive radiators. It gives you 200 watts RMS power and 800 watts peak power. The $599 SW8 steps up to an eight inch driver and radiators while offering 300 watts RMS and 1200 watts peak power. Source: Electronic HousePosted Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Yamaha Ships Aventage BD-A1020 Universal Blu-ray Player[teaser]You'll find DVD Audio and SACD support as well as the bells and whistles you're used to from connected Blu-ray players. [/teaser] Yamaha found what they call "cult success" with the BD-A1010 universal Blu-ray player, which has prompted the production of an update – the BD-A1020. The BD-A1020 still does everything that made its predecessor so beloved. It handles SACD and DVD Audio as well as both 2D and 3D Blu-rays, it packs a 192kHz/32-bit DAC, x.v.Color, Deep Color and includes a RC-232C port for home automation. The newer model adds things that weren't in the previous iteration. The biggest of these additions is Wi-Fi, which not only allows for easier internet connection, but tablet and smartphone control as well. The BD-A1020 is shipping now at a price of $449. Source: Electronic HousePosted Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
Dolby Comes to UltraViolet – Dolby Atmos Comes to Theaters[teaser]You'll be getting improved audio quality whether you're out at the movies or spending a night in. [/teaser] Dolby technologies seem to permeate every aspect of audio we experience and now we'll be seeing Dolby in two more places, starting with UltraViolet. The films in your digital locker will now get the advantage of Dolby Digital Plus audio decoding. Dolby is also bringing a new tech to movie theaters – Atmos. Dolby Atmos is designed to further immerse audiences by placing sounds around and above them. The new tech will be used for both 'Taken 2' and 'Chasing Mavericks,' with mixing done by Chuck Michael and Craig Henighan respectively. A full list of theaters that will support Dolby Atmos will be announced closer to the release date of the films. Sources: Ultraviolet Dolby AtmosPosted Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 07:00 AM PDT by: -
Red Launching a $42,000 Black and White Camera[teaser]It's a niche product to be sure, but David Fincher is already using one for his next film. [/teaser] The folks at Red are known for their high quality digital cameras designed to suit the needs of any filmmaker that's shooting digital. The new Epic-M is different. It's made for a very small niche, but one that will be incredibly appreciative. The M in this case stands for monochrome, meaning that this new camera only shoots in black and white. While it may seem like the camera is lacking a major feature, the sacrifice of color actually results in some big improvements, like much better shooting in low light situations and even better effective resolution. The camera launches on October 1st, but director David Fincher is already using one to shoot his next feature. Source: EngadgetPosted Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 11:00 AM PDT by: -
Digital HD Copies of Fox Movies Launching Earlier and Cheaper than Blu-rays[teaser]It's all starting with 'Prometheus,' which comes in at $15 on September 18th. [/teaser] Finally there's a company out there that's taking full advantage of everything digital distribution has to offer – primarily the advantage of being able to push out a digital file without mucking about with shipping, packaging and everything that comes with it. Fox has announced that movies will now be available digitally before coming out on Blu-ray, and at a significantly cheaper price. 'Prometheus' is the first major movie that's going to be sold this way and Fox says that plenty more are on the way. The movie will be available on September 18th, well before the Blu-ray release, and will run just $15 instead of the $39 MSRP of the disc based version. These digital files won't require UltraViolet and can be purchased on a variety of sources including Amazon, PSN, Xbox Live, Vudu and more. There's no word at the moment whether we'll be seeing any special features and just what the quality is like. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Mon Sep 10, 2012 at 09:00 AM PDT by: -
LG's 84 Inch 4K Set Comes in at $19,999[teaser]It's coming out sooner than Sony's and cheaper to boot. [/teaser] When LG and Sony announced their 84 inch 4K sets, there didn't seem to be too much difference between them. They both pack Smart TV functionality, they both utilize passive 3D and they both upscale content to 4K. Now there's one very clear difference between them - $5,000. The LG 84LM9600 is coming to the US in October at a price of $19,999 which puts it at a significantly lower cost than the Sony model. It gives you WiDi capabilities for streaming from Intel i7 wielding laptops and Wi-Fi to stream from the net. LG's set also packs 2.2 channel audio in case you have to sell the rest of your home theater system to afford one massive TV. LG hasn't yet stated where we'll be able to find these sets in the wild. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Sep 7, 2012 at 10:50 AM PDT by:
