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Trends Audio Launches New Affordable Bookshelf Speakers[teaser]The new SA-10 and SA-10R from Trends Audi offer a nice looking speaker with some nice audio stats at a nice affordable price. [/teaser] The speakers are fairly similar in design, both using a 1" polymer dome tweeter and a 5-1/2" woofer with a pulped paper cone. Both the larger speaker and the tweeter are wide-dispersion so you won't have to worry too much about finding the exact sweet spot. Both feature a front-mounted bass port that allows a frequency response as low as 65Hz and can be driven by between 15 and 70 watts of power. The main difference between the two is that the SA-10 features a center mounted tweeter while the SA-10Rs have one tweeter towards the left and one toward the right. Both are available now at a price of $265. Source: Canada HiFiPosted Mon Dec 19, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
Bonus View Digest - December 16, 2011[teaser]This week has been an eventful one at The Bonus View. We've covered a variety of subjects for high-def enthusiasts and film buffs. Everything from new releases to our pre-Sundance coverage has been covered. [/teaser] We started some new features, and continued on with established ones that you know and love. So, if you missed out on anything this week on The Bonus View now's your chance to catch up before the weekend. Blu-ray News Last week's Weekend Roundtable dealt specifically with the Blu-ray format. The writers chatted about some of their favorite DVD-to-Blu-ray upgrades were. Check out the article to see if you agree with the Blu-rays they picked and maybe suggest a few of your favorites too. As always don't forget to check out the Blu-ray Highlights for the week as Josh covers the week in new Blu-ray releases. Find out what to buy and what you probably shouldn't bother with. Theatrical News The end of the year is always a cinematical treat. It's a time of the year when big holiday blockbusters collide with the movies that are sure to be in contention for an Oscar or two. This week Luke reviewed quite a few movies that you're most likely excited to see at the theaters this weekend or in the coming weeks. Check out his reviews of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' 'Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,' 'Carnage,' and 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.' This week we launched a new column that we'll hopefully be able to get to every week. The new column is called Critical Mass. Luke and Aaron usually have wildly differing opinions on movies and here they debate the pros and cons to new theatrical releases. The first article in the series discusses the new spy thriller 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.' Aaron liked it, Luke did not. See who you side with. We've started our pre-Sundance Film Festival coverage. Want to know what films are playing at the Sundance Film Festival this year? Well we've got all the announcements along with a few thoughts from Aaron Peck. He'll be attending this coming festival and he lets you know what to look forward to. This week we have previews of The Premieres and Park City at Midnight. Speaking of film festivals this week's Mid-Week Poll we asked our readers if they actually do attend film festivals, which ones, and how often. Take some time out and add your two cents to the poll. Rounding out the theatrical news for the week Luke reports on the David Fincher/David Denby review fiasco, and Josh announces the Golden Globe nominations. TV Recaps Looking for what to watch on TV? Well, we've got recaps to some of television's hottest shows. Check out our recaps for 'Terra Nova,' 'Chuck,' 'Luck,' 'Haven,' 'Grimm,' 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' and 'American Horror Story.' Thanks for making this another successful week at The Bonus View. Please don't be a stranger! And as always, have a great movie-watching weekend.Posted Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 12:30 PM PST by: -
Roku's New Update Helps Audio Performance, Game Performance and Adds MKV Support[teaser]MKVs won't be able to be streamed, but you can play them directly from a USB drive. [/teaser] Roku has released a new update to their Roku 2 and Roku LT streaming players that brings some new functionality along with improvements to the way the players work currently. Most exciting for fans of digital media will be MKV support. You'll be able to play MKV files from a USB drive. Roku has also improved playback of MP4 files. Streaming via Wi-Fi has also improved thanks to newly optimized code. The other new feature that Roku is touting is improvements to gaming that offers support for more titles. It's a Roku 2 specific update that will add new games to the catalog and, Roku hopes, attract a few more developers to the platform. Source: Roku (via Engadget)Posted Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 10:45 AM PST by: -
Atlantic Launches New AT-2 H-PAS Bookshelf Speakers[teaser]The 16" speakers boast frequency response as low as 41Hz. [/teaser] The folks over at Atlantic have put their H-PAS technology into a pair of bookshelf speakers that are able to produce distortion free bass at frequencies down to 41Hz. That's a good chunk lower than most other speakers of the same size and specs. Atlantic's AT-2 utilizes a 5-1/4" long-excursion woofer and a 1-1/8" tweeter to reproduce the highs and lows. The tweeter is the same one you'll find in the AT-1 and has a crossover frequency of 2,200Hz. Atlantic Technology president, Peter Tribeman says that the H-PAS algorithm has worked remarkably well in adaptation to the smaller AT-2. He adds, "These new bookshelf speakers are going to have lots of people looking futilely for a hidden subwoofer." The AT-2 is available now at $1,800 a pair. Source: eCousticsPosted Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
The Popcorn Hour C-300 Allows for Quick Installation and Removal of HDDs and Blu-ray[teaser]This flexibility allows you to have a variety of storage spaces hooked up at once. [/teaser] The latest release from the folks over at Sybas technology is the Popcorn Hour C-300, a networked media player that gives you a great deal of functionality. It streams video and audio from anywhere on your network, but that's not where it ends. The Popcorn Hour C-300 seems to meet Blu-ray players halfway. As BD players are getting more streaming options, the C-300 is a media streamer that's adding more hardware options. Specifically, you can add a Blu-ray drive to the device, allowing you to stream, play back computer files and watch your Blu-rays without having to change the input on your TV. In addition to the Blu-ray player, you can attach a 3.5 hard drive or 2.5 inch SATA drive chock full of your favorite shows and movies. There's also app support for streaming shows and movies, but if you're looking for staples like Netflix you'll have to go somewhere else. Source: EngadgetPosted Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by: -
SlingPlayer Launches for Google TV[teaser]Remote TV viewing is now available for both Sony and Logitech Google TV products. [/teaser] Google TV had a rough start, but there's starting to be some real movement thanks to an operating system update and a few new apps. The latest to be introduced to Google TV is the SlingPlayer. They're calling it the SlingPlayer for Logitech Revue - it works on the other platforms so we're not sure why - and it allows you to do the things that you'd expect from a Sling app. You can watch the shows playing or recorded at home from anywhere you have an internet connection. The SlingPlayer is available as a free download on Google TV now. Source: EngadgetPosted Thu Dec 15, 2011 at 04:30 PM PST by: -
Internet Based VOD numbers are Dire, but Streaming on Game Systems on the Rise[teaser]On average, PS3 owners are using a over a third of system time on Blu-rays and streaming. [/teaser] Two studies came out recently with some very interesting information that seems conflicting at first glance. The first is that, according to the NPD, online VOD purchases are incredibly low. The second is that streaming on videogame consoles is on the rise. Internet based VOD numbers account for all devices capable of renting a movie online. According to the NPD report, only five percent of those that can rent VODs are doing so. " It’s understandable that smartphone owners might be hesitant to watch a full-length movie with limited screens and battery life," says NPD's Russ Crupnick, "but few of the other connected devices are showing strong uptake for Internet VOD, either." Game consoles, however, have been seeing increased usage as streaming and entertainment machines. Nilsen says that 15 percent of the time an Xbox user is on the system, they're watching streaming movies. The PS3 accounts for 15 percent as well, while Wii users devote 33 percent of their time to videos. An impressive 22 percent of time using the PS3 is spent watching DVDs or Blu-rays, which brings the total movie watching time to 37 percent. Source: Home Media MagazinePosted Thu Dec 15, 2011 at 04:00 PM PST by: -
Sources Say Verizon Will Make a Serious Bid on Netflix[teaser]If the deal went down, it would certainly put to rest any speculation on competition in the streaming space. [/teaser] Verizon has been fairly vocal about their planned streaming service. They're not aiming to be a Netflix competitor necessarily, but the plan is to start small and work up to something big. At least, that's what they've said publicly. According to sources close to Bloomberg, Verizon is going to be making a serious bid to purchase Netflix outright. Peter Bibb of Mediatech Capital says that we could be looking at an offer in the range of $4.6 billion to go down by April of 2012. There's been a lot of speculation about just what the Verizon streaming service will bring to the table in terms of competition, but that might not be an issue after all. It's also possible that the Verizon bid will start a bidding war between other possible Netflix buyers like Amazon and Google. Source: BloombergPosted Thu Dec 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM PST by: -
Microsoft is Looking for a Head of Original Programming for Xbox Live[teaser]The latest Xbox update brought a good deal of new content, but it looks like Microsoft isn't satisfied with letting other people make it. [/teaser] When the newest update to the Xbox 360 dropped last week there was a glut of content added. YouTube is now available on the system, as are cable provider specific apps and there are more planned to hit the system in the coming months. That's not enough for Microsoft though. The company is now looking for a head of original programming, targeting two ex NBC executives as possible hires. It looks like we're going to see some new shows developed just for Xbox Live members. This is some potentially big news but there are really two possibilities here. The first is that Microsoft is going to follow the Netflix route and try and get some real content and maybe a cancelled show or two. The other, of course, is that the original programming will be things similar to the already existing content like 'Major's Minute.' With so much focus on getting players using their Xboxes instead of their cable boxes, it seems entirely possible that it's the former. Source: JoystiqPosted Thu Dec 15, 2011 at 09:00 AM PST by: -
CALM Act Adopted by FCC - Commercials are Getting Quieter[teaser]On the down side, it's not going to take effect until next December.[/teaser] It seems pretty safe to say that nobody likes to have their shows, movies and games interrupted by commercials. As bad as the unwanted break is though, it gets even worse when those commercials are louder than the show you're watching. Thankfully, something has finally been done about it. Cable companies and advertisers didn't do it themselves of course, there had to be a bill sent through congress to make it all happen. The CALM act has finally been passed and enacted by the FCC, forcing broadcasters to keep advertisements at the same maximum volume level as the show you're watching. On the down side, this won't go into effect for a full year. Until December of 2012 you'll be stuck dealing with the same jarringly loud commercials we have now - assuming that you don't record your favorite shows and skip through the commercials or just download them and skip it all together. Source: EngadgetPosted Thu Dec 15, 2011 at 07:00 AM PST by:
