Recently Published AV News
Immersive Lunar Documentary By Tom Hanks Blasts Off At Space Center Houston

The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks is a new immersive documentary playing at Space Center Houston. Space Center Houston renovated and upgraded its IMAX theater to prepare for the new movie.
Invisible Monster Cables Still Cost $600

The Monster Digital Express HD System involves two boxes, a transmitter and receiver, which utilize a UWB (ultra-wideband) signal to carry HDMI information and more developed by Sigma Designs. The …
FCC Approves XM‑Sirius Merger

Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is recommending approval of the $5 billion merger between the nation's only two satellite radio broadcasters. Sirius Satellite …
MP3 Obsolete Already?

While the debate rages on (sort of) regarding MP3 vs AAC vs Ogg vs LAME vs (insert CODEC here), one new format seeks to differentiate itself as the new "Music 2.0" system. This month, the Motion …
Boxee: Streaming Media Goes Open Source

As the rest of the world is catching on to the wonder that is streaming media we’re seeing more options for the serious HTPC die-hards. Boxee is the latest, an open source platform, endlessly …
Metal Gear Solid 4: Will PlayStation 3 Finally Get its Halo 3?

Sony Computer Entertainment has a lot riding on the next mission of the Metal Gear series. Not only does the game’s protagonist Solid Snake have to deal with defective DNA causing him to age …
New Snags in the Digital TV Transition ‑ Moola

The Congressionally mandated switch to digital broadcasting on February 19, 2009 may face another obstacle besides senior citizens who have no idea that their TV's will go out and youngsters who …
Photonic Jets Shown to Increase Optical Disk Capacity

Traditional methods of storing data on optical media are bounded by certain physical limitations that current generation technologies are now pushing. Photonics, which involves directly using a …
Apple iPhone Goes 3G

Apple had their WWDC (WorldWide Developer Conference) today and unveiled the next-gen iPhone with faster Internet access. It runs on advanced 3G wireless networks, has GPS support and the cost of …
Klipsch Icon W, a New Icon in Home Theater

Klipsch introduces its new Icon W series of speakers designed with Home Theater in mind. Its wood veneer cabinets harken to a simpler time in audio reproduction, but Icon W brings the latest …
Vizio Battling MPEG‑2 Lawsuit from Mitsubishi and Company

Vizio announced this week that it is aware of a suit filed June 2, 2008 in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan by several electronics company competitors alleging that they failed to enter into a …
Samsung Meets Thomas Kinkade

Even traditional artists are getting into the HDTV craze. Samsung announced today that it has collaborated with The Thomas Kinkade Company to develop an LCD TV that would be able to shift between …
Toshiba’s New BD Attack Vector: Modify DVD for HD Content

When Toshiba ceded the format war back in February, one thing they made clear was that they did not plan to make Blu-ray players and that they would pursue other technologies such as NAND flash …
Online Game Coming to Sci‑Fi Channel?

World of Warcarft players have finally been vindicated - The Sci-Fi Channel is planing on marrying a TV show and a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) scheduled to be released in 2010. The idea …
MediaDefender Attacks Revision3, Illuminates Legal Grey Area

MediaDefender is paid by the motion picture and recording industry to defend clients’ intellectual property by going on the offensive. But last Memorial Day weekend it may have gone too far as the …
Flexplay Self‑Destructing DVDs ‑ Take Two

Resurrecting a format that already died a quick death, Staples will begin carrying Flexplay Entertainment’s self-destructing DVD movies next month. These are the discs which, once removed from a …
Harman Kardon Introduces New HDMI 1.3a Receivers

Harman Kardon has finally released a new series of AV receivers which feature three HDMI 1.3a inputs and one output, allowing native internal decoding of all the new high definition audio formats …
Sharp LCDs ‑ Plotting World Domination?

When we spot trends we like to point them out - especially when it's something that gradually occurs over time and might be missed as part of "the bigger picture" by consumers. Well, this week …
Sony Tube Speaker

Sony is targeting the high end professional setting with their new Sountina speaker. Standing about 3.3 feet high, the Sountina (a combination of "sound" and "fountain") is an transparent acrylic …
Get Ready for High‑Res Blu‑ray Audio

High Resolution audio goodness only came in two competing flavors before Blu-ray came along. You had to pick between competing formats DVD-Audio which was built to be the successor to the CD and …
Check That MP3 Player at the Border: ACTA Could Bring Tough New Copyright Laws

Living close to the Canada/US border used to be a lot less stressful. You could head across to either side for a simple lunch date and head back with little more ceremony than a few questions to …
Two‑way Cable Cards Ushered in by Sony

This just in from the "better-late-than-never" department: Sony has negotiated a deal to allow for itself and other television manufacturers to integrate two-way CableCARD technology into television …
Monster Cable is Back! Sues Mini‑Golf Company

Monster Cable has already attracted the ire of hi-fi enthusiasts worldwide. If it's not putting up shady displays at big box stores to lure customers into its Monster Cable scam it's doing the same …
An Environmental Issue We Can All Agree With

My desk is messy, but I never really thought about why until I read this recent article on an industry group aiming to reduce the number of power adapters in the world through standardization. It …
Memorial Day Movie Selections

It's Memorial Day, and while we hope many of you are reflecting on those who gave their lives in order for this country to be as free as it is today, we also recognize that Hollywood has done a …
Memorial Day Special ‑ EMP EF30 Free Upgrade!

Audiogurus has been running a great deal for the EMP EF30 5.1 system for just $899 (less than half MSRP). There has been such a great response, that they have sold out of the EF30 Center Channel. To …
3D Movies ‑ Savior of Movie Theaters?

Lately, we're seeing more and more about 3D movies being released. Many directors (most notably James Cameron who directed such greats as Aliens, The Terminator and definitely did NOT direct anything …
DisplayPort is Here: Are We Ready?

Approved by VESA just last year, DisplayPort is slowly trickling into the consumer market with PC gear and other consumer electronics. Now Atlona has committed its support to the digital interconnect …
ESPN Announces Ultimate Wi‑Fi Remote

ESPN Consumer Products announced a new remote control that it developed with the help of tvCompass. "ESPN The Ultimate Remote" (yes, awkward full name) is an Internet-connected Wi-Fi device that, in …