HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Netflix just launched their service in Canada, but they aren't planning to ship a single disc. The entire service is what we refer to as "Watch it Now" or their streaming video service. They're also on record as saying that if they were starting in the US right now, they'd do the same thing: skip discs entirely and go straight to streaming. Microsoft has recently also predicted that Blu-ray will go the way of the HD-DVD very soon (article). So what do these companies know that we don't?

Each year CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) holds an event where the industry gathers to show off their wares. We’ve been to a few of these and actually enjoy the show more than CES. It takes the parts of CES that we are interested in and compresses it down to a more manageable show. We didn’t go this year but that won’t stop us from talking about some of the products we think are interesting.

Although neither of us have actually taken the plunge, we’ve talked quite often about canceling the cable or satellite bill in favor of Internet video and over the air TV. We know several of you have given it a shot, but there’s always been one big hangup. What about live TV? A new website called ivi.tv wants to fill that gap.

Over the last few months we highlighted Home Automation companies that were on the high end side. While these system are what we all dream of, almost all of us can’t afford them. However, there is no reason that we can’t have a fully functional home automation system without breaking the bank. When we read an article at Electronic House entitled Home Automation FAQs for Beginners we thought it would be a good idea to talk a bit about Home Automation for beginners.

The term “Home Theater” has become pretty subjective. Years ago it meant exactly what it sounds like, and actual theater in your home. Typically reserved for only the super rich, it slowly grew more mainstream as prices fell and DIY solutions came to market. Eventually, the term has come to describe any home audio-visual setup that has surround sound and perhaps a larger than normal television.

With football season just around the corner you may be in the market for a new HDTV to watch your favorite team try and make it to the Superbowl. We’ve seen a few technologies come and go and each of them try to produce a picture that’s as good as plasma. The latest is LED. The Vizio XVT553SV will run you about $1900 for the 55 inch version and its loaded with all kinds of goodies that we can finally say that Plasma may have finally met its match.

Pat yourself on the back, we did it again.  We all made it through another Summer with nothing to watch on TV.  Whether you had stored up a bunch of shows on your DVR to get you through the dry season, or relied heavily on Netflix and Hulu, you made it.  And now it’s time to reap the reward.  Football is back, and in just a few short weeks all your favorite shows will be back on, and perhaps a few new ones will make it to your favorites list.

In the continuation of our ongoing series on home automation we discuss Crestron.  Perhaps the biggest name in home automation, Crestron is the standard by which other automation products are measured.  Crestron solutions are found in the home, corporations, hospitals, education and more. Like other solutions, Crestron home automation packages give you control over your lighting, climate, and entertainment. Here is a little of what Crestron supports.

Ever since we talked about Dolby Pro Logic IIz and Audyssey DSX in Episode 425, we've had a strong desire to experience them for ourselves.  And what better excuse is there to buy a new receiver than 9.1 surround?  That brought us to the Onkyo TX-SR608 home theater receiver.  It's a 7.1 receiver that will do just about everything you want, and a little more.

We all know someone who has to own the absolute best gear on the market. They don't care how much it costs. Whether its a receiver that "reproduces sounds that only dogs can hear" or its the guy who buys the most expensive video processor for his equally expensive projector, we all have stories of friends or acquaintances that match that description.

Blu-ray would like to supplant DVD and take over as the dominant video format in households all around the world.  We see the advantage from a pure quality perspective, but believe that costs have to line up for it to actually happen.  With so many forces pulling against it, can Blu-ray really become the successor to DVD?

Today as part of our ongoing series on home automation we discuss Life|ware.  Life|ware™ is software developed by Exceptional Innovation that allows you to seamlessly merge control of your home along with your world of digital entertainment.

Our Semi Monthly countdown of the top ten Blu Ray titles as measured by Amazon.com. Today's show is based on sales as of Friday June 18th??

There’s been a lot of activity on the Internet recently around the new HDBaseT Alliance. Bottom line, they want to replace HDMI with standard Cat5e or Cat6 cables.  The group was launched in December 2009, but recently announced that LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony have thrown in their support.  This, along with a finalized spec, have moved the HDBaseT idea to the forefront of home theater news.

We all want great sounding home theaters. We spend our hard earned cash on receivers, speakers, subwoofers and TV/Projectors but one area many of us overlook is the actual room acoustics. Bare floors and walls can ruin an experience by allowing sound waves to bounce off these surfaces and create audio distortions. The net result is the most expensive systems will not live up to their potential. Acoustic treatments can absorb the sound waves and prevent echoes, reverberation, and audio distortion that reduce the enjoyment of your home theater.