Review: JVC TH-F3
JVC announced the TH-F3 is a DVD audio/video front surround home theater system.The JVC TH-F3 is a 4.1-channel system featuring a DVD receiver with HDMI output with 1080p up-conversion, USB Host, an iPod docking station and DivX playback.The JVC TH-F3 Home Theater System will take your home theater experience to new heights and its attractive, stylish, and compact design is an awesome one.
The JVC TH-F3 plays a good array of digital audio and video files.The TH-F3 features an AM/FM A/V receiver with a built-in progressive-scan DVD/CD player and JVC’s front surround technology combined with a new speaker design, eliminating the need for rear speakers. To reduce resonance, the speaker cabinet is made from high-density material with wood reinforcement. The JVC TH-F3 also offers an HDMI CEC output, multi-format DVD playback, 192KHz/24-bit audio DAC and built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS decoders.
Review: Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD
The next generation of Pioneer KURO’s series of high-definition plasma HDTV (Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD) stepped into the market.The Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV from Pioneer that will thrill your senses with breathtaking imagery and sounds.The Kuro PDP-5020FD high-definition 1080p you have ever seen before that produces unfathomable black levels .An awesome new GUI (Graphic User Interface) makes it the most extraordinary, beautiful and amazing 1080p plasma HDTV with resolution display in 16:9.
Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD is offering superb antireflective screen, the 2-Way TruBass speakers with SRS technology and powered subwoofer.Newly added dimension and vibrant color will change the way you see, hear and feel the world forever.The Kuro PDP-5020FD is featured with dejudder processing option,72Hz mode for 1080p/24 sources works well, streams photo, music, and video files over home network.The PDP-5020FD is equipped with flexible input options such as 4 HDMI ports, Component, Composite, S-Video, USB, Ethernet and even VGA for your PC. Apart from its best-in-class black levels and excellent all-around performance places the Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD is an expensive plasma TV.
Features:
* High Definition 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080p)
* 50-Inch Diagonal Class / 16:9 Widescreen Aspect Ratio
* New Deeper Intense Blacks for Unmatched Contrast (5x the Previous Generation)
* New Thinner Cosmetic Design
* 4 Independent HDMI 1.3 Inputs
Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD Specifications:
General:
Product Type: 50 in Plasma TV
Combined with: Built-in network media player
Series: KURO
Digital Television Certification: HDTV
TV Tuner: 2x analog, 1x digital
Video Interface: HDMI, S-Video, Component, Composite
PC Interface: VGA (HD-15)
HDCP Compatible: Yes
Dimensions: With stand
Width: 48.4 in
Depth: 3.7 in
Height: 31.6 in
Weight: 86 lbs
Display:
Diagonal Size: 50 in – Widescreen
Technology: Plasma (PDP)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Display Format: 1080p (FullHD)
Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Progressive Scan: Progressive scanning (line doubling)
Widescreen Modes: Full, Wide, Zoom, Cinema, Dot by Dot, Conventional 4:3
Display Menu Language: French, English, Spanish
Comb Filter: 3D digital
V-Chip Control: Yes
Color Temperature Control: Yes (High/Mid/Low)
Picture Adjustment: Optimum/Dynamic/Standard/Movie/Game/User
Additional Features: Gamma correction, Black level expander, Video noise reduction, 3:2 pull down compensation, 3:3 pull down compensation, Color Transient Improvement (CTI)
TV Tuner:
Analog TV Tuner: NTSC
Multi-channel Preview: Picture-in-picture (PIP)
Reception System: ATSC, NTSC, Clear-QAM
Stereo Reception System: MTS
Secondary Audio Program (SAP): Yes
dbx Noise Reduction: Yes
Digital TV Tuner:
Digital TV Tuner: QAM, ATSC
Video Features:
HDTV Ready: Yes
Input Video Formats: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Electronic Program Guide: TV Guide On Screen
Parental Channel Lock: Yes
Closed Caption Capability: Yes
Remote Control:
Remote Control: Remote control – Infrared
Supported Devices: TV
Features: Glow buttons
Audio System:
Sound Output Mode: Stereo
Surround Mode: Yes
Sound Effects: SRS Focus, SRS TruBass
Audio Controls: Sound mode
Speakers Included: 2 speakers
Output Power / Total: 36 Watt
Additional Features: Detachable speakers
Speaker(s): 2 x Right/left channel speaker – Detachable – 18 Watt
Driver Details: Right/left channel speaker : 1 x Woofer driver, Right/left channel speaker : 1 x Tweeter driver
Network & Internet Multimedia:
Functionality: Digital audio playback, Digital photo playback, Digital video playback
Connectivity: Wired
Connectivity Protocols: IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet), IEEE 802.3u (Fast Ethernet)
Supported Audio Formats: AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA
Supported Video Formats: WMV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
Supported Pictures Formats: BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF
Connections:
Connector Type: 1 x Subwoofer output ( RCA phono ) – Rear, 1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) – Rear, 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) – Rear, 2 x Composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) – Rear, 1 x Component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) – Rear, 2 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ) – Rear, 1 x Digital audio output (optical) ( TOSLINK ) – Rear, 1 x Audio line-in ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) – Rear, 2 x Speakers output ( Click-fit x 2 ) – Rear, 4 x HDMI input ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) – Rear, 1 x RGB input ( 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ) – Rear, 1 x Remote control ( Mini-phone 3.5 mm ) – Rear, 1 x Serial ( 9 pin D-Sub ) – Rear, 1 x USB ( 4 pin USB Type A ) – Side, 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) – Side, 1 x Component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) – Side, 1 x Composite video/audio input ( RCA phono x 3 ) – Side, 1 x Network ( RJ-45 ) – Rear
Stands & Mounts:
Stand Included: Yes
Stand Design: Tabletop
Power:
Power Device: Power supply – Internal
Review: Boston Acoustics Horizon MCS130
Boston Acoustics Horizon MCS130 is distinctively styled 5.1 surround speaker system, which comes in six other finish glacier (light blue), rosebud (pink), pearl gray, chocolate (brown), chili pepper (red), and caramel (tan) apart form orthodox black (onyx) or silver (mist). The Boston Acoustics Horizon MCS130 is 200 watt home theater equipped with three LCR satellite speakers and 10-inch powered subwoofer. The LCR speakers are newly designed dual 3.5-inch drivers and a 1-inch soft dome tweeter along with relatively compact size.
Features:
* 5.1 Surround Sound
* Left, center, and right speakers feature dual 3.5″ drivers and 1″ soft dome tweeters
* Rear surround speakers feature 3.5″ drivers and 1″ soft dome tweeters
* 10″ 200-Watt powered subwoofer
* All speakers feature MagnaGuard magnetic shielding
* Wall Mountable
* Matte black finish
Boston Acoustics Horizon MCS130 Specifications:
General:
Product Type: Home theater speaker system
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight Details: Satellite speaker : 5 in x 4.1 in x 13.8 in / 5.1 lbs, Surround sound speaker : 5.5 in x 4 in x 8.4 in / 3.1 lbs, Subwoofer : 16.5 in x 16.5 in x 13.7 in / 31.3 lbs
Speaker System:
System Components: Subwoofer, 5 speakers
Speaker Type: Active subwoofer, passive satellites
Response Bandwidth: 40 – 20000 Hz
Recommended Amplifier Power: 10 – 150 Watt
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Detachable Grilles: Yes
Additional Features: Satellite magnetic shield
Speaker System Details:
Speakers Included: 3 x Satellite speaker – 2-way – 110 – 20000 Hz – 8 Ohm – Wired, 2 x Surround sound speaker – 2-way – 120 – 20000 Hz – 8 Ohm – Wired, 1 x Subwoofer – 200 Watt – 40 – 150 Hz – Wired
Driver Details: Subwoofer : 1 x Subwoofer driver – 10″
Power:
Power Device: Power supply – Internal
Review: Samsung HT-X810T
Samsung’s new SAMSUNG HT-X810 home theatre system is an unique design with soundbar speakers has a significant reduction of wires and clutter.SAMSUNG HT-X810 is single-speaker system with a built-in DVD player or a wireless subwoofer.HT-X810 is featured with built-in FM radio and streams Bluetooth audio from compatible A2DP sources.
The HT-X810 has good digital media support and HDMI video quality.The HT-X810T supports various digital file formats: DivX, Xvid, and WMV video files; MP3 and WMA audio; and JPEG photos making it an all-in-one home theater system.
Samsung HT-X810T Specification:
General
Product Type: Home theater system
Dimensions (WxDxH) / Weight: Main unit : 39.3 in x 6.4 in x 7.5 in, Speaker system
Subwoofer 7 in x 15 in x 12.7 in
Audio System
Sound Output Mode: Stereo
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 70 dB
Input Sensitivity: 600 mV
Amplifier Output Details: 75 Watt – 3 Ohm – 2 channel(s) ( Main ), 150 Watt – 3 Ohm – 1 channel(s) ( Subwoofer )
Timer: Sleep
Additional Features: USB host function, Built-in Bluetooth transmitter
Connectors
Headphone Jack: Yes
Optical Digital Input: Yes
Speaker System
Speaker(s): 2 x Right/left channel speaker – Built-in – 140 – 20000 Hz – 3 Ohm – Wired, 1 x Subwoofer – External – 35 – 160 Hz – 3 Ohm – Wireless
Radio
Type: Radio tuner – FM – Digital
Preset Station Qty: 15
DVD
Type: DVD player
Media Format: CD, DVD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW
Supported Digital Audio Standards: MP3, WMA
Supported Digital Video Standards: DivX
Upscaling: Yes
Output Resolution: 1080p
Additional Features: JPEG photo playback, Progressive scanning
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type: Digital player
Supported Digital Audio Standards: MP3, WMA
Additional Features: JPEG photo playback
Remote Control
Remote Control: Universal remote control – Infrared
Connections:
Connector Type: 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ), 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ), 1 x Component video output ( RCA phono x 3 ), 1 x HDMI output ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ), 1 x SPDIF input, 1 x USB ( 4 pin USB Type A )
Power
Power Device: Power supply – Internal
Philips MCD908 Home Theatre System Review
The days of ugly but functional electronics are pretty much through. It’s hard to pinpoint any particular company responsible for this trend, but perhaps it has been driven by us, the consumer.
At the same time, there is also a desire for our products not only to look good, but to sound good too. Philips has cottoned onto this desire with its new MCD908 mini DVD theatre system. It blends audiophile-grade features with good looks. Is this the ultimate blend of form and function?
The build quality on the Philips MCD908 is mightily impressive. The wooden speakers, for example, are as solid as boulders — this is a good thing as you don’t want the speaker cabinet resonating and spoiling the sound. The two housings for the components themselves are machined from aluminium.
Apart from the solidity of the build, the unit is certainly distinctive looking. Turn the Philips on and you’d think you’ve been transported to the set of the latest Fast and the Furious flick. This is a seriously bling-tastic piece of equipment — from the blue strip lighting to the faint red glow from the valve tubes.
The remote is also very distinctive, with a real leather finish in the hand and a machine-cut metal keypad reminiscent of the Motorola RAZR V3.
On paper, the specs of the Philips MCD908 are also quite remarkable, and speak to an audiophile’s wet-dream: a combination of neodymium ribbon and silk dome tweeters; gold-plated speaker binding posts; the aforementioned vacuum tube preamplifier; and a Class “D” digital amplifier.
Vacuum tubes were quite popular up until about the ’80s and were the main source of amplification — before their functions could be duplicated by solid-state electronics. They have enjoyed a resurgence recently, as their proponents will tell you the sound is more natural and less “digital”. In this particular instance, Philips have used them to counter the effects of the digital amplifier, but does it work? The amplifier itself is rated at 2 x 75W RMS — so able to drive the speakers very loud!
For the videophiles, there is also upscaling to 1080i via HDMI, and compatibility with a wide range of formats, including DiVX. This is a DVD player only, so obviously it lacks support for either Blu-ray or HD DVD.
Given the audiophile-like features and treatment of the MCD908, we were a little disappointed with how it actually performed sonically. Despite featuring two different tweeter systems, the sound seemed a little closed-in and nasal. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Get Ready For Love sounded a little boomy, with St Nick’s voice sounding much less strident than usual. The system just didn’t seem to give the band the room they needed to breathe.
While it would be perfect for a party, it wouldn’t be suited for critical listening — a three-piece stereo system at the same price would knock its socks off. It did perform better in this regard, though, than the other Philips at a similar price — the SoundBar HTS8100.
But as the sound bar was focused on video performance, it naturally outshone this mini-system when playing DVDs. The MCD908 lacks its siblings advanced video processing and it shows — for example, watching the children’s flick Happy Feet showed that it wasn’t able to handle moving, contrasting edges. There were visible interlacing artefacts during movement — even when employing the upscaling capabilities. Yet, HDMI and upscaling capabilities in a deck this small and this cheap are at least a bonus.
The Philips MCD908 is a very likeable beast, and sure looks impressive sitting on your entertainment rack. There are a lot of features crammed into these little boxes for a very small price — and it’s a very well built system. It’s just a pity that the performance doesn’t live up to the promise.
Review of Home Theater Fundas: Part I
Considering the history it is a evident that the concept of having a theater in your own home is something that is at least 30 years old, resplendent with insane technological advancements through the years. Yet the basics of it seem to be quite a blur to a consumer, who really wants to just have a blast while watching its favorite flick. The types of components available are plenty; the brands can get really obscure and of course there are the hundred reviews that are in your face.So there you are, aware of just one thing: you are a movie buff, the type that watches the same flick 5 times, or maybe you just collect your favorites and watch them on a relaxing Sunday.
The first thing which is most needed is a player, and even before that is the disc itself. The disc could be a DVD, VCD or DivX CD,is still the most common format of video available for viewers. Film producers engage themselves in making a killer DVD more often than not, filled with extra features and special content related to the movie, so as to feed the viewer with more. Besides that, the newer formats which most of you might have heard of, is Blu-Ray and HD DVD. These two giants are having a war of their lifetime, each supported by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Neither of them have officially come into India, so we don’t have to worry about them just yet. While talking about DVDs, one major thing must be explained, that is the resolution of the video.
Resolution is the seemingly intimidating specification that you see on TVs and discs alike: 480p, 1080i, .Simply put, they are just the number of small dots it takes to make up the full video frame, thus the higher the better, your picture is clearer with more minute detail. HD stands for High definition, so that means higher number of small dots to make your picture. The ‘p’ and the ‘i’, as in 480p is basically nothing but the way each frame of video is coming on your screen, it should be kept in ind that ‘p’ is better than ‘i’.
CES: Netgear’s HD Media Reciever
Netgear Inc., has announced a collaboration with BitTorrent, which will allow its users to stream videos to high-definition televisions (HDTVs) via the new Netgear Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000) media receiver. Popular Peer to peer network, BitTorrent will now work with Netgear on technology initiatives to deliver fast distribution of media files over home networks.
Patrick Lo, Netgear’s chairman and chief executive officer said, “Our customers’ growing appetite for quality HD content is well-served through Netgear’s routers, adapters, media receivers and storage devices. Even with broadband connections, however, the experience is only as good as the technology delivering the content over the Internet and to the HDTV screen. The audio and video quality of the Digital Entertainer HD combined with the speed, simplicity and security in BitTorrent’s delivery technology offers exactly the type of experience our customers demand.”
Netgear’s Digital Entertainer HD, debuted this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is a sleek set-top media receiver, which connects to any home-theater system to stream digital media from computers, network storage and USB media players. The receiver automatically locates, organizes and plays high-definition movies, TV shows, music files and personal photos along with Internet-based video, news feeds, weather reports and radio programs. The receiver’s high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port can display video resolution up to 1080p on big-screen TVs and its optical digital audio output can transmit full digital surround sound to a digital audio receiver.
TwinMOS Launches iPod Docking System
The iPod is a arguably the most successful portable music player of all time. It is easy enough for everyone to use. And yes, everyone on the planet has one – or so it seems. But therein lies the inherent problem for any iPod accessory manufacturer.
Because the iPod is so popular and the add-on market already booming, any manufacturer trying to successfully launch yet another accessory for the recently expanded range of players will find it more difficult than getting into the London Underground at rush hour.
TwinMos, manufacturer of the Boom 1 2.1 Audio System seems to have hit this problem head on and the result is a product that falls unassumingly in line with many, many other similar products. For example, the Boom 1 charges your iPod while in use or resting, it plays music through multiple speakers built into the docking station and it adds bass with an additional separate sub-woofer.
The Boom 1’s first saving grace though is its ease of set-up. Once out of the box, we had the system up and working in just a few minutes, with the only connections required being one to hook the power supply into the rear of the docking station and the other to connect the dome-like sub-woofer, which measures 22.9 x 23.2cm, to the docking station, which measures 40.2 x 8.0 x 5.7cm.
Anyone not very confident with the world of connectors and cables will be pleased to hear that each one here is colour-coded and the corresponding jack on the back of the docking station is then labelled accordingly.
There’s also a power-on/off button on the back of the docking station, so that you can switch it off with greater ease than fumbling behind sofas or table legs looking for the mains power switch.
When it comes to creating hype, no one quite beats TwinMOS . The iPod, for instance, has companies all over the world leeching off its products. Following suit after scores of competitors in the market TwinMOS has recently launched the BooM1, an iPod speaker/docking system.
The BooM1 is a 2.1 audio system with 8 watts per channel. Working in the on-board proprietary acoustic technology, it adds depth to the 25 watt sub woofer. Users will also be able to use it as a regular audio system as it is also equipped with a stereo mini jack connection.
Bang & Olufsen New Beo5 Remote Control
With nothing to give this image scale, you could be forgiven for thinking this is some kind of crazy new television from Bang & Olufsen’s venerable design and concept department, but you’d be wrong. This is in fact the Beo5 – a remote control unit.
Looking quite unlike any remote we’ve ever seen, the Beo5 arrives with no preset features and is instead uniquely customized to the customer’s individual needs. You can even change settings and add/remove devices at any point with a quick visit to the nearest B&O shop.
Completely flexible in terms of applications, it can control all your AV equipment as well as lights, RC curtains, windows, air-con, security systems and , “products with features and functions that are not known yet”.
The Beo 5 is intuitive enough to figure out all the devices you own and presents just the relevant menus and controls on its intelligent hardened glass screen. The menus are copied to the screen on the remote displaying even the station logos, thus you don’t need to remember all those channel numbers. Link rooms are controlled by means of Zones, e.g. the living room or kitchen zone, ensuring that you are using the right gadget in the right room. The sound volume wheel features dedicated tactile buttons within easy reach on the aluminum ball that forms the lower half of Beo 5.