Posts tagged Home theater at Switched

Posts with tag home theater

Man Builds DIY Drive-In Theater

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 12th 2008 at 3:03PM

It's one thing to craft a home theater that keeps guests coming back weekend after weekend, but it's another to create one that keeps them rolling (literally) in by the dozens. Kevin Van fulfilled what we can only imagine was a mid-20s fantasy by building his very own backyard theater, complete with an Epson 77c projector, homemade 6-foot retractable screen and 8 vintage drive-in speakers rigged up to deliver 5.1 surround sound on his deck and 2-channel stereo around the pool.

There's also a concession stand, a homegrown outdoor subwoofer being pushed by 1,100 watts and a whole slew of other audio / video components. Those cruising through Fraser, Michigan should seriously look this guy up -- sounds like a great way to spend a few hours. [Via UberReview]

Watch Movies in Your Personal, Air-Conditioned HomeTheater Pod

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 6th 2008 at 5:06PM

As with quite a few things unveiled at CEDIA Expos, the Ovei is also aimed squarely at folks with wallets so fat they can hardly contain themselves. This home cinema pod made its most recent debut at the CEDIA UK show, where the creators explained that users could slip into the air-conditioned capsule and control their home theater and / or gaming experience via the built-in touchscreen.

We are told that it was designed by Lee McCormack and engineered by McLaren Applied Technologies, but aside from that, pretty much everything else remains a mystery. The Ovei can be ordered up now for around £50,000 (that's 100,000 of those depreciating greenbacks), but if you get 'em to toss in some foot pedals and a steering wheel (or whatever else you dream up), count on that figure heading north in a hurry.

[Via KanYeWest Blog]

Read - Ovei pod details
Read - Ovei pod live shots, video

The $1M Custom Home Theater Installation

by Darren Murph, posted May 20th 2008 at 2:30PM

Though not nearly as extravagant as the $6 million Kipnis Studio Standard, Ivan Messer's AV lair is quite impressive -- particularly for fans of McIntosh. This installation tallied up to a cool million when all was said and done, and a staggering 100 McIntosh components were used in the build. Aside from that, you'll also find a heavy reliance on wooden cabinetry and a real touch of class overall, but we won't spoil it for you. Head on down to the read link to take a look at what seven figures can net you. [Source: Electronic House]

The Audio System That Costs as Much as a House

by Will Safer, posted Jan 9th 2008 at 3:42PM

Binghamton, N.Y.-based McIntosh, maker of high-end home theater equipment for some truly demanding audio aficionados, is showing a $190,000 home theater system here at the Consumer Electronics Show -- a set up which they call, simply, "The Reference System." That $190,000 is just under the $240,000 national average for the cost of an entire home in the United States.

Each tweeter (the speakers that produce higher frequencies) in this system has 110 drivers, for example. Spreading the sound output among so many gives a much sweeter tweeter, so to speak. But that's hard for a system to manage, and creates the need for some seriously complex (and expensive) components.

"It takes a lot of power to produce sound that gives you the same type of experience you'd have if you were in a concert hall," said McIntosh's James Ludoviconi. "Despite this, the system itself is extremely quiet, so the only sound you hear is from the source content." Each 2,000-watt amp utilizes something called "quad-balancing" to eliminate the noise a powerful piece of equipment might otherwise make on its own. Quite a feat of engineering.

Frankly, we were impressed just looking at the set up.

Better get a bigger piggy bank.

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Westinghouse Takes HD Wireless

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 6th 2008 at 2:47AM

We all love our HD and our home theater set ups, but all of the wires are certainly a pain, and plenty unsightly. But Westinghouse is hoping to "cut the cord" and usher in the era of wireless HD. The company, known for its quality budget TVs, will be showing off an LCD HDTV with wireless HDMI technology that will allow the television to be mounted anywhere in your house -- without running cable from your set top box. So now you can hide your ugly cable box in a cabinet or in another piece of furniture, and then mount the television across the room. It also means you can wall-mount your TV without unsightly wires.

Of course, no home theater system would be complete with out a surround sound system. And what would a fancy wireless TV be without a fancy wireless audio system? Westinghouse will also be showing a wireless receiver and speakers that have a range of 65-feet and introduce no latency (which can be an issue with wireless) so that the image and audio are always perfectly in sync.

We're looking forward to seeing these wire-free Westies in action to see if they live up to the hype -- check back over the next few days for our hands-on impressions.

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Epson's Home-Theater-In-a-Box Comes with 100-Inch Screen, Projector

by Tim Stevens, posted Jan 4th 2008 at 9:34AM

Epson's Big-Screen Home Theater In a Box

HTIB's -- "home theaters in a box" -- are all-in-one systems that deliver everything you need to take that big new HDTV you just bought and give yourself the full home theater experience with a surround-sound system. However, these systems generally assume you've already purchased a TV, and most are targeted toward entry-level consumers who just want to be flanked by speakers (and speaker cable) but aren't too picky about sound quality.

Epson's Ensemble HD package is a different beast.

This is similar in purpose, including a 5.1 speaker system with an integrated A/V receiver and DVD player, along with all the wires and cabling you'll need to hook it all together. However, this bundle also includes a motorized screen and your choice of one of Epson's high-end LCD projectors. Couple the two together and, if you opt for the higher-end bundle, you can project a 100-inch 1080p image onto the screen, which will silently retract into its housing when you're done for the night.

So, it's a little more high-end than you're typical HTIB, and is priced accordingly. The top-of-the-line system with the 1080p projector will set you back $6,999 when it's released next month, though you can save yourself two grand and go for the $4,999 720p projector if you like. But, really, what's two grand when you're living the life?

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Onkyo HT-SP908 Home-Theater-in-a-Box (HTIB)

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 25th 2007 at 2:01PM

Onkyo HT-SP908 Home Theater in a Box (Video Junkie, $1,000 and Under)

The movie buff in your family would certainly appreciate the new HT-SP908 Home Theater In a Box (HTIB) from Onkyo. Bonus points if said film fanatic also happens to have a soft spot for over-the-top tech. The feature list on the receiver alone makes this package a steal in the $750-$850 price range.

First of all, it's the first HTIB system to have state-of-the-art HDMI 1.3 connectors, which allow for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio playback (the latest and greatest versions of those sound processing standards). The built-in upscaling for all video sources makes sure regular DVDs, standard def TV shows, and home videos look HD-esque and top notch. It's also XM and Sirius satellite radio ready (you just need to get a subscription), and it has an integrated iPod dock. The included DVD player handles not only your standard DVDs and CDs, but also Windows Media, DivX, MPEG 4, and MP3 files. And let's not forget about the 7.1 90-watt-per-channel wall-mountable speakers.

This HTIB can handle just about anything you throw at it, just look at all those logos!

Essentially, it's a state-of-the-art home theater system for less than $1,000! Any one who wouldn't appreciate getting this for the holidays is obviously not playing with a full deck.

From Onkyo.

Meridian F80

by Evan Shamoon, posted Nov 25th 2007 at 1:31PM

This just-released home entertainment system is co-branded with Ferarri -- so you know it's not gonna be cheap -- but this baby is for the high-end music lover who probably already has an Italian sports car, anyway. The Meridian F80 is a one-box, tabletop 2.1 system -- two speakers in the front, a subwoofer in the back, and a whole lot of DSP in the middle. It features the same Meridian DSP technology found on the DSP8000 speakers costing $55,000 -- making its $2,999 price tag seem like a steal! (Sorta, but not really.) It's phenomenal for pristine music output in small spaces (like a penthouse studio in New York City), but can also connect to virtually any video display for some seriously high-end media enjoyment (including a Faroudja projector...which will cost you – actually, if you have to ask, you can't afford it).

From Meridian

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

by Tom Conlon, posted Oct 6th 2007 at 7:00AM

We're asked all the time what constitutes a great, but affordable home theater package. Unfortunately, 'affordable' can mean very different things to different people. So, we've put together two excellent home theater set-ups for two different budgets, both of which are still firmly planted in the realm of reality. In other words, you probably won't need a winning lottery ticket to afford the payments on them.

For the budget-conscious buyer:

VIZIO VX37L 37-inch LCD TV
At just $799 for a top-notch LCD, you really can't beat VIZIO. Though you might not be familiar with the name, the company has been making some noise lately for offering high-quality sets priced with real people in mind. On this LCD, you get two HDMI inputs for connecting video sources with just one cable for picture and sound -- a nice feature at such a low price. The resolution tops out at 720p, but at this size that's all you'll need for HDTV broadcasts, DVDs and gaming. (More on 720p versus 1080p here.)

Panasonic SC-PT950 Wireless Home Theater
When putting together a home theater, hardcore audiophiles will tell you to handpick your components and speakers separately. But, that quickly gets expensive and time-consuming. All-in-one systems, or HTIBs (Home Theater In a Box), on the other hand, give you everything you need in one convenient package – like this Panasonic kit, which includes a receiver, amplifier, five-disc DVD changer and speakers. In addition to an included iPod dock and the ability to up-convert DVDs to true 1080p resolution, the $440 system also boasts the convenience and easy setup of a wireless back speaker.

TOTAL: $1,240

Next >>

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

by Tom Conlon, posted Oct 6th 2007 at 7:00AM

For the buyer with a little more to spend:

Samsung HP-T5064 50-inch Plasma TV
First, let's exchange those extra bucks of yours for a couple of more inches of screen real estate. Samsung's 50-inch beauty looks great on any wall. It features a glare-reducing screen for nice picture even in bright light, plus its ability to display blacks and dark colors is one of the in the business. Besides three HDMI inputs for your various video sources, this monster boasts a DVI input for connecting a computer and a USB slot for playing photos and MP3s directly off of a thumb drive. For $1,300, you max out at a 720p resolution, so go with Samsung's similarly equipped FPT5084 model for $2,300 if you think you need 1080p.

Sony PlayStation 3
Why not make Sony's gaming console the center of your home theater? Besides blistering your thumbs with its catalog of shooters, sword-slingers. sports titles and other adventures, the PS3 is also a CD, DVD and Blu-ray player. It can also be used as your home media server, or it can stream movies, music and photos from your computer. Oh, and it has an Internet browser. Right now, the cheapest PS3 you can get is listed at $499, but it's starting to look like those whispers of a $399 model are more than just rumors.

Yamaha YSP-900 Digital Sound Projector
These Digital Sound Projectors are some of the coolest products we've seen in a while. This single $899 unit replaces the amp, speakers and subwoofer of a conventional sound system by "beaming" different sound channels in different directions to simulate surround sound. It actually detects the walls of your room and uses them to bounce sound at you and even behind you. And since the whole package is contained in this single minimalist piece, it's the perfect compliment to a slick flat screen. Mount it on the wall below your TV or rest it on a shelf or optional ear-high stand.

TOTAL: $2,600 to $3,600

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Watch Disney Movies on Your Xbox 360

by Tom Samiljan, posted Jul 11th 2007 at 12:11PM

Last night at a press conference kicking off the E3 gaming conference, Microsoft added Disney to the increasingly growing list of content providers for its movie, TV-show, and video download service on Xbox Live. This means that users can now download movies such as 'Tarzan,' 'The Emperor's New Groove,' 'The Queen,' 'Bridge to Terabithtia,' and others-- all in HD -- to their Xbox 360s.

Now, before you get too excited, know this: Some of the big classics like 'Dumbo,' 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' and 'The Lion King' aren't available on the Xbox Live Marketplace just yet, but the announcement further solidifies the Xbox 360 as a jack-of-all-trades media device that can truly live in the center of your home entertainment set-up.

In fact, if you're looking for pay-per-view rental movies in HD, your best bet is probably the Xbox 360. Right now, it's got a better offering of on-demand movie titles in high-def than any of the cable providers (Microsoft is saying twice as many as the nearest competing cable provider). In fact, many of the releases -- second-tier though they may be -- are at least within the new DVD window, which means they're the same new titles you could rent at your local Blockbuster.

For more on last night's Microsoft gaming announcements, check out the E3 coverage on Joystiq and Engadget, as well as some of the Switched E3 posts below.

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Man Builds DIY Drive-In Theater

Watch Movies in Your Personal, Air-Conditioned HomeTheater Pod

The $1M Custom Home Theater Installation

The Audio System That Costs as Much as a House

Westinghouse Takes HD Wireless

Epson's Home-Theater-In-a-Box Comes with 100-Inch Screen, Projector

Onkyo HT-SP908 Home-Theater-in-a-Box (HTIB)

Meridian F80

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

Just Tell Me What to Get: Home Theater

Watch Disney Movies on Your Xbox 360

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