AV Adviser

When Does A Home Theater Have Too Many Speakers

Ever since manufacturers started adding two more "effect" speakers to their surround receivers, taking it from 5.1 to 7.1 I've always commented to customers that it's just a way for them to sell more speakers.  Do you really need 7 speakers and a subwoofer (that's the .1)?  Heck, now you can find a/v receivers with capabilities for nine or even eleven speakers.

It's always been my opinion that unless the room warrants it then it's wasted money.  I only advise on those added speakers in a very deep room.  The money could be better spent on upgraded speakers.  Besides, it becomes a real interior design issue. 

CNET's Audiophiliac blog asks the question with their own take on the subject, Does home theater need more than 5.1 channels?

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

TV Manufacturers Continue To See Big Losses

Lately I've been talking about the upswing in the consumer electronics market in 2010 and, it's true, overall it is growing.  I've also cautioned about the plummeting prices of TVs and how, though it may be advantageous to you the customer in the short term, it can have an ill effect on the industry in general and the economy overall.  

Just released fourth quarter results prove that the competitive battle between manufacturers is resulting in injurious cost cutting.  LG profits were down 93% even with improved sales in their mobile division, LG’s woes continue with steep loss.

Samsung fared slightly better with a gain, albeit not what they forecast, Samsung Q4 profit seen down; chips, LCD outlook eyed.  Their Japanese counterparts in manufacturing like Sony and Panasonic are in the same boat.

It's no wonder that LG was caught price fixing with their competition a couple of years ago.  Cutting prices to the point of razor thin profit margins may sell more TVs than the other guy but can't keep a company afloat.

3D sales, or the lack there of, isn't helping matter and, in my opinion, was premature to the market.  So, how does trend turn itself around?  Well, you're asking the wrong guy.  Ha. 

If you have a questiojn or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Microsoft Gearing Up To Compete With Apple And Google On TV Content

Microsoft has fallen from its once lofty position these past few years.  That's not to say they're ready to fold.  Windows still dominates.  But aside from the huge success of XBox 360, their other endeavors into hardware and internet platforms have been lackluster.  That may change.

The company is working feverishly to tie in their Mediaroom with their smart phone and Xbox 360.  Also incorporating the very slick Silverlight into the project.  

Here's some more in depth coverage from Engadget, Internet, Home Entertainment Mediaroom rumors could put Microsoft IPTV on the fast track to success.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

A Home Theater Glossary Of Terms For The Novice

I'm not a big fan of About.com but I'm coming around.  It used to be that the site was full of pop-ups and ads.  Well, the pop-ups are gone it seems, but there's still plenty of ads. 

You have to admire their search engine optimization (SEO) because no matter the topic they seem to be right up their on a google search.  Yahoo has a competitor in this area, Associated Content.  The idea of the sites is to have contributors write about anything and everything in order to gain high search results.  Then make a load of money in ad sales.  As I say, though, About is hiring some decent content providers. 

That leads me to their "home theater" section which has some useful information for the consumer.  I just listened to Barb Gonzalez, the Simple Tech Guru discuss the latest in networked media choices.  That would include Roku, Vudu, Apple TV, etc.  She works for About. 

Then there's the very helpful glossary of home theater terms for the novice I came across.  Should you ever be scratching your head on that rare occasion that I get too technical for you this is your go to page.  Home Theater Glossary of Terms.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

2011, The Year The Smart Home Becomes Real

For many years I disliked the term "smart home".  We started using it in the industry at the end of the 20th century when fiber optic wire was all the rage to run through a new home so you could be "future proof".  No one knew much of the future would be wireless in under 10 years.

What did the term "smart Home" even mean?  It became such an overused and hard to conceptualize term for consumers that I stopped using it.  I've changed my mind and have come to accept the term once again.

The word "smart" started off as a descriptor for homes but now is used to charcterize phones and, recently, TVs.  People get it now.  They understand that "smart" is another way of saying "connected", as in connected to the internet. 

2011 is poised to be the year where the "smart home" becomes very tangible and accessible for the consumer. It used to be that the technology involved in making a home "smart" or connected was a complicated interface and hard for the consumer to grasp or use easily.

Technology has brought us to the point to where the mechanics and programming are hidden and foreign to the home owner but the end result is easily attained and appreciated.  A great example would be the iPad, a complicated device that even the elderly are finding a breeze to use and enjoy.  The same approach is bound to happen with technology to make your home "smart". 

This push for the connected home is also helping the consumer electronics industry to rebound as was evident in 2010.  Of course, it's a precarious growth spurt. The housing industry is still down and will continue to stymie the growth of audio, video and control until it begins to recover. 

Look for less emphasis on specific media and more focus on how to get any content to any device in the home.  The digital convergence has only begun to change our lives.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal.com

John Hannibal

 

 

 

 

Super Bowl Always a Stimulus For A New TV

With the Super Bowl teams decided and less than two weeks until kick off, many have visions of a new TV dancing in their heads.  Traditionally this time of year brings an uptick in TV sales. 

I've given you some links to what was hot at CES 2010 as far as televisions go but don't expect to find deals on those just yet. In fact, don't expect to see them in the stores for awhile.  The deals will be in existing TVs, especially in those "last year" models. 

And deals there will be.  Look for all the big box stores to be offering great prices. 

Here's a few quick tips:

1.  Plasma if it's going to be in a dark room, like a basement rec room.

2.  LCD if it's going to be in a room with windows. 

3.  You'll find better prices on TVs without 3D.  Buy one of them. 

4.  If this is your first high def TV, remember, you'll need a high def cable or sat box, or at the least a good terrestrial antenna to pick up all the stations (that in itself is a challenge).  You'd be surprised how many people think that just because they have an HDTV they are watching in HD.

Lastly, don't try and pull that "buy the TV then return it after the game" stunt.  It really shows bad character and most stores are making it hard to return. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Watching Netflix With Friends Who Aren't Even There

Kids have all the fun.  Well, I guess if I were a gamer I could be having this kind of fun too.

I walked into my son's room the other night where he was gaming.  Or so I thought.  He had his headset on and was chatting away with his friends but when I looked at the screen there was the movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure. 

"Hey", I interupted, "how are you watching this and still talking?"  He explained to me that you can enter a room, call it a screening room, where other people with Netflix on their XBox 360 are watching a particular movie or TV show.  Your character then sits down in the "theater" with the others in the room.  It's very reminiscent of Mystery Science Theater 3000 except you the viewer are now part of the experience.  You can talk about what you're watching or carry on about anything you all want to talk about. 

What gets me is that I still my kid say, "I'm bored".  Geez, you want bored, back in my day...

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Turnstyle Turntable, One Crazy Record Player

I've never seen a turntable like this.  No one has ever seen a turntable like this. 

Designed by a gentleman by the name of RD Silver, the "Turnstyle" record player is a thing of unique simple beauty.  Not only will it play 12" records but it has a speaker as well.  I haven't seen a record player this cool since the Close'N Play.

Here's the complete story including diagrams and demo shots from Yanko Design, Nothing But Scratch.

Close'N Play

Turnstyle

Weak Economy Means More Cocooning, Movie Rental Stats Confirm

With the continued weak economy through 2010, though I'm seeing good signs for 2011, it's no surprise that family households spent more time cocooning.  That is to say, they spent more leisure time at home as opposed to going out and paying for entertainment. 

Such is the benefit of having a nice home theater set up.  The ability to create a movie night in the comfort of your own home.  An investment in a moderate surround system spread out over, say, five years looks like an affordable family entertainment option.

Movie rental figures for 2010 confirm it.  Blu-ray rentals grew tremendously, though DVD rentals continue to fall.  In regard to video-on-demand (VOD), it's broken down into two sections.  Cable and satellite rentals were up 17%, and internet rentals rocketed to a 55.7% increase over 2009.  That's really no surprise since the distribution of content really came into its own this past year. 

Sales of physical product such as Blu-ray discs and DVDs declined.  Yet another sign pointing to a day where there will be no actual discs in people's libraries. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

A 3D Home Theater On The Cheap

While I'm not a big fan of the system I'm going to show you today it does do a couple of things nicely. And if you've got the room but little budget you may want to give it a go.

On the down side, the "home theater in a box" audio portion of this system is simply too small. On the plus side is the size of the screen at 92 inches.  That size screen would make the 3D image quite impressive.  The other obvious plus is that the whole system comes to $1,550.00. 

This 3D home theater on the cheap was designed by the folks at Big Picture Big Sound in a story titled, A Huge Screen Blu-ray 3D Home Theater System for Around $1500? Here's How.

Personally I don't have the space for a system like this.  If you do, I may want to offer a few little tweaks in order to upgrade the audio.  It'd be money well spent.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal