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Sony HT-CT150 3D soundbar system

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Today we’re going to take a look at the Sony HT-CT150 3D sound bar system currently on offer at Amazon for $195. Obviously with such a low price tag you’re not going to get a great soundbar system but judging by online reviews for the HT-CT150 it’s not a bad system either. The main feature that all reviewers seem to mention is the 3 HDMI inputs which of course means you can hook up all sorts of hi def gadgetry to the soundbar. According to the Sony blurb rear sound is not generated by bouncing the sound off walls but rear sound is generated from the front two speakers using sophisticated digital sound processing which we hope means it may be easier to set up that a ‘wall-bouncer’ system. But of course it’s all about the sound quality and here are some snippets from the reviews we found

Other sound bars have caught up in terms of sound quality; we found that the HT-CT150 still sounds very good, but it’s not a standout performer as the HT-CT100 was. – CNet
well tuned for movies – voices are clear and distinct, even at low volume – ProductWiki
surround effect is clearly audible, simulates rear audio well – ProductWiki

Of course, hearing is believing, so it’s probably best you check out the audio quality for yourself, but the reviews do seem to speak well, if not highly, about it. Anyway enough rabbiting from us, here are some hard facts and reviews with a video review as a bonus

Sony HT-CT150 soundbar description

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* Audio Power Output: RMS: 75W x3 +75W Subwoofer (180-20kHz, 4 Ohm, 1% THD)
* Digital Amplifier: Yes
* S-Master Amplifier: 24bit
* Coaxial Audio Digital Input(s): 1
* DIGITAL MEDIA PORT: 1
* 3 x HDMI Video Inputs
* 1 x HDMI Video Output
* 2 x Optical Audio Inputs
* 2 x RCA Audio Inputs
* Bass/Treble control
* Night mode
* Preset EQ: Standard/ Movie/ Drama/ News/ Sports/ Game/ Music/ 2ch Stereo/ Portable Audio
* Power Consumption (in Operation): 75W
* Power Consumption (in Standby): 0.3 Watts
* Power Requirements: 120V, 60Hz
* Dimensions (Approx.): Subwoofer: 7-3/4″ x 17-3/4″ x 16-1/4″ (196 x 450 x 410 mm); Sound Bar: 31-1/2″ x 2-9/16″ x 2-5/16″ (800 x 66 x 60 mm)
* Weight (Approx.): Subwoofer: 23 lb 3 oz (10.5 kg); Sound Bar: 2 Lb 13 oz (1.3 kg)

Sony HT-CT150 soundbar reviews

CNet – 4 out of 5
ProductWiki – 60 ProScore
Amazon – 4 out of 5

Pros – 3 HDMI inputs, excellent sound quality
Cons – limited placement options, subwoofer isn’t wireless, bar needs to be mounted off floor

Our Picks verdict

There are a number of limitations on the Sony HT-CT150 soundbar, namely the remote control receiver being on the sub-woofer, its unsuitability for larger rooms, but of course with such a low price tag there will always be minuses to any product. However it’s sound quality does seem to get a thumbs up, given a small room, so we like the Sony HT-CT150 and give it our own thumbs up.

An average score of 3.66 out of 5 based on these 2 reviews.

Sony BDP-S380 Blu-Ray Player

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

If you’re after a budget Blu-Ray player then Sony’s BDP-S380 could be just what you are after. But be warned it’s a ‘no frills’ Blu-Ray player, as always you get what you pay for. So what do you get? Here’s the specs on Sony’s BDP-S380 Blu-Ray player

Sony BDP-S380 specifications

* Blu-ray 2.0
* Video Outputs – 1 x HDMI (1.3), 1 x Component, 1 x Composite
* Audio Outputs – 1 x Stereo phono outputs, 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF
* Network port
* Optional Wireless connectivity
* 2 x USB ports
* Mass storage support
* Plays nicely with MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC, AVCHD, Xvid, WMV9 video formats and MP3, WMA, WAV, SACD, AAC audio formats
* Handles JPEG images and streams YouTube
* Supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA
* 430 x 210 x 38 mm

Sony BDP-S380 description

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Sony BDP-S380 reviews

Expert Reviews – 4 out of 5
Trusted Reviews – 8 out of 10
Amazon – 4 out of 5

Pros – BRAVIA Internet Video content, Easy to use operating system, Picture Quality
Cons – No DivX support, Not 3D, slow start-up

Our Picks verdict

An average score of 4 out of 5 based on these 3 reviews.

Without the bells and whistles of it’s more feature-laden big brother Sony players, the BDP-S380 offers basic features for a decent price. Lack of DivX support is surprising but can be over-looked if cheap and cheerful is your thing. In conclusion we would say that the Sony BDP-S380 Blu-Ray player should only be considered if a Blu-Ray player is ‘all’ that you want.

HP 2711 LED 27 inch monitor

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Today we’re taking a look at a 27 inch LED monitor, namely the HP 2711. The boys at Palo Alto have produced a full Hi-Def res ultra-slim monitor for you to view your favourite PC games on. Of course it’ll work just as well with other types of software. The 2711 sports a BrightView panel for cutting down glare, has a Tilt Adjustment feature which allows to fold the screen down to be flush with your desk for some reason! It’s Energy Star Compliant and sports VGA, DVI-D and HDMI inputs for all round connectivity. Check out some more details for the HP 2711 27 inch monitor

* 27 inches, 1920 x 1080 res widescreen display
* Supported Video Formats 1080p
* 16:9 aspect ration
* Analog VGA, Digital (DVI-D), HDMI inputs
* 7.3 x 18.5 x 25.8 inches
* 12.6 pounds
* 170/160 degree viewing angles
* 3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio

Reviews

TestFreaks – 8.9
PCMag – 3 out of 5
Amazon customer reviews – 4.5 stars out of 5

Pros – Good design, colour and performance, ultra thin
Cons – Bad grayscale, limited adjustability, glossy surface, no height adjustment

So there’s a bit of a mixed reaction to the actual quality of the display and no height adjustment seems a bit of odd feature to leave out, but if you are still interested then check out the HP 2711 27 inch LED monitor over at Amazon.

Panasonic SC-BTT750 3D HD Blu-Ray Home Theatre System

Monday, September 6th, 2010
Panasonic SC-BTT750 3D HD Blu-Ray Home Theatre System

2010 is the year of 3D viewing and Panasonic have the ideal home theatre system if you’re looking to get on the bandwagon. The Panasonic SC-BTT750 system sports full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc playback, along with PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus and Pure Direct Sound Speaker technologies. Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to sample VIERA Cast’s assorted online content and just for all you Apple fans the SC-BTT750 can access your iPod or iPhone data.

Panasonic SC-BTT750 specifications

* Handles DVD-ROM, CD, CD-R/-RW, MP3, JPEG, BD-ROM, BD-Live, BD-RE / BD-RE DL, DVD-RAM, DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD-R formats
* SD Memory Card Slot (SDHC/SDXC)
* Output Power – Home Theater Mode (RMS) Total Power: 1000W
* Front: 125W x 2
* Center: 250W
* Surround: 125W x 2
* Subwoofer: 250W
* Selectable Speaker Layout
* EQ (Flat/Heavy/Clear/Soft)
* Dolby® Digital Decoder / Dolby® Pro Logic® II
* Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® Digital
* DTSâ„¢-HD Master Audio Essential, DTSâ„¢-HD High Resolution Audio, DTSâ„¢
* Output Channel 5.1ch
* 7.1ch Virtual Sound Effect with 5.1ch
* 1080/24p Playback
* Digital Noise Reduction
* Enhanced Full HD Up Sampling (New P4HD)
* Integrated Universal Dock for iPod 6®/iPhone®
* Wireless LAN System
* HDMI Out (Support Features: 3D, ARC Content type)
* SD Memory Card Slot
* Wireless Terminal (for Wireless Rear Speakers)
* USB Slot (for Wi-Fi)
* Optical Digital Input
* 1 x Audio Inputs

Panasonic SC-BTT750 reviews

We couldn’t find any reviews yet as the SC-BTT750 is pretty fresh, but we’ll try and add some as and when we come across them. The system will go on sale for around $750, so if you’re after a full HD 3D surround sound experience the Panasonic SC-BTT-750 may just be the start for your new home theatre system.

JBL On Stage Micro II for iPod

Saturday, July 24th, 2010
JBL On Stage Micro II for iPod

Here’s an iPod docking system from JBL called the On Stage Micro II. Simply drop your iPod into the slot and listen to the funky tunes from the unit. It’s currently retailing for a snip under $100 at Amazon, so if you’re keen here are the specs on the the iPod dock from JBL

* Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3GS
* Four neodymium-driven Odyssey and slipstream port design provide full-range, accurate sound
* New RF remote provides reliable control from distances up to 50 feet
* 3.5mm auxiliary input for external audio devices such as iPod shuffle, MP3 players, etc.
* Power with included power supply or four AAA batteries for portable use

Whilst all sounds good for the On Stage Micro II, a review over at PCMag gave the unit only three stars out of five with audio performance a negative and portability a positive. Unfortunately with audio performance the most important criteria for docking units this has put a damper on the JBL’s On Stage Micro II, yet a customer review on Amazon (four stars) rates the Micro II’s performance and only dislikes its volume or lack of.

If you’ve played with a JBL On Stage Micro II iPod system, let us know what you reckon.

HP Mini 210-1142CL netbook

Thursday, July 15th, 2010
HP Mini 210-1142CL netbook

HP have added a new model to their Mini 210 netbook range with the 1142CL. The unit sports over 9 hours of battery life from its 6-Cell lithium-ion battery and has a 10.1 inch WSVGA LED display. Here are the full details on the latest HP Mini 210.

* Product Number XA523UA#ABA
* 1.66GHz Intel Atom Processor N455
* 1GB DDR3 System Memory (1 DIMM) max
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
* 250GB (7200RPM) HDD
* Multimedia Drive
* 10.1” diagonal WSVGA HP BrightView Infinity LED Display (1024 x 600)
* Integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
* 802.11b/g/n WLAN connectivity
* HD Audio
* stereo speakers
* integrated microphone
* 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards
* 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
* 1 VGA (15-pin)
* 1 RJ -45 (LAN)
* 1 Headphone-out/Microphone-in combo jack (compatible with 3.5mm 4-conductor jack with stereo audio and mono mic)
* 10.55 in (L) x 6.9 in (D) x 0.9-1.11 in (H)
* 2.99 lbs
* 6-Cell 66.6WHr Lithium-Ion Battery

The upgrading of the Mini 210 from HP shows the competitiveness of the netbook market. If you want to win you’ve can’t afford to fall behind, as each manufacturer tries to squeeze more bang for buck from their models. The 1142CL Mini 210 will set you back $370 (list price) and certainly sports the features you’d expect from a new netbook.

We could only find one online review of this new Mini 210 over at PC Mag where they gave the 1142CL 3.5 stars out of 5. They stated a dodgy touchpad, badly placed memory slots and its looks as negatives whilst the Mini 210’s fast HDD, large battery and competitive pricing as positives.

If you have managed to have a play with HP’s latest Mini 210 do let us know what you think of it.

Gateway NV52 laptop series

Friday, May 14th, 2010
Gateway NV52 laptop

Today we are taking a look at Gateway’s NV52 laptop, an Athlon powered 15 inch range of models. The base unit, NV5207u, sports the following bells and whistles for the minimalist price tag of $500.

* AMD Athlonâ„¢ 64 X2 QL-65 Dual-Core Processor (2.1GHz, 667MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache)
* Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
* 4GB Dual-Channel DDR2 667MHz sDRAM Support
* 320GB SATA hard drive
* ATI Radeon® HD 3200 Graphics
* 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
* 8x DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
* 6-Cell Lithium Ion (4400 mAh)
* 26-37mm (H) x 372mm (W) x 250mm (D)
* 15.6″ HD Widescreen LED-backlit Display (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio)
* 4 x USB 2.0, VGA Port, HDMIâ„¢ Port
* Media Card Reader
* 56K ITU V.92 ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 port)
* Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
* Integrated Webcam
* 2.65 kg

With a price tag of $499 we must admit that the Gateway NV5207u seems to offer some good features for a reasonable price. Unfortunately CNet don’t share our view and give the NV5207u a three stars out of five, citing a weak processor and poor battery performance as the downsides. ZDNet also complain about the processor, comparing it to our canine friends, when giving it a 7.4 rating.

If anyone out there has used one of these suckers or even owns a Gateway NV5207u laptop please let us know what you think in the comment box below.