Archive for the ‘Home Entertainment’ Category

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.

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.

Sony launch new 5.1 Surround Sound System HT-SF470

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Sony 5.1 Surround Sound System HT-SF470

Sony today announced a number of new soundbars plus a new 5.1 surround sound system, the HT-SF470. We’ll be taking a close look at the HT-SF470 which sports the following bits and pieces

* 3D capable when paired with a Blu-ray 3D player
* 1000 watt (157W x 5 +167W sub) system
* 3D pass-through via the three HDMI inputs, HDMI repeater and audio return channel
* S-Air wireless technology and wireless multi-room capabilities
* Designed to match Sony’s 2010 Blu-ray Disc players and BRAVIA HDTVs
* BRAVIA Sync feature
* Digital Media Port for iPod (iPod cradle sold separately)
* Two digital audio inputs (one coax and one optical)
* Digital cinema auto calibration

Unfortunately the Sony HT-SF470 won’t be out until June, but will be price tagged at around $550. It’ll be available from Sony stockists as well as Sony Style.

Sony Bravia NX800 2D HDTV Series with Monolithic Design

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Sony Bravia NX800 Series

Whilst 2010 may be the year of the 3D HDTV, manufacturers of course are still producing latest and greatest two dimensional units for us to drool over too. Sony are certainly no exception to this and have unleashed a plethora of traditional 2D BRAVIA units on us at CES 2010. Ironically three of the series LX900, HX9000 and HX800 are in fact 3D capable with the LX900 series having ‘Integrated Full HD 3D technology’. For the other two series a 3D emitter and glasses are sold separately. These series are also not available until the summer.

However we shall concentrate on what you can get your mits on right now and that’ll be the Sony Bravia NX800 series which sports screen sizes all the way from 46 inches up to the big boy 60 incher. Here are the details on the largest with any exceptions on its smaller siblings noted

* Edge Lit LED backlight
* Sony’s Monolithic design
* Integrated LightSensor technology automatically adjusts to your room’s ambient light
* Motionflow 240Hz refresh rate
* Full HD 1080p picture quality
* Built-in wireless connectivity to your home entertainment network
* USB port
* Handles 1080/60p (HDMI/Component), 1080/60i, 1080/24p (HDMI Only), 720/60p, 480/60p, 480/60i
* 60 inch 16:9 Full HD 1920×1080 res (52 inch and 46 inch)
* Audio Power Output : 20W (10W x 2)
* 60 inch – 1440 x 927 x 380mm and 50.6 kg with pedestal
* 52 inch – 1261 x 819 x 400mm and 36.1 kg with pedestal
* 46 inch – 1127 x 742 x 320mm and 28.8 kg with pedestal
* 5.1 Channel Audio Out

Perhaps the most unusual thing about the Sony Bravia NX800 series is the Monolithic design which presents the display at an upward angle of 6 degrees. This would present the viewer with an ever-so-slightly non-square display. Without actually seeing it in the flesh we’re not sure whether this is a good thing or not, but it is definitely different. Anyway on to possibly more important things the price tags. Pre-ordering these suckers will set you back $4600, $3400 and $2800 respectively through the Sony Bravia website. Whilst hanging on to see how the 3D market pans out may be a wise move, if you’re itching for HD love right now then these bad boys would certainly fill that need.

Western Digital’s TV Live at Best Buy

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Western Digital TV LIve Media Player

Western Digital have a media player out there called the WD TV Live and is only $120 at Best Buy. The TV Live sits between your PC and HDTV and enables you to view various media from the internet on the HDTV whilst providing an ethernet connection to enable media on other PCs in your home to be viewed too. Western Digital’s TV Live simply hooks up to the PC via a USB 2.0 connection and provides a 1080p display. Other specifications as follows:

* Supports AAC, MP3 and JPEG. H.264/AVCHD formats
* Dolby Digital and DTS decoders
* High quality progressive-scan picture
* HDMI port
* Ethernet connection
* 1.6 x 4.9 x 3.9 inches
* 10.7 oz

And over at Best Buy it’s a mere $120. We must admit we can’t see why you wouldn’t just hook up your PC directly to the HDTV but that’s just us. If someone out there has a TV Live please let us know why we should have one too!

LaCie LaCinema Premier Multimedia HDD

Friday, January 4th, 2008

LaCie LaCinema Premier Multimedia HDDLaCie have a snazzy multimedia 1 TB GB HDD out there at the moment.

Simply connect the LaCinema Premier to your PC or Mac via USB to transfer your digital media files; then plug it into your TV for instant playback.

What could be more straight forward than that to give you up to 1080i res video on your HDTV? It does come in smaller flavours at 500 and 750 GB but here are the specs for the 1 TB big boy model

* Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectivity
* Drive speeds of 7,200 rpm
* 8 MB cache
* MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VOB video support
* MP3, WMA, AC3, OGG audio support
* Composite video, S-Video, HD Component video (up to 1080i upscaling) output
* Analog stereo, SPDIF optical and coaxial audio output
* 68 x 170 x 125 mm
* 1050 g

The unit will play nicely with Windows 2000 upwards, Mac OS X and Linux systems that have support for USB hard drives. Prices range from US$300 for the 500 GB version up to US$650 for the 1 TB model. For some reason, I’d rather stick a 1 TB HDD in an old PC and use that with decent video and audio cards but that’s just me I guess.

Source: LaCie