CES - Home theater

Gunnar takes aim at 3D market with collection of stylish 3D glasses

LAS VEGAS--Gunnar Optiks, which makes a line of "digital" glasses that are designed to reduce eyestrain, has announced that it will be offering a collection of 3D glasses enabled with components of its i-AMP lens technology. The company says it will make versions available for the most widely used 3D platforms in gaming and video.

"There have been amazing advances in the delivery of the media, but we see a massive need for someone to address the optics of the eyewear," said Rob Aarnes, Gunnar's president. "Currently most eyewear used in 3D systems is … Read more

Sharp launches two new Netflix-ready Aquos Blu-ray players

LAS VEGAS--Sharp trotted out two new Blu-ray players for 2010, the BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U, both of which offer Netflix video streaming. Neither offer any unique new features, but Sharp is touting them as having "cutting-edge" video and audio performance--and energy efficiency.

Both players deliver Full HD 1,920 x 1,080p video resolution at 24 frames per second over HDMI along with lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. As for energy efficiency, Sharp says the the BD-HP70U and BD-HP24U offer a target use of just 14 watts of power in operating mode and 0.4 watt in … Read more

Samsung unveils ultraslim Blu-ray player

Blu-ray players tend to all have the same boxy shape and glossy black finish, but Samsung has shown some truly unique designs in the past, like last year's BD-P4600. Samsung announced another uniquely-shaped Blu-ray player at CES 2010, the BD-C7500, which comes in at just 1.1 inches thick and "wood" exterior finish.

Key features of the Samsung BD-C7500

1.1 inches thick "Nature-inspired" wood finish Wall-mountable Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter Built-in Wi-Fi No release date or pricing announced

Internet@TV and … Read more

Samsung intros 3D Blu-ray player with Wi-Fi, apps

LAS VEGAS--As we predicted, 3D is coming to Blu-ray and Samsung has announced its first 3D Blu-ray player, the BD-C6900. Details on the player are scarce, but here's what Samsung has announced so far:

Key features of the Samsung BD-C6900:

3D Blu-ray player Slim design with a transparent cover Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter 15 second disc load; 15 second boot up Built-in Wi-Fi No release date or pricing announced

3D is obviously a big story at CES 2010 and the BD-C6900 will be part of … Read more

Iomega revamps entire ScreenPlay product line

LAS VEGAS--It's quickly becoming clear that one of the trends at CES 2010 is the prevalence of all-in-one media players and networked streamers. While we already got a taste of the Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link back in 2008, the company is debuting three new products that launch the device in a more ambitious direction. All of the products still get content to your TV screen, but now offer much more useful ways of doing so.

The first, the ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player, is directed at consumers who want the ability to get their content via a home network, … Read more

Toshiba announces 3D Blu-ray player, streaming models

LAS VEGAS--When Toshiba announced its first Blu-ray player back in September, the company's heart didn't seem in it, with the BDX2000 offering little beyond a basic feature set. Luckily, the company seems to be putting more effort into Blu-ray in 2010, with Toshiba announcing three new Blu-ray players, including a 3D Blu-ray player to be released in the third quarter of 2010. Let's take a look at the key specs.

Key features of the Toshiba BDX2500

Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, Pandora-streaming capability Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 analog outputs Wireless ready with … Read more

LG news conference highlights

LAS VEGAS--LG kicked off the preshow media day at CES 2010 on Wednesday with an early-morning news conference that was chock full of new-product announcements.

TV LG's best plasma adds Wii-like remote control LG plasma claims improved black levels Thin LG LED-based LCD gives 'basic' dimming LG local dimming LED-based LCD stays slim LG flagship TV's styling goes 'all picture,' ultra-thin

Home theater LG's new Blu-ray players get Picasa, better Netflix interface LG's Blu-ray HTIBs get built-in Wi-Fi, HDMI inputs LG's flagship Blu-ray player skips 3D, rips CDs

Cell phones LG to have stronger smartphone offerings in 2010… Read more

Popbox HD hopes to simplify streaming content

LAS VEGAS--Just announced at CES is Popbox HD, the latest offering from Syabas, the company behind Popcorn Hour. The device can stream digital media from almost any source you can throw at it in addition to offering media from new Internet channels.

With the Popbox, you'll be able to directly receive content from Netflix, Twitter, IMDb, Clicker, FunSpot (gaming), Crunchyroll (Asain entertainment site), and SHOUTcast.

But perhaps the most notable advancement in regard to the Popbox is the device's brand new user interface overhaul. Promising a much more seamless experience, the Popbox goes on sale in March for $130.

Check out all the specs and details after the jump.… Read more

Monster SuperThin HDMI cables are only 3.5mm thick

LAS VEGAS--HDMI had a rocky start, but overall it's been a boon for home theater fans, simplifying bundles of AV cables into one easy cable. While HDMI has drastically reduced cable clutter, Monster seeks to take that idea to the extreme with its recently announced SuperThin HDMI cables. With the cable measuring only 3.5mm thick, Monster claims the SuperThin cables are 65 percent thinner than a normal HDMI cable, making them easier to carry with portable gadgets like cameras and camcorders. And while the cables aren't HDMI 1.4 compatible, they do support HDMI 1.4'… Read more

LG's Blu-ray HTIBs get built-in Wi-Fi, HDMI inputs

LAS VEGAS--Blu-ray home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems surprised us in 2009, because not only did they offer Blu-ray at an affordable price, but most of them actually sounded pretty good. LG has announced three new Blu-ray HTIB systems for CES 2010, with some key step-ups from 2009's offerings like built-in Wi-Fi and more HDMI connectivity.

Key features of the LG LHB335

5.1 home theater system Built-in Blu-ray player LG's NetCast suite of streaming media services, including Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, and AccuWeather One HDMI input USB port capable of playing photos, movies and music Onboard decoding … Read more