X
CNET logo Why You Can Trust CNET

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement

Fall preview 2012: Home theater

CNET previews the latest home theater tech coming out this fall, including Simple.TV's innovative over-the-air DVR and the Logitech UE Smart Radio.

Matthew Moskovciak
Covering home audio and video, Matthew Moskovciak helps CNET readers find the best sights and sounds for their home theaters. E-mail Matthew or follow him on Twitter @cnetmoskovciak.
Matthew Moskovciak
IMG_0242_1_610x343.JPG
1 of 7 Matthew Moskovciak/CNET

Simple.TV

Price: $150

Availability: Late September

The outlook: At CES 2012, CNET awarded Simple.TV's innovative over-the-air DVR a Best of CES award in the Home Theater category. The company didn't quite hit its spring release target, but it looks to be finally coming out by the end of September. Its low price and lack of a required monthly fee make it one of the most intriguing home theater products in a long time.

Logitech_UE_Smart_Radio_35419331_01.jpg
2 of 7

Logitech UE Smart Radio

Price: $180

Availability: September

The outlook: Logitech is completely rethinking the Squeezebox brand and the UE Smart Radio shows the way forward. It's a tabletop radio with a built-in 6 hour battery and its simplified (some would say stripped-down) software is aiming to bring streaming music to a larger audience than the geekier Squeezebox products.

Sony_STR-DA2800ES.jpg
3 of 7

Sony STR-DA2800ES

Price: $1,000

Availability: September

The outlook: The STR-DA2800ES, along with the step-up STR-DA5800ES, are the first consumer-level AV receivers to offer built-in home automation functionality. That could open up home automation as an option to a much wider audience; $1,000 is still a pricey AV receiver, but it's much less than hiring a pricey custom-installer.

Atlantic_Technology_PB-235_PowerBar.jpg
4 of 7

Atlantic Technology PB-235 PowerBar

Price: $900

Availability: September

The outlook: There's no doubt that Atlantic Technology wants a lot of cash for its PB-235 sound bar, but it's making a big promise too: deep bass without the need for a subwoofer. Usually we'd dismiss that as the usual manufacturer fluff, but we've heard good things about Atlantic's H-PAS technology on other products. This could be a killer (albeit pricey) entry into the increasingly crowded sound bar market.

Roku_Streaming_Stick_with_TV.jpeg
5 of 7 Roku

Roku Streaming Stick

Price: TBD

Availability: 2012

The outlook: The pitch is simple: an entire Roku box packed into an oversized dongle. Roku's Streaming Stick uses the bleeding-edge MHL port to connect to your HDTV, which will limit its appeal at first since MHL is only available on a few TV. But the arrangement is undeniably attractive and points to the future of streaming video.

NSZ-GP9_W_EA_ST.jpeg
6 of 7 Sony

Sony NSZ-GP9

Price: TBD

Availability: 2012

The outlook: It's hard to describe Google TV as anything but a flop, but products keep trickling out with interesting new twists. The Sony NSZ-GP9's remote has a built-in mic, which will allow it to be the first Google TV to take full advantage of the platform voice search capabilities without using a separate smartphone. That's probably not enough to overcome Google TV's software limitation, but it's a step in the right direction.

Klipsch_HD_Theater_SB_3.jpg
7 of 7

Klipsch HD Theater SB 3

Price: $800

Availability: Fall

The outlook: Everybody's making a budget sound bar, but there are a lot less options if you're looking for high performance. The $800 price tag puts the Klipsch HD Theater firmly in the "premium" market and the company claims its the first sound bar to use a horn-loaded design. We'll need to have a listen to see if that leads to a better sound speaker--and it better for $800.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos