Some of the best home theatre setups are modular in nature,   They can, as the months and years go by and technology improves, be taken apart with relative ease and rebuilt with the new and improved technology.  After all, 1080p may just be the beginning.

And over on The RAF Home Theatre, the site’s owner has set out for you the story of a home theatre setup almost a decade in the making.  For instance, he’s upgraded the projector at least once, and added a Playstation 3 to serve as both gaming device and Blu-Ray player, which is actually really smart.  Meanwhile, he’s also got the standard array of speakers in there, and for home theatre furniture, he’s got what look like a few actual home theatre seats and a slew of wall shelves for movies.

It’s a good setup in that it’s very easily converted in the event of new technology, so it’s definitely got the versatility edge that a lot of other setups would have a hard time matching because of lots of hardwired points.  What if this guy had put up paneling and such?  That would’ve been a disaster for him, trying to move things around and get stuff broken out so he could replace both it and whatever paneling he’d put up.

No, this is a sweet home theatre setup–it’s got plenty of room to grow, and can accomplish most tasks set before it with a minimum of difficulty.

Over on Chad Dyess’ blog, he’s posted a few pics of his home theatre setup, and I tell you straight out, it is indeed a sweet home theatre setup.

Not only did he construct it specifically to standards, he’s also tricked it out with a whole slew of awesome components.  He actually put up a list of them: a Mitsubishi WS-65869 1080i HDTV, DirecTV HR20-100 HD DVR, NMediaPC 288BA HTPC with Windows Vista Media Center, JVC RX-8000V Receiver, JBL surround speakers, Sony 120 watt subwoofer, Philips Pronto Pro TSU7000 touchscreen remote, and an X-10 for controlling the lights and ceiling fan.

Better yet, he’s got plans for expansion, including replacing the HDTV (replacing it!) with a projector and replacing the couches he’s currently using for home theatre seating with actual leather home theatre seats.

And that’s what’s so sweet about this particular setup–it’s sufficiently modular that portions of it can be removed and replaced as better parts become available. This allows for maximum utility as anything better becomes part of the new system.  Chad Dyess, you’ve got one sweet home theatre setup.

Dropping four hundred bucks on a surround sound system generally doesn’t sound like a good idea to me.  Seriously, it doesn’t–if you’re a careful shopper you can assemble most of a full-on home theatre system for that price.  So if you’re going to drop that kind of money on a system you’d better be sure it’s good.

Thankfully the Sony Bravia home theatre system, featuring a five-disc DVD / CD changer with a thousand watts of output, 1080p display capability, five speakers, digital cinema auto calibration systems and the Sony S-AIR receiver that allows sound to be transmitted wirelessly to other rooms, definitely qualifies as good.

The sound quality is fantastic, especially considering that the included speakers in the Bravia kit look a LOT like the speakers you might find on someone’s desktop computer.  But that minor, admittedly rather odd, detail aside, this is really a rather nice array of material, and further admittedly, you ARE getting a whole lot of value with this system.  You get the speakers AND the five-disc changer AND the S-AIR system (how cool is that?  You’re watching a movie and you need to go, say, to the bathroom or to move your laundry from the washer to the dryer.  You can still hear the movie, because it’s rebroadcasting to the other room through the S-AIR unit.) in one four hundred dollar package.  That’s pretty nice.

Yes, the price IS pretty sizable, but considering what all you’ll get, this may be a better value than anyone wants to give it credit for.

From the headline above, you may have thought I’ve lost my mind, but the Bay Audio HomeBase Sub is actually designed to be BURIED.

It’s an outdoor subwoofer, with a cabinet made from underground-rated PVC pipe that produces bass up to ninety decibels from a hundred feet away.  You bury the thing in a hole measuring twenty five inches by thirteen inches fourteen inches deep, and a six-inch port sticks out eight inches above the ground, from which the bass emerges.

Bay Audio, the designers of the thing,  recommend that you use their rack 500 watt PowerPack for amplification.  And just the HomeBase sub by itself will set you back a whopping three grand.

I see a lot of strange possibilities with this–one, don’t try mowing your lawn anywhere near that subwoofer post unless you’re REALLY sure of yourself.  I’d hate to try digging that thing up because a mower clipped the eight-inch port.  Two, what if you had a mole problem…and you buried the thing completely?  Then you crank up something with a lot of bass…maybe you don’t have a mole problem any more.  I wonder if you could play Dragonforce and run them off the lawn completely….

Anyway, for three grand a pop, I’m not likely to try it soon.  But if you do a lot of outdoor entertaining and have deep pockets, this may be just what you need.

So I found another pic from a proud home theatre owner who showed off his setup; let’s take a look at this one from Hab Boy out on the Digital Home forum.

You can see, right off, that it’s a much simpler setup than the really elaborate stuff we see with basement setups.  This one might actually be above ground, or possibly in an offset side of the basement.  The TV is smaller than the ordinary, I believe that’s a 37-inch model, and the speakers are mounted to the wall.

I have to wonder if he’d have better audio if that table full of pictures weren’t there–sound is a funny animal and is easily distorted by too much stuff in the room.  Waves can be absorbed into surfaces and such.  I’d say that he might also want to get a dedicated cabinet for all his AV gear instead of stacking it on tables and on top of what looks like an electric fireplace.

But still, this is a good home theatre setup, especially if you’re looking to do something that doesn’t require huge reconstruction efforts, and should be easy enough for most to replicate at home.  Sweet home theatre setup, Hab Boy, and many happen rewinds!

Sony has unveiled a new line of streaming audio products called the Altus and they are going to be unveiled by Best Buy first, thanks to a joint venture between the two companies. The new Sony audio products are:

• Sony SA31iR ($700)
• Sony ALT-SA32PC ($500)
• Sony ALT-SA33PC ($200)
• Sony ALT-SA34R ($350)

Most of these new audio line boast of various interfaces which are ideal for most devices and PCs. Like the Sony SA31iR, it has an iPhone/iPod Dock and two wireless speakers. The Sony ALT-SA32PC and ALT SA33PC require USB dongles and can transmit audio wirelessly from a PC.

(Source) SlashGear

If you live in an apartment, loft or condo, or any similar arrangement where your neighbors are close enough to hear you fart crosswise, then you probably know how difficult it is to indulge your love of really sweet home theatre audio systems.

You may not have that problem much longer thanks to the folks at Bodysound Technologies, who did something really simple, and yet really outlandish, with their home theatre system…

…they implanted it in a CHAIR.

Rather than depend on a series of speakers scattered throughout the room, what Bodysound did was embed speakers in the armrests, footrest, back and headrest of a recliner, meaning that the sound is focused on the listener, requiring a whole lot less total volume without diminishing the experience.

This is actually a pretty awesome idea, but the big problem is one of price–you can get these in single recliner, love seat, sectional sofa and straight couch configurations, but they cost between five and six thousand dollars each.  That’s more than twelve times the cost of some really good home theatre arrays, and more than fifty times the cost of an entry-level system.  Sure, it has the added value of having the home theatre seating included, but that’s still a positively monstrous price.

It’s a great idea, though, and hopefully apartment dwellers will agree.

Sony has a knack of surprising us in a lot of “mini” ways and it looks like we will get another one in the form of this Sony CMT-DH50R Mini-HTIB. Though made to accommodate DVD technology for now, but it has an HDMI output with 1080p upscaling. It supports USB interface and offers a 2×80 watt system.

There seems to be a lot of missing pieces like HDMI input and of course the usual auxiliary options that allows you to improvise with Blu-ray players. Regardless, one can only expect so much from a mini-HTIB system even if it comes from one of the best brands in the audio and video market.

Only available in Korea for now, the Sony CMT-DH50R Mini-HTIB carries a retail price of ₩428,000.

(Source) EngadgetHD

ViewSonic is ready to improve your HDTV experience by adding some SRS TruSurround XT on the future 16-inch and 24-inch HDTV. How does that sound? Well it will sound a lot better after you get those new HDTVs. The amazing thing about this surround sound is that you will not need extra speakers to get it. The TV will use the built-in stereo speakers to do the whole job for you. If you’re not exactly looking for a new surround system then a ViewSonic HDTV coming with SRS TruSurround XT sound should take care of all the audio in your life.

via Press

Ready for a new home theater in a box in your life? Samsung has just the thing for you. The HT-BD3252 has just been launched. The HTIB offers you a 5.1 sound system, a Blu-ray player, support for the latest HD audio codecs, a microphone, Internet services like Pandora, Netflix and Blockbuster and an iPod dock. The HT-BD3252 is going to be available for just $799 this August.

via Press

We are past the time of cassette tapes and CD players integrated within the portable components we normally had but leave it to JVC to come up with a concept that somehow carries on tradition as far as size, shape and design. And you can bet that there are still a lot of people out there who are still looking for devices that can dub and transfer their old media files for continued audio entertainment.

The RC-A2 can be used to transfer or ‘dub’ music between the recordable formats like audio tape and MiniDiscs, and the JVC site even boasts about a feature called ‘Sound Lifter’ which seems to direct the audio depending on if the listener is sitting or standing near the stereo.

(Source) Oh Gizmo

Are you getting tired of having multiple audio devices? Well if you are wary about the cost and the space that they take, check this multi-functional audio device from Teac. It has practically everything but the USB interface, something that has become automatic with most devices released today.

It comes with a turntable, a cassette player/recorder, a CD player/recorder along with a PLL synthesized AM/FM stereo tuner. The CD portion supports CD/CD-R/CD-RW and the 3-speed turntable supports 33(LP)/45(EP)/78(SP) and has an auto return. It comes with a remote control and has built-in 3.5Wx2ch speakers.

The device, the Teac LP-R550 all-in-one device is slated to be released in Japan. It will carry a price of $750. There is no word though if it will be available in other countries.

(Source) Crunch Gear

Sony revealed a new line of multi-functional compact audio system for HiFi audio players- the NAS-Z200iR and CMT-Z100iR. Packed with excellence, the NAS-Z200iR features a docking station for an iPod, a USB port, a slot loading CD player, PC streaming, Internet radio and an integrated AM/FM radio. It is very easy to make radio station selection from Z200iR’s as it comes with a remote control.

While the CMT-Z100iR offers a simple solution for hi-fi enthusiasts. It is a svelte compact sound system and supports multiple features such as iPod / CD / USB playback, an audio-in port, an AM/FM radio tuner, a remote control, 20W x 2 speakers and a large display that shows the time and selected function.

The Sony NAS-Z200iR is expected to be available in mid September 2009 in Europe and the Sony CMT-Z100iR will be available in July. However, the information about their prices is not yet reported.

Via:Sony

Dolby will no doubt be among the first thing that would come into mind when you talk about complimentary audio to events and visual entertainment. Hence it is not surprising to find out that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have chosen Dolby to be installed at the Princess Anne theater at 195 Piccadilly.

Ably accommodating 220 people in seating capacity, it is only fitting that Dolby 3D Digital Cinema be chosen as the audio solution for this theater which houses many industry events. To date, the theater already has a selection of Dolby digital cinema equipment, including a Dolby Digital Cinema server and Dolby Show Library, Dolby DMA8Plus Digital Media Adapter, and Dolby CP650 Cinema Processor. With the addition of the Dolby 3D Digital Cinema experience, that roster just got better.

“We have been proud to be involved with the work of BAFTA for many years,” said Julian Pinn, Manager, Business Development, Dolby Laboratories, “and the choice by the Academy to add Dolby 3D Digital Cinema to their already excellent facilities reinforces their commitment to providing the very best screening and presentation facilities at 195 Piccadilly.”

(Source) Press

Akai Entertainment Unit

Akai’s All-In-One Entertainment Unit is a TV stand for your flat panel display and it has a built-in amplifier, as well as powerful speakers and subwoofers with a total power of 80W RMS surround sound. Additionally, there is an upscale DVD player with HDMI output and an AM/FM radio built in too.

Some of the other features include an i-Pod dock that is compatible with all the latest models plus USB and memory card ports which can play music directly.  The screen protection function is also useful. Retails for around $1,000.

Here is the new UX-LP5 H-Fi, the latest stereo system from JVC.  The compact system features a flip-out iPod Dock and a CD player with AM/FM Tuner. The JVC UX-LP5 boasts 2-way bass reflex speakers which deliver a total of 70 Watts. It also allows playback of MP3 and WMA files from your USB Flash drive. Its integrated Digital Tuner allows video playback on a connected Tv Screen. You can get the JVC UX-LP5 Hi-Fi Stereo System for a price of $149.95.

Via:

Sony, a global leader in manufacturing entertainment devices, is pleased to announce the launch of its new Sony GIGA JUKE NAS-SC500PK Hi-Fi System. Come rediscover your music collection with this new product from the house of Sony that lets you load all your favorite tracks in the hard disk drive.

The new Sony GIGA JUKE NAS-SC500PK Hi-Fi System comes with an amazing Music Server feature for an easy access to your album collection from a wireless player even if it is placed in a different room. Feel free to store up to 1300 hours of music at a high bit rate of 256 kbps or about 40,000 tracks of MP3 music in this system.

Sony’s GIGA JUKE NAS-SC500PK Hi-Fi System is capable of supporting various formats like MP3, AAC, Linear PCM, WMA and ATRAC. It incorporates an in-built database of approximately 350,000 albums allowing you to do automatic title labeling.

Via:Sony

Recently, Line 6, Inc., an industry leader in digital modeling technology for manufacturing music creation products, announced that it has started shipping the new X2 XDR959 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System. This new product is in fact considered as the latest addition to the award-winning XDR95 series of digital wireless systems.

The new X2 XDR959 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System is ideal to be used in business conferences, schools and houses of worship. It includes a high quality cardioid lavalier microphone, a rack-mountable five-channel receiver and a bodypack transmitter. It also boasts of an extended frequency response of 10 Hz-20 kHz for a clear voice.

X2 XDR959 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System from the house of Line 6 is capable of broadcasting dual signals to four receivers. It uses a digital data stream for recognizing only signals embedded with unique digital signature.

Via: Press

Finally something that makes reviving old tunes still stored in the old LPs or cassettes can be transferred to the PC era thanks to this U Record Music Converter. The device is a small silver box which you can hook to your tape deck or record player and plug in to your PC.

Now while you may be worrying about sound quality, don’t worry about it. A software is provided to go along with the U Record music converter, allowing you to clean up the audio transfer and get the satisfying sound just like it did some years ago.

For the people who have long been looking for this device (like me!) this is it. It costs £49.99 to get one, not bad considering the technology you are getting for it.

(Source) Coolest Gadgets

iHome iP1 Studio Series

The iHome iP1 Studio Series is an iPod dock that looks more like a boom box. It uses a “100 watt class D biamplified architecture with Bongiovi sound processing through twin 4-inch woofers and matched 1-inch dome tweeters.” It also has GSM shielding for iPhone use and a video-out port for watching iPod /iPhone video on a TV. Still, there is no radio or alarm features. The iP1 is outfitted with Bongiovi Acoustics Digital Power Station, an active digital signal processor that the company claims makes your MP3s sound better and maximizes the performance of the iP1.

Here’s how iHome describes this feature: When activated, “DPS constantly scans the program material and compensates for any deficiencies across the audio frequency spectrum. The result is a restoration of once-missing harmonics, brightness, clarity and presence. It also delivers a deeper, more resonant bass and miraculously extends audio bandwidth without adding peak output to the signal.” The iHome Studio Series iP1 will be available in July 2009, with an estimated retail price of about $300.