Anyone else remember that scene from Get Smart where Max Smart has to walk through a series of corridors and passageways before finally being able to access the phone booth that provides access to CONTROL?  Well, today’s sweet home theater setup is a lot like that, except not quite so convoluted.

Today’s sweet home theater setup owner, you see, installed–get this!–a FINGERPRINT LOCK on his home theater.  You literally cannot get in without the man’s fingerprint or the willingness to tear hell out of locked doors.

And it’s probably a good idea he’s got that lock on there, because there’s a panoply of high-powered hardware in there.  Just for example, he’s got a homemade hundred and ten inch screen, a Panasonic projector, Polk speakers, Denon receiver and an Xbox 360 with HD DVD add on.  In retrospect, the owner jokes, it was a bad move.  He’s actually planning to bring in a PS3 for the Blu-ray capabilities.

But between the lock and the choice gear, it’s definitely a sweet home theater setup.

So I just caught this today over at Electronic House Magazine and they were telling me all about BB King’s tour bus.  Yes, BB King.  Yes, he’s STILL touring.  And yes, he’s still got Lucille right by his side.  I personally think that’s awesome myself, but you don’t come here for music news–you come here for home theater news.  And that’s where the two intersect.

It turns out that BB King’s tour bus is literally LOADED with scads of the sweetest hardware, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if half the cost of the bus itself–right around one and a half million dollars–was in A/V hardware.

Check this out:  he’s got four Kaleidoscape players and a Kaliedoscape server, individual iPod decks for each bunk and another one that hooks into the bus’ speaker system, two Integra Blu-ray players, a PS3 and an Xbox 360 (BB King’s a GAMER??  Man, that made my day!  If I found out he plays Guitar Hero I think I’d have an embolism..  He’s also got four DirecTV decks, which is kind of sad as they really should have Dish Network, and, the crowning glory, EIGHT HDTVs.  Eight of them.  Yeah.  Just like The Octopus in The Spirit.

This is just a sweet setup no matter how you slice it.

It’s possible you’ve already heard the name of Ruben Ortiz, the guy who build SmX Cinema Solutions, a company that deals primarily in home theater gear.  But what you may not know is that his company got his start as part of his very own sweet home theater setup.

He developed what’s called an “acoustically transparent screen surface”, which basically reduces the amount of sound distortion caused by the screen.  Naturally, one of his screens is in his own home theater (which may well be the strongest endorsement anyone can give a product) but it’s not just the choice screen that makes Ruben Ortiz’s home theater setup a sweet one.

You can tell from the picture that he’s got one of those awesome star fields in there, which alone makes most any home theater setup a sweet one, but he’s also got Crown amps, Klipsch speakers, an Xbox
360 and a PS3, which of course serve double-duty as DVD and Blu-ray players, and a SIM2 C3X Lumis 1080 projector.  Plus there’s his own SmX screen, which is a whopping one hundred and forty inches.

When you care enough to use your own custom-designed hardware, it can’t be any less than a sweet home theater setup.

Sky TV fans should know that their favorite TV programs are coming to the Xbox 360 by the middle of October. Or so do rumors say at this point. If you’re an Xbox Live Gold member you’ll automatically get access to the Sky Player. If you aren’t then you’ll simply have to get a Sky subscription in order to enjoy movies and sports straight on your Xbox 360. We’ll be back with more news once everything’s official so in the mean time everyone with an Xbox 360 connected to their big screen TV have plenty of time to think about whether getting Sky TV on their console or not.

via digitalspy

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console is quickly becoming one of the ideal platforms for viewing media. Recently, the hardware has gotten a dashboard update that includes several things gamers are sure to love but also a feature for us media fiends.

That above mentioned feature is the Netflix Party Play, in other words, you can rent a movie via Netflix, invite a bunch of your friends to your party via Xbox live and then watch the movie while being able to talk to them.

Sure, it’s not the biggest feature ever but if you’ve ever wanted to watch a movie with someone half way across the country, now you can.

The idea is not far-fetched. Imagine Microsoft offering an external Blu-Ray drive? Through the years, most CD formats would require a special drive and now that the blu-ray era is upon is, you may say that it is one of the eagerly awaited devices and peripherals that techies are waiting for. And which company would be better to offer this other than Microsoft.

Of course there are the middle-class players who find ways of introducing drives that can read the new formats in the industry. But as far as Microsoft is concerned, the focus is really more on its gaming console, the Xbox 360.

If we look back at history, Microsoft had always come out with something to accommodate new games for its prized game console. So as far as reports are concerned, there is no doubt that they are reliable. There will definitely be one in the market soon and after that, expect a new game console that can read it.

It is just like a preparatory thing and an alternative so that game consoles can accommodate the fast paced change in CD, DVD and now Blu-ray compatibility issues which are only normal at the start.

(Source) Ubergizmo

Do you play any console games? Do you spend too much time playing console games? Well then we have an accessory to show you that you should definitely consider. TrickleStar is the company behind TrickleSaver, a gadget that will help you save some of that extra power consumed by some game consoles. The TrickleSaver lets you plug the TV and the console into it at the same time. After that all you’ll have to do is shut down the TV to cut the power from the console too. The gadget is available for $34.95 so in case you own a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360 you should think about purchasing it.

via Oh-Gizmo

The Xbox 360 will be undergoing some scheduled maintenance on June 16th. Xbox.com and Xbox Live will be shut down for awhile, however this will also make Netflix streaming to your Xbox 360 unusable for that period. The maintenance period begins on June 16th at 12:01 a.m. and last until 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Because you won’t be able to access Xbox LIVE or Xbox.com, the Netflix streaming function will be disabled too. You won’t be able to log into your My Xbox section of the website, so the Xbox forums will be locked for that period of time, which means you can only read posts, not create new ones. This is simply a maintenance effort. No upgrades are expected.

Microsoft has announced that the highly popular Xbox 360 video game platform, that is also now an effective movie download system, will be able to download 1080p video by this Fall. 1080p movies are bigger in file size  than the present standard for HD downloads set by Apple’s successful iTunes and Apple TV products which are currently 720p.

Some argue 720p is enough resolution for most consumers using smaller HDTV sets, but genuine movie fans note the much better looking 1080p video resolution is a great step forward. No word on whether the Xbox 360 will also offer Dolby TrueHD and or DTS Master Audio as part of their 1080p download service. Home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles will surely want this feature for their HDMI enabled theater.

Linksys has recently sent out word that the are discontinuing their entire line of Media Center Extenders. A solid reason wasn’t given but it could probably be attributed to declining sales. I mean, does anyone actually own one of these?

EngadgetHD notes that while Media Center Extenders were a good idea on the drawing board their actual existence wasn’t really justified. They then go on to say how an Xbox 360 could do everything a Media Center Extender could do, and then some. Not to mention the fact that you could probably pick up an Xbox 360 for the same price if not cheaper than one of these Extenders.

Pioneer has always been known to produce the best possible audio quality for audio entertainment. The Pioneer HTS GS1 home theater system system delivers all of the power and features of a traditional surround sound system without cluttering your space.

All of the connections you’ll need are integrated into the subwoofer and color-coded, allowing quick and easy installation and set-up. With three digital inputs, this system is ready for DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio tracks found in games, video and music.

While the HTS-GS1 has front and surround sound speakers for conventional 5.1 surround sound, a Front Stage Surround Sound option provides a very realistic surround sound experience even when all of the speakers are placed in the front of the room. Through sophisticated digital sound processing and directional speakers, the HTS-GS1 can deliver room-filling surround sound without the hassle of running wires to additional rear speakers.

Auto MCACC Calibration technology automatically adjusts mulitple audio characteristics specifically to your own gaming environment. Just place the ultra high-end calibration microphone in your favorite gaming position and the system will automatically adjust the sound for distance, volume, speakers’ size and equalization. It actually listens to how the sound responds to elements in the room and alters it for maximum reproduction accuracy. Once you hear balanced and precise sound, you’ll have a whole new listening experience for all your games, videos and music. And speaking of music, the HTS-GS1 has new Sound Retriever DSP technology designed to replace lost information and dynamics in compressed music files like MP3, WMA, AAC.

The universal remote is Xbox 360 compatible and allows the flexibility to switch between gaming and the extensive Xbox 360 multimedia capabilities. With its Windows Media Center and powerful Xbox Guide Buttons, the universal remote provides easy and intuitive control of your complete system

Price: $209.99

Video games are nothing without the aid of quality audio and with news that DTS Sound will complement the high-end graphics for future video games, everyone is excited how this lethal combination will turn out. The next generation of video games are wowing gamers with unprecedented high def graphics and gameplay that pushes the boundaries of what the new systems have to offer. An exciting new technology now promises to bring game audio to the next level as well.

At this year’s Game Developers Conference, DTS, Inc. will educate developers on their cutting edge DTS Neural Surround Sound technology that enables games to present real-time 7.1 soundtracks on the Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and via PC.

By using existing technology built into the systems, DTS Neural Surround is able to convert the 5.1 signal into a true 7.1 surround experience. Whether the signal is digital or analog, DTS Neural Surround is able to convert the sound into rich, fully immersive 7.1 channel surround sound. Now, when gamers hear something creeping up behind them, the sound will really be there.

“You’ve come to expect this level of sound quality with your Blu-Ray movies, why not games?” says Tuffy, who, prior to DTS, was Director of Games at THX. “With DTS Neural Surround Audio, you’ll experience the game’s audio exactly the way the designers intend. When a rocket flies over your head and explodes over your left shoulder, or a ten foot tall Demon with a chainsaw creeps up just behind your back… you’ll hear it exactly like that — in incredible, location specific detail.”

(Source) Press

For the people looking for private listening headphone solutions, the Tritton AX Pro may be your best bet. The AX Pro has eight individual speakers, four in each ear. This allows it to produce true 5.1 Surround Sound rather than emulating surround sound through two speakers. It also allows the headset to deliver very distinctive sounds to create a 3D audio accuracy that is simply not possible with only two speakers.

The AX Pro works with the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and even some DvD players and surround sound speaker systems. So, basically, you can plug it into a lot of stuff. You still can’t plug it into your iPod, and I couldn’t get it hooked up to my Yamaha DGX-505 Portable Grand keyboard — which would have been totally awesome — but if you play on multiple platforms, you can really get your money out of this headset.

The headset itself is durable, and you have the option of hooking a second headset into the audio controller, which is nice. And once you get everything set up, you’ll forget all about little things like needing two outlets as soon as you sit down at your drums and find out just how much cooler Rock Band 2 has become all of a sudden.

(Source) Examiner

For those of you using your big screen TV mainly for Xbox 360 games, we have some good news. An existing bug that prevented everyone from transmitting signals from the box to your TV via HDMI has been apparently fixed. Microsoft worked for two months to release it but an official patch is finally available. That means you will soon enjoy HDMI sound on your Xbox 360. Just get the patch and fix the problem!

While it isn’t officially supposed to go live until tomorrow, our buds over at Joystiq have gotten word that all who signed up for the preview of the New Xbox Experience can access the updated dashboard now.

But the real thing us video-heads care about is the HD-streaming thanks to Microsoft’s partnership with Netflix. Yup, that’s right, the New Xbox Experience has succeeded in turning the Xbox 360 into a VOD wonder. 

So what are you doing? Go hop on your 360 and check out one of Nextflix’s 12,000+ movies and TV shows. GO!