One truly awesome thing about the sweet home theater setup is that it, like movies, are a universal language.

It’s even spoken in Norway!  Want proof?  That’s okay, I can provide.  A guy by the name of Bjorn Kristensen set up his own sweet home theater setup in his two hundred twenty square foot garage.

This particular setup set him back twenty large, and includes the costs of construction and fresh components.  But here’s what he GOT for that twenty large–not only the pictured theater above, but also its contents, which include Infinity speakers, a Sony Blu-ray player and projector, plus a Yamaha receiver and DreamScreen one hundred and twenty inch screen.

I don’t care what language you speak–that’s sweet no matter where you hail from.  And for putting together a great theater setup that should serve him well until the next format change (and even then he’ll probably just have to swap out a couple components) he’s earned the title of sweet home theater setup.

No, you didn’t misread that.  But man, I was as shocked as you are now when I read about how a guy put together a complete home theater in his backyard for two hundred and fifty bucks.  And how he did it, now that’ll amaze you.

One day, while Ed Sweeting was talking to his seven year old girl about drive in movies, she asked a rather fateful question: “What’s a drive in?”.  Now, it’s not so hard to believe that she didn’t know.  There aren’t very many of them around any more.  But Ed wasn’t letting this old institution go down without a fight–he put one together in his backyard and he did it on the cheap.  Just two hundred and fifty bucks assembled a drive in in the backyard.

What does two hundred and fifty bucks buy you these days?  Not much, actually.  But thanks to some timely donations, eBay, and a little fixer-upper attitude, he managed to bring together a set of Yamaha speakers, an Eiki projector, a one hundred ten inch Stewart Filmscreen and an RCA DVD / VCR player.

Next thing you know, he had his backyard drive in.  And hopefully, his little seven year old is learning just how sweet a home theater setup can be.

David Adey of Newfoundland may well be the poster child for building a home theater in the modular style.  I love the modular style.  I personally espouse it.  And when you consider how he did it, a little bit at a time, he shows exactly why I endorse this style of design.

A little at a time, a new piece here and there, and soon (well, in seven months) he had a home theater system.  And though it sounds like he spent a small fortune on this sweet home theater setup, he actually spent ten thousand dollars.

Now, that SOUNDS like a lot of money.  And objectively, on the surface, yes it is.  But think about this–he didn’t spend ten thousand dollars…he spent three hundred and fifty bucks a week. Every week. For seven months.  And that doesn’t sound nearly as bad.

What did he get for that cash, you ask?  How about a Yamaha receiver, Paradigm speakers, a Sanyo projector and a hundred and four inch projector screen, among others?

It’s a pretty sweet setup, and the fact that he built it a little at a time makes it all the sweeter.

I guess you weren’t looking exactly for a 1mm-thick speaker, were you? But just in case, it seems that Yamaha has developed one. The cloth speaker was unveiled at the CEATEC show and I bet it surprised quite a few people. The technology is still in development. From what I can gather it looks like the sound is only audible to the user as long as he or she is placed in front at a certain distance from the speaker. Is this a useful feature for the average consumer? Will we see this Yamaha ultrathin speaker in action? Do we need anything like that installed in our future media devices?

via Engadget

Sure, we’ve all seen the Indiana Jones home theater setup, but this particular sweet setup has an extra twist that you just can’t miss.

How would you like to dodge a few “traps” on your way to get into today’s featured sweet home theater setup, like a tunnel, a secret code, and moving rocks?

Sounds kind of awesome, doesn’t it?  Well, that’s just the start–once you manage to get past the array of tricks and traps one homeowner set in front of his sweet home theater setup, you’ll then be welcomed into a room full of such amazing components as a Control4 handheld remote that activates the room’s lighting system and causes a forty inch plasma TV with matching Yamaha soundbar speaker to rise up from a central altar and activate, providing you with that sweet golden idol of entertainment.

Okay, sure, so maybe the hardware isn’t as superpowered as we’ve come to expect, but it’s the sheer amount of cool stuff factor that makes this a sweet home theater setup.  After all, when’s the last time you had to work the Jehovah puzzle just to watch your favorite movie?

Just remember…the letter J didn’t actually exist when that puzzle was put in.

For the old school folks who are still on the lookout for multi-playing CD players, the Yamaha CDC-697BL 5-Disc CD Player should be a wise choice. It comes with a 5-disc carousel patented PlayXchange for continuous musical playback and entertainment.

The Yamaha 5-disc CD player comes with the usual random play with disc to disc random play feature and the usual interfaces which include RS-232C interface, IR In/Out and a detachable cord for custom installation. Definitely something a die-hard audiophile will surely want to consider as an audio listening alternative.

Price: $235.00

(Source) Amazon

If you’re looking for absolute top of the line, read on — What you see above is Yamaha’s NS-700 speaker setup for use in a home theater. These speakers won’t go on sale until early September but Yamaha has jumped the gun and given us a bit of specs for the setup.

What this particular press release focuses on is the floodstanding NS-F700 that will featurea  6.5-inch subwoofer, a 5-inch mid speaker and a 1.125-inch tweeter.

As for the rest of the set, you can read more about them in the press release, here.

There’s no word on pricing but if you’re looking at purchasing the whole set, it’s going to be a lot.

via EngadgetHD

Yamaha neoHD Media Controllers

Just after the recent release of their Sonos-rivaling MediaCAST2 system, Yamaha have revealed their neoHD Media Controllers. Gathering multiple AV components with a simple, HTPC-style “Watch/Listen/Play” UI, two models are available: the entry-level YMC-500 ($599.95), with remote IR control, and the YMC-700 ($799.95) which adds WiFi for networked content streaming, iTunes AAC support, internet radio and Rhapsody online due to the included license for TwonkyMedia Server. 

Both Controllers have Dolby TrueHD support, three HDMI inputs, and offer control of up to six AV components. Yamaha are also offering a full system, the neoHD System 2.1 YMC-S21 for $799.95, which includes the (non-WiFi) YMC-500, stereo speakers and an active subwoofer.

Yamaha MusicCAST2

Yamaha’s MusicCAST2 Network Music System is a Wi-Fi-based music center that allows you to wirelessly transmit and listen to music in up to 32 rooms throughout your home (most of not having even close to 32 rooms in our homes, but oh well!). Claiming to be the ultimate multiroom wireless system for music buffs, the MusicCAST2 supports MP3s. WAV, WMA, FLAC and iTunes AAC files as well as playback music from iPods, Bluetooth devices and other Yamaha accessories by using the built-in dock port and USB drives.

It’s able to pull audio from a variety of sources, including Internet radio, Rhapsody, both Macs and PCs and NAS devices. The MusicCAST1 was first introduced to the market six or seven years ago when the release of a wireless music platform was fairly new.

Yamaha RX-Z11

Yamaha has created a benchmark for home theater receiver performance- the RX-Z11. This unit takes high end receivers to another level with an large range of exciting features, capabilities and technologies. The RX-Z11 sets a new standard in home theater experience.

The discrete 11 amplifier delivers a total of 1,180 W and analog and HDMI digital video upscaling to 1080p and downscaling to 480p format. There is a network port to connect a PC and Yamaha MCX-2000 or access Internet Radio via LAN and also Dolby Digital plus, Dolby TRUE HD and DTS HD Master Audio support. Retails for around $4,999.95.

Yamaha Home Theater Bundle

This awesome entertainment bundle contains of a Yamaha RX-V663BL 7.2-Channel Digital home theater receiver, Klipsch Cinema8 entertainment system, and a Yamaha YDS11SL iPod Dock . The Yamaha RX-V663BL 7.2-Channel Digital home theater receiver has full support for HD audio formats, HDMI video up conversion and de-interlacing, iPod and Bluetooth audio compatibility, improved YPAO, Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control), multi-zone custom installation facility, and four SCENE buttons. The Klipsch Reference Series Cinema 8 - 5.1 home theater speaker system features four RSX-4 satellites, an RCX-4 center channel and an RPW-10 powered subwoofer which delivers all the power and detail of your favorite music and movies.

The Cinema 8 is perfect for people who seek high-powered sound and an elegant appearance, yet require a less obvious home entertainment system. Yamaha YDS11SL iPod Dock is compatible with all the latest iPods, including the iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod mini, and iPod Classic whilst still allowing the easiest way to connect and control your iPod from dock enabled Yamaha products. Retails for around $1800

Yamaha YHT-390BL

The Yamaha YHT-390BL home theater system has broad 5.1-channel surround sound with top notch features such as HDMI switching with 1080p video pass through, iPod and Bluetooth compatibility, CINEMA DSP, compressed music enhancer for fuller sound with compressed music formats like MP3 and WMA, and 4 SCENE buttons that make switching between listening profiles and sources easier with 13 preset SCENE templates. Two volume-setting functions are included for additional convenience. The YHT-390BL receiver is able to deliver large amounts of reserve power for precise reproduction of the high-energy peaks that are especially prevalent in digital audio sources.

The YHT-390BL boasts dual HDMI inputs and 1 output that can manage all HD formats including 720p, 1080i and 1080p so you can connect 2 HDMI sources, such as a DVD player and an HD set-top box, and enjoy the greatest possible quality with an HD display. Choose from 8 unique Yamaha CINEMA DSP surround programs to deliver the full audio potential of your entertainment sources.

Yamaha YSP

Yamaha has created a 5.1 surround sound system that eliminates the need for messy speaker wires. The YSP system (which stands for Yamaha Sound Projector) comes in a thin bar-shaped box in the length of an LCD and plasma TV. The system fits under the TV set and comes in 32 or 42 inch sizes. Easy to set up, the YSP system comes with an IntelliBeam auto setup and calibration system.

The center channel sound is audible directly, while sounds from other channels are audible when reflected from walls in the Home Theater room. The result is a multichannel surround sound, but without needing extra speakers and without the need for unsightly wires. YSP sound does not come cheap but it is top-of-the line. The Yamaha  YSP-3050 retails for about $1400.00.

Yamaha has brought its new product called Yamaha DVX-700 DVD Home Theater System to entertain you with its advanced features and functionalities. Capable of 1080p upscaling, this home theater system features a 70W x 2 and 70W output power. It can support Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES and DTS Digital Surround.

The new Yamaha DVX-700 DVD Home Theater System comes with Bluetooth, HDMI 1080p HD output, DivX support, FM tuner and MP3 support. Moreover, it is XM and SIRIUS ready for satellite radio. It works fine even with an iPod music player. It is priced at $1199.95.

BD S2900

Yamaha has chosen a $1,199 price point for the BD-S2900, landing it squarely in the high-end category. On the video side, the back panel features HDMI, component video, S-video, and composite video outputs. For HDMI, the output-resolution options are Auto, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60, and 1080p/24.

The setup menu includes an option to enable 1080p/24 output if your TV accepts this signal type; once you enable the feature, the player will always output 1080p/24 when it is available on Blu-ray discs. For component video, output-resolution options are 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i. The setup menu offers a nice set of picture adjustments, including four preset picture modes and a user mode in which you can adjust contrast, brightness, sharpness, color, gamma, and 3D/integrated noise reduction.

Given the player’s higher price point and the current Blu-ray landscape, Yamaha has made some questionable decisions on the audio side. Audio connections include HDMI, coaxial and optical digital audio, and 2- and 5.1-channel analog audio outputs. Most companies that choose to include multichannel analog outputs now go with 7.1 channels, not 5.1.

Of course, this point is somewhat moot because the player lacks internal Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoders anyhow. It will pass these high-resolution formats in their native bitstream form over HDMI, for your A/V receiver to decode. It can also pass 7.1-channel PCM audio over HDMI, and the setup menu includes size, level, and delay adjustments for a 7.1-channel configuration.

If a home cinema system is on your Christmas list but you only have space on your living room for a 2.1 system, take a look at the Yamaha DVX-1000.

This Yamaha model consists of two 90W speakers + 1 big subwoofer, and received a good rating of 90% at RegisterHardware. The price tag is pretty high £1,000 (close to $1,500) but taking in consideration its performance, it is well worth the money.

Thanks to a Yamaha technology named Air Surround Xtreme, the DVX-1000 is able to provide sound quality similar to a 7.1 system.

The unit can handle DivX and DivX Ultra video, and JPEG snaps on disc or USB stick. Connections at the rear of the head unit include an HDMI interface, Scart, optical digital in, component- and composite-video out, s-video out, analogue (aux) input and line out.

Check the full Yamaha DVX-1000 review.