Backseat TV - The Latest from Sirius Radio

Most folks in the A/V industry have been paying more time and attention speculating a potential merger between Satellite Radio giants XM and Sirius for the past two years than the content and features that each company offers. 

Sirius has stepped up by offering a new option for drivers with kids. Backseat TV is specifically marketed toward providing TV-G programming content to any existing headrest or flip-down monitor located behind the driver. Kids can watch one of three kids' channels on headphones while the grown-ups listen to any Sirius Radio channel in the front of the car.

Not Just Loud…Serious Sound

Klipsch recently returned to the mix here at Tweeter. For those of you who don’t know, they make some seriously efficient speakers.

What sometimes surprises people, however, is the depth and detail that you get from them. Klipsch, found in 50 percent of all new theaters in North and South America, has a passion for being the best. Their mission statement reflects their goal, "To be the best-of-class audio solution in all categories that it competes…"

Ultra-Thin Flat Screen TVs – The Next Generation

Over the past few years we have gone from bulky CRT based televisions, to current day Plasma and LCD televisions measuring just five inches deep. This has been a real revolution and has allowed us to enjoy larger televisions in places never before possible.

Imagine a large, ultra-thin flat screen television that measures less than an inch deep! It is not science fiction; Plasma and LCD manufacturers are being challenged by the new arrival of Organic Light Emitting Diode technology (OLED).

Blu-ray Provides Vastly Superior HD Audio Experience

Most consumers are aware that new high definition movie players and discs are available, but have hesitated to buy them up until now due to the format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. However, Toshiba abandoning HD-DVD will open the floodgates for home theater upgrades this year.

It is true that Blu-ray offers up to 1080p video resolution, as well as interactivity and more bonus features than regular DVD, but it also offers four next-generation audio codecs that new adopters will need to know about. Here’s the low down on the latest audio formats devised by Dolby and DTS.

Sonos Music System Gets Even Better

Back in November, Matt Remeika posted the article "Discover Sonos", in which he described the amazing Sonos Wireless Multi-Room Music system.  Here is some of what he wrote:  “The Sonos wireless multi-room music system is hands-down the best deal at our company. For under $1,000 you have a fantastic, easy to use, expandable whole-house wireless music system. Better yet, it offers amazing technology normally found only in sophisticated systems that are three to four times the cost.” 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better . . . . .it has! 

You can now listen to Sirius Internet Radio with your Sonos system.  Listen to the same music or station all over the house (possible with the system in party mode).  Or, let the kids listen to Hip Hop Nation in the family room while you listen to Howard Stern in the garage or Martha Stewart in the kitchen. 

Just starting out or need help expanding your system? Come see us.  We can set you up with Sonos and your free 30-day trial of Sirius Internet Radio.

2008 CES: A Good Show for Car Electronics

Alpine, Escort, JL Audio, and Viper were among the car electronics manufacturers making big product introductions at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

What is the Matrix?

The Matrix, according to the movie by the same name, is control.

When it comes to my clients' audio/video systems, simplified control of the system often begins as a low priority, but usually ends up as a "must have". That's especially true in systems where music and video are distributed throughout the house, which we’ll discuss here.

Good bye Fujitsu

Fujitsu has announced an end to their plasma TV division and decided to focus more on the heating and ventilation market (?) . In my view, this leaves the Pioneer Kuro plasma displays as the best in the industry. Having seen both company’s offerings, I've always felt that Pioneer had the edge in the color accuracy department.

Take Your Speakers Out of the Box

Are you searching for a high performance speaker that looks good, sounds great, and doesn't take up too much space?  Consider an in-wall speaker. They’re mounted flush to the surface of the wall, with the body of the speaker housed inside the wall; they’re stealth technology for sound.

Back in Black - Project KURO

Pioneer is revolutionizing the plasma television business. They have completely redesigned their plasma technology to produce the sharpest and most vivid picture you’ll find; the code name for this effort is Project Kuro. Kuro is Japanese for “black”, and the ability of these TV’s to produce jet-black blacks sets them apart from the rest of the industry.

12 Volt Picasso

My wife sure is lucky to be married to me. After an exhaustive search for a car, she and I decided to get her a new Subaru Impreza- and she’s thrilled. My kids must like it too because they’ve already named it Night Sky.

But what does our new car purchase have to do with the "Expert Advice" section of my company’s web site? Well for me, getting the new car is just the canvas for the mobile entertainment Picasso I’m going to paint….

Blu-ray version of Cars has arrived.

Disney has hit one out of the park with the Blu-ray version of Cars.

The quality of the animation made my jaw drop. Having just raved last week about the quality of "Meet the Robinsons" Blu-ray release, I've gotta say that I think this title actually trumps it in both sound and picture quality. The depth of colors on the individual cars was amazing as was the level of detail. The standard DVD of Cars is my two year old's favorite, so I'm famililar with the movie. But this hi def version is like a whole new experience. It's my new reference standard for picture quality.

Games in HD

A big HDTV and a surround sound system are the way to go for watching big games like the World Series or the Super Bowl, but they’re also the ultimate vehicle for video games.

Remember that games are now available in high-definition too! Many games now feature digital surround sound as well, and when you set those loose on a quality home theater, the effects can be staggering.

Black Friday

Are you heading out to shop for a TV on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? If so, your experience will likely be a little different than for those who bought TV’s a year ago at this time. Last year there was a wave of discounting of historic proportions that was centered on flat panel TV’s, and it was so pronounced that CE companies are still talking about it!

This year, price drops on flat panel sets have slowed considerably as the market has matured, so we’re less likely to see a discounting frenzy. But there will still be excellent deals. Tweeter will again be featuring some incredible values on select higher end Video and Audio products.

Here are a few other thoughts on how to get more value from your TV purchase this holiday...

3D Video... at Home?

Coming Soon... 3D HD

3D movies are a blast to watch, and pretty soon you’ll be able to watch in 3D at home. In fact, Texas Instruments has just introduced its first DLP (Digital Light Processing) system to incorporate 3D capability- so you’ll be seeing 3D capable DLP TV’s shortly. Mitsubishi, one of our favorite DLP TV manufacturers, will be among the first to offer them.

I Love Bose

Here at Tweeter, we love Bose.  Like us, they’re based in Boston.  Also, like us, Bose likes to wring every ounce of performance out of proven technology, while working on the cutting edge.  With Bose’s Lifestyle and 321 systems, features such as the uMusic intelligent playback system, AdaptiQ audio calibration system, and Bose link allow the system to mold itself to your lifestyle.

Other than audio enhancements what does HDMI 1.3 do for High Def Video?

High-definition Multimedia Interface 1.3  adds support for the xvYCC color space. Also referred to as x.v.Color. The color space will greatly improve the quality of High Definition video material.

xvYCC stands for Extended-gamut Luminance Chrominance. It is a new color space used in video electronics that is made to vastly outperform its any of its NTSC predecessors. The xvYCC color space was ratified by the International Electrotechnical Commission in October 2005 and released to the CE world for adoption January 2006. This standard expands the current color data range by approximately 1.8 times.

Blockbuster picks Blu-ray

In this century’s version of VHS vs. Beta, Blu-ray and HD-DVD have been going head to head for the HD disc movies business.  It seems that the two have been trading blows and everyone has their own opinions on who will win. 

The biggest blow thus far may have been dealt this week when Blockbuster video, one of the nation’s largest video rental chains, announced that it will be carrying HD disc movies exclusively in Blu-ray Disc format for 1700 of its stores.  Blockbuster reached this decision after a test in 250 of its locations featuring both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc showed Blu-ray significantly outpacing HD-DVD in HD disc movie rentals.  Blockbuster announced that each location will begin carrying more than 170 titles.  So has the victor been decided?  Hardly not but it’s definitely Toshiba’s turn to punch back.

All remote controls are not created equal. Here’s why.

Your new TV came with this really great remote control. "See how it lights up and changes to my favorite channel Woo-hoo!" But wait...what about the surround sound system? The cable box? The DVD player? The...well, you get the picture—every piece of gear comes with its own remote control. And when you add on extras like remote controlled lighting, draperies and a motorized video screen, the whole thing becomes sheer madness.

Doing our Part

I stopped at Starbucks yesterday with one of my co-workers for an afternoon coffee to get me through the rest of the day. As I was waiting on my ‘Moca-Frapa-Venti’ whatever when I noticed the neatest thing; there in a basket by my feet was a bunch of bags full of used coffee grounds that Starbucks had packaged up and placed by the doors for customers to take with them for free.

Used coffee grounds are great for your garden and Starbucks was giving away this stuff in lieu of throwing it in a landfill.  Now, I’m no patron saint of green peace but do enjoy seeing big companies think outside the box and make little changes that make a big impact.  It got me thinking about our industry and wondered what electronics manufacturers have jumped on the green bus (and who has not). 

I found this article on greenpeace.org that ranks leading electronics manufacturers based on their environmental policies.  It looks like Samsung, Nokia, Dell and Motorola have all made strides to be green friendly while others have not.  I was very surprised to read about which company is ranked last. 

I’ll give you a hint…they are releasing a new cell phone on June 29th... 

My Father’s Day Wish List

Are you asking yourself, “What would he really like for Father’s Day?” Inevitably, you’re thinking of the usual suspects (i.e. gift cards, golf clubs, digital camera…am I warm?). Want some better ideas?

This may help. Its MY Father’s Day Wish List: a list of cool, new products that I’d love to receive for Father’s Day.

Get more out of your Panasonic Blu-ray Player

If you purchased the Panasonic DMPBD10K Blu-ray Player, I have some great news!

Panasonic just let me know that their HD and Dolby true HD firmware upgrade is finally available.  With it you’ll be able to play back the latest true uncompressed surround sound tracks for the ultimate in home theater sound. Also included is an upgrade to the new HD color standard. If you think the Hi-Def picture is good now, just wait till you see the upgrade.

How to clean a plasma TV screen

We get this question all the time!

Dust, finger marks, and all kinds of residue can end up on your beautiful plasma TV screen. What’s the best clean them off? To get the answer, we went straight to one of the top plasma manufacturers to find out what their recommendation is.

The Electrifying Sounds of Electrostatic Speakers

" A speaker is a speaker. Some are better than others, but basically you have a woofer, a tweeter and maybe a midrange mounted in some kind of cabinet. The basic designs made up of cones, domes and ribbons are pretty much all you have to choose from. "

The preceding statement is brought to you by a person who has never heard a Martin Logan Electrostatic speaker.