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Epson's 2010 PowerLite Home and Pro Cinema projector lineup given US pricing, dates

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 8th 2009 at 7:34AM

We already snuck a peak at the European version of Epson's Home Cinema 8500 UB (the EH-TW4400) and Pro Cinema 9500 UB (EH-TW5500) at the big IFA show in Berlin. Now they're US official, and joined by newly anointed PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and Pro Cinema 9100 models. The new 8100 doubles the reported contrast of the old 6100 (on paper anyway) which should equate to a visible black level improvement for an asking price of just $1,500 after $100 rebate -- very reasonable for a Full HD home theater projector of Epson quality. The 9100 adds support for an anamorphic lens, ISF certification for professional setups, a bundled ceiling mount and spare E-TORL lamp, and a 3-year replacement warranty for a beefier $2,600. Expect the 8100 to hit US retail in October along side the "sub-$4,000" Pro Cinema 9500 UB while the 9100 lands in November with the "sub-$3,000" Home Cinema 8500 UB. Your holiday slide-shows will never be the same.

[Via The Art of Home Theater Projectors]

Read -- PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB
Read -- PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB

Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse

by Darren Murph posted Mar 29th 2009 at 6:51PM


For those that don't visit Fry's Electronics on any regular basis, you probably reckoned that Wayne Dalton's totally promising USB To Z-Wave adapter had simply failed to ever make it onto store shelves after being launched 14 months ago. Turns out, the device (and the OS X-friendly Houseport software) has just been loosed from its limiting "Fry's exclusive" agreement, and it's about to ship out to anyone who desires it starting June 1st. We're told that the hardware and software hasn't changed since CES 2008, and even the retail price ($87) will remain the same. Of note, eager beavers can snag a limited number of upgradeable pre-production units today for $79, but then again, you never really know what you're going to get. Hang tight, Mac-owing home automators -- your long-awaited solution is nearly here.

Live NFL broadcast to air in 3D as "proof of concept"

by Darren Murph posted Nov 24th 2008 at 12:13PM


As the NFL gobbles up even more market share in the United States, it follows logic to see the next big in-home entertainment push side with it in order to garner attention. With every company and its third subsidiary twice removed trying to shove 3D into the home, we'd say starting with the NFL is a brilliant move. In a closed-to-the-public "proof of concept" demonstration, next week's matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders will air live in 3D to select theaters in Los Angeles, New York and Boston. Third-dimension mainstays 3ality Digital and RealD will play critical roles in the delivery, though it remains unclear what exactly the NFL and 3D backers in general plan to do afterwards. If you'll recall, this isn't the first pro sporting event this year that was beamed in 3D to nearby theaters, but we can't think of anything more appealing than 300-pound gentleman crushing each other just inches from your retinas.

[Thanks, Jesse]

Sony's NHS-A30C / NHS-70C AV racks and HomeShare hands-on

by Darren Murph posted Sep 5th 2008 at 5:00AM Featured Story


At CEDIA, home install is king. Thus, it shouldn't come as any shock to see Sony introducing a few products not exactly aimed at the consumer crowd. Enter the NHS-A30C / NHS-70C home automation racks and the HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution, both of which were generating a bit of buzz while we were bobbing and weaving in an attempt to snag a few shots. The HomeShare system seemed particularly amazing, with the wall-mounted touch panels being among the most attractive at the show. Check out the full walk-through below.

Panasonic looking to grow its HD collective

by Steven Kim posted Aug 8th 2008 at 5:53AM

Panasonic Living in HD family
Panasonic has big plans to grow the current roster of 30 families in its "Living in HD" program to 60 by 2009, with plans to ultimately hit 100 (or convert everyone on the planet). The program loads up entire families with all manner of Panasonic gear, HD-Santa style and has them document the results after the initial smash-and-grab (pictured above) with Panasonic HD camcorders. Our pitchman tells us it's like a tech-laden reality show, but without that entertaining ugly competitive element; because -- you know -- when it's about HD, everyone's a winner. There's some seriously sweet gear involved in the program, including a 50-inch plasma TV, Blu-ray player, HT setup, HD camcorder and a Wii, so head on over to the program website and apply. C'mon -- we can't think of any more qualified candidates, and you know you're going to buy that gear anyways!

Sanyo now buying LCDs from Sharp, partnership could spread to kitchen appliances

by Darren Murph posted May 24th 2008 at 1:27AM


Considering that everybody is buying panels from everybody else these days, we're thrilled to announce that one more cute couple is joining the fray. Sanyo has recently announced that it has "started buying liquid crystal display panels from Sharp for use in its flat TVs sold in North America." According to Sanyo spokesman Hiroyuki Okamoto, the two firms are also pondering "joint development of kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens," but no further details were immediately available. LCD HDTVs and blenders -- a match made in heaven.

[Thanks, Atiba]

FakeTV emulates human watching the tube, supposedly discourages thieves

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2008 at 11:41AM


What else can we say? The concept here is pure genius, and it totally makes those pricey security systems seem way pointless (okay, slightly less critical). The FakeTV is a strobe that sets up in an occupied room at night and flashes up beams of light. From the inside, we can imagine it looks fairly curious, but from the outside, it gives prospective burglars the idea that someone is actually awake and watching a television program. It promises to produce the effects of "scene changes, fades, swells, flicks, on-screen motion and color changes," just like they were generated by a bona fide set. We can't speak for how well (or not) this thing actually works, but at just $49, we'd say it's a solid buy if you're the paranoid type.

[Via BoingBoing]

Electronic House picks Home of the Year 2008 winners, we drool

by Darren Murph posted May 1st 2008 at 11:14AM


Here it is: the hotly anticipated list of best homes as selected by Electronic House. Interestingly enough, this year's winners are quite different than the champs of 2007, and we suspect all that talk of green these days has something to do with it. Yep, for the first time ever, an "energy-efficient, sustainable" home snagged the highly-coveted gold, but make no mistake, this domicile is packed to the gills with electronic goodness (some of which actually helps keep energy waste down). Even if that doesn't pique your interest, EH has selected a plethora of other swank abodes to highlight, including the best home theater, a pimped out yacht and cribs with hidden treasures. Go on, get lost in the pages upon pages of snapshots and descriptions below -- and feel free to brag in comments if your pad wound up a winner.

Indiana's Harrison Square condominiums to come pre-wired with FiOS

by Darren Murph posted Mar 19th 2008 at 11:57PM


Nary a week after finding that a forthcoming University of Houston residence hall was being erected with U-verse built-in, along comes word that 62 luxury condominiums in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana will be constructed with FiOS pre-installed. Dubbed The Harrison, the aforementioned units are a vital part of the downtown revitalization efforts, and each one promises dedicated underground parking, near-10-foot ceilings and access to an indoor / outdoor roof deck overlooking the nearby ballpark. Units start at around $150,000, and while over 100-percent have already been claimed, folks are still encouraged to place deposits in case anything falls through.

Winners of Panasonic's Live in HD contest are... living in HD

by Darren Murph posted Mar 11th 2008 at 3:03AM


Way back in August of last year, Panasonic opened the gates to its Live in HD contest -- which would gift winning families with $20,000 in HD gear along with free HD service for a year -- and needless to say, the entries came flooding in. Now, the first of the victorious families are getting to enjoy the spoils, which means playing with a completely free Wii, Blu-ray player, 50-inch HDTV, camcorder, digital camera and whatever else makes up $20k worth of wares. In exchange, Panny is extracting answers about "how they use the equipment and what they like or dislike about the products so the company can make improvements." For one particular family, their newly furnished home has become quite the hang out, but we've all ideas they have absolutely no qualms with that.

Panasonic to reward 30 families with HD overload

by Darren Murph posted Aug 3rd 2007 at 3:05PM


If you've found yourself fantasizing about an HD lifestyle you simply can't afford right now, buck up, as Panasonic is out to find 30 deserving families yearning for a plethora of high-definition equipment. The newly instituted "Live in HD" contest is handing out over $20,000 in Panny gear including a 50-inch 1080p plasma, HD camcorder, digital camera, Blu-ray player, surround sound system, and a laptop for entrants who display the "most innovative ideas" to use the aforementioned goodies. C'mon, we're confident you've got it in you, but if you're facing the oh-so-crippling writer's block at the moment, be sure and take a peek at other well appointed homes to get those juices flowin'.

[Via Electronic House, thanks Rachel]

Cyberlink unveils streaming media software: Digital Home Enabler Kit

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2007 at 2:10PM

While most folks would probably take the hardware-based media streaming approach to get computer / HDD-based media onto their snazzy HD sets, Cyberlink is offering up a reasonable software-based alternative for those looking to pass media around from PC to PC (or HTPC). By installing Cyberlink's Media Server on your media-packed computer, it provides a hassle-free way to open up your files to the home network and share them easily with other connected users. Aside from allowing any UPnP-certified player to locate media across the network, it also supports multiple simultaneous users so long as each connected PC is outfitted with a copy of the firm's SoftDMA application. Although nothing here is truly revolutionary, it does offer up a fairly straightforward approach to achieving the "digital home," and you can pick this up (or download, actually) for $79.95 right now, which will include two SoftDMA licenses to get you going.




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