Neo HDTV » Home Theater

Ask Engadget HD: Home theater on a $2,500 budget?

Richard Lawler — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Keeping with our recent theme of more frugal home theater efforts, this week our question is similar to the pie in the sky dreams of a few weeks ago, but with a very down to earth monetary restriction. Our friend Thomas has space for a home theater setup, but not a lot of cash to use to fill it up. We'll let him tell you how it is:

We are currently in the process of finishing our basement. We have a nice wall for a flat screen, two small basement windows, dish, Blu-ray, and about $2500 to spend on a "home theater" (albeit a smallish one). If I want a HDTV and surround speakers - how should I go? Or am I not considering something else I should be? This is definitely a theater on a budget.

This is your mission if you choose to accept it, spend Thomas' money and get a setup any of us would be proud to do some television watching, gaming or movie night with the family on. Over here we're all BeoVision all the time, so what the proletariat are using to watch Teen Cribs on is a mystery to us.

Ask Engadget HD: Home theater on a $2,500 budget? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bose simplifies surround sound setup with Lifestyle systems, charges dearly for it

Darren Murph — Wed, 26 May 2010 03:42:00 +0000

So, you've got a few options here. Do a little research and piece together your own surround system, hire a voyeur from Geek Squad to do it for you, or just hire a live-in technician to handle both present and future issues. Whatever you settle on, you can pretty much rest assured that it'll be cheaper than forking out for one of Bose's hilariously overpriced Lifestyle systems. In typical Bose fashion, the company is introducing a new trio of 5.1 rigs (the V35, V25 and T20), each of which utilize a new "Unify" technology that is said to make "connecting speakers and sources, programming remotes, and accessing content easier and faster than ever before." And by that, they mean "we'll show you pictures of the connectors on your television screen." Each setup comes with a handful of tiny, cube-like speakers and a surely unimpressive Acoustimass bass module, and if you're hoping to find detailed specifications -- you know, things like RMS, impedance, frequency response range and other vital audio statistics -- we wish you the best of luck. Oh, but here's a few figures that are being handed down: $3,299, $2,499 and $1,999. Yeah, those are the MSRPs in order of mention, and amazingly, we aren't kidding.

Continue reading Bose simplifies surround sound setup with Lifestyle systems, charges dearly for it

Bose simplifies surround sound setup with Lifestyle systems, charges dearly for it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electronic House sifts through, selects 25 greatest DIY home theaters

Darren Murph — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Electronic House recently published their 2010 Home of the Year award winners, but one thing those medal swingers were lacking was a tried-and-true DIY touch. Sure, there's no doubt that cold, hard cheddar can buy a fairly swank home cinema, but it's another chore entirely to piece one together with your own two hands, using your own vacation time and fending off screams from spouses, children and fellow constituents. Now, the aforementioned site has crawled through AVS Forum in search of the top 25 DIY home theaters, and after what can only be described as a Herculean search, the proverbial cream has risen. From a Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired lair to one of the tightest attic-squeezed setups we've ever seen, it's (just about) all there in the source link. Have a gander to get your own creative juices flowing, and feel free to drop images of your own layout in comments below if you somehow got slighted here.

Electronic House sifts through, selects 25 greatest DIY home theaters originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 18 May 2010 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget HD: How do I keep a closet full of home theater equipment from overheating?

Richard Lawler — Thu, 13 May 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Last week we asked how to achieve your wildest home theater desires and this week we have a followup in that same theme. Moving all those home theater components out of the way helps achieve the clean look so many desire, but Edward wants to know how do you do it?

"I've seen different instances where people have moved the majority of their home entertainment components away from entertainment centers/tables and put them in closets. I'm interested in doing this with my system, essentially putting everything out of view except for the TV and speakers. I'm lucky in this instance because I have a closet on the opposite side of the wall where the TV is mounted and its an empty coat closet about 30 x 30. What I'm looking for are tips regarding IR blasters and shelving/cooling issues for the components in the closet. I'm looking to put a HK AVR-254 receiver, U-Verse STB (not DVR), Wii, Xbox 360, BDP-3600, and a small Ethernet switch in the closet. I live in Dallas Texas so summers are a concern and I want to know what people have been doing in regards to cooling since closets aren't well ventilated."

We're sure you all have suggestions on how to keep the air and control commands flowing even in tight spaces. We put together our own how-to move your boxes away from the HDTV, but we don't have a lot of HVAC advice, so pitch in.

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Ask Engadget HD: How do I keep a closet full of home theater equipment from overheating? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 13 May 2010 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget HD: How do I take my home theater to the next level?

Richard Lawler — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:15:00 +0000

Sure, getting a nice HDTV and slapping together a custom audio system can make a living room into a decent entertainment setup -- but what's the best way to go all-in on a dedicated theater room? That's the question posed by Ken:

"I just moved into a new house, and finally have a room with space to set up just as a home theater, and a closet to the side for my AV equipment. I already have a projector, screen and speakers from my past setup, but where can I get the best bang for my buck in other areas? Things I've thought about are high end audiophile speakers, movie theater-style seating, installing a D-BOX motion setup or even a popcorn machine. What do you recommend?"

We've perused the Engadget HD Flickr group (what, your pics aren't there already?) enough to know you guys have done all of that and then some, so let us know what custom projects you've found worked best to make your home theater stand out.

[Picture belongs to shieldss44]

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Ask Engadget HD: How do I take my home theater to the next level? originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 06 May 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electronic House crowns 2010 Home of the Year award winners

Donald Melanson — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:58:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again, when the folks from Electronic House recognize the most impressive and downright jaw-dropping homes and home theaters they've seen since the last awards were handed out. While the categories cover everything from more modest home theaters to the best kitchens and outdoor spaces, the standout has to be the award for best home theater over $250,000, which this year went to the theater pictured above put together by First Impressions Theme Theaters. While the exact price doesn't appear to have been disclosed, the home theater was apparently four and half months in the making, and centers around a 174-inch screen (which can be adjusted for scope ratio) and a TITAN 1080p-250 Pro Series projector that itself weighs in at 200 pounds. That, of course, is just the beginning -- the room also includes a Crestron automation system that automatically adjusts the lighting and changes the sky on the ceiling when folks enter, sound-proofing that lets you "hear your heartbeat," a completely concealed Genelec surround sound system, a custom dog bed, and Italian leather CineLounger seats complete with LED-lit glowing cup holders, to name just a few standout features. Hit up the source link below for the complete details, and the rest of the award winners.

Electronic House crowns 2010 Home of the Year award winners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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