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Sharp AQUOS LC-52LE700UN impressions

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2009 at 6:25PM Featured Story

Sharp's LC-52LE700UN is the 52-inch member of the company's first-ever LED-backlit AQUOS range, and we were fortunate enough to give it a spin here recently. The LE700 series began shipping out to consumers this summer, packed with web connectivity (AQUOS Net), a trio of HDMI ports, a 1080p X-Gen panel and a dejudder feature for smoothing out jaggies. The set packed a starting tag of $2,799.99, though in the few short months that it has been on the market, the street rate has fallen to just south of $1,600. Without a doubt, the fall in price helps the screen's cause in terms of value, but is there enough to warrant a purchase? Head on past the break for a few of our thoughts.

Gallery: Sharp AQUOS LC-52LE700UN

Continue reading Sharp AQUOS LC-52LE700UN impressions

Bobby Universal Remote for the iPhone review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Sep 1st 2009 at 12:00PM

Anyone who has played with a capacitive touch screen has probably dreamed about using it as a universal remote, which is why we've been quick to try out just about every iPhone/iPod Touch remote software out there. The latest one to make its way into our setup is the Bobby Universal Remote from Cremote. The app runs $20 at the App Store and leverages one of our favorite pieces of home theater gear, the Global Cache´ GC100-6 -- which unfortunately sells for over $100. So basically Bobby is the software and the GC-100 is the IR emitter, but the real question is, how well does it work?

Continue reading Bobby Universal Remote for the iPhone review

The PS3 slim as a Blu-ray player covered in the Engadget review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Aug 27th 2009 at 3:29PM

PS3 Slim
If you've been considering making the jump to Blu-ray via a PS3 but even after the price drop you're still waiting to see how it fared as a movie player, then you should check out our review on Engadget classic. Most of the important details are covered, like its ability to bitstream the latest HD codecs or the power consumption at idle as well as while playing a Blu-ray Disc. Even the noise level was examined, which showed that the slim was about 10db quieter while watching a Blu-ray Disc -- which is actually a lot. In fact the only knock was that it was a little slower at loading discs than its older brother and the Bravia Sync wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Windows 7 Media Center review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jul 27th 2009 at 11:00AM


We've been waiting a long time for this and it's finally here, the latest version of Windows Media Center. Well, we really stopped waiting a few months ago when the release candidate hit, but waited on composing our thoughts until after we had a chance to play with the RTM copy. For the most part, as you'd expect the RTM build is identical to the RC, sans the bugs, but there are plenty of upgrades over Vista Media Center. Many of these new features were also in the TV Pack, but in our book that doesn't count. For starters it was OEM only, and thus you could only get it (legitimately) by buying a new PC, but the real reason is because it was so buggy, it was beyond usable. In fact we still stand by the theory that the TV Pack was nothing more than an early preview for OEMs of the new guts of Windows 7 Media Center. Gladly that is all behind us now, so keep reading to find out what gets us excited about Windows 7 Media Center.

Continue reading Windows 7 Media Center review

Panasonic's TC-P54V10 plasma crowned king, so sayeth the HD Guru

by Steven Kim posted Jul 26th 2009 at 7:22PM

Panasonic TC-P54V10 crown
Panasonic's run of critical acclaim for its NeoPDP panels, and the V10 series in particular, just keeps rolling along. Given the positive reception the HD Guru gave Panny's G10-series set, it should come as no surprise that the higher-spec TC-P54V10 model came through its review with flying colors. The Guru blew right past the "sheet of glass" aesthetic and added color spaces that will largely go unused and got right into the good stuff. Sure, the 96Hz mode delivered on its promise of judder-free 4:4 pulldown, but most surprising was the V10's black level performance, which fell below the test equipment's ability to measure -- the review guessed it to be about half as bright as the G10's black level. That's in spitting distance of the Kuro performance, and the V10 managed to pull a little more dark detail as well. Yeah, it's a winner -- so much so that the Guru had to break out a fifth heart in its rating. The Kuro is dead, long live the Kuro.

Samsung UN46B7000 LED backlit LCD review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jul 23rd 2009 at 1:00PM



There aren't many technologies that are as fun to watch mature as LCD TVs. It is definitely one of the those technologies that continues to evolve and improves with each iteration. The latest crop of LED edge lit LCD TVs from Samsung fit into that category. The 46-inch 7000 Series is a mere 1.2 inches thick and uses less power than just about any HDTV of its size ever made. To top it off, it offers some of the best picture quality of any LCD HDTV ever made; and it does all of that while being more affordable than its predecessors. It goes without saying that we were excited to get our hands on it, but you'll have to click through to find out how we felt after wards.

Gallery: Samsung UN46B7000 LED backlit LCD review

Continue reading Samsung UN46B7000 LED backlit LCD review

Samsung BD-P4600 review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jul 16th 2009 at 1:00PM

Samsung BD-P4600

In a day when the most inexpensive Blu-ray player can be had for $99, you really have to do something special to a player to make it warrant a $499 price tag. This is obviously what Samsung is trying to do with the BD-P4600, but not in the normal way we'd expect. Instead of adding features or improving the specifications, Samsung has instead went the supercilious route and focused this player on the "wall people.' We all know looks aren't everything -- or shouldn't be at least -- so you'll just have to read on to find out if the functionality of the BD-P4600 matches the appearance.

Continue reading Samsung BD-P4600 review

Numbers be damned, plasma eats LCD's cake in DisplayMate's tests

by Steven Kim posted Jul 13th 2009 at 1:38PM

Panasonic plasma
Even as the past year has been cruel to plasma, we've stood by the "old" gas capsule technology. The results of DisplayMate's controlled tests clearly show some of the reasons why we love us some plasma. The lineup of 2008-vintage, top of the line LCDs from Samsung, Sharp and Sony were calibrated and pitted against a top-end Pansonic plasma. You'll have to hit the link to get the full blow-by-blow results, but suffice it to say that the plasma set trumped the LCDs in the areas of contrast, color accuracy (to be fair, the Sony came close) and black level -- both on and off axis. Even for LCD fans, these results show that the side of the box with its inflated specs is no place to look for indications of picture quality. For those already in the know about plasma, though, there's a lot of reason to hope that even if the technology is in its autumn years, there's an Indian summer up ahead.
[Via TVSnob]

Yamaha YTH-591 HTIB reviewed -- you pay more, you get more

by Steven Kim posted Jul 8th 2009 at 11:37AM

Yamaha YHT-591 HTIB
Every time we're asked for speaker and/or receiver suggestions and our victim's eyes glaze over as the discussion stretches on, we're reminded of why HTIB (home theater in a box) systems are so successful. As crazy as it seems to us, most people just want to get going with the HT, not invest in a lifestyle. Based on the review at the aptly named HomeTheaterInABoxReview, the Yamaha YHT-591 sounds like a system we could recommend the next time we're asked. At $649, it's on the expensive side of the HTIB spectrum, but you get what looks like a slightly detuned RX-V463 (105-Watt, 5.1-channels), 5 bookshelf/desktop-sized speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer. Other than the spring clips on the receiver, it looks like the receiver will survive a few round of speaker upgrades, with YPAO room EQ, HDMI connectivity and good codec support. Hit the link for the full details.
[Thanks, Brian!]

Axiom Audio's mighty EP800 subwoofer gets reviewed in Israel

by Steven Kim posted Jun 23rd 2009 at 10:12PM

Axiom Audio EP800 subwoofer
When a new flagship subwoofer gets reviewed, enduring a little machine translation is totally worthwhile. Actually, mister roboto did a pretty good job with Israeli site hometheater.co.il's review of Axiom Audio's EP800, but even if it hadn't you could have guessed that the dual 12-inch drivers, 800-Watt amp and sealed cabinet of the tower-sub goes way low, way loud. The brave reviewer went way beyond the well-appointed connection/adjustment panel of this sub and really dove into the guts -- we just hope that they securely tightened down the drivers upon reassembly! Other highlights of the review include the EP800 box overshadowing a small child and a video clip of Axiom's 90-foot measuring tower. Hit the link for the fun stuff -- trust us, the giddy joy of a big sub survives translation.

[Via Audioholics]

Moxi HD DVR Review

by Ben Drawbaugh posted Jun 22nd 2009 at 1:00PM

Moxi HD DVR search interface
In our world the only thing that stays the same is our desire to discover the next great thing. The cycle starts with new product announcements, which builds to anticipation, and eventually to disappointment once we realize the latest gadget isn't everything we hoped. This is more true in the DVR world than any other category we cover because although DVRs have been around for about 10 years now, it seems little has changed since. This is especially true when it comes to 3rd party DVRs which have been few and far between. In fact we are hard pressed to think of even a hand-full of DVRs that made a single dent in the market. TiVo is the most notable, but far from perfect and ReplayTV was great, but didn't last. Both LG and Sony had an HD DVR out there at one point, but you don't remember them for a reason. It's just a really hard sell to convince people to spend cash up front when their provider will give 'em a box for free. So it should come as no surprise that we couldn't wait to try out the Moxi HD DVR from Diego. We thought, finally a real competitor to TiVo, and now with a real HD interface for our HDTV.

Continue reading Moxi HD DVR Review

Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar review

by Steven Kim posted Jun 17th 2009 at 1:08PM Featured Story

Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar
Without a doubt, soundbars are a popular market. As we said in our ZVOX review, they certainly have an appeal -- better sound quality than the terrible speakers and amplifiers typically built into TVs, no-hassle installation, small footprint, and modest pricing. For smaller rooms, especially secondary setups, soundbars can be a really good fit. So when Samsung offered up its HT-WS1 model to us for review, we just had to check it out. Our time with the HT-WS1 was a kind of an up and down ride with, so follow us past the break as we relive the details, won't you?

Continue reading Samsung HT-WS1 soundbar review

Home Theater Mag welcomes VIZIO's VSB210WS soundbar to the audio fray

by Steven Kim posted Jun 16th 2009 at 7:49PM

VIZIO VSB210WS soundbar
The $350 price point for soundbars is a kind of sweet spot -- it's a fairly modest price, but companies have to deliver dramatic increases in quality over built-in TV audio. From reading Home Theater Mag's review of VIZIO's VSB210WS setup, it sounds like the brand will deliver the goods to value-conscious (an who isn't these days?) audio shoppers who don't want or need a full-blown multi-speaker surround system. The 2.1-channel VSB210WS soundbar+sub combo picked up both SRS TruSurround HD and TruVolume, and while it sounds like the TruVolume was a little too obvious about its on-the-fly volume adjustments, TruSurround HD got a nod from the reviewer. But more than signal processing, it was the fundamentally good sound quality that took the cake -- it's always better to deliver good quality stereo than poor multi-channel. Hit that link for the full details.

Rotel's RSX-1550 receiver -- great performance, but a bit pricey

by Steven Kim posted Jun 12th 2009 at 3:38AM

Rotel RSX-1550 receiver
It's taken a good long while since Rotel debuted its 15-series AV components, but we're glad to see that a thorough review of the 5.1-channel RSX-1550 receiver has gone up at AVGuide. As a marque that sits at the high end of the spectrum, some quirks are to be expected, but Rotel has finally gotten onboard with HDMI 1.3 connectivity, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and independent subwoofer crossover frequencies for each channel. Also, it sounds like Rotel changed the "house sound" slightly, with a shift towards a more "gutsy" sound with a bassier presentation. Overall, it sounds like the RSX-1550 turned in a solid performance, but outside of Rotel's loyal following, $2,000 for a 5x75-Watt (conservatively rated, but still) receiver that forgoes auto calibration is going to be a tough sell. Audiophiles who complain about feature creep at the expense of quality, however, should take a look -- the RSX-1550 looks like it bucks the trend.

BG Radia's BGX-4850 in-wall subwoofer shakes loose a rave review

by Steven Kim posted Jun 10th 2009 at 11:19AM

BG Radia BGX-4850 in-wall subwoofer
It's been a while since we heard about BG Radia's THX Ultra2-certified in-wall subwoofers, the BGX-4850, so we were pretty happy to see that AVGuide put them to a review. Word to the wise -- don't scoff at the small 4-inch drivers used in this subwoofer; by packing 48 of those little cones into each module in a kind of boxer style layout (Porsche and Subaru fans take note), the BGX-4850 (combined with a 2,200-Watt amp and a healthy dollop of DSP) turned loose sub-20Hz response that the reviewer ate up. No smudgy, slow, plodding bass here -- quite the opposite, actually. The reviewer said the transient response may outpace some of the primary speakers with which it's paired; something good is going on here. Good enough, in fact, to net perfect 10s for everything but the "value" portion of the competition; somehow you just knew that $7,000 tag would catch a snag somewhere along the way.




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