Home Entertainment Accessories

If you own a TV set, games console, DVR, Blu-ray Disc player, computer or other device with an Ethernet jack but prefer to connect it to your home network wirelessly without necessarily buying a USB Wi-Fi dongle that works only with a particular product, the new Universal Wi-Fi N Adapter from Iogear is a promising solution.

Just because the outdoor drive-in movie complex has largely disappeared from American suburbs doesn’t mean you can’t set up your own theater—in the driveway. You may already own some of the components, and they don’t necessarily have to be seated in a convertible.

The demo is eye-popping. Hold an iPad 2 in front of an Apple TV, download Real Racing 2 HD and suddenly the tablet becomes a telemetric steering wheel. Instead of the game view being seen on the tablet, it’s displayed in 1080p on your big-screen HDTV even as the engines reverberate out of your home theater’s subwoofer. 

Just because your connected TV set or media receiver can stream content from particular sites doesn’t mean you can explore the full range of the Internet. But with the Logitech Revue with Google TV Media Player, you can “Google” anything from the sofa as easily as from a computer.

Owners of notebooks that contain Intel’s year-old Wireless Display (WiDi) technology have had exactly one choice of receiver for use with their HDTV set or projector—the Netgear Push2TV PVT1000. Now, two more manufacturers have stepped up with WiDi receivers.

Acceptance of 3D TV has been hindered by the limited number of 3D Blu-ray titles and dearth of content from cable operators. Samsung hopes to jumpstart it.

Ever-more capable home theater receivers are representative of a recent trend, with the latest example being the Onkyo TX-NR809 Network A/V Receiver.

The first tangible result of Panasonic’s decision to open its Viera Connect TV platform to outside developers is the Logitech TV Cam for Skype ($149), available in May. The high-def (720p) video camera with microphones capable of picking up conversation from sofa sitters ten feet away plugs into a USB port on one of 21 new Panasonic TV models.

With camcorder manufacturers being squeezed by phones, point-and-shoot cameras and DSLRs all shooting video, how does Sony’s Handycam line compete? Besides emphasizing advanced lenses, AVC-HD compatibility, large storage capacity and more inputs and outputs, some Handycams contain projectors.

As more TV sets and source components such as game consoles, Blu-ray Disc players and media receivers require Internet access, the unavailability of a nearby Ethernet jack in your home theater or bedroom can stymie installation—especially when Wi-Fi isn’t an option.

As the main component housing an amplifier/switcher/tuner, an audio-video surround receiver plays the crucial role in managing all your home theater components. So, it’s important to think about how the receiver will serve your needs, going forward.

Now that you’ve decided to upgrade your TV audio with a Home Theater in a Box (HTiB) sound system, there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re hearing the best possible results.

Sometimes you want the signal from a source component to travel through an intermediary component without alteration. Thus, when a home theater or handheld electronics product is described as having pass-through capability, it means that the audio or video can exit exactly as it entered.

Though most viewers have never attached an antenna to a TV, they’ve also never experienced the novelty of free TV. Cable and satellite services are laden with monthly fees, but an antenna is a one-time purchase.

Beyond perching your new TV on a wood-grain or metal/glass tabletop or bolting it to a plate in the wall, you can set up your home theater in a number of novel ways.

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