Oh! Gizmo

By Evan Ackerman

Last week, we were given a chance to take a look at some of the stuff that Netgear has been working on recently… Sort of a preview of all of the goodness they’re preparing to unleash at CES this January. One of the highlights was the Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite, a box about the size of a DVD player that’s designed to perform just about all of the media tasks your computer can do, only better and easier and in a smaller, sleeker package.

The Digital Entertainer Elite is basically a computer, in the same sense that Apple TV or an XBox 360 is a computer. It’s got a hard drive (a swappable 500 gig SATA, no less), wireless N, and an interface that you access with a remote. Unlike a computer, it’s intended specifically for media integration, with component video, composite video, s-video, HDMI, and even an optical digital out. It can handle just about every possible audio and video format, which is important, since the idea here is that you’ll use the Digital Entertainer Elite to play all of the media which until now has been stuck on your computer.

Plenty more, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

The Liv’it shelf, designed by Matteo Ragni, is the perfect solution if you’ve chosen to go the projector route for your home theater, but don’t necessarily want a large white screen hanging in your living room all the time. The shelf is made from stylish anodized extruded aluminum, and comes in your choice of red, anthracite or aluminum colors. It has a decent load capacity of about 66 pounds, which is all the more impressive since it also contains a self-rolling projection screen that’s about 50 inches by 66 inches in size.

The top shelf which features the retractable screen will set you back about $1,870 from Panik-Design, but you can also order a set of matching smaller shelves that will help camouflage its real purpose.

[ Liv'it Fly Shelf Projection Screen ] VIA [ Acquire ]

By Luke Anderson

How many remotes do you have in your living room? Personally, I have three: one for the TV/cable box, one for my home theater system and one for my Xbox 360. At any given time, at least two of these are missing. Generally I’ve found that either I wandered off into another room and set one down, or the couch at it. Still, I spend more time searching for them than I’d like. That’s why something like this Remote Buddy Stylish could come in handy.

First, I would like to point out that despite its name, this thing doesn’t actually look all that stylish. It is useful in the respect that it not only provides a good place to set your remotes, but it will also locate them for you at the push of a button. It also provides a drink holder, so you don’t lose that too. You can get yours for right around $60.

[ Taylor Gifts ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Luke Anderson

There’s nothing worse than watching TV when suddenly a really bad show or infomercial comes on and the remote is nowhere to be found. It is at this point you begin to ponder whether or not your couch can actually eat objects. The problem is that remotes are rather small, and can easily be misplaced or lost. Sure, you could buy a larger remote, but that’s no fun. So why not stick it inside something bigger, like a pillow?

This Remote Control Pillow Case  looks like an ordinary pillow with an extra piece of cloth sewn on. Drawn on this extra cloth is the outline of a universal remote. This allows you to supposedly use the remote while it is contained in this pouch. What I don’t understand is how this tiny scrap of cloth justifies the $116 price.

[ UncommonGoods ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Evan Ackerman

I’ve been a Netflix member since somewhere back when living in the “2000s” was still a novelty. I was a bit skeptical when they introduced online streaming last year, but I have to say, I’m hooked now. Despite a somewhat frustrating reliance on Internet Explorer, it’s easy to use and works great, with a surprisingly competent library of about 10,000 old movies, relatively new movies, and TV shows.

If you don’t have a computer, or have no idea how to hook up your computer to your TV, you can still get your streaming fix with Roku’s set-top Netflix player. For $100 (it’s a one-time thing just for the hardware), you get a cute little box the size of a short stack of CDs. Connect one end of the box to your internet (either with an ethernet cable or wirelessly), and the other end to your TV (it’s got RCA jacks, S-video, component video, HDMI, and optical audio), and you’re good to go. You basically just browse around the Netflix website on your TV with the player’s remote to pick what you want to watch. From the sound of things, it’s so easy your parents could probably do it.

Although Netflix doesn’t currently stream in HD (and the quality depends entirely on the speed of your connection), the box is set up for HD when it becomes available. For $100, plus $9 a month for unlimited streaming, it’s not a bad combination to add to your home theatre setup.

[ Roku Netflix Player ] VIA [ Gizmodo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Until HDTV manufacturers start including a lot more than just 2 or 3 HDMI ports on the back of their sets, there will unfortunately be the need for external HDMI hubs and switchers. Thankfully though it looks like both the size and design of these devices has vastly improved. Akihabara News has dug up some info on a new compact HMDI hub code named ‘Medusa’ that not only looks pretty slick, but will also be reasonably priced. The specs include:

-HDMI Spec 1.3
-Compliant HDCP Rev 1.2 Spec
-Wide Frequency Range : 25MHz – 225MHz
-Supports 12-bit deep color up to 1080p
-CEC support
-HDMI 3 out port

Unfortunately that’s pretty much all the info available on the Medusa right now, but apparently GeekStuff4U will begin carrying the device within a month.

[ Akihabara News - Medusa HDMI Hub, When Small is Beautiful ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I really don’t know what to say here. While I’ve recently seen quite a few uniquely themed home theaters making the rounds, they can’t be compared to what Jeremy Kipnis gets to enjoy every night. Over the years he’s worked as a music engineer, producer and even started his own classical music label, but it was a lifelong love for movies and video that inspired him to put together this home theater that I’m sure most audiophiles and technophiles would consider a masterpiece. Audio Video Interiors recently had the opportunity to check it out in person, and were kind enough to provide a partial list of the equipment that went into its construction:

Picture Elements:
Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector (4,096-by-2,160)
Stewart 18-by-10-foot Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen

Players and Sources:
Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player
Sony PlayStation 3 Gaming Console
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player
JVC HMDH-5U D-VHS Recorder
SATA Drive (72 HDTV Hours Total)
Mark Levinson N° 51 DVD/CD Media Player
Pioneer HLD-X0 Hi-Vision HDTV MUSE Laserdisc Player

Surround Processing and Decoding:
Theta Digital Generation VIII 32-bit 8x Oversampling Dual Processors (13)

Amplification:
Mark Levinson N° 33h Amplifiers (2)
McIntosh MC-2102 Amplifiers (30)
Crown Macro Reference Gold Amplifiers (3)

Speakers:
Snell 1800 THX Music & Cinema Reference Subwoofers (16)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference Towers (8)
MuRata ES103A Super Tweeters (10)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference LCR-2800 Center-Channel Speakers (3)

While Kipnis actually has hopes of selling the home theater to the likes of Lucas, Spielberg or other well-to-do film aficionados, I’m sure he’ll be content knowing that he’s made millions of home theater enthusiasts insanely jealous. For a complete rundown of all the gear used in the Kipnis Studio Standard – Cinema Beta theater, make sure to check out his considerably less-awesome website.

[ The Greatest Show on Earth! ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I for one couldn’t care less about the miles of cable running around my apartment. Perhaps if I was conducting tours on a daily basis I might be inclined to do something about it, but they just don’t bother me. But if you can’t imagine the shame of someone seeing an exposed cable in your home, Wiretracks provides a clever system for running and hiding those cables behind decorative baseboards or crown molding.

The real ’secret’ of Wiretracks is that the pieces of molding or baseboard can be snapped on or off, making it very easy to run a new cable across the room. Installation also looks fairly easy since any screws or nails you use to fasten the system to the wall are hidden once the panels are attached.

Wiretracks can be purchased from the company’s online store and the prices vary depending on if you’re retrofitting existing construction, or starting from scratch. For example, 5ft. of the baseboard Wiretracks for existing construction runs $15.99, while 5ft. for new construction runs $23.99.

[ Wiretracks ] VIA [ Toolmonger ]

By Luke Anderson

I can honestly say that I’ve never really considered tossing away my mouse in favor of a touchpad. Rather, I carry a travel mouse in my laptop bag in order to cut down on the amount of time I’m forced to navigate using my finger. However, there are situations that not having a mouse can be rather beneficial. The most common use is an HTPC in your living room. No one wants to mess with a mouse when they’re sitting on the couch.

If you’re looking for a good way to get the best-of-both-worlds, this wireless keyboard is probably one of the best designs out there. It’s quite simple, and looks rather like the bottom half of a laptop. The keys look as though they’d be decent for moderate amounts of typing, but then again you probably won’t be composing letters on your big-screen TV. Unfortunately there is no word on pricing or availability.

VIA [ Crave ]