Category: Gear | Home Theater

Universal remotes tend to look like regular remotes, unless you step your game up and get one of the crazy touchscreen units that makes your house more like a spaceship than a studio apartment. The Cyclops is different, though, in that it opts for the flying saucer with a full QWERTY keyboard look. They claim that its wacky shape is great on your hands, which will become more and more important as your TV gets access to the internet and simply flipping through the channels will be replaced by shooting around the Internet on your TV like you're from the friggin' future. Just don't let the dog chew on it, because it's sure to be expensive when it becomes available for pre-order later in the year.

From: Digital Trends

When it comes to subwoofers, bigger does not always mean better. But, this 120-pound monster provides a big, full sound without the rich-guys-only price tag. For just $799, this cabinet comes packed with two 15-inch woofers and a 600 watt amplifier. It's burly to say the least, but because of some creative designwork by the engineers, it greatly reduces vibration of the cabinet, making it less likely to force your neighbors to call the cops every time you fire up a Michael Bay movie. Of course, we realize $800 still isn't cheap, especially when you consider the fact that you'll need to buy all of your other speakers separately, but if you care at all about the quality of your sound system, this is the kind of punch that your ear drums deserve.

You have a crapload of awesome music on your computer, but it doesn't do you much good when you're not in your chair. Creative's surprisingly tiny device wirelessly grabs that music and streams it to any set of speakers with a line in. Set up is as easy as plugging in a USB device and it's a great way to get your iTunes songs to your home theater without buying an iPod dock. And don't worry about the sound quality getting butchered as your songs fly through the air. Creative's X-Fi technology takes great care of your "getting it on '09" playlist.

Lots of people seem to have strong opinions about the things Bose makes. So, get your commenting finger ready, because the big B has dropped a brand new home theater in a box system that they claim is their simplest yet. The V35 is a 5.1-channel system, wich means it has five speakers and a subwoofer to annoy your neighbors. There are two versions. The $3,300 version comes with their Premium Jewel Cube speakers, while the $2,500 version comes with their standard Direct/Reflecting speakers. Both systems can handle up to six HD sources at once, plus a radio tuner and an iPod dock. They have made set-up simple enough for old peopel who want to watch <em>The Celebrity Apprentice</em> in surround sound by using on-screen menus and their ADAPTiQ technology, which analyzes sound response in your room and automatically adjusts accordingly.

You can't throw a D battery inside of an electronics store without hitting an iPod speaker dock these days, but many of them have to stay tethered to the wall for power. The Gravity system, however, can draw enough juice from four AA batteries to rock a (reasonably-sized) party. When you're back near an outlet, you can use the included DC adapter so save your battery budget. It's compatible with most iPods via the dock and has a line-in just in case you're one of those "anything but iPod" people. Plus, the looping speaker design will look cool on your shelf and double as a Nerf basketball hoop wen your iPod isn't attached.

We used to have this crazy Sony Discman that left part of the disc exposed so you could see it spinning and get crap jammed into important electronics. This turntable uses a similar concept, only the execution is a lot better. This $150 vinyl tickler is battery-powered and has a tiny platter for maximum space-saving. It can handle 7-inches and 12-inches at both 33 and 45 RPM. Perhaps the most important part is that it's equipped with a USB jack so you can use it to digitize any music that you might have kicking around on vinyl. It's definitely a conversation piece to have in your apartment. And plus, if you don't already have a record player, you'll finally be able to say pretentious music snob stuff like, "Oh, yeah. I got that on vinyl." Just please don't call recrods, "vinyls." It makes everyone think you're a tool.

From: The Awesomer

We usually think of subwoofers as big, boxy things you could set a drink on if they didn't vibrate so much. But, this swanky sub from B&0 is different in both form and function. The aluminum outer shell has a teardrop shape with two drivers facing each other on the inside. The result is a sub that's small enough to hide, but cool looking enough to display without making you look like a total A/V nerd. It's meant to be paired with small-to-medium sized systems, but offers a whole array of placement options. Because, as you should already know, even a super-expensive sub will sound like crap if you put it in the wrong spot. Seriously, try moving your current sub around and see the difference. Or just put a bullhorn in front of your TV's built-in speakers. That should work, too. There's no price but, because it comes from B&O, you can bet that you better be driving a Ferrari to go pick it up, otherwise it's probably above your pay grade.

Have you jumped on-board the 3D TV train yet? Probably not, but if you're thinking about it and you want to go big, Mitsubishi has got your back. Their 82-inch picture-slinger checks in at just $3,800, which isn't really much of a premium over LCDs other brands are slinging with almost 30-less inches of screen real estate. Mitsubishi's panel is a DLP, which isn't much of a surprise. DLPs have been doing 3D on a retail level for years now and the other techs are just playing catch up. It won't be as skinny and it probably won't be quite as bright, but it also adds a host of fun Internet widgets in case you get tired of watching TV. It hasn't happened yet, but who knows, right? Look for it later this year.

From: Gizmodo

There are plenty of great universal remotes to choose from, but this is the only one that can open those non-twist off beers and control your DVD player at the same time. There's no fancy display and you can't use your computer for any fancy programming, but that's not really the point. It can learn to control up to eight components using infrared. There are 12 one-touch system control buttons that you can customize for automating more complicated actions requiring several of your components. The component selection buttons are even illuminated, so you'll have a slightly easier time turning on the Blu-ray player, even if you've used the bottle opener to open a few too many cold ones.

3DTV is happening, whether you're buying into it or not. Personally, we think it's a little silly to jump on the 3D bandwagon at this point, what with the complete dearth of content and the silly glasses, but if you want in, Panasonic has got your back. You can now officially buy their VT20 series TVs along with the DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray player and a pair of 3D active shutter glasses. It'll cost you an extra $1,000 on top of what a normal, 2D set would cost and, again, you won't have anything to watch on it, but you can defiinitely be the first guy on the block to say, "Hey, I have a 3D TV!" That has to be worth something, right?

While we have a special place in our heart for Tivo, their hardware is seriously about as old as Betty White's first set of dentures. But that has all changed as the inventors of the DVR have dropped Series 4 on us in the form of the Premiere and Premiere XL. The XL has a built-in 1-terabyte HDD for storing up to 150 hours of HD video or 1350 hours of the SD stuff. It's even THX-certified, which means you're assured high-quality sound and video out of it. The whole interface has been revamped for HDTVs, which means you'll have a lot more info on screen. Plus, the new web search function lets you track down media and info without running to your laptop. They start shipping in early April, but you can pre-order the XL right now for $499.

Logitech's line of Harmony line has been setting the standard for a while when it comes to solid universal remotes that you won't have to sell your extensive Pez dispenser collection to afford. The new 650 has a full-color screen and can replace up to five other clickers. You can set up custom actions and label them with simple names like, "Watch TV," or "Play DVD," which will really come in handy when your mother in law is house-sitting and doesn't want to miss her programs. Perhaps the best part is that it checks in at just $99. Or, you can just duct tape all of your other remotes together. That works, too.