Home Theaters

One thing you gotta love about radio is NOT hearing the same song over and over and over…

Thanks to companies like Sirius and XM, that became a reality for the first time several years ago. Radio had finally taken that giant leap towards *gasp* diversity, and having satellite radio installed in the car became mandatory for the talk radio and alternative/underground types. Not only does it free you from paying $18 for a CD you were less and less likely to enjoy, it opens your eyes to a ton of new music you’d never heard before. And there was no end to it.

Until you got out of the car.

In the living room, the best solution has always been that channel in the 900’s somewhere with the humorous trivia. That’s fun sometimes, but if thrilling friends and family with crystal clear, commercial-free streaming radio of your favorite news, sports, talk radio and musical boat-floaters is your passion, this product is for you.

The Polk Audio XRt12 XM Component Tuner is not only the best looking of the home components I’ve seen, it also sounds the best. You don’t even have to take my word on this one (as if you ever did), Polk actually guarantees it. I got a chance to listen to it in the A/V store downtown during a recent Farmer’s Market, and granted, their speakers are set up for a rock concert, but that’s exactly what it sounded like.

After a moment of rocking to Skynyrd’s Freebird, I got a taste of the other channels. The Giants were there, up 4-3 on the cross-state rival Padres. Bloomberg and Disney Radio were there, too (some bubble dance song my daughters love; luckily they weren’t there). Comedy, check. News, check. Very impressive. Only thing missing is the steering wheel.

While looking for some reviews, I had the brilliant insight to check the Polk website and came across the guarantee and the best price I had seen anywhere which even included free shipping. I’m not a salesman, but that’s a pretty good offer. If you’ve listened to satellite radio, you know it’s a pretty good product, as well.

For bringing outdoors, indoors, and doing it with style, my envy reared its ugly head to a level of two green buttons.

Polk, audio, XM, Sirius, satellite radio, home theater

If you’ve got a home theater junky in your family and the majority of their coffee table is littered with remote controls, I’ve found the perfect gift. Not only will they love you for life for buying them such a fantastic present, they’ll probably name it after you.

This beauty is so incredible, just recommending it to them may get you your own personalized seat in their favorite room of the house. So what is this thing, you ask? It’s the TX-1000 Medius. Sure that may mean absolutely nothing to you, but check this badboy out.

This is the Titanic of remote controls. Not just in size, but in features, as well. Not only does this thing take two hands to hold, it requires a computer to program, can be updated to work with new products for life, can control every room in the house from one location and has color changing screens. It’s the kind of remote your wife will NEVER be able to figure out and there’s a good chance no one will be playing with your media center ever again (especially if you have the foresight to destroy the instruction manual).

In addition to being able to control all your electronic IV’s in up to 15 rooms while lounging in your La-Z-Boy, it has nearly 5000 screen color combinations and you can actually store guest settings on your computer just in case you do want someone else to be able to use it. A USB cable is included with your purchase and like many remotes, it requires four AA batteries that reportedly will last an astounding 10-12 months.

On the negative side, this baby runs around $500 (not to mention an extra $50 per base station to control separate rooms) and requires a Cliffs Notes just to turn the volume down, but it’s definitely an eye grabbing, ice breaker your friends are sure to be envious of. The device also weighs two pounds, though that isn’t all bad. There’s very little chance this remote will ever get lost in your couch cushions.

For sheer audacity alone, this device gets three green envy buttons.

universal remote, Medius, multimedia

My last post dealt with playing the media stored on your PC directly on your television, but if you are like me, your PC is more of a home theater than your television is. Today, I’d like to talk about doing the opposite and turning your PC into your television.

2005 saw the release of the Slingbox, a 14″ x 5″ device that connects to your home audio/video components and then through your broadband connection, remotely streams your live television feed to your Windows XP computer. Six months ago, the second generation variation hit the market and offered Mac and non-XP users the ability to enjoy television on their computer.

With the new version, once the software is installed on your machine, you literally can watch your cable and satellite programs anywhere in the world you have access to a high-speed connection. For those on the go, the newer version is even more valuable as it can be installed on pocket PC’s as well, though I have never seen the quality on one of these devices. Having seen it used on home PC’s and desktops, I can say the quality is much better when run through your home network and assume the lower quality is present on smaller devices, too.

The second generation release came in three varieties, but the Pro version allows the user to stream their television content on more than one device. This feature alone trumps the other versions for me, but if you only want television access on one computer, the Slingbox A/V is equal in quality and about $70 cheaper. At $250 for the Pro, the picture quality, operating system versatility, onscreen remote and ease of setup are worth the money. Being able to watch your computer screen as if it were your home television while travelling is also very comforting and worthy of the cost alone. There’s simply no better (or easier) way to take your home theater viewing on the road with you.

Check out some of the Slingbox’s versatility on the demo page here or find out which version is best for your needs. If you spend a lot of time on your computer and are looking for a way to spend even more, Slingbox has a product for you. If you’d rather keep your television viewing to your living room or home theater, but want your computer media available, then Apple TV is your product. All in all, both are great products and welcome additions to the home theater landscape depending on where and how you prefer to veg out.

For being more versatile than Apple TV and giving computer addicts like myself more reason to stay chained to it, Slingbox Pro gets two green envy buttons

Slingbox, Slingbox Pro, television, computer, PC, video

The impossible occurred during a recent trip to the neighborhood Apple Store. Having given up on television programming some years ago, I figured there was no turning back. As a work from home father of three, tuning in to my favorite shows when they air is difficult at best. Tivo and DVR gave a brief respite and are nice products for serious television watchers, but neither wielded the complete power over media and programming I needed and I don’t watch enough to justify the recurring fees. Enter the Houdini of home entertainment, Apple TV.

Within moments of the clerk’s demo, I was in awe much like the first time using a remote control. What the iPod did for music, Apple TV is going to do for your television set. Combining futuristic form and flawless function, Apple TV allows the user to download ANY movie, television show, song or podcast available on iTunes and watch it on their wide screen television when they want.

With the click of a button, you can change from the latest episode of Prison Break to The Great Easter Egg Hunt, then seemlessly change over to your collection of Tony Bennett duets. You can even show friends and family a slide show of your collection of the most embarrassing photos of your kids. In fact, the only restrictions are your imagination and the need to watch on a high-definition wide screen television (which, sadly for now, will keep me from being able to enjoy Apple TV in my own home).

Watching television will never be the same. The ability to choose what you watch, when you watch and how many times you can watch it in addition to having your personal music and photo libraries is the Holy Grail for home entertainment enthusiasts. While there are a few products on the market with similar capabilities, I have yet to see one match Apple TV in style, combined features and price. Having your computer’s media library available on your television is a dream come true for a media miser like myself, and just may be enough to push me into the high-definition wide screen television market. Head to your local Apple retail store for further investigation. I’m sure you will be impressed.

For being cool enough to make me want to buy a new big screen television, but not cool enough to actually do so, Apple TV gets one green envy button.

Apple TV, Apple, television, PC, video, multimedia

Remember when home theater consisted of arguments over whose turn it was to punch out Piston Honda, what temperature Grandma cooked the Thanksgiving dinner, 325 or 350, and “why do the kids always say your friend Karen stayed the night when I was stuck in Oakland that one time”? Well times have changed. Or at least your home entertainment options have.

While teenage drama and matrimonial mayhem persists, we no longer rely on uni-channeled ON television and corded remotes. Programming is passe and alternatives are abound.

As in the world of home theater, competition is also abound in blogging. So while I bask in the sheen of sexy new living room life preservers, I promise to play my part in this blogosphere prism and not pretend that I (at least for now) could possibly actually possess them personally. Instead, I will take an everyman’s honest look at new products on the marketplace and offer an “honest” sarcastic snap judgment on why I think they should be in your home theater.

Times have changed and so have reviews.

Call me “Everybrowser” and let me guide you through the world of forward-tech envy. We may not all be able to own one, but we can all have an opinion. I hope you share yours with me on this jaded, yet jealous VIDgilante.

All comments, good or bad, are highly desired and appreciated. Please email me directly at aaron.emerson@451press.net or leave a comment after any post. I highly value honesty (no matter how ignorant of a subject) and all comments will be posted forever, unedited. Thank you for spending a part of your day with me. I hope to prove I’m worth it.

P.S. I’ll be awarding electronics I’m especially envious of between 1-3 green envy awards. Pretty much making a post will earn one, but some specially sexy mechanisms will take home all three.

P.P.S. Once I get into a routine, the week’s posts will generally follow this format:

Monday: Video (DVD Players, TV’s, Projectors, etc.)
Tuesday: New DVD Releases
Wednesday: Audio (CD, MP3 players, speakers, etc.)
Thursday: Furniture, design and control features
Friday: Ultimate Envy
Saturday: A/V Tips
Sunday: Design Tips