Now that I finished renovating my apartment is time to bring in the furniture. Uhh excuse me, but when I say furniture I’m actually talking about all sorts of gadgets, because I already have a couch and it’s all I need for a geek I am. Right? Therefore I asked our good friends at TestFreaks to suggest me a few home theater systems, that I could review (and maybe buy). They did and the one that promised the most, was LG HT902TB.

After reading more stuff about it and comparing it with other home theater systems, I got the idea that it’s really going to do the job for me if I need style and performance at an extremely wallet-friendly price system. And yes the 1,000 Watts (rated at 5 x 155W plus 225W for the subwoofer) can really scare your neighbors if you’re throwing in a party.

If it were to nominate just a few things that I really liked about LG’s HT902TB then that would be the:

• decodes Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks
• it can play DVD-R/-RW and DVD+R/+RW discs, and MP3, WMA, JPEG and DivX files
• it has an XTS Pro Digital Amplifier
• the DVDs look great with images upscaled to 1080i (not 1080p, too bad)
• it also features a Virtual 10.1 Ch Sound that takes sound to a whole new level
• lots of ports: HDMI, 3.5mm audio input, USB port, an RGB-capable SCART, composite video output and optical digital audio input
• a lovely large remote with a tidy arrangement that becomes very useful when you have a lazy day
• a very good price (just check your local guys for a quote, or Amazon?)

Too bad:

• it doesn’t support MP3 long filenames
• there seem to bee some dotting noise when it displays images and things doesn’t seem to improve when switching from 720p to 1080i

I’ll be honest that this little monster would fit really really nice in my new geek crib and I’d definitely buy one with such specs and price.

The latest Panasonic 1080p LCD PJs is set on ruling against all others, but we’ll let time to solve that one.

Dubbed Panasonic PT-AE3000 this new home cinema projector packs 1,600 lumens , a 60,000:1 contrast ratio and the Frame Creation Technology optimized for large screen (21:9 or 16:9). It also packs a Lens Memory Load feature that’s able to memorize and restore zoom and focus positions for multiple aspect ratio flexibility, the Detail Clarity Processor V2.0 that should offer extremely sharp images, and Split Adjust mode which you most likely already know what it is (split into two halves).

For connectivity, there are three HDMI 1.3 ports and two component terminals.

Plan on buying one for all these great specs, then you should know the new Panasonic PT-AE3000 is going to be available this October and the price it will retail is going to be close to $3,499.

via Engadget

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It shouldn’t surprise you, that Olympic medalists trained on Wii before wining the great finale. One of these is Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima, who won the gold at the men’s 100m breaststroke and defeating his longtime rival Brendan Hansen.

How? Apart from eating what’s right for sportsmen and practicing a lot at the pool, he also played Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games to prepare his “mind”. His explanation:

“See, Mario does the breaststroke,” he recently told Yomiuri Sports. “And thus, it’s perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall.”

There isn’t much we can say, except congratulations. We knew Mario and the Wii can help them win the Olympics, didn’t you? And to be honest, whatever gets you to the other part faster than your opponents, works!

Yomiuri Sports

These days I’ve been working on redesigning my apartment so I really had a hard time to decide if I should install a home theater system in my living room (office, too) so I took some time reading reviews about all sorts of devices. Some were cheap some were expensive, but now I can tell that I’ve made my mind.

I got Sony’s utra-compact 5.1 home cinema system that an average person could setup in no time, Sony DAV-IS10 got my attention with its black finish and the slick hidden controls that light up once touched.

Sony’s new technology, Bravia Theater Sync, the whole system is extremely powerful : 5 satellites x 50W and 2-way subwoofer x 100W. That makes a total of 450 watts which is more than my neighbors can bear. But I still love it. It also comes with a compact, single disc DVD/CD player/ receiver with touch-sensitive controls, has a Digital Media Port to enable WiFi and Bluetooth streaming and an iPod docking.

The specs are speaking for themselves and I still can’t understand how a satellite as big as an apple can sport 50W (real) but it’s a Sony. They know stuff.

Just to be brief, here are the things I enjoyed the most with the new Sony DAV-IS10:

• Incredibly small surround satellites. Despite their size, they deliver a surprisingly powerful performance.
• The active subwoofer fills the gap. It has dual drivers that take care of the midrange frequencies that the satellites can’t manage.
• Image quality is excellent. Colors are rich and vibrant without overwhelming natural tones and there is very little noise, especially with upscaled images.
• The stylish design is impressive, but you would’ve expected this from a Sony, wouldn’t you?

A review wouldn’t be complete if we wouldn’t tell you what are the weaknesses of this home theater system.

• Though it was built for maximum discretion, we’d go for slightly bigger cabinets for more midrange depth and detail.
• I’d love it to have 1080p video upscaling

That would be all on Sony’s DAV-IS10. Do you own one? Do you love it?

Aztech’s WL850MS wireless HD multimedia streamers are designed to sit between your modem/router and HDTV settop box/console/media player. It comes as a receiver - transmitter pair supports 1080p media streaming via the high-speed 802.11n Wi-Fi technology.

It also has multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antennas for extended coverage and 2.4 GHz /5GHz dual-band capability which makes the new WL850MS less prone to interferences like cordless phones, microwave ovens and Bluetooth devices.

There is another high end version available that integrates an ADSL/VDSL modem, 802.11n wireless router, network switch, DECT phone base, VOIP telephony, powerline adapter and a USB host along with all the standard features available in base model.

via CnetAsia

With more and more people buying an in-home cinema and because everyone needs gadgets as small as possible, Earth Trek decided to announce their new 90-850R projector as the ‘world’s smallest’.

Now as technology gets more advanced each day, it probably won’t stay the ‘world’s smallest’ for long, even though it is a tiny 4 by 2 inches big. The tiny machine puts out a massive picture, measuring 22-inches diagonally, however it is not known what distance this is from. Even though it’s only a small device, it also carries a stack of other features, like the built in speaker, an SD card slot and A/V input through a 3.5mm jack.

The release date and price are still unknown, but we’re  expecting some official info from the company.

via Akihabara

The Super Pii Pii Brothers is actually a video game for the Nintendo Wii coming from who else, Japan. I was totally blown away to see it at work and is damn funny.

You get to strap yourself with a belt harness that has the Wiimote attached and need to control the pee flow onto the three toilets that open and close as they wish, on your display.

What’s the goal? To spill as little as you can, on the floor.If you want to know how the Japanese got the idea to build it, here’s why.

“Super Pii Pii Brothers promotes good bathroom skills and allows women to experience for the first time the pleasure of urinating while standing.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQNKRDFanQE[/youtube]

Not sure if you like it, but throw in a party and get your buddies to play a multiplayer game of the Super Pii Pii Brothers, it’s going to rock, believe me. Just make sure they don’t use their real “wiimotes” on your screen.

Price is $34.99 from ThinkGeek.

Now that Toshiba has finally ditched the HD DVD format in an official statement saying that “it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders” this should have impact on some businesses. However, Microsoft announced today that its Xbox 360 game console won’t suffer any material impact.

I find it hard to believe, but Microsoft enforced our thoughts saying that Xbox 360 customers would continue to be able to consume high-definition movies, television programs, and DVDs they already own on the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.

Lets see it done, now that Blu-ray is gonna become king and then we’ll talk.

via YahooNews

Griffin Technology has launched recently a new wireless sound system. The product was released on BestBuy.com, an online shop. The Evolve Wireless Sound System features a base unit dock, two wireless speakers and a RF remote control.

The dock station is compatible with iPod video, iPod photo and 1st- and 2nd-generation iPod nano. The unit recharges your iPod too, as it streams digital stereo sounds. The wireless speakers are powered by built-in lithium-ion batteries, which deliver up to 10 hours of functioning. Evolve Wireless Sound System has auxiliary audio in RCA jacks for alternate audio sources like other MP3 player for example.

You can buy it for $299 at BestBuy.com. (via iLounge)

Sony announced price cuts for PlayStation 3 model. The 40 GB version will retail for $399 while the 80 GB version’s price was also cut with $100. Sony Corp. tries to reinvigorate the sales of their new game console, because the things didn’t go in the right direction. The new prices will be available on November 2 when the new version of the PS3 will come with a 40 GB hard drive for the North American market. Same measures were applied in Europe and Japan, because Sony couldn’t battle with its rivals Microsoft and Nintendo.

Still, the PS3 remains more expensive than the rival game consoles. Its price surpasses with $50 the Xbox 360 and with $150 Nintendo Wii. Nevertheless, Sony have made the move before the Christmas shopping season. Better now than later. And I still prefer the Wii.

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