All so-called LED TVs are really just LCD TVs that use LEDs for their backlight. This backlight creates the light that allows the LCD to create an image. However, there are multiple ways these LED backlights can be arranged, and that arrangement can have a dramatic effect on picture quality.
So here's your guide to all the different versions, with some funky illustrations, too.… Read more
Every year AV receiver manufacturers tend to add one marquee feature to their product lines, and this year it looks like it's MHL.
Yamaha's new 2013 line of AV receivers consists of four networked models, plus the entry-level RX-V375, with the biggest change being that the four higher-end models each includes one MHL-compatible HDMI input. The RX-V775WA and RX-V675 have their MHL port on the front -- convenient for connecting a compatible smartphone -- and the RX-V575 and RX-V475 have their MHL port on the back, which is better for connecting a Roku Streaming Stick out of sight.… Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--Announced on Saturday at Mobile World Congress, the Samsung HomeSync is a home theater media hub that aims to inject a little Android OS into your TV via your Galaxy handset. Slated for April, the device can stream videos, games, and other media from your Galaxy phone to your big-screen TV through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Think of it as an Apple TV for the Samsung faithful.
Design The Samsung HomeSync is packaged in a minimalistic glossy black box, and it's about the size of three DVD cases stacked on top of one another. When placed on a flat … Read more
Choosing a sound bar largely comes down to sound quality and design, with features being far less important than when evaluating other products. That's what makes the Toshiba SBX4250 ($270 street) a bit of a hard sell: it sounds and looks just about average, but has a great feature set. There's built-in Bluetooth, for wireless audio streaming from most smartphones and tablets, plus it has a ton of inputs, with two HDMI, two optical, an analog, and a minijack. And although the sound bar itself is visually lackluster, the included remote is nicely designed.
The question is whether … Read more
Monday's CNET Update does it with stylus:
The mother of all mobile trade shows, Mobile World Congress, kicked off in Barcelona. Today's video roundup highlights the buzz over Samsung, WebOS and a new way to talk to your phone:
- Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S4 on March 14
- Visa's mobile payment program will be built into the Galaxy S4
- More on MasterCard's mobile payment plan, MasterPass
- First impressions of the Galaxy Note 8 tablet
- Samsung HomeSync to rival Apple TV
To help with the adoption of Ultra HD, otherwise known as "4K," they've put out the sexy sounding Recommendation ITU-R BT.2020. What does it mean for you?… Read more
David Katzmaier and I have gotten e-mails asking a seemingly odd question: how high can plasma TVs go? These e-mails, from videophiles living in high-altitude places such as Denver and Santa Fe, are concerned plasmas either won't work for them, or will have a loud buzzing.
Turns out, they're sort of right.… Read more
Yahoo has delivered a new home page design for news fanatics.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced the update on her company's blog today, saying the new design delivers a "more modern experience."
The focal point of the design is news. Users can head to the page and customize what's displayed based on their interests. If they prefer sports or entertainment information, for example, they can choose to see only news items related to those topics in the page's feed.
According to Mayer, the new home page's news feed has "infinite scroll, letting you … Read more
At CES in January, Sony announced several LCD TVs with "Triluminos," a new backlighting method that they promise offered "rich, authentic color, and excellent red and green reproduction." Digging deeper, it turns out Triluminos includes an optical component produced by QD Vision, Inc. called "Color IQ" which uses quantum dots to help create light.
OK, so what are quantum dots?… Read more
This is an update of a deal I posted last summer.
Juggling is meant for circus folk, not home-theater owners. Yet that's exactly what you're doing if you have more than one device and, ergo, more than one remote.
Regular Cheapskate readers know I'm a fan of Logitech's Harmony series of universal remotes. One of the better models, the 700, has a list price of $119.99 (or used to -- it's been discontinued). Ouch.
For a limited time, and while supplies last, TigerDirect via eBay has the refurbished Harmony 700 universal remote for $59.99 shipped.… Read more
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CNET's Galaxy S4 giveaway spectacular!
CNET's publishing another supercharged e-book. "Mastering the Galaxy S4" is almost here, so we're celebrating with a huge S4-related giveaway.
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