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Pioneer's A/V receiver handles XM and Sirius all-in-one

The big surprise at CES 2007 has been the dearth of major announcements about new home-audio products. Receivers with HDMI 1.3 and built-in decoding for next-gen lossless audio formats are nowhere to be seen. But at least one receiver has brought something new to the table: Pioneer's VSX-1017TXV is the first model we've seen that offers built-in compatibility with both XM and Sirius satellite radio services. (In fact, it's one of three receivers in Pioneer's 2007 line that offers the dual-satellite option.)

As evidenced by the model number, the 1017TXV is just an evolutionary upgrade … Read more

Network AQUOS promises HD over power lines

Many companies at CES are working on products that combine TV programming with related content from the Internet and distribute it throughout the home (Microsoft demonstrated some of these capabilities with Vista and Media Center Extenders during its keynote on Sunday). But Sharp is the first company to demonstrate a prototype product that can stream two simultaneous HD feeds and Internet content over the existing power lines in your home.

The technology, called Network AQUOS, uses PowerLine Communication modems to connect the TV and PC, and transmit high-quality audio, video and online content over Homeplug AV, a high-speed networking standard. … Read more

Multiroom, iPod-friendly KlipschCast audio system covers all bases

Klipsch has long been known for its excellent speakers, and now the company is branching out in a big way. Its new KlipschCast family of products promises to deliver a whole-house audio system that's wireless, expandable, iPod-friendly and easy to set up. One hopes they pull this off while retaining the top-notch audio quality we've come to expect from the Klipsch name.

The system is anchored by the CS-700, a 2.1-channel home-theater-in-a-box system, and the company's first HTIB. The CS-700 utilizes Dolby Virtual Speaker technology to deliver a surroundlike effect from its two speakers, which feature … Read more

It's official: TiVoToGo for Mac

Mac users that have jealously watched their PC-using friends put their recorded episodes of The Office or Lost on their laptops get a late Christmas gift this year: TiVoToGo for Mac is here.

Just in time for MacWorld and CES, the product will be released by Roxio on Monday, Jan. 8.

The Mac version of TiVoToGo will sell for $99 and have all the same capability as the PC version, but it's all in one box this time, said Jim Denney, TiVo's VP of marketing. Automatic transfers of shows to a Mac, PSP, iPod, or burned to a … Read more

Bravia Internet Video Link brings online video to Sony TVs

Sony today unveiled the Bravia Internet Video Link, a small accessory designed to deliver online video to compatible Bravia flat-screen HDTVs. The device is scheduled to be released in mid-2007; pricing has not yet been set. It will only work with compatible Bravia LCD TVs that are scheduled to be released later in 2007.

The Bravia Internet Video Link is a small device about the size of a VHS tape that's designed to snap onto the back of the TV. In addition to the Ethernet port (which interfaces to your home network), the Video Link box includes USB and … Read more

Philips' home theater in a speaker

We heard about Philips' 1.1 virtual surround system, the HTS8100 SoundBar, before CES 2007, but now that we've got the final specs, we're even more eager to give it a whirl when it comes out around the middle of this year, for $999. What differentiates from the single-speaker competition (a subwoofer is also bundled in) is the inclusion of a built-in DVD player, which will catch the eye of minimalists who want to pair it with a flat-panel TV and call it a home-theater day.

The HTS8100 is only five inches thick and features Philips' proprietary Ambisound … Read more

Netgear brings YouTube to your tube

At CES 2007 today, Netgear announced the Digital Entertainer HD (EVA8000), a media receiver that allows users to stream a wide variety of digital content to their entertainment systems, including HD movies, iTunes content (on Windows machines only), and even YouTube videos, as well as record television content like a digital video recorder. You can stream content from networked PCs, network-attached storage devices, and even locally connected USB media devices.

Connected to your home entertainment system and your network router, the Digital Entertainer HD sucks in all the multimedia content on your network--including photos, videos, and music--from multiple machines and … Read more

Philips introduces new wireless HDMI kit

Ever wanted to connect a video component to a monitor or a projector on the other side of the room but didn't want to run an expensive, unsightly HDMI cable to it? Well, Philips has introduced a set of wireless HDMI "cables" that will allegedly hit stores midyear, with a $300 price tag. I know it sounds a little contradictory to call cables wireless, but hey, I don't write the press releases or name the products.

I guess the point is in order to go the wireless HDMI route you will to connect a transceiver to … Read more

Philips' new portable DVD players integrate an iPod dock

In 2006, we saw a few portable DVD players that integrated an iPod dock so you could playback your iPod videos on the DVD player's larger screen. But Philips has taken iPod integration to a slicker level with two upcoming portable DVD players, the DCP750 and DCP850. Both are wide-screen models that feature 7- and 8.5-inch swiveling screens, respectively. Philips says they'll also have a built-in SD and MMC card reader, and both players will debut in the "first quarter" of 2007 with suggested retail price tags of $149 and $199.

They won't offer … Read more

Toshiba adds third player to HD DVD lineup

Toshiba has expanded its lineup of HD DVD players from two to three with the newly announced HD-A20. The new model sits between the already available second-generation players, the $500 HD-A2 and the $1,000 HD-XA2. In fact, except for the addition of 1080p output via HDMI and some minor cosmetic changes, the features of the A20 seem to be nearly identical to the A2, which we've already reviewed in depth. Moreover, unlike the stepped-up HD-XA2, the A20 will not feature the latest HDMI 1.3 technology. The Toshiba HD-A20 will retail for $600 when it ships in spring … Read more