Denon is always last to announce its new AV receivers each year, but the company just rolled out its new 2012 line.
Denon's AVR-1912 was a hit last year with built-in AirPlay support, and now AirPlay is available on all but the entry-level $250 Denon AVR-1513. There aren't many surprises otherwise, although Denon's back panels are looking more minimalist than ever before. Here's how Denon's 2012 line of AV receivers breaks down:… Read more
With that in mind we present the chart above, summarizing the various major apps available from most major TV manufacturers this year. As you can see, pretty much everything has Netflix, and the differences begin from there.
Compared with last year, the major addition to the chart is HBO Go, which is currently exclusive to Samsung TVs. It's a superb app with a wealth of content that helps makes Samsung's suite the most compelling of … Read more
Pioneer delivered a great line-up of AV receivers in 2011, highlighted by the VSX-1021-K. That model was one of the first non-Apple products to offer AirPlay compatibility--the ability to stream any audio from iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch models. CNET awarded the Pioneer four stars, with only the Denon AVR-1912 besting it in the $500 AV receiver line-up last year.
A new product year hits the reset button, and Pioneer is back with a quartet of receivers for 2012. In addition to bristling with plenty of HDMI inputs, some of the new receivers offer a variety of ways to stream audio content, including AirPlay, DLNA, and Bluetooth options. Prices range from $249 to $599. Expect the receivers to be available for purchase before the end of March.
Here's a quick breakdown of the new models and an overview of the most important features:… Read more
Audio is no less immune to the sort of mild lies and partial truths found in the HDTV world. As I discussed in the HDTV edition of MMM, cutting through these fabrications is the key to understanding what really matters.
Before you spend any money on audio, check out this list for what's important, what's not, and what's just total misdirection.… Read more
Almost every recent Apple event has been preceded by rumors of a big Apple TV update and yesterday's WWDC was no different. The rumor mill was expecting a full-blown app store for Apple's set-top box, but instead the Apple TV was mentioned only in passing, primarily to demonstrate AirPlay.
That lack of an update wasn't that surprising to me, but it means my wish list for an overhauled Apple TV from earlier this year is still largely unfulfilled. As good as the current Apple TV is (I like the current model a lot; see my full review), there's plenty of room for improvement, especially with competitors like Roku and Xbox 360 providing compelling alternatives.
Here's what I'm still hoping will eventually make its way to the Apple TV.
When CNET first covered Samsung's DA-E750 based on the pre-CES press release, it was easy to be skeptical.
The built-in tube preamp can seem a bit gimmicky and it's hard to not grin at the coincidence that the dock can support both iOS and Samsung Galaxy S devices.
But the DA-E750 fares much better in a real hands-on scenario. I had a chance to listen to the DA-E750 in a private listening room in the Samsung booth, where they had it matched it up to the Bose SoundDock. Listening conditions were less than ideal with the anarchy of CES just outside the room's wafer thin walls, but to my ears the Samsung DA-E750 sounded a notch or two better than the Bose. It's never a good idea to judge sound quality based on canned manufacturer demos, but I'll be interested in spending some time listening to the DA-E750 when it's released.… Read more
LAS VEGAS--If you consider yourself a "Fandroid," you might like to know that Philips has announced the CSS5123 SoundBar: the "first Android streaming Home Theater experience."
The $349.99 SoundBar is designed to sit at the center of a home-streaming setup controlled with a dedicated Android app, SimplyShare, which Philips is pitching as an alternative to AirPlay. It's worth clarifying that the SoundBar itself doesn't run on Android.
SimplyShare is based on DLNA and is compatible with other DLNA devices including Windows PCs, network servers, and dare we say it, (probably) DLNA apps on … Read more
LAS VEGAS--Unsurprisingly, Sony's HomeShare platform didn't take off in 2011, having most of its thunder stolen by a rival wireless audio solution: AirPlay.
Give credit to Sony making a quick adjustment. Sony introduced two new HomeShare speakers today at CES 2012, both including HomeShare (which works with DLNA) and AirPlay support. That puts the speakers in the position of being able to stream music from both Android and Apple mobile devices. There are also dedicated apps for both iOS and Android letting you control the speakers.
The support of both wireless audio platforms isn't exactly new for … Read more
Sony announced an updated version of its Google TV-powered Blu-ray player, the NSZ-GP9, as well as its first-ever Google TV set-top box, the NSZ-GS7. Both products will feature all of the improvements made in the most recent Google TV update, including access to apps in the Android Market.
The major upgrade from last year's model is the new touch-pad remote, which supports gestures via three-axis motion control. … Read more
The new design of the Xbox 360's dashboard and press releases touting "the future of TV" make it clear that Microsoft is transitioning the Xbox from a gaming console that also does home entertainment to a home entertainment box that also does gaming.
That's an exciting move, especially for not-quite-hard-core gamers who spend more and more time streaming video on their game consoles.
The Xbox is far from the only contender in the streaming-video space, which has several good options (Roku LT, Apple TV), but nothing that truly nails the category. Below I take an in-depth look at the Xbox in light of new video-centric features, like Kinect-enabled voice search and Bing-powered cross-platform video search, to see how it stacks up strictly as a streaming-video box.… Read more
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