The recent SCOTUS ruling making the service Aereo provides illegal was disappointing, but not surprising given the stakes. I was discussing this with a friend who pointed out that “The micro-antennas didn’t fool anyone, it’s the same as cable tv”. Which makes an incredibly valid point because it draws focus to what is the real problem with Aereo — hubris. […]
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Home automation has always been one of the most sought after pieces to anyone’s home or home theater environment—at least to our fans. Getting ready to watch a movie, you press a button and the lights dim, the curtains go down, and your movie collection shows up. In the past this was impossible to suggest without an exorbitant price tag, […]
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When GoogleTV first came out, it was an interesting idea but poorly executed. Refusing to give up on the idea Google has soldiered on and yesterday GoogleTV became Android TV, bringing their little-black-box OS closer to their main branch of Android which should provide greater access to the catalog of apps available through the Play store. Alongside this, it […]
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The pace of improvement in the 802.11AC market has been blistering, and I had a chance to talk to NETGEAR about their newest top-end entrant the $299 Nighthawk X6 (R8000) – AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Gigabit Router yesterday. Before digging into the specifics of the R8000 it is critical to understand what exactly the X6’s AC3200 actually means. Unlike the AC1750 […]
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There must be something in the water at D-Link the last few weeks; their product announcements just keep rolling in. I certainly don’t mean that as a complaint however. Choice is a good thing :). This time it’s a $40 Wi-Fi enabled motion sensor which is part of their growing collection of wireless home automation (HA) devices. We have PR […]
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For home theater PC (HTPC) the value of a good wireless keyboard should go without saying. After all, despite its special role in the A/V stack a HTPC is still a PC – so text entry and pointer based navigation is an essential aspect of configuration, use, and maintenance. Also as over the top (OTT) content’s search based consumption takes […]
Read morePretty interesting way of making your own type of Sonos home, with your own components. FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – June 10, 2014 – D-Link today announced that the Wi-Fi Audio Extender (DCH-M225) is now shipping. Designed to stream music from a smartphone or tablet directly to virtually any connected speaker or home stereo, the Wi-Fi Audio Extender is a seamless way to enjoy […]
Read moreIt’s hard to argue with the installation simplicity of a soundbar and wireless surrounds, especially in a rented or older house where pulling wires can be a chore. I ended up with a pricey Yamaha sound projector a few years ago because there weren’t really any good alternatives that supported HDMI and real surround sound, so it’s nice to see […]
Read moreIf you’ve ever wondered how to approach matching up a set of speakers with an amp (or AVR), but didn’t know where to start Home Theater Review has a great primer available. But first, a caveat: this article is intended as a quick primer for beginners. As such, it contains a number of simplifications, many of them bordering on grossness. […]
Read moreWow…I didn’t expect to see something so Nest-like aesthetically pleasing from Honeywell. Checkout their Honeywell Lyric Thermostat. Smart and sex. I’ve been very happy with my Nest but I like the companion app idea for better monitoring of when we are home. Well if done right. Hopefully we’ll have a full review for you in the near future.
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