Latest in Home Theater, Cool Homes and Home Electronics

Those waiting for a 3D version of the “Avatar” Blu-ray shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. According to Twice, the biggest movie of all time will finally come to 3D Blu-ray this December. Don’t get too excited, though; the release will be an exclusive to Panasonic. The manufacturer just announced another leg in its partnership with 20th Century Fox… View this story

For years many audiophiles have floated the misguided notion that traditional two-channel audio and home theater couldn’t co-exist in the same home A/V system. Helping to pull those lost audiophiles from the dark ages are companies like Parasound. The San Fransisco-based audio/video manufacturer recently introduced a new version of its Halo JC 2 preamplifier that it’s calling the JC 2… View this story

Not so fast, Apple. Sure, we loved that you squashed the price of the new, tiny, streaming-only Apple TV version to just $99 ... so welcome to Roku’s neighborhood. Somehow it’s been almost a year since Roku, the Netflix-streaming set-top box pioneer, added its cheaper SD and step-up HD-XR models to the original product. And now, just in time as… View this story

Someone made my Control4 App! I created a 4Store wish list in July, which included a grocery list management system. Looks like my wish has come true, thanks to I-Novi, a new design group from the Belgium-based technology consulting firm Altran. I-Novi’s “Organizer” lets you: Organize your everyday shopping list in a simple manner, and save it to your Email.… View this story

Recently I was interviewed about home automation for Century 21 Magazine. To be honest, I don’t know anything about the magazine – I can’t even provide a URL for it – but I do know that it goes to readers who are not necessarily tech-savvy. Here are my responses to the questions they posed to me: What are the most… View this story

HomeSeer, a rich home controller that often flies under the radar, is busy responding to two significant industry happenings: the rise of Android and the fall of Charmed Quark. Charmed Quark, another sleeper in the home control business, announced in July that it would close shop and let the open-source community take over. Forget that owner Dean Roddey changed his… View this story

Are you ready for some football? With the season soon in full swing, you’ll definitely need some tailgating gear. Yes, a crock of chili and a cooler of beer, it’s a great start, but you’ll want to check out some of these awesome high-tech amenities. It’s likely that you’ll probably spend most of your time outside the stadium anyway. At… View this story

Think you’re seeing more LED TVs today? You’ve seen nothing yet, according to the latest Quarterly LED Backlight Panel Shipment and Forecast Report by DisplaySearch. LCD TV panel makers are targeting aggressive growth for LED panels, with Samsung and Sharp aiming to ship more LED-based LCD TVs than CCFL panels in the fourth quarter of this year, states the report.… View this story

After days of rumors, we now know what Apple had up its sleeve for its event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Steve Jobs was on hand unveiling the new Apple TV, iTunes 10 with social networking, iOS 4.1, a sneek peak at iOS 4.2 and new iPod Shuffles, Nanos, and Touches. Calling it… View this story

Last month we showcased some of your innovative backyard theater setups, in conjunction with a contest that was held by our friends at ProjectorPeople.com; one of them featured massive multiple screens, which probably inspired the retailer’s latest theater contest. So also coinciding with the kickoff of football season, ProjectorPeople.com has a contest asking for your best football theater setup. Whose… View this story

Director James Cameron seems to be single-handedly keeping 3D in the news. Aside from talking up the re-release of “Avatar,” his latest 3D endeavor will capture life on Mars—no, really! Aside from working with Guillermo del Toro, one of Cameron’s next collaborations will be with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Malin Space Science Systems. According to Popular Mechanics, the… View this story

CEDIA Expo 2010, the big custom electronics tradeshow taking place later this month, may be the most important event in Elan’s 20-year history. For the first time, the company will reveal its complete line of Elan G home-control systems, including the brand new HR2 handheld remote. The remote is a first for Elan Home Systems, which has always wanted to… View this story