Featured Reviews

Netgear's Internet Adapter for Home Theater (XAVB5004) is a powerline solution much like the Belkin we reviewed last year except that it amps up the throughput to 500 Mbps and includes both a powerline 4-port router and a powerline AV500 "gigabit" adapter. The system is designed to deliver flawless HD video streaming and is capable of connecting up to four Internet-ready home theater devices, such as HDTVs, Blu-ray players, IPTVs, TV set-top boxes, media players or game consoles to the Internet - it's even 3D-capable. The kit includes one 1-port adapter to connect to the router and one 4-port adapter to connect to the TV and your various peripherals. The solution’s four ports are conveniently color coded for simple setup and the entire system is really plug-in ready from the minute you unbox it.

In the world of home theater equipment, baluns, splitters, and extenders are the vanilla ice cream cone that was dropped in the dirt that only the weird kid will pick up and eat. Sexy or no, the Transformative Engineering HDS-12 and HDS-14 HDMI splitters and signal conditioners look to become a staple in the tool box of the custom installer. Promising to clean up HDCP handshake issues over long HDMI runs while, at the same time, providing splitting duties, the only thing we're really waiting on is a price. If they are comparable to traditional splitters (or even in the ballpark), no sane custom installer would leave the house without one.

It seems like all the big A/V players are coming out with wireless subwoofer devices. Velodyne is no different with their new WiConnect System which is a high speed wireless receiver and transmitter kit that enables subwoofers of any size to wirelessly connect to an entertainment system. Designed by Velodyne engineers, the wireless Velodyne WiConnect System will deliver the full range of bass performance at up to 50 feet, giving users a wide range of set-up flexibility. There is NO excuse now for those pondering a multiple subwoofer system lacking the ability to run cable across the room. Now you can have your bass and enjoy it too!

We spend a lot of time encouraging people to use multiple subwoofers, but rarely explain just how that might be made easier in homes where running wires is cumbersome or near-impossible due to the layout of the room. Aperion Audio seems to have recognized this and is providing a solution with the Zona Home Audio Link (HAL). Aperion is pitching this affordable $149 solution to those for whom running wires across a room is going to present a significant detriment to buying surrounds or a subwoofer. The Aperion HAL system works via a separate Send and Receive unit. The Send unit transmits high quality uncompressed audio up to 100 feet. Now this can be your surround channels, or just some music from your PC or any other audio source. This means you can stream music from your computer, your home theater, your MP3 player or any other audio source to almost any speaker system in your home!

Accell is a cable and A/V switching company that bombards us with every new thing that the company puts out - and they put out a lot of products. This week, the company got our attention with a new type of HDMI cable designed to prevent the cables from falling out - a common issue with HDMI, particularly with heavier gauge cables. The new cable is called the AVGrip Pro Locking High Speed HDMI Cable. It's available in nearly any length imaginable - provided your imagination stops at 1 foot. While it's particularly suited for rack mount installations, the 1-foot limitation leaves us wanting more... more length options.

We're big fans of HDBaseT, having covered the technology in depth since its debut and cheering it on to take on a greater role in finally "networking" home theater components. Now, Accell has shown off a new and innovative Cat6e/6-based "UltraCat HD Extender" based on the HDBaseT standard. It provides HDMI over a single Cat5e/6 cable and does it for long runs of up to 328 feet (100 meters). In fact, it does more than just HDMI. The system transmits and receives uncompressed full HD digital video, uncompressed 7.1 audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, RS232C control signal and even infrared control signals over a single Cat5e/6 cable! That is nothing short of amazing. And it's not a minimum supporter of HD either, it can send and receive full 1080p, 4K and even 3D signals.

Affordability and usability are, apparently, no longer mutually exclusive with respect to pro-quality label printers. Dymo Industrial has just introduced its newest Rhino 4200 labeling tool. This one s a compact, easy-to-use professional label printer that comes in at an almost unbelievable $79.99 price point. The Dymo Rhino 4200 is built purposefully for the professional electrician, custom installer, or tradesman who needs to prints labels up to 3/4" wide in a variety of materials and colors. It can even print directly onto heat-shrink tubing - which si very cool if you're looking to do two things at once or want top brand your own cables or installation job. We reviewed the Dymo Rhino Pro 5200 and 6000 label printers before and the 4200 also includes many of the same features, like one-touch “Hot Keys” that quickly create and format wire/cable wraps, flags, fixed-length labels and more. A "Favorites" key delivers single-key access to your most commonly used labels and you can even save settings for individual label formats to custom keys. Reproducibility is not a problem with the 4200.

Soundcast has been in the business of wireless sound for a long time. The two big advancements in the UAT 1.2 is the inclusion of Internet Radio streaming and iDevice control. With apps taking the world by storm, it made sense to Soundcast to include a remote app for their UAT 1.2. The SubCast is, as you'd might expect, a system for getting sound from your receiver to your powered subwoofer. But it can also send a full range analogue or digital signal. That means that it is perfect for integration of wireless rear speakers. Given our experience with Soundcast in the past, we expect these solutions to work well. And in the end, that's what really matters.

Rhino has long been the serious user's choice in label creation for quite some time now. I say this for several reasons. One, the company has an extensive line of products that are specifically targeted for the professional and "pro-sumer" markets, and two, the Rhino brand is backed by labels that will work in a variety of applications and environments. From simple nylon tape that is available in white and yellow, to flexibly vinyl tape that is available in many colors, to permanent polyester that can handle outdoor use and rough surfaces, Dymo has paid attention to the needs of custom A/V installers, electricians and journeymen everywhere.