Featured Reviews & Articles

We have reached a marvelous time where HDTV is not only affordable, but also low profile enough to get the green light from our wives to hang on a wall in the comforts of our own bedrooms. This article provides useful tips on how to hide cabling connected to your HDTV to ensure the cleanest looking install possible. This is a quick and easy method for cleaning up that cable mess for a more aesthetically pleasing installation that will also improve the enjoyment you get out of your system.

In our last article The New Home Theater PC – Part 1, we explored the past failures of HTPC to attract consumers en masse, and also discussed the various deficiencies that lead to the decline of the HTPC as a viable consumer product in the CE marketplace. More importantly, however, we touched upon what consumers want and what the NEW Home Theater PC looks like in this day and age of downloadable content. In this final installment, we'll walk through several scenarios and configurations and talk about using the laptop as the New Home Theater PC to enable streaming content and fulfill the promises of the original HTPC – but without the hassle or configuration problems typically associated with the genre.

I think it's pretty safe to say that the traditional Home Theater PC is dead... at least it's dead insofar as it has completely failed to reach the mass market in an accessible and easy-to-use way. There are many reasons for this, but let's just touch upon a few before we present some of the solutions for those wishing to get Internet content on their televisions without having to incur a ton of hassle or purchase a brand new set with integrated network features.

There is an old axiom I love to live by, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Just because your speakers are old, doesn’t mean they can’t still perform as good and sometimes better than the models that replace them from the very same company. When I noticed my JBL Pro III speakers weren’t sounded as good as I remembered, I realized it was time to take some action. My beloved little speakers fell victim of aging so I elected the services of a company called Simply Speakers to restore them to their original working condition. Not only did they oblige, but they took it to the next level by doing a first rate job while also offering a modification to improve their performance. They proved to me that it’s hip to be vintage. If you’ve got some old speakers lying around that you’re fond of in need of a little TLC, I highly recommend Simply Speakers as your #1 choice for the task.

In “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith,” Chancellor Palpatine invites Jedi warrior Anakin Skywalker into his impressive office overlooking the capital Galactic City. Home theater owner Steve Simon had a pivotal moment as well, though his likely didn’t involve Jedi forces and dark sides. Simon wanted to convert part of his garage into a home theater, and he thought he’d decorate it with the Star Wars memorabilia he had collected over the years.

It’s one thing to hire an installer to create the ultimate home theater dream room. It’s an entirely different story (and a fun one) to create that room all by yourself—for less than five grand. While many home theater creations flaunt wealth in our faces, Stephen Hopkins was all about making us jealous for what he didn’t spend. "Budget was a definite concern," Stephen says. "Since we were building the house (our first) there was very little budget available for the theater itself."

Like most home amenities, electronic systems can be as stripped down or beefed up as you want. As the owner of two adjoining brownstones in Dallas, TX, Tony Chiarello had the unique opportunity to explore both methods. That’s quite an accomplishment in a home that towers four stories tall. Add whole-house music, sophisticated lighting, a home theater and a robust home-management system, and it’s clear that Tony’s decision to go beyond the basics was a good one.

There is nothing like the daunting task of buying a new camera. From the number of choices to the fanboy salesman at your local big box retailer it's hard to not only commit to buying that first camera, but also to figure out the type of camera you need. The photo enthusiast may remember with fondness shooting on film and waiting patiently for those photos to be developed. Today, the work of an entire darkroom or processing machine can be recreated, albeit not of the same quality, on your desktop. Today's photographer shooting in digital can nearly replicate the quality of film productions at a fraction of the cost.

As a Do-it-yourself speaker builder I have found myself wondering many times as I perused the internet’s vast sea of home speaker builder’s selections as to what some of the DIY speaker kits would sound like. Hence I decided to check out the Schumakubins which were born on the Parts Express forum utilizing their very own Dayton drivers. The Schumakubins shined with their smooth midrange and tight bass. If you are interested in building speakers but a little reluctant the Schumakubins are a great opportunity. I recommend buying the kit with the precut front baffle. You will be on your way to getting the best sound for the least amount of money and work. Kit speakers are a great and fun way to get some really good sound enjoyment and the Schumakubins are a great way to start.