Home Theater

Logitech's Harmony Remote Controls are some of the best in the business when it comes to affordability and ease of use. The company recently added two new remotes to its lineup, the Harmony 600 and Harmony 650. Both new remotes give you one-click control over your favorite activities, and can replace up to five other remotes.

Setting up a Harmony remote is easy. Connect the remote to your computer, go to www.logitech.com/MyHarmony, and download the software. You'll then be prompted to enter the make and model number of your TV, DVD player etc.— the software does the rest.

After completing the online setup, you just click what you want to do — such as "Watch a DVD" — and the remote automatically turns on the right devices and selects the right inputs.Read more

Tributaries Cable is a company well known in the custom home theater business, not only for cables (as you might think), but for power managers. Power managers play an important role in protecting your audio/video equipment from electrical spikes. But that's not all; they also provide you with "clean" sound by eliminating interference on the line.

The nine-outlet Tributaries T100 is one of the latest home theater AC power managers from Tributaries Cable. It delivers a cumulative power availability of up to 1800 watts and features a new Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) surge suppression technology which provides faster response time and increased absorption (up to 60% more current during a spike) over traditional MOVs. Ceramic casing adds to its protection and offers faster heat dissipation, keeping the temperature low. Because of the low temperature during a spike, the lifespan of the new type of MOV lasts 10 times longer than a standard MOV. Surge suppression is also provided for telephone connections and RF signal paths specifically designed for cable, satellite or antenna devices. Read more

It looks like the new Sony BDV-E570 3D-ready Blu-ray home theater system we told you about last month is now available at Best Buy stores and online at BestBuy.com.

Priced at $550, the BDV-E570 supports Netflix streaming as well as Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, and more through the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video platform. Also, if you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can use your iPhone as a remote using the free "BD Remote" app available from the Apple App store.

Specs:Read more

Onkyo just unveiled a slew of new home theater receivers and home theater in a box systems – six total to be exact. Perhaps the one getting the most attention is the TX-SR608, the "world's first THX certified 3D-ready A/V receiver."

Available in April, the 3D-ready TX-SR608 receiver is a 7.2 channel THX-Select2 Plus certified receiver that uses a three-stage Darlington output topology to increase power from 90 to 100 watts. It also uses an Audyssey DSX dimensional sound processor along with its Dolby PLIIz capability. The receiver decodes lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams, and uses 192-kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1690 DAC's. All video sources can be upscaled to 1080p via HDMI and Faroudja DCDi Cinema…even the PC input. It also includes a front HDMI input. The TX-SR608 will be available in April for $599.Read more

Denon today announced that several of its advanced A/V receivers are now compatible with Windows 7.

Models include:

• AVR-4310CI - 7.1 channel multi-source/zone A/V receiver with networking ($1,999)
• AVR-3310CI - 7.1 channel multi-source/zone A/V receiver with networking ($1,499)
• AVR-990 - 7.1 channel multi-source/zone A/V receiver with networking ($1,499)
• AVR-4810CI - 9.3 channel multi-zone A/V receiver ($2,999)
• ASD-51W - Network Enabled iPod Dock ($299)
• ASD-51N - Network Enabled iPod Dock ($249)

In addition to the models above, all upcoming 2010 models will sport the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo. Read more

Those looking to purchase a new high-end Blu-ray player, pay attention. Visit an authorized Marantz retailer between now and March 31, 2010 to get a free Roku HD digital video player (via mail-in rebate) with the purchase one of four Marantz Blu-ray players. The four eligible Blu-ray players are the UD9004 ($5,999.99), UD8004 ($2,299.99), BD7004 ($799.99) and BD5004 ($549.99).

The Roku HD player streams Netflix, Amazon VOD, Pandora, Major League Baseball and more in high-definition video and audio. The ROKU HD player retails for $99.99. Rebate redemption forms are available at www.us.marantz.com.Read more

Pioneer Electronics today announced a new line of 5.1 channel A/V receivers. The new VSX-520-K and VSX-820-K are the first Pioneer A/V receivers to feature wireless Bluetooth transfer of audio content from a Bluetooth-enabled iPhone, Android or smartphone with an optional Bluetooth adapter. Both receivers are also equipped with HDMI 1.4 for future 3D home theater connections and feature the new Dolby ProLogic IIz decoder for HD audio formats.

A step up from the VSX-520-K, the new VSX-820-K touts "Works with iPhone" certification and includes a USB-to-iPod/iPhone cable, meaning there's no need to buy a separate dock to listen to your iPod on your home theater. It also has front USB connectivity. Read more

We've always touted Epson's Home Theater projectors as some of the best…and with good reason. It was just announced today that Epson has been ranked the number one Home Video Company in the annual Supplier Loyalty Report by inside track. This makes the third consecutive year Epson has received this honor.

Of the four product-related categories, Epson received top grades in three; an A in Product Reliability, an A- in Product Innovation and an A- in Product Performance. Epson also received top marks for Resolution of Service, Quality of Sales Representatives and Ease of Doing Business.Read more

Sony this week unveiled its first 3D Blu-ray player – the BDP-S470. Although it won't play 3D content the moment it is unboxed, a firmware update will be available this summer, enabling the BDP-S470 to play Blu-ray-capable 3D movies.

The company also announced another Blu-ray player, the BDP-S570, and two Blu-ray home theater systems that will be able to play 3D content thanks to the firmware update. The Blu-ray home theater systems eligible for the update are the E770W and BDV-E570.

All of the new models (if connected to the Internet) support Netflix streaming as well as Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, and more through the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video platform. Also, if you have an iPhone or iPod touch, the new players let you use your iPhone as a remote using the free "BD Remote" app available from the Apple App store. Read more