Latest in Home Theater, Cool Homes and Home Electronics

This may surprise some electronics buffs, but a new study shows that most shoppers of consumer electronics want energy-saving products. Energy efficiency ranked first among priorities selected by 10,000 electronics consumers, according to a GreenFactor study done by Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolfe during September and October. So … er … why aren’t we being besieged with energy-efficient electronics… View this story

If you’re looking for the kitchen sink in audio and video playback, Denon has you covered. The company’s new DVD-A1UDCi does it all, spinning Blu-ray Discs, standard-def DVDs, CDs—even SACDs (Super Audio CDs) and DVD Audio discs. Save your dimes, though. The “be-all, end-all” superdisc player rings in at $3,800. If you hook it up the way Denon thinks you… View this story

An offer you can’t refuse? Meh. The jury is out. Still, Super Talent Technology says they will soon release a series of USB flash drives based on “The Godfather.” The company just signed a deal with Paramount for the licensing rights. Godfather USB flash drives won’t just hold all of your favorite music, photos and other important files. It will… View this story

Q. I have a great quality, 50-inch, 720p plasma TV and am looking to purchase a new DVD player. Which will deliver the best quality image to my TV: a regular DVD player that upconverts standard DVDs to 720p or a Blu-ray player, playing Blu-ray discs and down-converting to 720p? - Gordon, Swampscott, MA A. This is an interesting question.… View this story

It’s nice to be able to check in with visitors via an intercom. However, checking them out is even better. On-Q/Legrand knows this. That’s why they have just announced the Selective Call Intercom Video Door Unit. It works like the standard intercom, but also features a wide angle, low 0.2 lux color camera. Connect the unit to On-Q’s LCD Console… View this story

According to TLC’s Doug Wilson, there’s a right way and a wrong way to incorporate technology into a space. Do it poorly and “you can easily feel overwhelmed by all the electronics in your house,” he says. LG Electronics understands this too, and has teamed up with the interior designer to help consumers by offering tips and ideas on how… View this story

Not to be outdone by the NFL—especially a game involving the woeful Raiders and Chargers—Fox sports is going to telecast the BCS Championship college football game in 3D to select theaters. The 3D seeds are being spread in sports broadcasts, as tomorrow night’s live NFL Oakland-San Diego game was already announced as an experiment in 3D to be shown that… View this story

For those that pooh-pooh the Xbox for its lack of internal memory, well… now you will need something else to pick on. After hearing that the 360 was adding a little something special inside, Xbox 360 Fanboy spoke to a “Microsoft spokesperson” to confirm the rumors. The Xbox 360 Arcade will now come with 256MB of internal storage. Now you… View this story

At least a few people, presumably former employees, are letting Tweeter know how they feel about the store closings. After news on Tuesday of the shuttering of the company’s remaining stores, Tweeter.com’s welcome page had a slightly different look on Wednesday morning. Instead of the 20% to 50% off store closing banner that had been there, browsers found an image… View this story

Choosing from the long list of mobile broadband service providers is in many ways like choosing any service provider, with a few important differences. The first comparison point is always going to be cost, and in this there is, at first glance, remarkable consistency among the providers we’ve looked at. The roughly $60-per-month rate is typical, so this is not… View this story

If you were planning to swing by your local Tweeter to see what bargains were left to be had, don’t bother. While many were griping that the deals weren’t all that great, now there is a bigger problem: a big padlock. It seems that all of the remaining stores are closed effective immediately—just days before the specialty retailer had planned… View this story

There are plenty of speakers designed to sit below your flat-panel TV, and usually they’re known as soundbars. The new Z-Base 550 from ZVOX was designed to literally sit below the TV—as in, you can place your LCD stand and all right on top of it. Huh? Yup, the Z-Base 550 packs speakers, amplification, virtual surround technology and a powered… View this story