You’ve jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon, but can’t seem to let go of those standard-def discs. A good reason might be the other DVD players in your house—or the car. Now Panasonic says you can hit the highway with the DMP-B15.  This portable unit provides anywhere access to the magic you are slowing getting addicted to at home. The 8.9-inch unit even takes it one step further, adding VIERA CAST… View this story
Blu-ray • Portables • CES • Home Theater • Product News

Westinghouse just announced enough new TVs to make your head spin. The TX Series will feature some of the larger sizes, including the 37-inch TX-37F510Z, the 42-inch TX-42F970Z, and the 55-inch TX-55F350Z. Each one of these models boasts a 1080p image and a 120Hz refresh rate. A few quickie specs on each: The TX-37510Z: 5000:1 contrast ratio, 500 nits brightness, 6.5 ms response time, and 4 HDMI inputs The TX-42F970Z:… View this story
HDTV • LCD • CES • Home Theater • Product News

VidaBox has unveiled its Touch3.6 here at CES 2009, a full-color touchpad with an interactive, customizable interface. The Touch3.6 (320x234 resolution) controls any device with RS-232, TCP/IP, IR and other control protocols via the vAutomation platform. A single CAT cable and power-over-Ethernet is needed. vController is used for the brains of the Touch3.6, processing selections and changing the units interface. “Integrators can finally install a double-gang sized panel to control… View this story
Home Control Systems • Touchpanels and Keypads • CES • Home Control • Product News

Lighting company Checkolite and powerline chip geeks Arkados are coming together to make the Reese’s peanut butter cup of home technology. The two are planning to develop a whole line of multiroom audio and lighting control products under the name iHome. You know iHome—the company that cranks out iPod clock radios and speaker systems. What makes the new products different is that not only will they combine lighting with audio,… View this story
Docks & Cradles • Fixtures and Switches • Gadgets • CES • Audio • Enhancements • Product News

Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) has introduced its XT 8 mid-sized tower speaker at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. It uses proprietary FST (fixed-suspension transducer) technology for its mid-frequency accuracy. It also has a B&W Nautilus tweeter “pod” on the top, a metal-dome high-frequency driver that helps prevent acoustic diffraction. The XT 8 features twin 5-inch woofers and uses paper/Kevlar composite with bottom-octave extension of 34Hz. Available finishes: satin brushed aluminum… View this story
Speakers • In-Ceiling Speakers • Subwoofers • CES • Product News

Ever since EchoStar bought Sling Media back in 2007, we’ve been waiting for something extra special on the set-top front. Today, we’ve got it. Dish Network just announced a joint effort with Sling for the first SlingLoaded HD DuoDVR. Also known as the ViP 922, the box has 1TB of storage and can tap into five video sources, including satellite, broadband and optional over-the-air tuners. Of course, the crown jewel… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Set Top Boxes • CES • Home Theater • Product News • Slideshows

If you’re having trouble factoring both TV and web access into your budget, Verizon wants to help. The service provider just announced a few promotions for its triple- and double-play customers. The new promotion will feature high-speed web access, Verizon’s Freedom plan for unlimited calling, and DirecTV. Get all three for a low price of $80 a month for 12 months. If you need to shave a few bucks off,… View this story
Satellite Video • Internet • Telephones • CES • Home Theater • Networking • Product News

Samsung unveiled its BD-P3600 and BD-P4600 Blu-ray Player, the world’s first wall-mountable Blu-ray Player, at CES 2009. Both new players include BD Live (Profile 2.0) and Bonus View (Profile 1.1) support, 1080p playback with DVD upscaling and total HD soundtrack support. Each player offers instant streaming of Netflix and Pandora (subscriptions required) and have 1GB internal flash memory. They come with Samsung’s Touch of Color (ToC) design, and the BD-P3600‘s… View this story
Blu-ray • CES • Home Theater • Product News • Slideshows

There was a slew of sub-$200 Blu-ray deals around the holidays. Now that the shopping storm has calmed, those kinds of hardware bargains are a lot harder to come by—until now. Vizio is throwing its hat into the Blu-ray ring, and they are giving it the inexpensive spin that has made them a serious competitor in the CE marketplace. The new VBR100 will run $199.99—everyday. The unit has a 108MHz/11-bit… View this story
Blu-ray • CES • Home Theater • Product News

Sony is saying “bravo” to Bravia. Apparently the line is pretty popular, because they are adding a whole mess of them for 2009. The Bravia VE5 series will feature three new models: the 52-inch KDL-52VE5, the 46-inch KDL-46VE5 and the 40-inch KDL-40VE5. Each one boasts a zero-watt standby power switch, along with motion and light sensors that can save viewers a few bucks on the energy bill, even while watching… View this story
HDTV • LCD • CES • Home Theater • Product News