Recently Filed in Home Theater

One of the first things Phillip Thomas did after buying his 3,300-square-foot single-family home was finish the basement. He put in a bar, built a bedroom for his college-age son and threw in a nice-size bathroom. But he always felt that something was missing: a home theater. “At the time, I thought that adding one would blow our budget out of the water,” Thomas says. So he and his family waited. After a few months of saving up, they contacted a local custom electronics professional… View this story
Basement • Home Theater • Cool Homes

The Aperion Audio Bravus 10D is an attractive, potent little subwoofer at a reasonable price. It certainly doesn’t have the output and extension of its larger peers, but that’s a tradeoff one must live with if they want a small box to better blend into their room décor. Given the diminutive size of the 10D, it would be easy to place two of these in most family rooms without drawing much attention to them. There should be no excuses for NOT setting up dual subs… View this story
Speakers • Subwoofers • Reviews • Home Theater • Product News

Jeff Click of Jeff Click Homes in Oklahoma City specializes in building mid-priced homes, but don’t think of him as your average homebuilder. For one thing, he embraces technology. His company even does the installation work on simple home theaters in some of his homes. So the logical next step for him was to add a modestly priced home theater to one of his model homes. “We’ve noticed increasing demand for rooms like this one in modestly priced homes. People are looking for theater rooms,… View this story
Media Room • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Punkass is how Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fans know him. He’s also known as Dan Caldwell, co-founder and CEO of TapouT, a company embedded in the MMA industry. The fighter/executive set out to have an elaborate theater built at TapouT’s Grand Terrace, Calif., headquarters and enlisted San Bernardino, Calif.-based Audio Video Evolution (AVE) to install the electronics. (Click here to view additional photos.) Why does a corporation need an elaborate theater? Well, TapouT — which says it manufactures a “countercultural” clothing line and produces a… View this story
Themed Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Wanting a new home theater doesn’t always mean leaving your old electronics behind. This homeowner wanted to add some spark to his existing viewing environment by upgrading to a two-piece projector-screen setup. He was plenty satisfied, though, with the Sony home theater in a box (HTIB) system he already owned. So when it came time to outfit his previously finished basement, the homeowner contacted Aurora, Ill.-based Epic Integrated A/V to expand that HTIB into a full theater—at a matinee price. Incorporating the equipment he already owned helped… View this story
Basement • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Director Spiro Razatos doesn’t make Steven Spielberg money, but he probably loves movies just as much. So when it came time to build his dream home theater, he couldn’t make it a big-budget production. Still, he had an epic vision. The stuntman-turned-stunt-coordinator and director has fond memories of sitting in vintage movie theaters with his dad. “Since I was a little kid I wanted to have a real theater where I could sit and watch movies at home,” he says. He had attempted the home… View this story
Gaming Systems • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Thanks to a recent Best Buy-Panasonic partnership, the first 3D bundles are starting to trickle out. Our friends at HDGuru.com were lucky enough to spend some time with Best Buy and Magnolia’s flagship 3D package. (Read entire review) The package consists of the Panasonic TCP-50VT20 50-inch plasma, DMP-BT300 Blu-ray player, and one pair of active shutter 3D glasses (with additional pairs available for $149 each). These are derivative models exclusive to Best Buy and Magnolia, but nearly identical to the 50VT25 display and BT350 disc… View this story
Displays • Flat Panel • Plasma • Reviews • Home Theater • Product News

Optoma has upped the bar with its release of the HD20 DLP Projector. This $999 projector is full 1080p, has more than enough inputs for most applications, and gets you into a front projection system for an unbeatable price. Value shop for a power retractable screen and a mount and you’re only out around $1700. I know lots of people who have paid that (and more) for a 50-inch flat-panel TV. Build The Optoma HD20 is white, has a lens cover, security bar (for locking… View this story
Displays • Front Projection • Reviews • Home Theater • Product News

As expected, Panasonic’s Full HD 3D home entertainment system, which it says is certified under the new Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) 3D standard, hit Best Buy stores this week. Somewhat surprising is Panasonic’s announcement that the system will be sold exclusively at select Best Buy stores via its specialty Magnolia Home Theater vignettes — in other words, not off the shelves at conventional Best Buy stores. The total combined suggested retail price of the Panasonic Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theater System components is $2,899.99.… View this story
Plasma • Blu-ray • Home Theater • Product News

Pioneer Electronics, following the release of two 5.1 receivers, has introduced three 7.1 receivers. The VSX-920-K ($399), VSX-1020-K ($549) and VSX-1120-K ($749) 7.1 receivers are all 3D ready. The VSX-920-K and VSX-1020-K are expected to ship in March, while the VSX-1120-K will ship in May or June. Each 7.1 receiver features: DSP powered room equalization Wireless Bluetooth audio streaming and iPhone certification Processing of Dolby TrueHD, ProLogic IIz and DTS Master Audio Control through an iPhone app called iControl AVR Functions of the iControl AVR… View this story
AV Components • Receivers • Home Theater • Product News

Paul Snyder didn’t just create a home theater in his spare bedroom. He turned it into a production. This artist/DIYer wanted the goodies that come with having a theater room, but certainly didn’t sacrifice any of the details. “As a visual artist, I usually have a detailed vision in my mind before I dive into any project,” says Paul. “This one was no exception.” With that frame of mind, Paul set out to create an “over-the-top theater” with rich fabrics, carved moldings, and tons of… View this story
DIY Home Theaters • Themed Theaters • Home Theater • Cool Homes

Real Networks finally caved to the studios in the case against its RealDVD copying software. The company agreed to scrap plans for an appeal and pay the studios $4.5 million as reimbursement for legal fees. So what does that mean for Kaleidescape? The pioneer of very-high-end movie servers was sued in 2004 by the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association) for breach of contract. The DVD CCA, which lords over the Content Scramble System (CSS) decryption software, says its contract with Kaleidescape prohibits DVD copying of… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Manufacturers • Home Theater • Product News