Televisions


The Logitech Harmony Elite Advanced Universal Remote and Hub Review

If your TV watching reality includes a basket filled with six or seven different  remotes, then I understand your pain. That was how things were at my house before Logitech sent their Harmony Elite Remote to review. I have to say that after a relatively painless setup, the results of consolidating have been so worth it.


DreamScreen Provides a Gorgeous and Immersive TV Viewing Experience

DreamScreen brings your TV to life in ways you’ve never experienced before. Using a string of high-tech LED lights adhered to the back of your TV, DreamScreen mimics the colors of the pixels on your HDTV to expand your television’s picture beyond the screen. DreamScreen is currently campaigning on Kickstarter for funding; pledge now to get your own for $125!


Philips Fidelio Soundbar with Dolby Atmos Announced at CES

There are many new products that get amazing sound from a compact package when it comes to television audio. Gibson Innovations has announced the Philips Fidelio Soundbar that includes Dolby Atmos technology. I have three televisions with stock speakers and need something to improved the sound. This soundbar could be exactly what I was looking for. 


Epson Powerlite 1040 First Look

One trend I seem to be noticing is the neighborhood outdoor movie or football game party.  Why bring the meat to the TV bring the TV to the meat and setup a projector on the deck?  Epson’s Powerlite 1040 is small enough that you can even bring it with you on a trip. Let’s take a look at this projector.



The ZVOX 28″ SoundBase 450 Will Fix Your Television’s Puny Sound

No high-definition television purchase is complete without some kind of speaker system; it’s like there’s a conspiracy among HDTV makers that no unit — no matter how large it is or what it costs — can leave the factory with a sufficient speaker system for anything but the smallest room. The ZVOX 28″ SoundBase 450 can fix that for you.


JVC TV Giving Away a 50″ HDTV with Spring Sweepstakes

To celebrate the beginning of the MLB Baseball Season, JVC TV is hosting a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will end up receiving a brand-new, 50″ 1080 HDTV. Popular audio/video electronics brand JVC TV announced today their kick-off of their first sweepstakes of 2015. Starting today, the company’s Spring Sweepstakes 2015 is live on JVC TV’s website, as well as on their Facebook page. Available if you’re over the age of 18 and a legal resident of the United States and Puerto Rico, all entrants will have a chance to win a new 50” JVC HDTV (model EM50RF5), featuring optimum…


VIZIO E-Series of Televisions Are Big on Smarts, Small on Price

When I moved into my own apartment a few months ago, there were a few things that were important to me: I wanted a washer and drier in my unit,  I wanted a dish washer,I wanted an indoor parking spot, and I wanted a kick-ass media center. Enter the new 2015 VIZIO E-Series Full-Array LED Smart TV.


Roku Announces New Smart TV Lineup with Sling TV & WatchESPN

One of my favorite devices that I use in my home is my Roku. Even though I have a Smart TV, I was actually pretty disturbed that Roku TV was not on my Sony Vizio when I purchased it. So I was surprised when I found out a lesser known (in the US) brand by the name of TCL announced they would be making Roku TVs.


ZVOX SoundBase 670 Offers Huge Home Theater Sound in a Slim Package

Some time ago, I reviewed one of the SoundBase products from ZVOX. I was impressed by the relatively inexpensive device, but I did wish it had integrated Bluetooth and even better sound than it did. Well, the ZVOX SoundBase 670 does have Bluetooth along with bigger and better sound, and I’m a huge fan. Let’s take a look.


BiggiFi is an Impressive Android HDMI Stick with a Ton of Functionality

BiggiFi is a powerful Android device for your television, with a somewhat silly name. It’s a tiny Android-powered computer within an HDMI stick that’s hooked up directly to your television. You have access to the entire Google Play app library and can run most of its apps using your iPhone or Android phone for control. It retails for $89.


“Theater To Go”, Thanks to the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 – Part One

I’ve heard of churches using projectors to beam words to songs, images, and page numbers onto a screen during services, and we’ve been considering it for our sanctuary; we wanted to test it out during the summer. Fortunately, I had a review sample of the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 2030 2D/3D 1080p 3LCD Projector in hand.   It turns out that the projector is phenomenal for home use, and it held its own during services as well.


Simple.TV Adds Windows 8.1 and Plex Support

If you’re looking to cut cable, Simple.TV should be on your shopping list. Combined with an over the air antenna, you get a DVR that supports iOS, Android, and Roku without having to sell your soul to the cable company. Now Simple.TV is adding support for Windows 8.1 and Plex, this is great timing considering Aereo’s loss today!


ZVOX SOUNDBASE.420 Offers Huge Sound for an Amazingly Low Price

The biggest challenge with televisions these days, at least in most cases, is the lousy sound they offer. A huge television with a beautiful big screen and smart functionality may be great, but if the speakers stink watching it won’t be enjoyable. The ZVOX SOUNDBASE.420 fixes that for surprisingly little money, and it’s simple to set up.


HDMI 2.0 Announced, Supports 4K Video at 60fps, 32 Channel Audio

HDMI Forum, Inc. announced a new upgrade to the HDMI connection standard, today.  HDMI 2.0 will have a bandwidth capacity of up to 18Gbps, enough room to transmit 4K video up to 60 fps, which is 2160p.  This is 4x the clarity of the current 1080p video resolution.  It will also carry support for up to 32 audio channels. This is big news considering the expected boom in Ultra HDTVs in the near future.  Additional features of HDMI 2.0 include “dynamic auto lipsync” and additional CEC extensions.  The new HDMI 2.0 connectors will remain unchanged from the original HDMI specification,…


SmartStick TV Accessory Review

When we were shopping for an HDTV, I briefly considered whether we needed a “smart TV”. Eventually, I decided we probably didn’t, but I was very excited to take a look at the SmartStick TV accessory, as it turns my decidedly not-smart HDTV into a smart version running Android. Unfortunately, it isn’t without its drawbacks, and it has left me wondering if the benefits are worth the quirks. Read on to find out my take! Physically, the SmartStick is extremely compact. It’s just a little bit bigger than a stick of gum, and it uses HDMI to connect to the…


HDTV Shopping, What’s Necessary and What’s Hype?

Sarah and I are HDTV shopping (our old TV is the size of a coffee table and weighs as much as my first car). I understand the basics of HDTV like 720p vs 1080p. But when you get into features like Smart TVs, and when you look at the price difference between buying, say, a Samsung TV versus a Vizio, what’s worth considering and what’s just hype? I was lost, so I turned to the experts at Gear Diary for some HDTV shopping advice and tips: Joel McLaughlin My take on HDTV Shopping? My next TV I will not look at whether it’s…


Cablevision vs FiOS – Choosing Bundled Cable Options

We are finally getting close to moving into our new home, and of course my number one priority is getting the Internet up and running. There are two choices for our area, Cablevision or Verizon FiOS, and both are relatively similar. We had both at our old house, so we are fairly familiar with the customer service pros and cons of both. The bigger issue is the labyrinth of bundled deals available. How do you determine which deal is the right one? I called both companies to get more information, and was very surprised by the results! First, I made…


The Good and Bad of HDMI Switching

This holiday season was the season my family finally made the jump to HD TV.  I absolutely love HD TV, and I am really looking forward to watching NASCAR and actually being able to read the tickers!  As result of getting the TV, I ended up receiving or giving products that needed an HDMI connection to the TV.  We got an Xbox 360 for Luke and I, plus I was given a Roku 2 XS and a Blu-ray player for Christmas.  One of the things on my Amazon list was a Kinivo HDMI switch as I knew right away I…


Stay Connected to Family in 2013 with Sony’s Camera and Microphone for Skype

I’ve become increasingly enamored of video chatting. It is handy, convenient and it works well; it also saves gas and time. For example, I do most of my High Holy Day sermon writing with my friend Lawrence. We bounce ideas around, rip initial drafts apart, and share illustrations. In prior years we would get together two or three times and have marathon writing sessions together. This year we didn’t get together once; instead we used FaceTime and Skype. We didn’t need to travel, and we were able to “meet” far more times than we could have in the past. Similarly,…