Posts in Home AV
Onkyo's exciting entry A/V receiver trio
Philip Wong | Mar 21, 2008
It was a no-brainer when Onkyo launched the brilliant 2007 TX-SR605 price-buster with cutting-edge onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. Not only was this model awarded the coveted CNET Editors' Choice, they were also flying off the shelves at record time during our recent visit at a local A/V dealer. For 2008, the Japanese company is back with trio of entry-level receivers: TX-SR506 (S$689), TX-SR576 (US$479) and TX-SR606 (S$1,019).
These have inherited most of the value-added features of the 605, including Audyssey 2EQ automatic audio calibration system and zone 2--think secondary bedroom setup--loudspeaker support. New on the plate, however, is a Music Optimizer function to restore musicality of compressed MP3 soundtracks and upgraded HDMI connectivity. Surround sound support-wise, the 606 does just about every format under the sun, while the 576 is limited up to high-res Dolby Digital Plus and 506, the legacy equivalents.
The TX-SR506 and TX-SR606 will be launched in Singapore from April. Details for the rest of the region were not available at press time.
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Via AV Zombie | Photo credit: Gordon Sell Public Relations
Tasty KEF "Egg" loudspeakers
Philip Wong | Mar 20, 2008
The lads over at Home Cinema Choice sure had a "sweet" surprise from British loudspeaker manufacturer KEF all right. They recently received an impeccable replica of the company's popular 3000-series KHT home theater speakers, affectionately known as the KEF Egg among enthusiasts. This gift, however, was not the usual boring showpiece but rather a yummy dark chocolate treat which they mercilessly smashed apart and devoured.
I wonder if any of our TV vendors will ever send us something similar, molded in the form of an oversized 42-inch flat panel, of course. After all, we do have quite a handful of hungry mouths to feed within our CNET Asia crew. Bring it on, man! :P
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Via Home Cinema Choice | Photo credit: Home Cinema Choice / KEF
Blu-ray recorders with a mirror treatment
Philip Wong | Mar 19, 2008
If you're plain tired of the nonchalant facade of an average Blu-ray player, the exquisite mirror finish of the new Mitsubishi Electric recorders is guaranteed to knock your socks off. Pretty face aside, the DVR-BZ100 and BZ200 also combine versatile DVD/Blu-ray recording with generous onboard hard drive capacities of 250GB and 500GB, respectively. This delivers extended recording stamina ranging from 22 to 443 hours for the BZ100 and twice as much for its BZ200 sibling.
Another notable feature of these headturners is the touchscreen remote controller. This offers a color display as well as flexible softkeys tailored for specific user operation, for example, TV channels selection. To round it up, there are the almost standard flair of analog/digital TV tuners, EPG a.k.a. electronic program guide and film-centric 1080p24 video playback via an HDMI output. By the way, if you're a diehard fan of DVDs, it will record HD on these media using a new AVCREC format, too.
You can drool all you want, but these are strictly for the Japanese market yet again! Sob.
Via Akihabara news | Photo credit: Mitsubishi Electric
Superb Xbox 360 mods!
Philip Wong | Mar 18, 2008
If you don't like it, mod it (slang for modifying in geek terminology)! While yours truly is a firm believer in this strange discipline armed with a 550W power drill and precision dremel, this chap is bringing the art of "modding" to a whole new level with these brilliant Xbox 360 projects.
Benjamin has virtually ripped apart an Elite console and retrofitted the innards into a laptop chassis. The result is a self-contained Halo-themed Xbox LAN (network) party machine with extra icing such as an inbuilt 17-inch flat-panel screen, keyboard and even a Microsoft Live Vision camera.
He's since been back on the drawing board with a tweaked one-handed concoction of the wireless controller. Though pretty much in prototype stage, the revised iteration features dual analog sticks, as well as a PlayStation-styled directional pad and quick exchange AA batteries compartment.
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Via Ubergizmo | Photo credit: Benhack.com
Blinged-out Nintendo Wii
Philip Wong | Mar 17, 2008
What better way to dress up your precious Nintendo Wii than to either send it for a G-mask (stick-on overlay) makeover or try one of these 20,000 Swarovski crystals-encrusted blings. For US$4,000, Crystal Icing is offering its "The Brawl To End Them All" series crystallized Wii. There is a choice of the iconic Mario himself or his arch nemesis Bowser to take home. Both are brought to life against a contrasting white-and-blue background, complete with the highly sought-after in-game, Invincibility Star.
Via Bornrich.org | Photo credit: Crystal Icing
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