Looks like Roku is making a Holiday push adding Spotify to get your Christmas booty shaking on. If that isn’t enough they are also adding a Vevo channel for your music video and other viewing pleasure. Your stocking stuffer comes in the form of some updates to the Android and iOS apps. Happy Ho Ho Holidays!

Source: Engadget

Provident TV Commercial with Regal Media Systems 26″ Samsung TV Install

We love what we do and we love seeing the final product after every project. One of our best customers, The Provident Bank, here in New Jersey recently aired a TV Commercial where some of our work can be viewed in the background. Take a gander at the TV they have on display as part of a 6 month project we undertook outfitting many of their (80) locations with Video solutions during renovations.

Next to tickle our fancy were the Stealth Acoustic In-Wall Speakers, and they really mean in wall, no trim rings, no speaker grilles, and no sacrificing audio quality for hidden audio. We took some time to learn a little bit about how these speakers have changed over the years into the product we were so giddy to listen to. Stealth Acoustics offers a wide selection of speakers displaying pairs of their smaller (LR6 $700 pair) and their largest speakers (LR3 $1600 pair) for us today. We will give you a listen to those later with some sweet bean footage but the next video display couldn’t be caught on camera. We got to take a peak at Mitsubishi’s HC7800D Projector and their new 3D Glasses running at 10 times the normal speed of other Shutter Glasses. I got up nice and close and my eyes didn’t feel like they were pulling out of my head, not to mention the 3D looked….AMAZING. We haven’t been completely sold on the current 3D regime but Mitsubishi has delivered a large screen 3D format we can recommend to customers without hindrance and doubt in our voice. We would expect this much from Mitsubishi and appreciate that they are still a leader in the industry.

After we are done in the Mitsubishi 3D Room we head back out onto the main floor to scout some more equipment. Good thing we did as we happily came across BrightSign, a fantastic Commercial Advertising Display Package ready for installation and programmable by the installer or the end-user. We enjoy getting a bit artistic for our clients so it’s no surprise we had to bother the poor guy for a demo. After this we rounded up with Wi3, an awesome piece of hardware that allows you to transmit your network over the existing Cable lines in your house. We had a great time with our friends at the Chief booth and even got to share some of our Job Photos with their Ceiling Mounts and Speaker Adapters. All in all we came we saw we learned, and there is nothing like knowledge earned!

 Ask us about any of the products you see here!

Would you like to be a part of the show this year or next with a Sponsorship? Get in touch with us and we can point you in the right direction, the nature of this event brings in over 15,000 attendees and 300+ high quality automobiles for them to take in. Mixed in with Live Bands, Street Vendors, and Local Business Sponsors this event promises a great day for the whole family young or “seasoned”! With a large variety of Motorcycles, Cars and Trucks from all aspects of the Automotive Industry American and Import, we think you will see a few things you haven’t before. So come down and visit us and our friends in Rahway!

This event is held by the Rahway Center Partnership and Sponsored by RSI Bank, Liberty Harley Davidson and Buell, and Kristen Distributing.

Front Projection systems are still a mystery to most consumers although Home Theater Enthusiasts tend to love this category. Projectors range from a measly few $100 to $200,000 and beyond and most none the wiser to why. Since most of us didn’t get to take the Porsche out for a spin this morning we are going to highlight one of the better value for the dollar competitors. Panasonic released their PT-AE7000 a while back and we thought it was worth a more in detail look.

The Exterior

Nowadays what your video unit looks like, because it is usually a Flat Panel TV, hardly matters. All the manufactures are making the bezels as small as possible making brands almost indiscernible and leaving drool on the floor. This makes un-boxing and admiring the PT-AE7000 just a little bit more fulfilling. Sporting a black outer shell with some simple smooth lines and a slightly textured body the AE7000 has a great look. We are always a fan of showing off the hardware, speaker grilles are optional in our book, and this Projector looks good while fulfilling your big screen desires. The back panel connections are all easy to access and spaced out properly, not too cluttered but still offering a selection of connections we will talk about later. The side of the projector dons a hard button control panel that falls away into the body at a quick glance but is easy to use and identify when you need to. Minus the top and bottom the Panasonic PT-AE7000 is vented on all sides and you will find lens adjustment access via a sliding cover next to the lens. There is something to say about a simple design with curves in the right places and the right color scheme (BLACK), well appreciated.

Features

Panasonic has a great history with us and their Projector Line, back in my retail days I can remember sending a long line of the PT-AE700U pieces out the door. Yet another category Panasonic made affordable ahead of the competition (the other being Plasma). This piece seems to have a similar focus, offering a slew of features for a pretty fair price including of course, for the first time, 3D Compatibility. We were excited to see Panasonic’s first foray into the 3D Projector market, and we weren’t disappointed from the get go. The Manufacturer’s video settings off the bat didn’t bother us too much. The picture was natural with good blacks, but of course you can’t ask the world of a Projector in this price range. We had Panasonic’s new heavy hitter about 14 feet back from our Da-Lite 100″ Screen and the picture was watchable in a fully lit room. Once the lights turned off the true magic of film kicked in. We found the contrast to be to our liking after a little of tweaking we were satisfied with the color reproduction while watching “Sum of All Fears”. This film has some great dark scenes after a Nuclear Explosion that really test the projectors ability for detail when trying to deliver deep blacks. Through a few minor adjustments we dialed in the PT-AE7000u to give us a crisp, natural, and detailed picture beyond the $3000 price tag. The Menu system does the job of giving you the idea that there is a lot you can play with here, and trust us there is for most people. If you are looking to mess with every setting imaginable there should be enough here for you just keep on clicking and we are sure you’ll get bored eventually.

Now for what you have all been waiting for, massive 3D movies in the comfort of your own home. Getting started with 3D is as simple as having a 3D Blu-Ray movie, slamming it in the DVD player as hard as possible and turning on your Panasonic 3D Glasses. It can’t get any easier than that, be aware all Keystone settings will be ignored in this mode so make sure you zero this bad boy in properly. Panasonic boasts a 480hz-driven LCD system that is said to help with the image brightness while using 3D Glasses that traditionally cut down on half the Refresh Rate to each eye (IE 240hz 3D is only 120hz to each eye). We thought the 3D image looked pretty good and their efforts to eliminate some crosstalk (what? right eye image floating into left eye image) have resulted in an improvement over some similar units. Panasonic throws in a Dynamic Iris for their lens, allowing it to adjust to the lighting in a scene and some screen smoothing to battle the effects of LCDs “Screen Door” effect. Both of these have appeared in the Panasonic lineup before but they are introducing a new Red-Rich Lamp said to increase ” the luminous efficiency of the projector to achieve brighter images with excellent color purity”. Not much to say there, the projector looks good so we will check that off as “working”. Throw in 3 HDMI connections and a few Analog Video connections and this is a fully loaded light box!

Wrap Up

After years of working in one of the few retail companies that loves projectors, we have installed and replaced more projectors than we would like. This results in a general belief of buying the right piece the first time, setting it up and forgetting it (not literally, watch a movie). We are firm believers in quality driven, fairly priced projection systems, and Panasonic seems to have the same in mind. With a smooth cabinet, flexibility, and good video performance the Panasonic PT-AE7000u is a solid unit priced fairly and will make it’s way into a few more of our estimates this year.

Specs

Outdoor Video stills tends to be illusive to the family on a budget, or the regular guy who didn’t splurge on a mansion. The price on Outdoor Big Screen TVs can be somewhat sobering to the fantasy of watching Sunday Football partying in the pool. Available Outdoor 46″ TVs can cost as much as $4000 and beyond (many more models in the beyond) and set a high financial bar for watching TV while cooking on the ol’ Weber. You would expect a budget minded alternative from a company trying to get into the game, and there are a few, but Sunbrite TVe is no newcomer and the SB-4660HD is no budget set. The SB-4660 brings a 46″ Screen Size in a true Outdoor TV for only $2995 MSRP. Without sacrificing the true hardware that separates Outdoor TVs from normal sets, or TVs placed inside of cabinets, Sunbrite has delivered an Outdoor LCD at a true value.

The Exterior

We have come to expect a certain level of quality from Sunbrite TV, which is of course one of the biggest reasons we choose their sets. An Outdoor TV has to be the M1 Abrams of Televisions, able to take a beating an survive under a slew of conditions. When it comes to Outdoor TVs the cabinets and cooling systems tend to set apart the men from the boys and nothing changes here. With a High Impact Resin Exterior this set is ready for the stormy days of winter and the rainy summer mornings at a great price. The connection panel is outfitted with the traditional weather resistant Sunbrite cover and tightening screws. This little pocket also acts as a great place for any extra accessories or baluns that are staying outside but you don’t want to leave in the open. The IR eye is set behind a weather resistant clear panel and operates flawlessly with any remote and the hard buttons are easy to access and feel out on the right backside of the panel. The model you see here is Silver but the 4660 is also available in black. Both finishes give you a rugged but attractive exterior and a set that never really looks out of place.

Features

This true Outdoor TV sports a 1080P LCD Panel, even though it is at 60hz the picture quality while watching sports popped and there was no apparent lag. Equipped with enough inputs of new and old for anyone’s taste, Sunbrite reports 2 HDMI connections however our model sported 4 HDMI inputs. One of the things that makes this bad boy the real deal is it’s operating temperature capabilities which let it survive in as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit down to a finger numbing -24 degrees Fahrenheit. While other sets claim to be budget minded and Outdoor compatible, the specs just don’t come close in this category usually. If the Multi-fan Airflow system or purpose built cabinet and panel don’t make you feel safe they include a 2 year warranty. We haven’t yet had to use it but we hear (through the installer grape vine) they stand up behind the product with a passion. The sound was actually surprising, although we are using two sets of Klipsch Outdoor Speakers here we did get a chance to test the TV and it was pretty straight forward. Sound was crisp and the volume was able to be raised to upper levels with no distortion and carried well into the yard. We don’t recommend using them to listen to music but for game day, tv shows, and the news they will suffice and beat up your indoor LED. All in all a solid set with the features that belong in an Outdoor TV.

• 46” Signature Line True Outdoor All-Weather LCD Television for permanent outdoor installation
• Bright 46-inch full-HD 1080p LCD screen for improved outdoor viewing
• Exterior designed to protect internal components from rain, dust, insects, humidity, and salt air
• Multi-fan Airflow system keeps the unit cool and dry in temperatures up to 122 degrees F.
• Ability to operate in cold weather (-24 degrees F)
• Discrete IR input connectors simplify control functions (located in cable-entry compartment)
• Innovative Water-tight Cable Entry System seals out moisture and allows for easy hook-ups
• ASA outdoor rated High-Impact Resin exterior
• Water resistant Detachable Speaker Module
• Water-resistant remote control
• Water resistant control buttons
• Remote Control Lock-out prevents unauthorized users from changing the programming.
• Sleep Mode automatically turns the TV to the On mode when the signal is removed, and turns it back to On when the signal is restored.

The Wrap Up

We welcome hardware looking to push the envelope, offering quality at a great value, and this is no exception. Without sacrificing quality or technology Sunbrite TV has come up with a great Outdoor TV option that will last the tests of time. There are too many cheap variants in this day and age so it is nice to see a company focused on offering their customers a great product at a great value. As the summer approaches we are sure many of these will make their way into the bustling backyard BBQs of the season.  We would love to see some increased performance in the way of Refresh Rate and Response Time but we were not dissatisfied with the current offerings. Finally enjoying the big game outside while trying to have patience for the burgers won’t be a fantasy and won’t seem quite as long. Sunbrite TV has brought a great new option to the table and we urge you to take advantage.

 Spec Sheet

We usually get our hands on the new models right out of the gate so we don’t get bored, this time we remembered to pick up the camera. The Onkyo HTS-7409 is a new for 2012 Home Theater in a Box (HTiB from now on), and one of the few you should be purchasing if you are shopping for options, quality, and medium sized speakers under $1000. Many times even the higher end HTiB systems that rid us of that horrid combo DVD Player + Receiver unit lack the inputs and functionality one should require in their system. This Onkyo package offers a few key features that really stand out to make it a contender for best value among it’s competitors. Let’s not forget the most important part, it can rock the room on command and your friends will be none the wiser you didn’t spend a bit more dough. To the details…

The Exterior

Most can agree a traditional speaker system is all black and it looks like the boys at Onkyo share the opinion. This package’s last few predecessors shared the same quality so we expect nothing less but black AND….gloss black. The speakers come in just over a foot tall, not quite a satellite but just as easy to tuck into a corner…we’ll show you! While the 3 fronts and 2 rears are wrapped in gloss black plastic, the subwoofer sports a gloss black facing with wood cabinet. All the speakers are mountable we used Omnimount 10.0 brackets to get the job done. The included Onkyo TX-SR609 is straight forward, although it may seem beefy compared to those combo units it’s about right for a true Receiver. If the black box is a concern grab yourself a URC Universal Remote and RF Kit and hide that beautiful hardware.

Features

This is where the HTS-7409 knocks it out of the park, pretty much due to the appearance of the TX-SR609 Receiver. This bad boy was the go to piece in there 2011 lineup, the lowest priced with the necessary features we are about to discuss.

We like to fondly remember those rack systems of the past, bought from Sears or your local equivalent, today is a natural progression with the AM/FM Tuner, Amplifier, Audio/Video Processor, and a lot more shoved into one box. The TX-SR609 offers that little bit extra with Satellite Radio (Sirius/XM), USB, iPod/iPhone connectivity, Applications (Pandora, Slacker, Etc..), HD Radio, and Media Sharing. Basically if you want music just attach an Ethernet cable, undoubtedly update, and pick from a slew of services or your own digital collection on some remote computer/hard drive.

Future and Legacy compatibility is at the top of our “Customer Need” list, you would be surprised how many people want to hook up their VCR, old game systems, and other long forgotten technology. Today’s receivers tend to ditch the old for the new which we find to be a sad disservice to the consumer, Onkyo, in an effort to turn the tides offers the old AND the new with composite video, component video, and HDMI. Throw in an analog to digital Upconverter and your HDMI cable is still the only thing you need to run to your video display, the less wires the better! Now we really like the extra flexibility they offer with this unit and it’s VGA connection, we know HDMI is the big dog nowadays but there are many a work and school laptop lacking the connection as well as desktops so it is a welcomed addition to an already packed piece. All of this Video connectivity does not go to waste on a shoddy brain, instead taking advantage of a Marvel QDEO processor with not only 1080P but also 4K Upscaling. We mixed this hardware with a Samsung PN51D8000 and the results pasted our eye lids open for a few minutes. With 6 HDMI In Connections (including 1 on the front panel), 4 Composite Video Connections, 2 Component Video Connections, and a VGA input taking advantage of this technology we would say this is the most “Connected” HTiB we will be seeing this year.

Finally we get to what Home Theater is all about, the sound! Rocking a THX Select2 Plus badge and utilizing an Audyssey calibration system most would hope this has what it takes and it knows how to make itself sound good. No disappointment here folks, we were a bit skeptical with the 120W Subwoofer but it picks up the bass and goes just fine. That being said we would prefer something with a bit more “umph” and tighter sound, but hey at $799.99 there is some cash left over for an add-on unit after all the TX-SR609 does support 2 subs. The front channels are packing a little more weight due to the extra driver within compared to the surrounds. This is a great factor about the system again showing Onkyo knows how to put the bucks where they count instead of throwing in 5 identical speakers like some might. The 5 speakers are driven by a 130W per channel amplifier built into the TX-SR609 allowing for what we demonstrated is a room filling sound with no clipping at the recommended THX Volume levels and beyond. We wouldn’t recommend using the supplied speaker wire just like with an HTiB, in this case we substituted some CL rated in wall cable. My favorite demo is “Sum of All Fears” now on Blu-Ray, specifically a scene where Russian Fighters are attacking an American Aircraft Carrier. It was easy to identify all the individual sounds in a very busy scene with no mumbling of explosions as I call for more power. Further separating it from the competition is it’s Powered 2nd Zone capability, meaning you can run an additional room or more with use of a speaker selector and listen to your own music source while the kids are watching TV in the Family Room. Complete with a Burr-Brown processor and multiple format compatibility (DTS-HD, Dolby True-HD, +more) you want be left wanting.

Wrap-Up

So far this Onkyo HTS-7409 has earned our preference as the go to HTiB for any of our customers looking for an entry level Home Theater system. Offering a nice 5 speaker package with a decent subwoofer the system gives a full sound not found in your run of the mill HTiBs. Pack in a 3D compatible, 2Zone, Upscaling, Connection engulfed Onkyo TX-SR609 and you have yourself the best system in its price class as far as we are concerned. The idea is to buy hardware that will stand the tests of time and let you expand wherever you think you might or aren’t even quite sure about yet. With the addition of some decent speakers wire, a subwoofer cable, and some 1.4 HDMI cables you will be set to hook up most current technology. This package does a great job of filling a void left by combination HTiBs from your big electronics companies and the upper price class of piecing together a killer system. Kudos Onkyo for retaining the sub $1000 $800 HTiB Crown!

Equipment List

PN51D8000

HTS-7409

BDD-5700

Perfect Path 700 Series HDMI

URC MX-900 Remote

URC MRF-260 RF System

Chief Adjustable Ceiling Mount

Omnimount 10.0 Speaker Brackets

Monster Surge Protection/Filter

Source: Design-Milk

More excitingly you won’t be buying your first pair of 3D Glasses this year no matter which Samsung 3D set you purchase as they will be throwing in 2 Pairs of glasses with lower end 3D sets and 4 Pairs with the higher end sets. Along with that you can expect gesture controls, upgraded CPUs, and things like Ultra Dimming (really not dimming at all) to pop on the scene with the 8000 Series. Throw in a Microphone and Built-In Camera and things get a little more interesting with speech recognition (like most of us don’t talk or yell at our TVs anyway) and facial recognition. Simple voice commands for volume, channel, browser, and source control currently exist but new software may deem new features. The facial recognition is great for secure access to applications and to keep the kids from running up your VUDU bill.

Head on over to HDGuru.com for an updated MAP pricing list for an idea fo what you may pay for a new set.

Source: HDGuru.com

Source: Apple

Get.Your.Press.Release.Here!

Apple Brings 1080p High Definition to New Apple TV

New Apple TV Features iTunes Movies and TV Shows, Netflix, Photos & More in HD
SAN FRANCISCO-March 7, 2012-Apple® today announced the new Apple TV® featuring 1080p programming including iTunes® movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favorite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store® and watch them instantly on their HD TV. The new Apple TV features a simpler, refined user interface making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match℠ right from iCloud®. With AirPlay®, users can stream or mirror their favorite content from their iPad® or iPhone® 4S to Apple TV.

“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”

Apple TV users can choose from an incredible selection of programming including over 15,000 movies and over 90,000 TV episodes on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers great content from Netflix’s streaming catalog, live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.*

With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your HD TV via Apple TV. iCloud provides an incredibly easy way to get instant access to all of your content, no matter which device is being used.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S or iPad users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.**

Apple TV makes it easy to enjoy iTunes video, music and photo libraries from your computer right on your HD TV-and with iCloud you can instantly enjoy content that was purchased on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch as well. iTunes Match customers can now play their entire music library from iCloud-even songs they’ve imported from CDs. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free download on the App Store™ (www.itunes.com/appstore).

Pricing & Availability
Apple TV will be available on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) through the Apple online store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple TV requires iTunes 10.5 or later. Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n Wi-Fi network or Ethernet network, a broadband Internet connection and a HD TV capable of 1080p or 720p and an HDMI cable that is sold separately. iTunes movie and TV show availability varies by country. Second generation Apple TV users can install the new Apple TV user interface via a free software update, available today. Third generation Apple TV hardware is required to play 1080p video.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/03/07Apple-Brings-1080p-High-Definition-to-New-Apple-TV.html