Tom Brauser

The Polk Audio SB1 Soundbar is one of the most impressive soundbars you will find. Not only does it have excellent sound that greatly improves your home theatre experience, you can use it to wirelessly fill your home with sound by adding other speakers, and they don’t even have to be Polk. Similar to Sonos, Denon HEOS, or Bose Soundtouch you can create a variety of sound experiences throughout your home with a tremendous amount of ease and no messy wires.

      We have done quite a number of TV reviews or detailed overviews this year, so I thought it would be good to look back at all that investigation and identify what I think are the best TVs this year. If you are shopping for a new TV it is a hard decision to make because there are so many brands and models to choose from. Here are my top picks for 2014, and each for different reasons.

TVs keep getting bigger with a clearer, richer picture and Christmas or Boxing Day is a very popular time for people to upgrade their technology. If you are getting a new TV, and even if you aren’t, it is also a great time to get those accessories that will make any TV experience a lot better. These must-have accessories make great Christmas presents and if Santa was not so nice, Boxing Day sales are sure to give you a second chance.

I like gifts that I typically wouldn’t buy for myself even though they are so cool or useful that I would love to have them. Gifts that I want but just can’t seem to justify buying for myself. Well, here are some unique home theatre gadgets that easily fall into that category. They are cool because they are very useful, but might not be something you would think to give even though your gadget guru will likely really like them.  

        If you have an aspiring home theatre buff on your Christmas list, or just someone with some great home theatre gear, here are some ideas on how to fill their stocking with smaller stuff that can come in real handy. They qualify as stocking stuffers because they are small enough to fit, OK a couple of them you might have to have stretch socks, and they are very inexpensive.

  The LG BP145 Blu-Ray Player can make a great gift this Holiday Season, especially if you were to combine it with a couple of great movies. This player makes it easy because it is small enough to fit in anyone’s system, and very inexpensive so it leaves budget room to add a movie or two. It is a brand-name LG product and comes with some pretty decent features.

    I have always been a big fan of GoPro cameras – well the Everio Quad Proof video camera is sort of the GoPro of “camcorders.” Unlike the GoPro, which has a separate case that makes it waterproof, the Everio Quad Proof camera is so durable that the camera as it is can go underwater, in snow, dust storms, and won’t get damaged if it is accidentally dropped. A great camera for all you outdoorsy types that don’t want the elements to prevent you from getting the perfect shot. I had a chance to test drive one and here’s what I found.

        I was pretty excited to review this Audio Technica turntable, as it was a good opportunity to digitize some of my older classic vinyl records. This turntable is also a higher quality machine that is full of the features that I was looking for. It has a lot of flexibility since you can digitize LPs, play them through a receiver, a computer or directly through speakers. It also has DJ capabilities to create a lot of special effects, whether you are a DJ or not.

    This LG OLED Smart TV is loaded with lots of great features but the best feature of all is its absolutely fantastic picture. In fact CNET who do detailed reviews of hundreds of TVs have claimed that it has the “Best. Picture. Ever.” Picture quality is the most important attribute of any TV and this one is at the top of the list, but it doesn’t stop there because it has so much more to offer.  

    Security systems have come a long ways over the last few years, and DLink has really improved their solution with the DLink Video Recorder (DNR-202L). It no longer requires a PC to operate and it eliminates the need for cloud-based storage solutions for their cloud-based cameras. You can customize your surveillance security system more economically and manage and view it from anywhere in the world.