Tom Brauser

  Vizio is definitely one of the top brands in North America, especially if you look at their sales and market share, but it is not a top-of-the-line brand. If you are looking for a premium quality Home Theatre System that has absolutely the best picture, Vizio won’t likely be on your short list. However, you will likely pay a lot more for that high-end picture. Vizio does so well in the market because of their value. For the price, it is hard to find an equal combination of quality and features. I am going to show you how to create a couple of different home theatre rooms using Vizio that anyone would be proud of, and they won’t break the bank­—especially considering what you get.

The wireless speaker market has taken off in the last few years, with more new wireless speakers all the time in every price range. Not to be outdone, Sony launched their SRS line of wireless speakers within the last year. At the top of this line is their SRS-X9 premium speaker. I was able to test one out and was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. It is much more attractive than most wireless speakers I’ve seen, has plenty of power, and is full of excellent features. A nice combination!

  Various studies have shown how much time we watch TV, and it is more than I thought—about 4 ½ hours per day! North Americans are quite the couch potatoes (US and Canadian studies are similar). That’s over 1,600 hours a year. If you are spending that much time watching TV, why not seriously upgrade your viewing experience? I will tell you the three things to consider in taking your TV experience to the next level.

    Being a laptop user for years, I haven’t had much need for a monitor or so I thought until I recently tried out the LG 34UC97. It made me realize how much utility that a laptop user can get out of a monitor, especially an extra wide screen that allows you use the display in many ways. I also recently tested out the new Dell U3415W Monitor, and discovered how it makes the computing experience much better, while providing a lot of flexibility. Here’s why I really liked it.

As a dedicated laptop user I am not used to using a separate monitor, but I got a chance to test out LG’s new 34” LCD monitor. This wide-body monitor was so impressive I felt like I have been missing something for years. So much so, it made me definitely want to add this display to my laptop, which already has a very decent built-in retina display. The LG made my laptop dance in a way it never danced before, while making its small display feel very amateurish.

      Well, maybe “teams up” is too strong a comment as they are not literally on the same team, which sounds more like a merger. What is newsworthy is that CTV is the first Canadian broadcaster to make their content available through Google’s Chromecast device. This is great news for all you prospective cable cutters and for you non-cutters that have trouble with your PVR missing past episodes of your favorite shows.

    LG has some of the best value TV and home theatre components you will find because their brand perception isn’t as strong as their competitors, but the quality of their equipment is. Because of this, they have to price a bit more aggressively even though their products are as good or better. So if you are looking at a new home theatre system picking all LG components is a great way to go – good quality, lots of features, and good value.

     A lot of people underestimate the impact that sound has on the Home Theatre experience. A decent sound bar can be a big step up from TV sound, while a surround sound system can take it up yet another level. In fact, once you have a good surround system, I can guarantee you will never turn back—it is noticeably that much better. At the heart of any surround sound system is the receiver, and the better the receiver the more impact your entertainment system will create.

  You don’t have to be a pro to get rid of your cable subscription—all you have to do is call your cable provider. But what you need to figure out is how will I get great entertainment to watch. The good news is that there are more options every day for finding excellent content. But quitting your cable subscription cold-turkey can be pretty intimidating, especially if you tend to watch a fair bit of cable. I am going to try to make it easier.

Now that CES 2015 is wrapping up, it is worthwhile taking a step back and see where the various TV makers are headed in 2015. Although 4K Ultra HD is the main theme, each manufacturer seems to have taken quite a different spin on how they are delivering 4K. And there are many more new buzzwords and new technologies to figure out. Here is a summary of what happened at CES with TVs.