TV & Audio

  Flat panel TV’s keep getting more incredible. Clearer pictures with Ultra HD 4K, and bigger screens that keep getting thinner and thinner. While the picture keeps getting better, the sound isn’t improving much because it is next to impossible to put decent speakers in a very thin panel. This is why sound bars have become extremely popular. They are very easy to set up, they look good, are non-obtrusive, and very cost effective. But are they really worth the investment? Like so many things – it depends!

New Televisions were a big part of last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas, and the big brands were all strutting their stuff trying to take a lead position by showing off their latest and greatest technologies.  Some of it was a bit of fluff, but fortunately there was a lot of great stuff too. I am going to give you my take on the “best-in-show.”

Emmet (Chris Pratt) is just an ordinary Lego minifigure, but once he touches something he’s not supposed to, he becomes the “special” and he’s the only one that can stop bad guy, Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who wants to end the world.

On February 7th, the Lego Movie debuts in theatres featuring an all-star comedic cast of voices.  In addition to the movie, a full line of Lego Toys has launched with exclusive minifigs and scenes from the movie!  In addition, a video game based on the movie will be out a couple days before the film launches.  Click below to take a look at the Lego Movie toy line and video game, both of which you’ll be able to get your hands on through Best Buy.

  For most of you that have an Apple TV, I am betting you simply set it up and have been enjoying it ever since – and you haven’t touched it since (except to watch stuff) to customize it for your particular needs. One of the nice things about Apple TV is it is easy to set up and use, so most people just plug it in and away they go. Well I am going to let you know of some simple things that you should do to improve the experience you have with Apple TV.  Easy!

Is it a megaphone? A new age showerhead? An updated version of the popular 1990’s toy Skip-It? Nope, the JBL Spark is an exceptionally unique wireless speaker designed to be mounted like a hanging lamp – and I recently had the opportunity to take one for a test drive. 

After having gone through some 100 pairs of headphones, earbuds and gaming headsets in my life, I’m always interested in the next or the latest and greatest.  The Sony MDR-DS6500 Headphones come bundled in the easily largest box I’ve ever seen for a product of its kind.  Fitting, since it promises a big experience within its capabilities.  With 20 hours of battery life from a single charge, and the promise of a 3D 7.1 Surround Sound Experience, this promises to be a new welcome part of your audio experience.  Come check it out.  

Turn your favorite movies into a whole new experience with the JBL 3D Blu-ray Home Theatre System.

As you are no doubt well aware, these days the vast majority of us store our music libraries digitally. True, some of us still have dozens of CD’s that do little more than take up room and collect dust on our shelves – I mean, c’mon, when am I ever going to listen to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” ever again? But when it comes to cranking the tunes, we turn to our smartphones, tablets, and computers. Streaming music through these devices is commonplace, and as such, has opened the market doors for a plethora of wireless speakers.   Unfortunately, devices that use Sonos or Airplay can be quite expensive; however, those that use Bluetooth, which comes integrated into virtually every modern tablet, phone, and computer, are much more affordable, and even better, aren’t platform-specific. I recently had an opportunity to test the Rocketfish Bluetooth Indoor/Outdoor Speaker, and have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.