TV & Audio

Sound or silence? You don’t usually have much control over how loud your world is going to be. Until I tried a pair of Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling in-ear headphones, I had no idea the value of blocking out background noise. Whether you’re on a train, plane, bus, studying in a library, or in my case, constantly in rooms full of small people, noise cancelling headphones will block everything but whatever you’re really trying to hear.

A sound bar is a perfect audio unit for the dorm room because of its size, price point, and ability to multi-task. And once finished with school, the bar can continue to perform for many years to come.

In 1987, five young guys from Compton formed a hip hop group called N.W.A. They dropped some great beats and honest rhymes, but unfortunately, their rhymes were not received well by authorities. However, they stood up to authorities and revolutionized the hip hop world. 

Most students want to get the most entertainment they can for the least amount of money. The good news is that given the quality of TV technology these days, you don’t have to break the bank to get a great TV. Here is a collection of low cost TVs that are rated very highly by the toughest critics, end-users.

We all want to save money, and especially college students. School is expensive and having little or no income while in school means money is tight. Media streaming is a great way to save money while still having a lot of great entertainment available. I am going to identify excellent media streaming options for students who want the best of both worlds—low cost and lots of entertainment.  

Another new school year is fast approaching, and if you have kids heading out of the city, province, or country to attend university, you may soon be faced with a dilemma—keep the kid’s stuff intact, or use their absence as an excuse to upgrade your “kid space” to an adult-friendly home theatre space. Here’s what you’ll need to take the room from “all-inclusive-kid-friendly-resort” to “five-star-adults-only-getaway.”

Finding a wireless Bluetooth speaker to suit your needs isn’t really hard to do these days. Whether you’re looking for big sound, trendy design, or even weather resistance, there’s no shortage of options from which to choose. But what if you wanted a speaker that you could take cliff jumping, mountain biking, or paddle boarding? What if you also wanted to use that same speaker for nights at home around a campfire, or perhaps to listen to music while in the shower? Well, then you’d be looking at the latest addition to Ultimate Ears’ (UE) line of wireless Bluetooth speakers—the UE ROLL. It’s compact and completely water and dirt-proof, and I recently had a chance to take it for a spin.

Spread your soundtrack of the school year with one of these portable speakers!

I have always been a big proponent of augmenting your home entertainment system with the full immersive sound of a surround sound system. However, I also recognize there are many reasons why a surround sound system may not be a practical solution. Whatever your reason is, a soundbar or soundbase can be an excellent alternative.

I had the luxury of testing out this new Samsung Ultra High Definition 65” TV at home. I had it for several weeks so was able to run it through its paces to provide a detailed review. This set is a brand new model exclusive to Best Buy. I have a couple of excellent HD plasma TVs at home but don’t own a 4K set yet, so I was looking forward to testing it out to see how it compares. This exclusive TV is definitely a step up with lots of features and an excellent picture.