TV & Audio

The Pioneer X-CM32BT Micro System is a relatively compact little unit that can be deceiving. If asked to describe where it lands in the crowded arena of audio playback systems, I’d have to say it lies somewhere between massive amplifier/receiver systems and compact all-in-one mobile device docking stations. It reminded me of hi-fi systems of a couple of decades ago, but in a much smaller package. The system will play many audio formats and media. Radio, CD’s and digital audio files (MP3/WMA) are all supported.

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.

  As commercialized as Christmas has become, it is one of the best times for family. One way to bring them home is with fun home entertainment gifts that everyone can enjoy. Here are some good gift ideas that will help any family enjoy the Holidays a lot more. After all who doesn’t like improving their home theatre experience?

When it comes to projectors, I’m what you would call a rookie. I like to think of myself as tech-savvy, but anytime I’m in a meeting where a projector needs to be set up for a presentation, I defer to my colleagues. When I’m at my parent’s house and my nieces and nephews ask me to put a movie on in Grandpa’s theatre room, I defer to Grandpa. So when I was asked to review the BenQ 1080p DLP Home Theatre Projector (HT1075), I was a little nervous. However, as it turns out, BenQ’s claim that with this projector, “home entertainment is only a push of a button away!” is pretty spot-on.

I’ve got some scary news folks. As of today, Christmas is officially less than a month away. That’s four weeks. Or 26 days if you prefer to think of it that way. No matter how you slice it, the holidays will be here before you know it, and if you’re anything like me and struggle every year to find the perfect gift for everyone on my list, I’m here to help. For the men in your life, here are six ideas that are sure to please.

        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.

For the past week, I’ve been rocking a new accessory on my left wrist – the Jaybird Reign Activity Tracker. Introduced earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Reign goes above and beyond what other activity trackers offer by encouraging balance and prompting those who wear it to improve their habits. It tells you when you need more sleep, when you need to take it easy, and when you are your optimal self, and I recently got a chance to take one for a test drive. Here’s my take after wearing Reign 24/7 for one week.

If you’re thinking about upgrading to a bigger, higher-quality picture television with 3D capabilities and wireless connectivity, the LG 65” 1080p 240Hz 3D IPS LED Smart TV may be for you!