TV & Home Theatre

          LG brought 7 new 4K OLED TVs to CES, and not to be outdone Sony is bringing 10 new 4K TVs to the show. Sony has always been a big proponent of 4K Ultra- High Definition TV, and with a lot more 4K models they are making it their mainstream product. What is obvious out from CES is that Sony is taking a different approach than their competitors.  

  CES 2015 started today and LG made some big announcements about where they are going with their TV lineup. CES always provides an excellent preview of what the upcoming year will bring. It looks like 4K is going mainstream, which isn’t a big surprise. But where LG is going with 4K is a bit of a surprise, and a nice one at that!

        The one thing that will round out that awesome big screen TV and sound system is the proper home theatre seating arrangement. Do you only have one recliner that everyone fights for? Are most of your seats not directly in front of the TV? Are you really comfortable when you spend a few hours watching TV? Is theatre seating only available at the movie theatre? The good news is you can now get excellent theatre seating for your home, and it has better features than they have at the movie theatre!

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.

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.