TV & Home Theatre

      Until now, if you wanted a large-screen curved TV you had to buy an OLED set at a premium price. Samsung has just launched their line of LED HDTVs and UHD TVs with curved screens and a ton of other features. Samsung’s H8000 series are their high-definition curved TVs, and their HU9000 series are their 4K UltraHD curved screen TVs. Samsung is always striving to stay ahead of the curve, no pun intended, and these fantastic TV’s will do just that.

  Sound bars have become the most popular way to improve your entertainment sound experience because they are reasonably inexpensive, simple to setup, and don’t take up much room. TV speakers are small and flat so they just can’t cut it, so a sound bar is a great way to get better sound. The good news is that there are a lot of bars to choose from, but how do you choose? Here are the factors that I think you should be considering in your purchase.

Logitech has been a long time leader in providing excellent universal remote controls. They provide such a wide range of universal remotes that you are sure to find the ideal remote for your entertainment system and budget. At the top end of their line is the Harmony Ultimate, which has amazing capabilities – in fact more than the average person will likely need. Logitech just introduced welcome additions to their lineup with the Harmony Ultimate One and the Harmony Smart Keyboard. They are both priced much more favourably than the Harmony Ultimate but have everything you will likely need. I got a chance to test them both so here is my full report.

    I recently posted on what to look for when buying a new TV, which made me think it might be helpful to explain some of the TV terminology that you will encounter in your search. There are a lot of TV technology terms out there, but I will discuss those that I think are more important when evaluating TV’s.

    Roku recently announced the launch of their new streaming stick, which looks similar to the Google Chromecast dongle so I researched both and wrote a  comparison of the two, to figure out which one is better.  In my opinion they are both good, but felt the Roku Streaming Stick is a better value device. I now have my hands on one of the first Roku Streaming Sticks and can provide you a proper review to let you know if it lives up to those expectations.

  Sonos has been a leader in wireless modular home speaker systems that can deliver music throughout your home.  They have been the leader in this market because it is their singular focus. They have excellent products like the Sonos Play 1 and the Sonos PlayBar, which we reviewed earlier. But there are other excellent wireless systems, like Bose Soundtouch, that have entered this market. Sonos has recognized they need to continue innovating if they want to maintain its lead position, so they overhauled their app that controls their home wireless systems, making some major improvements that you can’t get anywhere else. 

    Roku recently announced their streaming stick, now available at Best Buy.  Google Chromecast has been in the US market for quite a few months.  But how do they compare? They look similar but which is the better device? Although I haven’t been able to test either one of them in my living room, I understand each of them well enough to give you a pretty good idea on how they differ.

        You’ve probably already heard, either directly from a friend, or through “someone who knows someone,” that there is life beyond the confines of cable. You know, the person who decided to cut cable out of their lives and completely turn to distributed content online. Is it possible to make this kind of decision while still viewing quality content and keep up to date with your weekly programming? The answer is yes, and here’s how.

  4K TVs are the best you can get when it comes to picture quality these days, offering four times the resolution of high-definition at 3,840 x 2,160 pixels versus 1,920 x 1,080. But with all of the hype surrounding them, one question that’s not as often discussed is how lower resolution content will look on these 4K/Ultra HD/UHD TVs. And it’s an important thing to consider since that’s what most of us are still watching.

TV technology just keeps getting better every year, to the point it is hard to keep track and understand it all. One of the least talked about but greatest technological improvements for LCD screens is “in-plane switching” (IPS). IPS has advanced quite a bit in recent years and is definitely worth paying attention to because it is now behind the best LCD screens. The various screen technologies can be a bit confusing so let me try to explain what you need to know about IPS vs. others.