Feel like some shopping? How about a brand-new Porsche 911 for $10,000? Or an Armani suit for $200? Or maybe a vacation in the Swiss Alps for $1,000? I'm sorry, but those items are not available.
Now's this for a cutting-edge shopping list: bread, milk, a dozen eggs, strawberries, zucchini, orange juice, chicken, sirloin, DVD player, spaghetti, ice cream, puppy chow. Yep, buying a DVD player these days can be as uneventful as picking up a quart of milk. And with low prices like $49, it is ridiculously tempting to pop one of 'em in your cart.
While I was working on this review, my friend Rob - a filmmaker who has a day job as a video editor at MTV - asked if I could recommend a DVD recorder to help him get rid of his bulky collection of VHS tapes. In true New York style, I started my reply with, "Have I got a deal for you . . .
The DVD format advanced from a high concept to a hot commodity blindingly fast. Navigating the crowded aisles of their local video stores, DVD enthusiasts - who just yesterday felt like elite, high-tech trailblazers - today rub shoulders with increasingly large crowds of new converts. And as models of DVD players have multiplied in number, so have their features and capabilities.
Usually, the first question that comes to mind when you walk into a home theater is, “Where do I sit?” No matter how clear the picture looks or how powerful the sound is, a bad chair or sofa can ruin your home theater experience. But new technology and innovative design aren’t just for the latest consumer electronics. These fresh seating options offer style, comfort, and convenience. They provide a killer combination of looks and practicality that will make your home theater memorable—in a very good way.
With the latest crop of home theater seating, you may never want to leave home.
Usually, the first question that comes to mind when you walk into a home theater is, “Where do I sit?” No matter how clear the picture looks or how powerful the sound is, a bad chair or sofa can ruin your home theater experience. But new technology and innovative designs aren’t just for the latest consumer electronics. These fresh seating options offer style, comfort, and convenience. They provide a killer combination of looks and practicality that will make your home theater memorable—in a very good way.
I love the wow factor of themed home theaters and it was the love of old science fiction films and the <i>Steampunk</i> genre that prompted me to design my theater like the <i>Nautilus</i> from Disney’s classic 1954 film, <i>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea</i>. Rather than try to duplicate any one particular room of the submarine, details and influences from the entire boat were combined to create this one-of-a-kind theater.
Life is slower and more relaxed in the Keys, and the homeowner of this theater wanted a space to reflect the region’s comfortable sensibilities, including the vibrant colors prevalent in the area such as teal, blue, amber, and especially purple, which was a departure from the more classical theater with dark woods and red walls.
Beginning with some postcards depicting old european towns and villages, the homeowners of this “French cobble-stone town” wanted a themed area that would lead into their theater. Designed by JP Themed Theaters along with systems integrator Audio Advice, this basement theater whisks you away to an early 20th century French Quarter.
They say luck favors the prepared. It also doesn't hurt to be in the right place at the right time. Whatever. The planets aligned in my favor, resulting in my being one of the few reviewers handpicked by Kaleiedescape co-founder and COO, Cheena Srinivasan, to audition and preview their latest addition.
Meridian announced delivery of the first new design with Sooloos, the recently acquired manufacturer of server-based home entertainment systems widely acknowledged as one of the most sophisticated systems available. The new Control 10 integrates Meridian’s proprietary connectivity with Sooloos' award-winning touchscreen, an extremely user-friendly media-access solution.
Rotel, known for their high performance AV components, offers up several new models for the most discriminating user. The 15 Series offers a broad range of home theater and custom-installation electronics including the RSP-1570, a 7.1 Home Theater Surround Processor/Preamplifier, and three high powered amplifiers; the RMB-1575, RMB-1506 and the PB-1572 (all pictured above).
Maybe it's because one of the owners is an avid comic-book collector. Maybe it's because the owners are the parents of not one but two sets of twins—both under three years of age. Or maybe it's because the room is so perfectly balanced, technically equipped, and ideally soundproofed as to offer a uniquely singular feeling of audio/video perfection. Whatever the reasoning, the term Fortress of Solitude aptly describes this home theater in Greenwich, Connecticut.