text:
It's resting.
It's resting.
May 04, 2014 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My long tradition of getting behind with work covering new product launches ahead of the holiday season -- and therefore not finishing my holiday gift guide until the last possible moment -- continues. The guide is up over at techpinions.com.
December 19, 2013 in Accessories, Audio, Books, Games, Music, PC Convergence, Television, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Sonos sent over a pair of Play:1 speakers for review. In my review of the Sonos PLAYBAR I found too many setup limitations, but I absolutely love the Play:1's. A single Play:1 fills any small or medium sized room with rich, clear sound, and it serves as a perfect entry point to building a full multi-room, multi-source music system. My full report for Current Analysis clients is up; here's an excerpt:
Sonos notes that multi-room audio sales have been rising 80% year-over-year, fueled by streaming music. With most consumer electronics categories losing ground as consumers put more of their money into phones and tablets, this niche has not gone unnoticed: Bose just announced a line of app-driven WiFi/Airplay speakers (albeit without multi-zone capability), and Samsung's Shape is a direct Sonos clone. No matter: the Play:1 is half the price of either competitor. Sonos sound quality is more than good enough, and its proprietary WiFi-like mesh network works flawlessly, even in difficult wireless environments. The Play:1 should not only help Sonos fend off Samsung and Bose, it will reach down and pull buyers away from high end Bluetooth speakers from Jawbone and Logitech.
October 17, 2013 in Accessories, Audio, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Let's get the disclaimers out of the way up front: Sonos has lent me various components for review, and some are on long term loans. When the PLAYBAR was first announced, I attended a demo and wrote an analytical report for Current Analysis clients, but I was eager to get a unit for a full review. Earlier this year Sonos sent one, along with a pair of PLAY:3's for use as surround sound speakers (much earlier this year. Sorry!). I also pulled in a Sonos SUB in for a full 5.1 setup. Sonos does not pay anything for consideration and HomeTheaterView doesn't take ads.
Despite the disclaimers, I'll be quite frank: I love Sonos. I have recommended various Sonos products in my holiday gift guides for years. Its products are not inexpensive, but they cost far less than most multi-room systems, especially since Sonos components are designed to be installed without any need for construction, consultants, or custom installers – anyone who can follow simple directions and can plug things into an outlet can set up a Sonos system. Similarly, anyone who can download an app and tap a touchscreen can play music on a Sonos. This combination has helped Sonos establish itself as the premier wireless, multi-room audio system on the market, beating back challenges from Logitech, Bose, and countless iPod docks. Sonos has amplified speakers in small (PLAY:3) and medium (PLAY:5) sizes that work in most locations around a home, and units with and without amplification for connecting to stereo systems (CONNECT) and speakers (CONNECT:AMP). A subwoofer (SUB) was added last year, providing prodigious bass alongside any of the other units. There are only a few areas of the house Sonos had not directly addressed:
With the PLAYBAR, Sonos is tackling the TV, but its price and design are polarizing: it's perfect for a handful of situations and completely inappropriate for most others. The price, $700*, is on the high end of consumer soundbars. That's a premium price point but hardly obscene; you won't find a $700 soundbar at Walmart, but there are five in that price range at Best Buy along with several more that are even more expensive (though some of those come with a subwoofer). This type of premium-but-not-audiophile pricing is par for the course for Sonos (the SUB costs $700 and the PLAY:5 is $400*), but it will price out consumers simply seeking better sound out of their TV.
Sound Quality
Sound quality is excellent, and on par with premium soundbars in its price range – especially for music playback. That's good, because a key reason to buy the PLAYBAR is to use it as a zone in a multi-room setup. The soundstage is wide, the midrange is clear with no sibilance, and upper bass is punchy enough that most music and TV content sounds rich and full throated. Still, a subwoofer is needed to reach the lowest tones. Action scenes with vehicle chases, spaceship flybys, or explosions are simply missing the aural impact they ought to have. The PLAYBAR can play exceedingly loud without distortion, but the lowest tones that convey dread or punctuate an explosion are gone. The Sonos SUB fills in the missing tones, but at $700 it doubles the price of the system. The speakers at the end of the bar are angled outward, helping stereo separation and providing reverb (one of the reasons the PLAYBAR sounds so rich), but there is no surround to the sound – Sonos has solid audio engineering chops, but there is no psychoacoustic hocus pocus to try and fool your brain into thinking there are speakers behind you. That is, unless you actually put speakers behind you. By adding a pair of Sonos PLAY:3 (or PLAY:5) speakers, you can have a reasonable facsimile of a wireless 5.1 system: the PLAYBAR handles the front three speakers, the PLAY:3's are in the rear, and the SUB handles the bass. Unfortunately, this system will cost $2,000, and simply doesn't sound as good as the best discrete 5.1 home theater systems in or even below that price range. The Sonos system is easier to hook up as the sub and the rear speakers are wireless (they only require power cords, not speaker cable), but I found that employing six good individual speakers is better for home theater. Critically, Sonos offers no room correction and cannot be used with an A/V receiver (more on this later). The setup distance ranges for the speakers are ridiculously large. I was only able to set up the surrounds as being between 2 feet and 8 feet away. That meant that one speaker three feet from my head was absurdly loud, while its counterpart seven feet in the other direction sounded silent in comparison. The sound was discrete, but not as clear as my reference system of ancient Carver speakers, which benefit from larger drivers and more physical stereo separation. This is especially apparent in terms of discrete panning in the front, where the PLAYBAR is, well, just a soundbar. I also still wish that it was easier to manage the bass level of the SUB on the fly (see my mini review of the SUB at the end of last year's holiday gift guide).
The folks at Sonos spent a lot of time focusing on setup, though there are some serious drawbacks to their approach. Like any Sonos speaker, it requires a Bridge ($50) or a direct Ethernet connection to the router in the home. Any existing Sonos system will already have this (or will have located a Sonos speaker near the router), but it means that the PLAYBAR isn't plug-and-play for someone simply looking for a soundbar. I think this is a mistake; with all of Sonos' emphasis on simplicity with the PLAYBAR, shouldn't it be ideal for consumers new to the brand? Sell them a PLAYBAR, then let them expand to other rooms.
The PLAYBAR can be mounted flat against the wall or sit on a cabinet; internal sensors adjust its sound output accordingly. Just as clever, Sonos built in an infrared passthrough, so you can use your existing TV remote to control volume from the PLAYBAR – even if you have the PLAYBAR sitting in front of the IR sensor on the TV.
Setup is incredibly simple, but incredibly limited: you need to connect an optical audio output to the PLAYBAR. That's it. The idea is that most consumers connect their cable box directly to their television, most modern televisions have optical audio output jacks, and, viola! We're done. This is brilliant except when it isn't. What if your HDTV does not have optical audio output? You'll need a new TV. TVs also do not decode advanced surround sound modes, so if you were planning on the full PLAYBAR + PLAY:3 + SUB system, it will not be able to take advantage of the best audio track on a Blu-ray disc (another reason the Sonos combination does not sound as good as a traditional A/V receiver + speaker system). What if your TV only has two HDMI inputs – which is incredibly common – and you have more source components, so you use an A/V receiver? The Sonos isn't for you either.
In fact, this was the exact scenario I encountered when trying to test the PLAYBAR: my TV does have an optical audio output, but has just two HDMI inputs. I cover digital home devices, so I have [a lot of] source components, and at any time seven of them are connected to a very expensive A/V receiver, which does not have an optical audio out. Few A/V receivers do. Now, I know that my setup is absurd; I evaluate connected devices for a living. Still, it is not at all difficult to imagine a consumer who is considering spending $700* on a soundbar wanting to connect it to a set top box, a game console, and a Blu-ray player. Many gamers have two or three consoles.
The PLAYBAR is a long bar packed with amplifiers and speakers. Unlike other soundbars in this price range, it claims no fancy electronics or engineering designed to simulate surround sound, cancel crosstalk, fight standing waves, or make you a sonic sandwich. If your room is somewhat narrow and has reflective surfaces, the PLAYBAR speakers are angled to bounce surround channel sound to the side. In the wide hotel room where I first heard it demo'd it sounded good; in my somewhat narrow home theater it was actually a little better. The PLAYBAR does not produce real surround sound, or even especially good fake surround sound, but it is rich and immersive sound, and the center channel dialogue always remains clear.
That makes the PLAYBAR perfect for
…people who own or are assembling a Sonos system
…who don't want a full home theater system or need a soundbar for a secondary TV,
…and that TV has optical audio out
...and has enough inputs for all the source components
Are there people like that? Sure. If you're one of them, I can easily recommend the PLAYBAR. It sounds good, and it is easy to install. But I suspect that Sonos has cast the net too narrowly this time.
*Corrections 9/16/13: This review accidentally overstated the pricing of two Sonos components. The PLAYBAR is $700, not $800, and the PLAY:5 is $400, not $500. The corrected pricing does not change the analysis or recommendations.
September 16, 2013 in Audio | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 21, 2012 in Accessories, Audio, Books, HDTV, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Time flies. I was looking for something I had posted a while ago and discovered that this site has been live and somewhat regularly updated since October 24, 2004. So I'm about a month late noticing, but this site is an eight year old! We're a tween!
My first post: Welcome.
Thanks for reading. Now I need to go out and buy a cake.
November 19, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Here's another link to that unrelated site with the similar name. HomeTheaterReview has a thoughtful piece on an old chestnut: how do you get women to buy home theater gear? (I wrote something similar a bit over a decade ago.) Two things that stand out:
OK, now go back and read my column - it stands up pretty well despite its age and my gender.
November 15, 2012 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 24, 2012 in Accessories, Audio, Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
August 07, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Apple's iTunes now sells more music than any other retail outlet and CD sales are famously in decline, so you'd be forgiven if you thought nobody makes CD players any more – or at least nobody would be foolish to launch new ones. That's why I was somewhat delighted to read this press release: Parasound has just introduced a new CD player, the Zcd. This isn't a CD player aimed at the mass market, but it isn't targeting money-is-no-object audiophile snobs, either. It costs $400; mass market CD players start at $17.99 at Target, and audiophile brands can top $4,000. Instead, the Zcd is aimed at the custom installation market (the giveaway is that it is described as being "half rack width").
Parasound apparently thinks there is a market for a high quality CD player where the home owner wants to insert a single disc and listen to it, as opposed to a hard drive-based music server. In other words, the Zcd is intended to be used for dedicated listening sessions, not strictly background music. In that sense, the Zcd is a throwback to the other physical music format with a focused use case – vinyl (though vinyl is explicitly "old school," and all the limitations of the format are typically celebrated as features). The Zcd has top of the line DACs and does fancy things with the volume control and analog converter power source to give installers something to talk about when justifying its cost. While the Zcd can also play back music from USB or a line in jack, it doesn't support dead music formats like SACD or DVD-Audio that few people today seem to even remember. It's a CD player. It plays CDs. It isn't something you're going to find in Best Buy, but it's nice to see someone thinks there's still a market niche left that calls for a dedicated optical disc player.
March 19, 2012 in Accessories, Audio, Industry, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Gibson is looking to diversify away from musical instruments, and is buying Onkyo USA. Onkyo has been doing reasonably well in the shrinking A/V receiver market - I own an Onkyo NR3007 myself - but I just can't figure out why Gibson decided to invest in the incredibly challenged A/V industry rather than, say, ANYTHING ELSE. Here's the press release:
Gibson Buys Stake in Onkyo Japan and Majority Interest in Onkyo USA
Forms Strategic Alliance to Take Consumer Audio Experience to a New Level
Nashville, TN. January 04, 2012: As part of its continued diversification into the music and audio lifestyle arena, Gibson Guitar Corp., the world's premier musical instrument manufacturer, today announced a strategic partnership with Onkyo Corporation, a worldwide leader in consumer audio. With a reputation of excellence for high quality audio equipment and home theater systems, Onkyo offers Gibson's newly-formed Pro Audio Division substantial technology resources. Gibson will provide Onkyo with its marketing resources and expertise. The result will be an ability to deliver a far superior audio experience to the consumer who has become more and more used to hearing only inferior compressed music through inexpensive ear bud headsets.
Through this venture, Gibson will acquire a majority of Onkyo USA (Onkyo's exclusive distributor for North America and a distributor for Central and South America) and become the second largest shareholder in Onkyo Corporation. Gibson will make a strategic investment in the company, and Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz will be given a position on the Onkyo board of directors. Likewise, Onkyo will invest in Gibson, and CEO and President Munenori Otsuki will take a position on the company's Board of Directors. Together, the two entities will form a Hong Kong-based joint venture focusing on design and development of unparalleled consumer audio products. Through this alliance, Onkyo USA becomes the latest addition to the Gibson Pro Audio division, which already includes KRK, Cerwin-Vega! and Stanton.
"Onkyo makes some of the world's best audio equipment, and this partnership will give Gibson the ability to bring a deeper and more enhanced audio experience to music lovers around the world," says Juszkiewicz. "While people may be listening to more music, they are listening to it primarily in a severely compressed format. The aural disparity between a real system and compressed sound is vast, and as a result, they are simply not hearing tremendously rich sounds. With Onkyo, our goal is to bring the same exceptional experience artists demand in the studio to a larger consumer base."
"This partnership has significant positive implications for Onkyo as we are always seeking ways of creating new value," says Otsuki. "Gibson is a leading global company with a massive fan base, best-in-class products and superior marketing skills. Coming together in this way opens the door for amazing opportunities for both companies and, more importantly, fans of Onkyo and Gibson."
All agreements are subject to Japanese regulatory clearance, negotiation of definitive agreements and financing approvals of lenders.
Gibson Guitar Corp. is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. The Gibson Les Paul Guitar is the bestselling guitar of all time and is a tribute to the late, famed musician of the same name. Collectively, the Gibson Robot Guitar, Gibson Dark Fire, Gibson Dusk Tiger and the Gibson Firebird X represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in more than 75 years. Through the Gibson Foundation, Gibson Guitar Corp. has become equally known for its philanthropic efforts on behalf of music, education, health and human services. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, MI, and headquartered in Nashville, TN, since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands includes Epiphone, Cerwin-Vega!, Dobro, Kramer, Onkyo, KRK Systems, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Stanton, Valley Arts, Maestro, Oberheim, Baldwin, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, Wurlitzer and Gibson Pro Audio. Visit Gibson's website at www.gibson.com. Follow Gibson Guitar at www.facebook.com/gibsonguitar and www.twitter.com/gibsonguitar.
Since 1946 Onkyo has been passionately committed to developing audio products that deliver uncommon performance, quality and value. Bundling proprietary technologies and innovations with other sound-enhancing exclusives, Onkyo continues to created award winning products that are lauded by many of the industry leading audio publications. The company's philosophy is to deliver products that are superbly designed and built to a consistently outstanding standard of excellence. The results can be seen in the obviously high quality of any Onkyo-manufactured product, even before it is turned on. Visit Onkyo's website at www.onkyousa.com. Follow Onkyo USA at www.facebook.com/OnkyoUSA.
January 05, 2012 in Audio, Industry | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Buy.com has the Belkin PureAV PF30 for a great price ($60). I have this unit's big brother (the PF60), and while I can't claim to hear any difference in the filtered electricity, a good quality 8 outlet surge protector usually costs a lot more than $60 (this unit originally retailed for $199).
Note: I get no kickback if you click on the link above. Consider this a public service announcement.
January 05, 2012 in Accessories | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
There is no indication of price or availability, so this "announcement" is almost comically vague, but it is interesting nonetheless. For the uninitiated, MHL is a standard that aims to simplify getting content from mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) while keeping the devices charged. The MHL folks were smart enough not to come up with their own unique connector/cable; instead it uses the HDMI or microHDMI connectors, and includes HDMI backwards compatibility. It looks like Onkyo's reciever will pop up windows showing you what content is available on the device, allowing you to easily push that content on to the TV. That doesn't seem like an earth-shattering innovation, but given the dearth of MHL-compliant televisions on the market - let alone installed in homes - it could be useful.
Of course, you'll need an MHL-capable phone as well. Here the news is good; there are only a handful of phones with MHL, but one of them is extremely popular, Samsung's Galaxy SII, and most of HTC's latest phones support it as well, including the EVO 3D at Sprint, Vivid at AT&T, Rezound at Verizon Wireless, and the Sensation at T-Mobile.
December 22, 2011 in Accessories, Audio, Industry, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide is now up over at Slashgear.com.
Happy Holidays,
December 19, 2011 in Accessories, Audio, Books, Games, Music, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My son is here with me today and... he brought up Beats headphones. I was wondering if you've seen/have them and your thoughts. He's sold on how "cool" they are but I'm curious if they're all hype or not.
I get in a lot of headphones but hadn't gotten extended time on the beats until HP gave me a pair to test with its new TouchPad tablet (the TouchPad has a special Beats Audio mode. I tested it with the mode enabled and disabled, the difference is too subtle for most people to notice, but it's a nice branding initiative).
The beats are certainly a style icon, and since most people seem to choose them based on looks I was surprised that the sound quality is quite good. The bass is excellent (boosted but still natural – a tough combination to pull off), the midrange and highs are fair, and there is only some lightly audible distortion in the midrange from the noise cancellation (all active noise cancelling headphones have some distortion, as quite literally that's what noise cancellation is). They are closed over-ear headphones with mandatory noise cancellation – they don't work without batteries, and there's no way to turn the cancellation off. The noise cancellation itself is very good, though not as good as Bose's QuietComfort line.
Overall, I still prefer a good pair of passive in-ear headphones from etymotic, Shure, or Ultimate Ears – especially if you can get custom earpieces, though that usually means spending more than the $300 or so that the beats cost (except when it doesn't). Sennheiser makes slightly better sounding headphones at the same price, and Bose has better noise cancellation around the same price. However, the Sennheisers do not have have noise cancellation, and I think most people might still prefer the Beats for bass-heavy music regardless. (Disclaimer: I haven't gotten in the new Bose QuietComforts for a full review, so I can't say which has better overall audio, but the noise cancellation on the Bose is the best I've heard when I've tried them on at retail and in airports).
Bottom line: while the beats would not be my first recommendation for all types of listening, I can easily recommended them, and they are particularly good if you listen to a lot of hip-hop and dance. If you want the beats' style you can be comfortable that you aren't throwing away your money on hype, as they do offer quite good sound overall.
July 13, 2011 in Accessories, Audio, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
CEPro has a new mini-article by Molly Gibson with four tips for selling custom installed home theater products to women, and Julie Jacobson links to an article of hers on the same subject.
Here's the summary:
Molly thinks that women need a soft sell based on listening to her needs and discovering how she thinks that the system will be used. She also rails against pushing features and future-proofing that goes beyond the buyer's needs, and pushes style as a critical part of the woman's buying criteria.
Julie thinks that this has nothing to do with selling to women and everything with not being a bad salesperson. Every man would like a system tailored to his actual needs, would prefer not being condescended to, and cares about style. Do this, and both men and women will be happier.
That is certainly true, but... a hard tech sell does seem to work on many men. Also - speaking from personal experience here - some men easily succumb to featuritis. (Not all. Some. And I agree with both writers that focusing on what the product needs - and just what the product needs - generally creates a better long term relationship with the product/vendor/service provider.) The emphasis on creating your sales pitch around design is also much stronger in Molly's pitch. In Molly's view, it isn't about whether the color matches or it's a nice minimalist design, but she suggests you start showing TVs by asking which bezel style they like and in-wall speakers by focusing on the type of grill weave. That's really quite different.
To borrow marketing from a (slightly) different industry, that's the difference between touting the BlackBerry Playbook for its dual-core processor and micro kernel architecture - while ensuring it ships in a beautifully understated thin case - and Apple touting the iPad 2 as "magical" and incredibly thin while also adding a dual core processor. One reason Apple has sold 25 million iPads and RIM has sold 500,000 PlayBooks is because Apple's marketing is aimed at women and men, and RIM's marketing uses the male-centric tech approach. Style-conscious men, to be sure, but manly men, who must have a micro kernel architecture in their tablet... whatever that is.
June 16, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It certainly took them long enough, but Roku is finally graduating from online-only sales to retail. It wasn't doing too badly in the old business model - Roku's status as the least expensive and easiest streaming media box allowed it to rack up over a million units sold. Still, Roku always seemed something like a secret that only technically savvy people knew about - and that is not the target demographic for a product designed for simplicity. No, the ideal retail channel ought to be something like Target. Or Best Buy:
Roku XD player is available for purchase at Best Buy stores nationwide and at BestBuy.com. With up to 1080p HD streaming support, integrated 802.11n WiFi and Instant Replay the Roku XD offers unlimited entertainment choices and incredible value to customers. The Roku XD has a list price of $79.99 and is available at Best Buy stores and at BestBuy.com for purchase today. Roku players can also be found at other leading retail stores including BJ's Wholesale Club, Fry's Electronics and RadioShack.
Best Buy, Fry's, and the Shack. Well, the good news is that those stores are where a shopper goes if they want an inexpensive box to stream Netflix (or MLB or NBA or any of Roku's other content options). The bad news is that it won't reach consumers who don't know that they want an inexpensive box to stream Netflix (or MLB or NBA or any of Roku's other content options). Hopefully a successful run at Best Buy will get buyers at Target and Walmart interested, because their customers are who Roku should be chasing.
March 30, 2011 in Accessories, HDTV, Industry, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Great article in Dealerscope on how custom audio shops can prepare for the future by focusing more on headphone sales. Money quote:
"There are no new audiophiles entering our community any more," Abplanalp said. "For young people experiencing music, the art of building a stereo has lost its cachet. So selling headphones is a very important part of introducing music lovers to different performance levels..."
The article also notes that Monster's Dr. Dre Beats line is a key sales driver for this demographic, but oddly undersells the ability to properly demo in-ear headphones in-store.
February 07, 2011 in Accessories, Audio, Industry | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
I've been on the road pretty much since the beginning of the year - first at CES and then meetings, product launches, and more trade shows. Until I have a second to breathe, here's HomeTheaterREview's (no relation) nice write-up debunking CES myths.
February 02, 2011 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Fred Kaplan is apparently writing for Slate now*, and he correctly points out that digital music often sounds terrible, either due to poor sampling or poor encoding. He recommends using an outboard DAC to correct the problem. It's a great suggestion for people who listen to music in one spot using high end speakers or headphones, but not at all practical for those who are mobile, using an MP3 player or a smartphone as their playback source. Aside from echoing his related note to bump up the encoding rate when you rip music or download higher quality encoded music in the first place, the best suggestion I can make for mobile music listening is to invest in higher quality headphones. My first pair of Shure e535's had an almost magical ability to smooth out ragged MP3s without losing any detail (as well they should for $499). When they broke on me, Shure shipped out a replacement pair, but the new model doesn't sound quite as exceptional to my ears in the MP3-magic area -- it is still a fantastically neutral pair of headphones with exceptionally clean mids and rich bass, but jagged highs due to MP3 encoding faults still sound jagged on my new pair. The drivers are supposed to be identical, so I'm not sure if I got lucky on the first pair or less lucky on the second (or that I am/was hearing things that weren't there. Also a possibility).
I love the Shures, but my headphones of choice these days are etymotic's flagship ER-4's, which are hardly new, but have been transformed by custom earpieces etymotic had made for me. The program, which I called out in my Holiday Gift Guide, is called CUSTOM•FIT, and costs $100 (in addition to the cost of headphones). If you care about comfort and noise isolation, it is worth every penny.
*UPDATE: Fred got in touch to point out that defense and foreign policy are actually his primary coverage areas - and he modestly left out the part where he won a Pulitzer on those subjects. I know him from his sideline as an A/V writer.
December 30, 2010 in Accessories, Audio, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
My Last Minute, Non-Obvious Holiday Gift Guide 2010 has been posted over at Slashgear.com and includes a Home Entertainment section.
December 19, 2010 in Accessories, Audio, Industry, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
First a bit of background: Kaleidescape is a high end media server vendor. They make boxes you have a custom installer put in one spot, which connect over a wired network to smaller boxes your installer connects to each TV and projector in your home. You - or your installer - copies all your DVDs onto the big box, and then you can watch all your movies anywhere in your home. Basically, it's Sonos for movies for rich people. How rich? Kaleidescape was actually the reason I instituted a policy not to review anything I could not reasonably afford. Years ago Kaleidescape offered me a full setup to review; I refused because I didn't want to take out an insurance policy on a loaner, and I didn't want to take out a second mortgage on the chance that I couldn't bear to return it. A full Kaleidescape system in those days easily topped $50,000. Prices have come way down, but most systems will still end up in the $20,000 range with installation.
I had good reason to fear wanting to keep a system. I have used Kaleidescape at trade shows and have been consistently impressed. It is fully babysitter proof and requires no technical knowledge to use whatsoever. As all the movies are ripped to the system's hard drive(s), movies start instantly. However, its one downfall is that until now it only supported DVDs, not Blu-ray discs. As many installations include equally expensive HD projectors, this is a real problem.
Kaleidescape's first stab at the problem was adding Blu-ray support to the M500 player - one of the small boxes you'd have near your TV. That certainly enables you to play a Blu-ray disc (both at that TV or anywhere else in the house), but it still requires physically handling the disc every time you want to watch a movie and it is not all that much better than a regular Blu-ray player from Sony or Samsung. The whole point of Kaleidescape is access to any movie you own instantly thoughout the house.
Kaleidescape is now selling a partial solution to the problem: you can rip Blu-ray discs to the hard drive in the server, and it will play off the server (which means you can include it compilation video playlists). However, to appease the copyright gods, Kaleidescape still has to physically verify that you own the Blu-ray disc before playing any of its sweet 1080p content. To do so, you'll need a media vault ($1500), the ugly box pictured on the right, which can hold up to 100 Blu-ray discs. You can add as many of these as you like, but each needs to be connected to an M-class player (like the M500). In short, Kaleidescape now allows Blu-rays to be treated just like DVDs, only there is a lot more complexity and kludginess involved. It's better than nothing, but it has to seriously pain Kaleidescape's management and engineering staff who have made simplicity and elegance a core part of the product's value proposition.
December 14, 2010 in Accessories, DVD, HDTV, Industry, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Philip Berne's latest Slashgear column provides a well argued view for buying a Blu-ray player despite the rise of downloadable and streaming content.
Full disclosure: I also write columns for Slashgear. If you click on the link, I get... nothing. So I guess that's more of a plug than a disclosure.
December 09, 2010 in DVD, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
As if the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad family wasn't already encroaching on distributed audio and home automation control systems, Onkyo announced that its future A/V receivers will come with free iOS remote control apps. This is a good idea for Onkyo on several levels: it allows Onkyo to tap into Apple's marketing momentum, and gives it the ability to market a rich touchscreen remote control without having to add anything to the bill of materials for the receiver.
Of course, using a phone as a remote can be problematic - what happens when someone wants to use the system and you're on the phone or out of the house? Dedicating an iPod touch to remote control duty - especially if you invest in a charging dock so it stays charged and doesn't wander off - solves this problem, and gives retailers who carry both Onkyo and Apple products a nice add-on sale at time of purchase. Consumers may balk at the added price, but the truth is that Apple's component prices are so much lower than specialty A/V vendors that it would probably be cheaper for Onkyo to buy an iPod touch and include it in the box rather than try to build an equivalent product for use as a remote control.
November 24, 2010 in Accessories, Audio, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Nintendo cartdrige router should never have made it into the mix (it's awesome), but the rest of CE Pro's slideshow of consumer-submitted photos are hilarious. Custom installers, avert your eyes!
November 19, 2010 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wisdom Audio has figured out a way to properly demo its super-high end architectural (in-wall) speakers: it's offering "qualified" prospects a free trip to its Carson City, NV headquarters.
"Offer: Wisdom Audio will provide round trip transportation for a visit to our factory for someone with qualified interest in a large-scale Sage Series system. They will tour our factory with their dealer, meet the Wisdom Audio team and spend time in our sound room listening to their favorite music. (Limited to North America and must occur before January 31, 2011)"
I've never been there - or heard Wisdom Audio's speakers - but Google Maps says Carson City is near Reno. A couple of interesting points here:
November 16, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Electronic House poses a terrific real world question: how do you set up a home theater with a projector in a room without the headroom (literally) to hang a projector from the ceiling? Too bad they don't spend much time walking through the different options and just describe the finished room (which placed the projector on a shelf at the back).
November 15, 2010 in Displays | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Looking for some good cheap speakers? Wiredforless.com bought up a cache of unloved (discontinued) "Carver TS-241S Home Theater On-Wall Speaker System" speakers, apparently part of a plasma-friendly HTIB system. A pair is just $69 (original price was $199/pair) plus $5 shipping, a deal good enough to be featured on sellout.woot.
These are slim, curved aluminum cases with a wonderfully simple (and included) mounting bracket. I bought a pair. At 89 db sensitivity they're easy to drive and play a few db louder than my reference speakers, they're a bit bright, and they require a subwoofer (like any speaker this size). Are they the best speakers I've auditioned? Hardly. I'm not even comfortable recommending them as main speakers without using something to tame the harshness (a tube amp would work wonders, but that would sort of defeat the whole budget nature of the deal). However, they are exceptionally clear, they play loud without distortion, and they look great. At this price, you aren't going to find comparable value, and they're absolutely perfect for adding surround, height, or width channels to an existing setup. I may have to buy another pair.
Update: just to clarify, the case is metal, the drivers are not. It has two 4.25" poly mids and a 1" silk dome tweeter per speaker. Also, the speaker terminals are recessed and do NOT accept banana plugs or heavy guage wire.
July 23, 2010 in Audio | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
HomeTheaterREview (no relation) is reporting that high end speaker maker Thiel will stop selling exclusively through independent retailers and begin offering some of its entry level products on amazon.com (story here) and indeed, a quick amazon search for Thiel products shows in-walls from $900, and standalone speakers ranging from $1200 - $3,000. Founder Jim Thiel passed away in September, so I'm sure there are some who are saying that Jim must have said, "not over my dead body" and the company waited until that was literally true before making the move. I never interviewed Mr. Thiel, so I don't know what his attitudes or business plans were. However, the company's basic position is pretty simple: the market for high end speakers has always been limited, but audio enthusiasts are aging, the independent dealer channel is shriveling, the recession is tanking custom installers, and competitors are moving design and production to China to lower costs. It would appear that Thiel is suffering from the same maladies as Snell.
The move to a mainstream, online distribution channel like amazon is definitely risky, especially since Thiel didn't take the obvious step of first segmenting its products into distinct lines for the different channels. Thiel will have to sell enough volume on amazon to offset the fallout from angry independent dealers and custom installers. It's not clear if this is a desperation move -- i.e., Thiel's sales are down enough that anything sold online is a plus -- or if this is an attempt to position the company for growth as traditional channels are expected to continue shrinking over time, and the online channel continues to grow. In any case, simply sticking products from a relatively obscure brand up on amazon will not result in sales; Thiel will need to advertise and promote the products through the new channel. I haven't seen any new Thiel ads or promotions, have you?
July 16, 2010 in Audio, Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Not sure where I was when this crossed the wire back in April, but I was saddened - but not surprised - to learn that D&M Holdings shut down both Snell and Escient.
Snell was a high end speaker brand without enough brand recognition. Selling $30,000 speakers in a recession is extremely hard. Selling $30,000 speakers from a brand that only involved enthusiasts have heard of is basically impossible, no matter how terrific they measure and sound (Snell was famous for rigorously achieving ridiculously flat frequency measurements).
I suspect that the recession did in Escient, which made well regarded music servers, as well. Sure, some of Escient's functionality made its way into Windows and iTunes over the years, but the general collapse of the custom installation business was the bigger culprit. That and the rise of Sonos, which is dead simple for regular consumers to install, and considerably less expensive than any custom solution.
July 14, 2010 in Accessories, Audio, Industry, Music, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The problem with 3DTV - aside from the glasses and the nausea and the total lack of content - is that you need to buy an entirely new equipment chain. It is not enough to replace your TV with a 3D capable set, you will also need a 3D-capable Blu-ray player, and - much to the delight of Monster Cable - you may actually need to upgrade your HDMI cables to handle the increased signal bandwidth. The typical HDMI connection in most devices today is 1.3b, but you'll need to upgrade to HDMI 1.4a for 3D.
This has implications for audio as well. If you want to get the best audio out of your 3D content, you'll need an A/V receiver (or processor and separate amplifier) to process the compressed digital signal, amplify it, and pass it along to your speakers. If your receiver - like nearly all on the market today - does not have HDMI 1.4a inputs, you will need to run a second digital audio cable from your Blu-ray player to the receiver - assuming that your Blu-ray player can simultaneously output video over HDMI and audio over coaxial or Toslink outputs. It probably can. Probably.
There are also an increasing number of 2D devices that connect to your television via HDMI, and most TVs and receivers have a paucity of HDMI inputs of any kind. I have 15 devices with HDMI outputs, including game consoles, digital set top boxes, digital camcorders and several smartphones.
With that background it is entirely unsurprising that electronics manufacturers are rushing to update their lines with new A/V receivers that have multiple HDMI 1.4a inputs. For example, Onkyo just announced three new receivers with 7 HDMI 1.4a inputs a piece, including the 9.2 channel TX-NR1008. Of course, this comes literally three days after I bought Onkyo's current generation receiver with 7 HDMI 1.3 inputs, the TX-NR3007 (pictured). Now, I knew that updated versions were bound to be introduced shortly, and, having sent back all my review units, I needed a new receiver now, not in June ...but I still feel a twinge of regret.
Note: the TX-NR1008 is technically a replacement for the TX-NR1007, not the NR3007 which I purchased. I'm sure the TX-NR3008 will be along shortly, along with a new TX-NR5008 flagship, which is bound to have 8 HDMI 1.4a inputs.
June 03, 2010 in Audio, Industry, Television | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
May 25, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Just a quick note today: Sonos just started shipping a new software update that adds some new Internet radio options, crossfading between songs, some new language support, new alarm settings, and the ability to use two S5's as a stereo pair. None of the features is critical on its own (though the S5 stereo feature is quite cool; when everything is digital, you can do all sorts of neat things) but Sonos already built the best multi-room component system. I sent back my Sonos review system so I can't test this personally. Sigh.
With the Sonos gone, we've been using Logitech's Squeezebox Boom (OK; needs a better remote, the UI is just "OK," and the Sonos is better for multi-room use). The Squeezebox Touch just showed up, and I'll put that to the test once I get some speakers for it.
May 18, 2010 in Audio, Music, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
HomeTheaterReview - not HomeTheaterVIEW, which is what you're reading right now - has an interesting take on how the home theater sales environment has changed since the recession, and how to cope. It's partly a pitch for online advertising, partly a manifesto. Oddly enough, I agree with the advertising part, but he's missing a few pieces in the manifesto:
March 02, 2010 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Here's one from the mailbag:
I'm thinking about upgrading my receiver. Currently I have a Denon AVR-987. It's 3- 4 years old and does not have the current technology for blu ray. I'm thinking of going with a Sony STR-DA2400ES receiver. I have a 52" Sony XBR and a Sony BDP S-300 blu ray player. My speakers are Soundworks MC300 front/Soundworks original surrounds and JBL Northridge for the center. Any advice would be appreciated.
It really depends on why you think you need the upgrade, but I wouldn't do it.
You'd be surprised, but your current receiver can handle Blu-ray just fine – rather than upgrade your receiver to a model that can decode Dolby TrueHD, you just have the Blu-ray player do the decoding and send the bitstream (PCM) on over to your receiver – it will sound the same whether the player does the decoding or the receiver. In fact, depending on which Blu-ray player you have, it may work that way by default. For example, Sony's Playstation 3 can't send unencoded TrueHD to a receiver, you have to go the PCM route (the newer Playstation 3 Slim can pass an unencoded signal, but, again, there should be no difference in the sound). In your specific case, the BDP-S300 can decode Dolby TrueHD, but only if you download a firmware update. You should be regularly updating your firmware anyway to ensure that newer discs play on it without incident.
So, is it worth upgrading your receiver? Your Denon has more power than the newer Sony, it has basic room correction by Audyssey, and it has plenty of inputs/outputs as long as you don't need a lot of HDMI switching or video upscaling. While the Sony has all the latest audio decoders, it doesn't have the most HDMI inputs, the best video upscaling, or the best room correction, so I'm not sure it's enough of an upgrade even if those were your priorities.
Your biggest bang-for-buck audio upgrade would be to keep the Denon and upgrade your speakers. At the very least I'd get matching front speakers (either get another MC300 for the center or get another pair of JBL's for front left/right) and a sub.
February 11, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
I'm off to Apple's Special Event tomorrow. Journalists who want to contact me for comments afterwards can call me at 201 658 7729 or email me at agreengart @ currentanalysis com.
Once Apple madness is behind us, more HTV posts are coming, including a post-CES wrap-up, VUDU review, and an end to my quest for an A/V receiver with enough HDMI inputs to serve as a test center.
January 26, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Assuming that the sound quality is good - I have not heard a unit - the price seems reasonable ($599). Yamaha is probably thinking that this design will help space-challenged apartment dwellers, but there is another market segment worth exploring: parents of small children who don't want their kids stuffing Matchbox cars into a floor-level subwoofer port. I pulled 22 cars out of one of my subs in the playroom - the subs in my home theater all have floor-facing ports. On purpose.
December 23, 2009 in Audio | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Well, this is nice: some of us have felt like suckers, buying the same titles over and over as formats have shifted from VHS to letterbox VHS to laserdisc to DVD to special edition DVD to Blu-ray (and I probably missed a few format changes in there). If you've got a bunch of Warner DVDs and feel compelled to upgrade them to Blu-ray, check out this Warner Brothers site: http://www.dvd2blu.com/. You'll have to physically mail in your DVDs, and shipping charges apply if you have less than four to upgrade, but if you have four or more from the list of 55 titles, it should be about $8 per disc. Not free, but not bad, and a nice gesture to loyal customers.
November 18, 2009 in DVD | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
On Tuesday, I, along with a handful of tech journalists, was invited to attend a briefing by Panasonic in New York to show off their latest line of plasma televisions. The emphasis was on the technical capabilities of Panasonic's plasma technology relative to the latest LCD with LED backlighting. Some things I learned:
November 12, 2009 in Displays, HDTV, Industry, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I'm a bit backed up here at Home Theater View, both with posts (they're in my head but haven't quite made their way out of my head and onto the site) and with products to review. Logitech had sent over the Harmony 900 remote control just before it launched, but I first attempted to configure it last night.
The Harmony 900 is essentially an RF version of the IR-only Harmony One. In English, that means that the 900 is a universal remote control that looks nearly identical to another universal remote control in the Harmony line, but instead of just being able to control components line-of-site using infrared (IR), it can also control components that are hidden behind walls/doors/retractable screens using radio frequency (RF) commands that are relayed to the components with little IR blaster pods. The Harmony One lists for $249 (and sells for $182 on amazon) while the Harmony 900 lists for $399 (and sells for $315 on amazon). The added money also gets you a higher resolution touchscreen and a few extra buttons, but the two products look basically the same (a good thing, as I love the Harmony One's button layout), act basically the same (instead of controlling individual devices, the Harmony line is activity-based), and are set up using the same process (using an online database). The Harmony 900's value proposition is pretty simple: most infrared repeater systems cost a lot more than the $150 price delta, and some of them are fairly complicated, while the hallmark of Logitech's Harmony line is simplicity.
As I noted in last year's Holiday Gift Guide, I liked the Harmony One so much that I refused to wait for a review unit and instead simply bought one. I later added the Harmony PlayStation 3 adapter, a $60 add-on that seamlessly integrates the game console into a Harmony system (the PS3 uses Bluetooth, which sounds like a good idea but is completely incompatible with any universal remote control). I also have an infrared repeater system, the Microsmith Hot Link Pro that I am eager to replace with a more elegant and responsive solution (I should note that I can heartily recommend the Hot Link Pro; when all the wires and the receiver eye are placed properly, it works perfectly, and at just $67 on amazon, it is a stone cold bargain). The Harmony 900 should have been perfect.
I have been reviewing remote controls for a long time and have been following the Harmony line since before Intrigue launched it (and well before Logitech bought the company). One of the best things about the product is that setup is done entirely online, the online database grows as users add new devices, and upgrading to a new remote control is a simple matter of telling the online software what you just bought.
Except when it isn't. The first problem I had was that Logitech's site claims that there is no software to download for the Harmony 900. A CD is included in the package, but you always need to download the latest updates anyway, and I had intended to use a netbook to do the setup down in my home theater rather than run back and forth between my office and my home theater. This problem was just an annoyance, but an odd one.
The next problem - and one that only affects people upgrading from earlier Harmony remotes - is that you cannot upgrade from earlier Harmony remotes. Despite the fact that the software is identical and the remotes look nearly identical and they function in nearly identical ways, a new Harmony account is required to use the 900, which meant I needed to go back and log every component in the home theater and re-figure out how they are all connected, which inputs are required, etc. The process is straightforward, but it is a chore I would have gladly done without.
The next problem - and the one that simply stopped me cold - was that much of the work that went into getting the Harmony remote controls working with my components over the years seems to have vanished from Logitech's database. Not only do I need a new account, but apparently I need to re-teach Logitech that the monoprice switcher has more than five inputs, that the TiVo doesn't have a power button, and that I am using Logitech's own accessory to control the PS3. I don't have time to troubleshoot all of this - again - so for now I will continue using the Harmony One/Microsmith combination.
If you are coming to the unit without an existing Harmony account, most of my setup problems won't affect you - you would need to set up your system from scratch anyway. Nonetheless, I'm holding off recommending this product until I have the time and energy to get it working properly.
October 25, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
October 14, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Monster introduced its first in-ear headphones, "turbine," in November 2008. They promised me review units right away (they actually gave out units at their CES press conference, but ran out), but I finally got them last month. At CEDIA last week, Monster announced an even higher end model, "turbine Pro," so I thought I'd better get this review out of the way before the new ones come.
I have to admit, I had really low expectations. Monster claims that the turbines are the best headphones on the market. However, Monster's CEO, Noel Lee, is given to hyperbole and self-congratulation - his press conferences are like revival meetings, complete with applause for minor things like swiveling HDMI adapters. (OK, those were pretty useful, but I'm a professional devices analyst, I'm not clapping like an idiot for your accessories, thank you very much.). My experience with mainstream brands' in-ear headphones has been mixed. Bose's $99 in-ear headphones are just plain awful (the best way to describe the sound is tepid; their over-the-ear noise canceling models are much better), while Apple's are pretty good (not as good as high end models, but a bargain at $79).
I took Monster at its word and tested the $149 turbines both against two similar priced products from Shure and etymotic (Shure's e3c's and etymotic's ER-4P, which are ~$179 each) and two with much higher price tags: Shure's SE530 (~$450), and Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 pro (~$375).
The turbines have some issues, but overall they hold their own. Compared to my aging Shure e3c's the turbines sound richer and have better bass. They actually made the Shure's sound so thin that I wonder if the Shure's haven't held up to the abuse I've put them through over the years (lawn mowing, gyms, subways, buses, and planes). The etymotics stood up much better to the turbines, but the turbines sound a bit more dynamic, and appear to be more durable. One key that made comparison harder: it appears that the turbines have higher sensitivity than the etymotics. In other words, they play much louder. Louder sounds better (until you go deaf), and it can be hard to level match headphones precisely. Still, I did my best to A/B tracks at the same volume, and while the etymotics are terrific, the Monsters sounded livelier.
Where the turbines fall short is in noise isolation, functional design, and low bass. Shure's SE530's still stand out with the most neutral sound, tapered foam earplugs that do a much better job of blocking outside noise than Monster's flimsy plastic flanges, and a modular design that allows you to adapt the headphones to different cord lengths, microphones, and controls. Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 pro has much better bass, a similar exciting sound as the turbines with less distortion, and tapered foam earplugs.
So are Monster's turbines [actual quote from their website:] "The World's Best Sounding In-Ear Headphones?" Hardly. But they are definitely one of the better choices at $149. If Monster throws in some foam earplugs in the package and creates a modular cord system, it will have a real winner.
September 14, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
I'll be out at CEDIA this year, but only for the press day and some show floor meetings. (I will also be available for press looking to cover major announcements from Apple and Motorola this week. Busy week!).
Look for a wrap-up post with CEDIA impressions by the end of the week.
September 08, 2009 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
A couple of weeks ago I asked how early adopter (and device analysts) with multiplying digital components could possibly connect them all.
August 27, 2009 in Audio, HDTV, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Wondering what we've been up to in the Digital Home - Devices research group at Current Analysis? (No? Then now might be a good time to skip to the next post. Thanks anyway!)
Console price drops have dominated the past few weeks, but before that we wrote up a new connected HTIB system, Sonos' new controller, new distribution for VUDU, and a connected Blu-ray player (if you're sensing a theme, yes, our Digital Home coverage focuses on connected devices). Please note: the titles below link to reports behind the firewall for Current Analysis clients; journalists who would like access should contact me for complimentary access:
August 27, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
A reader asks: I'm thinking of having my Hi Def Sony XBR2 calibrated by Best Buy. Is this worth the $300.00 or not? Appreciate any advice.
Calibration was an absolute necessity back in the tube days, but with the advent of digital panels (plasma or LCD), getting – and keeping – settings accurate (or reasonably close) is much easier to do yourself. However, an installer can often get into service menus and offer finer level of control. Is that worth $300? If you're a perfectionist watching movies, definitely. If you are a casual viewer watching reality TV shows, definitely not.
If you plan to go the full calibration route, make sure that the folks at Best Buy have ISF certification before you agree to anything; simply getting a tech to your house messing around with service menus can make things worse rather than better.
If you plan to calibrate your set yourself, you should buy one of the calibration DVDs on the market ($30 - $50); not only do they provide instructions on the different settings and how they interact, they are chock full of test patterns designed to make it much easier to see the differences as you make changes.
If none of that seems worth the hassle, at least page through the different settings your TV comes pre-programmed with. The "Vivid" setting is designed to stand out on a showroom floor in poor lighting, and it will burn your eyes (not literally - I hope) if you watch it that way at home. The "Cinema" or "Movie" mode is usually the most accurate. If that mode seems too dim, leave it there anyway and give yourself a few minutes to adjust your eyes to seeing subtle color differences again.
August 13, 2009 in Displays | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I was talking with Microsoft about the XBOX 360 earlier this week, and one of the things they said will drive consumers to their console vs. the competition is the integration of multiple features into Live, such as Netflix streaming, gaming, and other content. At Current Analysis our Digital Home service covers game consoles from the perspective of connected services; we treat a PS3, XBOX, or Wii like the fancy set top boxes (that not coincidentally also play games) that they have become. However, I thought we were a bit ahead of the curve - most consumers haven't fully embraced this vision yet. But when FedEx dropped off yet another box here this afternoon, I started thinking: how on Earth am I going to connect this? Is Microsoft right - will consumers buy a game console to access digital services simply because they're out of HDMI inputs on their TV?
Now I know that my situation is not something everyone faces, but how many devices can a consumer reasonably connect to a TV or even a sophisticated A/V receiver? I'm not sure there are enough inputs any more - even on flagship receivers - to connect all the possible devices an early adopter/TV nut might want to. (Some of these offer redundant functionality, but even then there are typically unique functions that could justify their purchase.) Here's a sample list:
I'm trying to integrate about eight or nine of those, and I'm not sure that there is a receiver on the planet that can handle more than about half that list.
August 12, 2009 in Accessories, Audio, DVD, HDTV, Industry, PC Convergence | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I will be attending CEDIA this year, but I won't be hanging around for very long, so if you're a vendor who wants to meet me, please contact me ASAP. I'll be covering any Digital Home - Devices news for Current Analysis, and I should have posts here as well.
August 11, 2009 in Industry | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
A few months back Logitech sent over their PS3 Harmony adapter, and I've had a half-finished review sitting in my Typepad queue ever since (it's the sort of device that you set it up once and then forget about - in a very good way). I'm going to get that done and posted soon so I can move on to today's news: the Harmony 900, which is what you get when you refine the Harmony One and add RF capabilities to control devices behind closed doors (or, in my case, behind a motorized screen). I recommended the Harmony One in last year's Holiday Gift Guide, and I have a Harmony 900 in for review and will post my impressions shortly.
August 11, 2009 in Accessories | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I promise something more substantive in a different post ( <-- that's just a writing flourish. No actual promise is intended or implied), but I wanted to pass this along. I get press releases every day about companies introducing new products, changing management, or using technology. Many of them are incomprehensible - it's as if PR people speak a different language. Here's the headline from one that crossed my inbox this morning:
Leading Architectural Audio and Video Supplier Builds on FST GUI Technology
for New Streaming Media Product Line
Who? What? After reading the press release a couple of times I think I understand what's going on: SpeakerCraft is branching out from crafting speakers and is building a streaming media system (just the sort of thing I focus on in my Digital Home research service), presumably to get audio to their in-wall speakers. OK. But to do so, they needed a way to quickly create a user interface for their gadget, and they turned to FST.
Here's where things get silly. It seems that the folks at FST are either: 12 year old boys, refugees from movie production companies, or high. FST stands for Fluffy Spider Technologies. FST's flagship product is the FancyPants platform and its Ruthlessly Efficient runtime environment. What the hell?
That is all.
July 14, 2009 in Audio, Industry | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


text:
About AutoVIN
AutoVIN, the Automated Vehicle Information Network, is the industry-leading solution for trusted vehicle inspections, inventory verification and facility standards audits.
We provide audit and inspection services to major companies throughout North America, including auto manufacturers, financial institutions, leasing companies, warranty companies and contract service administrators.
Headquartered in Carmel, Ind., we are an international network of highly trained, company-employed field representatives. As a subsidiary of ADESA, AutoVIN has the resources to provide our field representatives with the training, tools and most up-to-date technology they need to deliver accurate and timely results. We use a secure customer portal to communicate and share data provided in a format that gives you the power to work faster and more effectively than ever before.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Mother's Day is observed around the world, though on different days. The second Sunday of May, however, is where it is observed most, and that means this Sunday is the day for mom.
Nokia asked Lumia fans to put together some special thoughts for mom on her special day, thus #NoteToMom was launched. Nokia has shared a collage of greetings along with another not-so-subtle rebranding at the end.
What might you get for mom on her special day? Flowers and chocolate covered strawberries are always a hit. Since she probably loves pictures of you and your family though, you might want to pick up a new Lumia for her too.
The Lumia line of smartphones have spectacular cameras as the showcase feature, and the Nokia experience apps that come with Windows Phone make for a great gift idea, especially if her current phone is long in the tooth or damaged. Happy Mother's Day.


text:
This is a discussion on Walmart manager's bad joke within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; I agree, if you raise enough hell, the Obama administration might make him president of a major auto manufacturer....
I agree, if you raise enough hell, the Obama administration might make him president of a major auto manufacturer.
I thought everybody at Wal*Mart is armed! It's a mass wally walk."Security! Security! man in the red hat is armed!"
Mitch Rapp is my hero (reference to the Vince Flynn novels)
RIP Vince! Going to miss your novels! :(
Someone needs to be taken behind the woodshed....and beaten within an inch of his life...because that is pretty much what it takes to get people to learn life lessons....
Magazine <> clip - know the difference
martyr is a fancy name for crappy fighter
You have never lived until you have almost died. For those that have fought for it, life has a special flavor the protected will never know
Easy....killer...always assess the situation first. The joke would have been on you if you would have shown them Mr. Brownings master piece. Be safe.
Listen, Think and React.....Nuff Said.....
It is readily apparent that stupidity infects people of all walks and stations in life; however the prognosis of there being no cure for this cursed condition is still true.
When you accept mediocrity you sow the seeds for future failure.
One should never confuse good fortune with good training.
Illegitimus Non Carborundum. In God we trust.
What would have been funny is the manager yelling, "Gun", and 20 customers drawing down on the guy.
"I see stupid people... they're everywhere, and some of them don't even know that they're stupid'!
ALWAYS carry! - NEVER tell!
"A superior Operator is best defined as someone who uses his superior
judgement to keep himself out of situations that would require a display of his
superior skills."
Wow. That was a bad joke that could have gone real bad. Good job not over reacting and restraining yourself from throttling the manager.
,=====o00o _
l_--- \___l---[]lllllll[]
(o)_)-o- (o)_)--o-)_)
If the OP as an armed civilian would have drawn down on the "bad guy", he would have had a lot of explaining to do while hoping he didn't get a free ride to the pokey.
You have every right to defend yourself. You do not however have a right to brandish a firearm if there is no credible threat. The proper action should have been to create some distance and assess the situation. Just because someone yells "fire" doesn't mean there is one.
What if the "bad guy" was actually an LEO and you had actually drawn? You surely would have been facing the end of a gun barrel.
I understand you did not draw and good on you, BUT you need to raise your awareness level and keep your cool. If you had drawn your weapon, you just might be facing the judge who is willing to withdraw your CCW permit.
Was the manager an a-hole? Absolutely, and no doubt I would have filed a complaint with EVERY intention to see him get fired, but 2 wrongs still don't make a right.
mattdillon, I don't deny that the action of the individual who worked in the store in the op was devoid of common sense. I have had a rough four days in the hospital with a very sick parent, so my nerves are frayed. However, dealing in broad generalizations regarding a group of people's intellectual/mental capacity who work in the service industry due to one person's bad choices is rather short sighted.
I have it on competent authority that Walmart does not have a practice of hiring unemployed rocket scientists! I don't believe they seek out managers at the far right of the curve.
Retired Marine, Retired School Teacher, Independent voter, Goldwater Conservative.


text:
The Secret to a Well-Seasoned Cast-Iron Skillet
Cast-iron cookware has been the touchstone of Southern food and hospitality for generations, creating perfectly fried chicken and cornbread so crisp you can hear it crackle when cut. No kitchen south of the Mason-Dixon Line would be complete without it. "Seasoning" is the process of oiling and heating cast iron to protect its porous surface from moisture. The oil is absorbed, creating a rustproof nonstick surface, which means your food will cook evenly and your skillet will have a beautiful sheen. Here's how to season yours:
1. Rinse with hot water and dry thoroughly. (Never use dish soap or harsh detergents on cast-iron)
2. Spread a thin layer of solid shortening or vegetable oil over both the interior and exterior surfaces of the cookware, including the handle and the underside of any lids.
3. Place the cookware upside down on a rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leaving the door closed, and allow the cookware to cool completely before removing.
4. You will need to repeat the procedure several times to darken the color of the cookware from brown to black, but it's ready to use after this first seasoning. Once seasoned, never use harsh detergents to clean it or put it in the dishwasher. Wash with a stiff brush under hot running water; dry immediately, and rub with a thin coating of vegetable oil. Store in a cool, dry place with a folded paper towel between the lid and the cookware to allow the air to circulate and prevent rust.
Click the video below to see how simple it is to season a cast-iron skillet:
Once you've successfully seasoned your cast-iron skillet, here are a few of our favorite ways to put that regional icon to work: Recipes for your Cast-Iron Skillet


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● Both for man and women.
● Support straps around the front shoulders to pull them gently back for correct posture. Make you stand taller and straighter.
● Comfortable and light to wear underneath clothes, with no discomfort or visibility.
● L: 32 x 10 x 28 (Length x Shoulder Width x Waist)
● XL: 33.5 x 10 x 29 (Length x Shoulder Width x Waist)
● XXL: 36 x 10 x 29.5 (Length x Shoulder Width x Waist)
How to use:
1. Pull shoulder straps over shoulders making sure that fabric pouches with magnets are closest to your body.
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3. Adjust position and snugness as needed. Shoulder straps should pull back slightly on shoulder area. If needed pull waist belt down slightly to increase shoulder pressure.
4. Wash by hand in gentle detergent. Air dry.
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The game of baseball works in funny ways, especially at the high school level. Just ask Harvard-Westlake, whose run to Team of the Year glory came one year later than expected.
The script for the private school in Studio City, Calif.—where it is sandwiched between Hollywood lots and million-dollar Beverly Hills homes—was written last year with two first-round picks on one pitching staff and plenty of national hype. But the storybook run never came. The staff ace was lost to injury and the Wolverines were upset in the postseason.
A year later, the pitching superstars—righthander Lucas Giolito and lefthander Max Fried—were gone and their younger protégé, righthander/third baseman Jack Flaherty, was left to lead a staff with modest experience and less punch. Add in nearly an entire offensive lineup returning, a young coach with a bright future, his own all-star staff, and a desire for redemption and the real script, the one made for the silver screen, was writing itself as Harvard-Westlake High marched to a wild win in the Southern Section championship and was ultimately named Baseball America's Team of the Year.
Most would write off a team that lost two first-round arms to graduation and not expect the team to compete at the same level, but Harvard-Westlake head coach Matt LaCour knew his team would be a threat offensively with most of his everyday players back and he was confident that the hard work everyone put in would pay off.
"I felt like this was a culmination of the past seven years of really hard work by our staff and our players—daily putting in the grind and trying to do things the right way with the hope that it would all pay off," he said. "This group of seniors, there's no transfers, there's no kid that just came in and made us better. It was just a culmination guys that worked hard together, that got better on a daily basis and at the end just became an unbelievable team in terms of trusting each other and quite honestly, teaching me as a coach how to trust players a little bit more."
The Wolverines hit .323 as a team, living up to expectations at the plate and on defense, consistently making the routine plays and executing on fundamentals. Junior Brian Ginsberg solidified the infield with his play at shortstop and on days he wasn't pitching, Flaherty strengthened the left side by holding down the hot corner. LaCour and his staff knew hitting and defense would be their strengths and keep them in games, but pitching is what would help the Wolverines get over the hurdle they failed to clear in 2012.
"Going into the year, we had two pitchers that we felt really comfortable with in Jack and Hans (Hansen)," LaCour said. "We knew what we were going to have in those two guys. But in order to get through our playoffs here and the grind of season, you need to have a solidified No. 3 guy, a third guy you can throw out there that can do a really good job. That was (righthander) Conor Cuse for us. The strides he has made in the last 12 months, we haven't really seen as a staff in an individual player in our career."
Bouts of wildness and strong alternatives to him kept Cuse buried in the rotation through his junior season. He had the size, strength and arm to attract college recruiters, but no one was biting. But Cuse didn't let the lack of a college scholarship or the pressure of stepping up deter him. He made great advancements on the mound and after a strong outing in the National High School Invitational, Cuse was offered a scholarship to pitch at Stanford.
"That's what I've been working toward my high school career, but things didn't always work out in the beginning," Cuse said. "I had command issues and that's what has held me back. After I got enough repetitions and confidence, it kind of clicked for me. I built up a lot of confidence over the winter and continued through the spring."
Cuse had good examples to draw from, seeing the work ethic and competitive edge of Giolito and Fried firsthand, and didn't hesitate to put the time in off the field to get better.
"I always knew Conor was going to be good because he's one of the hardest working kids I've ever seen," catcher Arden Pabst said. "He's always there before doing his exercises. He gets there before practice and stays after. I always knew that was going to pay off."
The work of Cuse and Hansen on the mound was a huge piece of Harvard-Westlake's success, but Flaherty took his own step forward with his work as the team ace and No. 3 hitter. Thrust into the No. 2 role as a sophomore in 2012 when Giolito went down with an elbow injury, Flaherty polished his raw tools and athleticism in the months after the Wolverines' disappointing finish.
"The thing about Jack is that he learns from things that are going on around him and he can apply it to his game," LaCour said. "He learned from the preparation that he saw from Max Fried and Lucas Giolito. My biggest problem with Jack for the first two and a half years of his high school career were offensively he did not have the same aggressiveness that he had on the mound."
That all changed after Harvard-Westlake returned to Cary, N.C., for the second edition of the NHSI. In 2012, the Wolverines lost to Southern California power Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.) and a rematch came to fruition. The Monarchs prevailed for a second straight season, leaving the Wolverines with a bitter taste in their mouths, a taste that would fuel the rest of their season.
"Getting out there, for this team building a new identity, was a big deal," LaCour said. "I'll be honest, losing that championship game, that lit a fire. We were ready to play, but that really just pissed us off. We played with a chip on our shoulder from that point on that was really fun to watch."
Flaherty took a turn at the plate, going from a passive approach to one that had him smoking balls to his pull side. His emergence with the bat set the stage for others around him like Ginsberg, Pabst, Joe Corrigan and Alex Horowitz to make noise offensively.
Harvard-Westlake won nine straight following the loss in the NHSI championship, stumbling just once more in the regular season. The Wolverines dropped a game to Notre Dame High (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), but LaCour encouraged his team to make the loss a positive development. They got one last look at what else they needed to do to win—before a loss would bring the season to an end—and focused on going on a seven-game win streak, which would end with a dogpile at Dodger Stadium in the Southern Section Division I final.
The Wolverines powered through the next six games, again getting big starts from Cuse, and found themselves warming up on a major league field, ranked No. 1 in the country and one win away from a national championship.
Like so many other games on their schedule, the championship against Marina High (Huntington Beach, Calif.) was a dramatic battle with Flaherty fittingly on the mound, stifling opposing hitters and driving in the game's lone run. The story that is Harvard-Westlake's run to a championship climaxed not with the final out of the seventh inning, but the one just prior.
Marina started the top of the seventh with a single and sacrificed the runner to second. The next hitter then roped a single through the left side and the runner on second made the turn for home. Approaching the ball in left field was Jackson Grayson, a sophomore who had been used as a defensive replacement for most of the season. The day before the championship tilt, LaCour protested Grayson's tendency to air out his throws from the outfield.
"I expressed my displeasure in Jackson Grayson throwing the ball air to air to every single base and how much I wanted to see him get on top of the ball and use one hop," LaCour said.
So as the Marina runner made his turn and Grayson lined himself up for the throw, LaCour and the rest of his team could only watch as he uncorked a strike to home plate where Pabst threw up a brick wall and the runner was cut down, two feet from tying the game.
"It was a perfect throw and it was bang-bang," Pabst said. "I was holding onto that ball for my life."
"That was one of the best things I ever watched," Flaherty said. "With where I was positioned—I gave up the hit and went to go back up home—and I see Jackson come up and throw the ball. I looked and saw the runner coming. He was about halfway down the line and the ball was almost in Arden's glove. I thought, 'He's out and we're going to win this thing.' "
After a routine groundout to Ginsberg, the Wolverines stormed the pitcher's mound, celebrating the school's first-ever section title, securing the No. 1 spot atop the High School Top 25 with a 28-4 record and wrapping a story of hard work and perseverance that would satisfy any baseball fan.


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Darn, I hate to go there. I have to go to a wedding, so I guess I will need to leave my babies behind. Gonna be a long week for me:aargh4:
Like Johnny Cash once said, "Leave your guns at home Bill, dont take your guns to town"
I felt like making up a tee shirt with this on it:
Attention BG's. I am here in NJ visiting. As you are aware the law here says I can not be armed. Therefore if you feel like you want to rape my wife, kidnap my children, or rob me of my money then feel free to do so as I can not defend myself.
Bout sums it up I'd say.


text: i have a set of oem side markers for your non s-line a3. they are the ones from the front bumper AND the ones on your fenders. excellent condition. you'd spend over $60 + shipping from ecstuning. i'm asking $35 shipped OBO to your door. pm or text 8189260892 thanks


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RPD to offer "Late Bloomers" Baseball Camp for kids who have not played organized ball
(Riverton, Wyo.) – Area kids aged 11 to 15 years-old who have not played organized baseball before are invited to what is being termed a "Late Bloomers" baseball camp August 20-22, a Wednesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The camp is being sponsored by the Riverton Police Department and all costs are being borne by the Riverton Police Foundation.
"We want to capture those late bloomers who might have played T-ball, but not any organized baseball," said Chief Mike Broadhead, who will run the camp along with a few of his officers. "The idea is to spend three days at the Little League fields for the kids to gain enough knowledge and confidence in themselves to join an organized team next year."
Broadhead said the leap between Little League and Babe Ruth, for example, is a big one. "Suddenly kids go from a 60 foot baseline to a 90 foot baseline and it can be intimidating. The play is a notch above too and if kids aren't well-versed in baseball, they may not go out for a team," Broadhead said. "Maybe the youngster grew into his/her body late, but whatever the reason we want to build some confidence with these kids so they can play next year."
Broadhead said the camp is not affiliated with any organized group, but it is an outreach by the police department to give kids a safe thing to do and to build relationships.
To register for the event, call Mike Broadhead at 857-7603.
"It won't all be skill drills, we'll ask the kids to bring a brown bag lunch and then we can talk baseball while eating. If we get enough kids we can even have some practice games in the afternoon," he said. "Just to make the kids comfortable with the game."


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Denmark is located on the South West Coast of Western Australia, 414 Kilometres south east of Perth, in the Great Southern Region along the Rainbow Coast. Denmark has natural attractions galore and a mild climate all year round making it the perfect destination.
The tall forests merge with the pristine white sandy beaches, the magnificent Southern Ocean and the ancient rocks. It sits astride the beautifully curving Denmark River as it gracefully flows into the Wilson Inlet and around 5000 people call it home. Denmark is in an amazing location.
The happy and peaceful locals are very welcoming of visitors creating a wonderfully friendly small-town atmosphere that will having you returning time and time again. It is one of the most historic, stylish and most naturally beautiful destinations in the world.
Nature lovers like Denmark for its pristine beaches, world-class walking trails, prolific wildlife, undulating landscape, ancient towering trees and wildflowers. Denmark is one of nature's most beautiful places with an abundance of spectacular scenery, flora and fauna.
Denmark town centre is peaceful, with no traffic lights and a host of wonderful places to shop as well as delightfully delicious restaurants and cafes. Denmark is home to artisans, so everywhere you see evidence of their creativity dotted around!
The ambiance is relaxed and with everything is so close together it is possible to park in one spot and meander through town leisurely, it's truly a place of peace.
The Wilson Inlet is fed from the Denmark and Hay Rivers and is less than a kilometre south of town. It is almost fifty square kilometres of water and is 14 km long and 4km wide. It is separated from the sea by a sandbar. It is a sanctuary for Black Swans and has been for hundreds of years. Denmark, is known to the aboriginal community as 'Koorabup' meaning 'place of the Black Swan'.
Glimpses of Denmark.
Set amongst rolling hills on tree covered shores on the banks of the Denmark River on the edge of the Southern Ocean.
Denmark is 55k west of Albany and 66km east of Walpole.
Glimpses of Denmark
Red Cross Shop, a site for Group Settlement in 1920's.
The delightful gazebos and picnic benches give plenty of choice for alfresco dining and the huge trees offer plenty of shade during the hot summer months!
There are BBQ facilities for your use and clean toilets. Boating and water activities of all types are popular pastimes. There is a basketball court at one end and walking trails in both directions. Two glorious trees exquisitely shade the centre of the park and there are tables for a delightful picnic.
There is also a Nature Adventure Park located behind the hospital that is filled with wonderfully natural climbing opportunities for children of all ages. It is aligned with the eco-nature of the residents of Denmark.
There is a Dragon Boat Club and a Surf Life Saving Club in town and craft groups such as the spinners, woodturners and quilters sharing their many talents with the community.
Denmark Village Theatre stages performances and an annual pantomine. There is a vibrant music scene with many local artists.
The popular Denmark Markets, established in 1981, held 4 times a year in Easter, Christmas and January, bring a fabulous selection exquisite local artisans of all types and skills together in a vibrant fun filled atmosphere of music, busking, stage performances, children's activities, food and over 100 stalls offering all types of unique wares.
There are also many excellent alternative and complementary holistic practitioners in many modlaities, making this a great retreat for healing or recuperation.
The inside of the Old Buttery Factory is beautiful. Artists studios openly viewable makes this a unique experience.
The Old Butter Factory is located close to the heart of town.
An inspiring selection of quality accommodation of all types is available in and out of Denmark town.
Not only is each accommodation beautiful, but the locations are simply sublime. Each Accommodation Provider in our Guide has been hand selected for their uniqueness, quality of service, location, facilities, friendliness, ambiance & aesthetics.
The owners of the accommodation featured are 100% committed to providing you with high quality service for your stay in Denmark. Choose from Self Contained, Hosted, Luxury, Farm Stay and Spa & Retreat.
You can find most of what you need shopping in Denmark, uncover many unique items that it will make you want to come back, just for the originality of the stores!!
You can buy fresh produce, including organic.
There are many walks and trails in and around Denmark.
Stroll through ancient forests, wander past still waters, walk along the ocean's edge, hike through the bushland, gaze from cliffs, climb mountains and boulders, play in the park lands, watch for whales and on splash the beaches. The walks are awe inspiring, with so many different scenic backdrops from which to choose.
Exploring around Princess Pool on Lights Beach in wintertime. As you can see, the coast is rugged yet green with ocean loving natives, sunny even on a winters day...
When you arrive at Lights Beach, head left over the hillside along the trails to get to Princess Pool, an ocean rock-waterfall cascasing onto the beach. Beautiful! It's important to be careful when exploring the coast. Be certain before you enter the water or cross the waterline. In winter especially, large king waves are common. Always watch the ocean and be responsible.
Enjoy wood fired pizza at Denmark's first microbrewery, The Boston Brewery at Willoughby Park Winery.
Have a sumptious meal and award winning wine,
in a divine location, at The Lake House.
Indulge in honey icecream at Bartholomews Meadery, and see the bees at work in a glass hive, which is fascinating for all.
Greens Pool
Fifteen kilometers to the west of Denmark is the magical Greens Pool. Almost completely sheltered from the waves by the rounded rock boulders, Greens Pool is paradise.
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is located a few kilometres north of Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks and Cove which are at the eastern end of the William Bay National Park. 45 minute steady bush climb that is well worth it!
The Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk
You have the opportunity to walk up and into the tops of the trees on a safe metal walkway suspended high in the air. Suitable for all ages and completely safe, anyone can feel the power of the Giant Tingle trees.
You can walk up in the tree tops or stay grounded at the Ancient Empire Walk. There is a visitor information centre, shop, facilities and picnic tables to enjoy an afresco lunch in a beautiful setting. Unique visitor experience.
This is a website sharing the beauty of Denmark Western Australia from a local's perspective. Photographs of Denmark have all been taken by local photographers and are copyright protected. They are editorial in nature and are not for sale and may NOT be used without written permission. Denmark WA Maps are coded using technology from Google. Videos are intended for educational and documentary purposes and are streamed using YouTube technology. Website Design and photography by our family of five living in the heart of the Rainbow Coast. This site is for informational purposes only and is a travelogue, weblog and a web resource for visitors to the South Coast, the Great South West Edge of Western Australia. We are not affiliated with the Shire of Denmark. We are not affiliated with the official Denmark Visitors Centre.
Advertising on this website is by request, contact us to Feature your Accommodation Property,
Winery / Vineyard or Local Denmark Business.
Follow Us on Facebook for beautiful photos
and news throughout the year!
Want to know more about Denmark? Visit www.denmarkwesternaustralia.com
Visiting the Denmark Wineries? Visit www.denmarkwineregion.com.au for a list of Denmark Wineries
Heading towards Perth? Visit FremantleWesternAustralia.com.au
Copyright © Rainbow Coast Web Design: DenmarkWesternAustralia.com 2009 - 2014


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Finance » Retirement
Rising Interest Rates and Your Retirement
Interest rates are likely to rise in 2014, and that can have a negative impact on some of your investments. CBS MoneyWatch's Ray Martin explains why, and how to best protect your savings.
Copyright CBS News. For more articles, visit www.cbsnews.com


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Bring excellent quality, speed, and ease of use to your home office all in the name of increased productivity. This begins with built-in Wi-Fi®1 for printing and scanning virtually anywhere in your home from computers and compatible mobile devices. This also includes AirPrint2, which lets you wirelessly print photos, emails, web pages, documents and more from compatible iPad, iPhone or iPod touch devices to a compatible Canon PIXMA Wireless All-In-One. An integrated 30-sheet Auto Document Feeder, built-in Auto Duplex Printing, a Dual Function Panel, and FastFront are just some of the features that can allow you to easily multi-task while your PIXMA MX512 is at work. This can bring office efficiency to all-new levels and reduce cost at the same time.
4800 x 1200 maximum colour resolution3 and the FINE Cartridge System means superb business document printing and efficiency while built-in imaging technology ensures the integrity of originals are preserved with each copy and scan. Maintain security standards by utilizing features to prevent misdialed fax transmissions and keep scanned files password protected.
The MX512 also allows you to turn your office into a photo lab and print beautiful, borderless4 photo lab quality photos up to 8.5" x 11" in size. Your photo printing options also include Full HD video5 while you can enjoy computer-less printing through compatible direct print options.
The MX512 delivers the business imaging quality and versatile solutions that can assist you in bringing your business to the next level. So, you can print business documents when you need to and photos when you want to.
Speed & Quality
Fantastic Resolution: 4800 x 1200 maximum colour dpi3 produces incredible quality and detail in both your business documents and photos.
High Performance Ink Cartridges: These two genuine Canon ink cartridges contain specially formulated inks for great document and photo quality. One is a Pigment Black cartridge for crisp, professional text and one is a multi-colour cartridge for pictures. Both are easy to use and replace.
Beautiful, Borderless Photos Fast: Print a borderless, 4" x 6" photo in approximately 46 seconds.6
ChromaLife100: This system combines enhanced FINE print head technology with select genuine Canon photo papers and inks for beautiful borderless photos that will last up to 100 years when stored in an archival-quality photo album.7
Ease of Use
Dual Function Panel: This streamlined control panel provides useful function buttons that transform into a keypad in fax mode for easier operation.
Fully-Integrated, 30-sheet Auto Document Feeder: Easily copy, scan, and fax multiple documents without having to load them one page at a time. Enjoy full integration so the printer can better fit in tight workspaces.
Built-In Auto Duplex Printing: Automatically print on both sides of the page without the hassle of turning it over manually. This can reduce your paper consumption and cost by up to 50%.
FastFront: This innovative design feature allows for even easier replacement of your Genuine Canon Ink and papers right from the front of the machine.
Full HD Movie Print: Full HD Movie Print software turns your favorite HD movie clips captured with compatible Canon EOS Digital SLR or PowerShot cameras into beautiful prints.5
2.5" LCD: Easily view, select and edit your images for simple computer-free printing. No downloading needed, just choose your picture and print!
Auto Scan Mode: With one press of the Scan button your original is automatically recognized and saved in the correct format.8
Auto Document Fix: This built-in software automatically analyzes and corrects both text and image documents so text will remain clear and easy to read with pronounced edges, and pictures will keep their true colour with highlights, shadows, and dots being smoothed out.
Dual Colour Gamut Technology: Copy with confidence as this built-in technology automatically optimizes your originals so copies stay true to it time after time, copy after copy.
Quick Start: After pressing the power button you can begin inputting commands in mere seconds so full operation is possible in a much shorter time.
Auto Photo Fix II: This built-in technology automatically categorizes your images into one of five types - Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery, Snapshot with Scenery, and Snapshot with Night Scenery - then applies optimal image and multi-zone exposure correction. So, unexposed areas of the photo will be optimized, area by area and faces that are backlit and under-exposed will automatically be brightened with correct colour cast to help ensure more accurate skin tones for gorgeous images.
Built-In Wireless: Print and scan wirelessly1 from any Wi-Fi® enabled computer around the house.
AirPrint: Wirelessly print photos, emails, web pages, documents and more from compatible iPad, Phone or iPod touch devices to a compatible Canon PIXMA Wireless All-In-One. There's no software to download, no drivers to install, and no cables to connect. Just see it, tap it, and print it!2
Built-in Ethernet: This wired LAN interface lets you connect to a home or office network, with connected computers able to share printer functions and display the printer's status at any moment.
Super G3 Fax: The high speed business fax9 standard for colour and PC facsimiles on plain paper meets the home office workhorse with 20 coded speed dials and up to 50 incoming pages.10
Mobile Printing: The free EasyPhoto-Print app lets you wirelessly print and scan jpg and pdf files from compatible iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices.11
Memory Cards / USB / PictBridge & Optional Bluetooth: Print directly from compatible memory cards12, USB Flash Drives13, digital camera, DV camcorder or camera phones via PictBridge13, or the optional BU-30 wireless Bluetooth14 unit - without a computer.
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed: Plug the cable into your PC for a super-fast connection for your data transfers
Main Unit Spec
What's in the Box