November 13 - 4:50pm EST   High-end home theater gear and car audio designer Bang & Olufsen recently announced the launch of its BeoSound 5 digital music system meant to let users enjoy their digital music on their traditional home theater gear. The centerpiece of the BeoSound 5 system is a tabletop and wall-mountable remote controller that sports a 10.4-inch LCD screen with 1024x768 resolution with an aluminium scroll wheel as the control interface. The remote oversees the Internet-connected BeoMaster 5 main unit that features all off the audio and video connections and contains the 500GB hard disk drive. [full story]

November 13 - 9:55am EST   Universal Remote Control on Wednesday introduced its Digital R50 universal remote that, unlike similar products from competitors, does not require an Internet-connected PC to set it up for use with home theater systems. Sporting a two-inch color LCD screen and soft, backlit buttons, the Digital R50 can control the functions of 18 home theater system components by copying the codes of their associated infrared remotes. [full story]

September 3 - 10:50pm EDT   Sony has introduced a multitude of products for multi-room home theater integration. Two new receivers, the STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES allow HD audio/video transmission to a second room. Products in the new HomeShare HD line can be used to distribute entertainment into 16 zones, with four zones of HD video. For custom installed home entertainment and automation, Sony has unveiled new rack systems, the NHS-70c and NHS-A30C, combining whole home HD capabilities with integrated controls for movies, music, lighting, temperature, and security systems. [full story]

August 29 - 4:10pm EDT   Epson has introduced a trio of new projectors at the IFA show in Berlin on Friday, including a new top-end model. The new LCD home theater projector, the EH-TW5000, features a record 75,000:1 contrast ratio and uses a new iteration of 3LCD technology that compares well against DLP technology in some of its rivals. The new Epson projector features 1,600 ANSI lumens brightness and will deliver 1080p video, while its 12-bit HQV video processor is said to lift picture quality. [full story]

August 27 - 4:05pm EDT   JVC’s newest addition to its Sophisti line-up is the NX-BD3 Blu-ray home theater system, which is the company’s first Blu-ray system and the first dedicated Blu-ray player in the industry to feature Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatibility via a wireless adapter update. Thanks to DLNA support, the 2.1-channel system will be able to work with other types of DLNA-certified devices such as cellphones, PCs and others to share digital content, including MPEG videos, JPEG photos and MP3/WMA music. [full story]

August 26 - 1:15pm EDT   Sanyo on Monday took the wraps off its newest home theater HD projector, the three-LCD PLV-Z700. Capable of projecting 1080p images, Sanyo is nevertheless marketing the PLV-Z700 as an entry-level projector. The company touts the new product as using the most advanced shift lens technology available, capable of shifting three entire screen sizes vertically and two screen sizes horizontally. It also sports a variable iris that adjusts the amount of light projected on the screen 60 times a second, or twice as fast as 30 frames per second tV. [full story]

August 5 - 1:20am EDT   IOGear has introduced several new DVI and HDMI accessories for home theaters and game consoles. New DVI and HDMI MiniExtender Kits allow users to expand their A/V network up to "hundreds of feet." IOGear has also released two HDMI switches including a three-port model that automatically switches to the port currently in use. A new four-port model switches HDMI via a remote control. [full story]

July 18 - 4:25pm EDT   Yamaha has launched the YDS-11SL iPod dock, which allows users to play the digital music stored on their iPods via their home theater system. The dock is made to connect to Yamaha's receivers as well as the company's YSP-3050 speaker bar, providing full control via the home theater electronics maker's remote. The iPod screen comes up on users' video displays via Yamaha's On-Screen Display visual interface. [full story]

July 7 - 4:15pm EDT   Epson today announced it released two complete home entertainment systems, with the Ensemble HD 720 and Ensemble HD 1080 systems. Either is capable of throwing up high definition images on a 100-inch motorized screen that is part of each package courtesy of Epson's PowerLite 3LCD three-chip HD projector. As the product names suggest, the projectors are the main difference between the two packages, with the former capable of 720p (1280x720) HD images, the latter of 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution video. [full story]

July 4 - 9:00am EDT   Gefen on Thursday introduced its newest connectivity product, the HDMI IR Extender. Aimed at custom installations, the HDMI IR Extender will allow users to control their HD source units from another room without having to purchase and run lengthy HDMI cables through their walls. The Sender and Receiver connect via two standard Ethernet (CAT-5) cables, and can deliver 1080p resolution video signals over up to 300 feet or 1080i resolution over up to 150 feet. Audio is likewise transmitted. [full story]

June 20 - 6:05pm EDT   InFocus on Wednesday introduced the X10 Full HD 1080p projector in the UK. Part of the company's Home Theater range of offerings, the X10 features a 16:9 native aspect ratio, and a contrast ratio of 2500:1, which can be boosted to 7500:1 via the active iris built into its lens. The DarkChip1 DLP chipset was sourced from Texas Instruments. [full story]

June 19 - 5:25pm EDT   InFocus on Thursday introduced the X10 Full HD 1080p projector in the UK. Part of the company's Home Theater range of offerings, the X10 features a 16:9 native aspect ratio, and a contrast ratio of 2500:1, which can be boosted with a button push to 7500:1 via the company's Active Iris in the lens. [full story]

June 12 - 4:15pm EDT   Monster Cable announced today it will offer a wireless transmitter for HDTV signals that will connect a home theater's TV set with a digital signal box or DVD player. The wireless system is comprised of a receiver that plugs into the HDTV's HDMI port along with a transmitter unit that will hook up with the signal source. Called Monster Digital Express HD, the set-up will also upscale non-HD signals to HD resolution. [full story]

June 4 - 4:50pm EDT   ASUS on Monday revealed its Mini PC Nova Lite PX24, a computer it claims is the world's smallest to offer 1080p, or full HD, playback capability thanks to a dedicated graphics card. Combined with its compact 9.5 by 7.2 by 2 inch size, low 26dB sound levels and touch-button interface, ASUS hopes the PX24 will find its way into living rooms as a high-performance home entertainment center in a small package. [full story]

May 28 - 4:55pm EDT   Hitachi on Wednesday unveiled a pair of new hard drives to add to its CinemaStar line, with the C5K320 and the 5K500. The former is a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 320 GB capacity, while the latter is built around a 500GB, 3.5-inch hard drive. All of Hitachi’s CinemaStar hard disk drives are designed to extend the recording capacity of DVRs in home theater setups, but can also work with media center PCs. [full story]