Feature News Stories (695 Posts)

Balancing Your AV System Plan Between Blue-Chip and Consumable AV Components

Buying a piece of AV gear is an investment. But how do you determine if it is a good investment or a bad one? Or if you should treat the component as an investment at all? Maybe it needs to be looked at as something consumable. Continue Reading

CEDIA 2011 Show Report

Home Theater Review sent writers to CEDIA 2011 in Indianapolis. There were surprised to find a new movement beginning in AV products. Read on to find out what they found and what they thought of it. Continue Reading

The Risk of Buying Audiophile Gear Used

Online bargains and used gear can seem like a great idea. But there is something more than price margins you pay for by going to a physical retailer. You pay for safety, because there are dangers not often thought of from online purchases. Continue Reading

Why Are Good Speakers So Damn Expensive These Days?

High end speakers famously cost quite a bit of money. But why? There are a lot of factors that determine the price of a speaker, many that are surprising and very rarely thought of by consumers. Continue Reading

Japan Bails Out Ailing Video Companies: Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba

Japanese companies Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi have merged their display manufacturing companies into one company. But why did the companies decide to do this and will this move pay off. Continue Reading

The Next "IT Technology" For Specialty AV Wasn't 3D and What Might Be Next

The Consumer Electronics industry has been using 3D as the next "It Technology," but it hasn't caught on. However, that doesn't mean that the enticing technologies aren't out there. Or even already here. Continue Reading

Making Sense of New Movies That Change Aspect Ratios

There are an awful lot of aspect ratios that exist in modern AV software. There are even movies that contain changing aspect ratios within the film. So what is the best way to deal with this? Here's a suggestion. Continue Reading

Sharp Should Have Licensed The Name KURO - Not Elite

Sharp has unveiled the new high-end Elite-branded HDTV models, complete with a very high-end price. But when looking at the television offered by Sharp, one has to sit back and wonder: why? Continue Reading

Imagine a World With No Sony - It's Easy If You Try

Sony is a consumer electronics giant. Or is it? Many things have changed in the modern consumer electronics landscape, including the diminished presence of Sony. More than ever, a world without Sony doesn't seem so farfetched. Continue Reading

It's Time To Get Over Pioneer's KURO HDTV

Okay, everyone. Pioneer Elite KURO televisions have been gone for some time now. It's time we move on and accept the fact that what we have now is just as good, if not better than what KURO presented back then. Continue Reading

iAV Consumers Struggle With Online vs. Retail Debate

In the modern age, the choice between buying from an online AV retailer or a traditional brick and mortar one can be a difficult one. However, first impressions can be wrong and not everything is as it seems. Continue Reading

Study Shows Your Cable Box Is The Real AC Power Pig In Your AV System

There has been a lot of effort over the years to make televisions consume less energy, but now there is a new menace, one that comes in a smaller box but consumes a great deal more energy. Continue Reading

For Once The Music Industry Got It Right With Rush's Moving Pictures Album on Blu-ray

Audiophile music has been a bit of a battle to obtain. With the ease and convenience of MP3 downloads, it is hard to convince record labels to release an album on Blu-ray. That is why the re-release of Rush's Moving Pictures album is worth talking about. Continue Reading

3D Is More of an Add-on Than a Compelling Reason To Buy a New HDTV

The home theater business is just that: a business. And the consumer electronics industry is searching for the next big thing for the market. The industry believes that that is 3D but Jerry Del Colliano thinks otherwise. Continue Reading

Surprise, Surprise. Americans Love to Watch TV

Nielsen, the media company that performs the Nielsen ratings, which rank television usage and viewing habits, has released the results of its quarterly report, which contains some interesting information, if not all that surprising. Continue Reading

Five Reasons Why Best Buy Could End Up Like Circuit City

Jerry Del Colliano takes on the big boys in the blue shirts to tell them what they need to do if they want to remain dominate, because their grip on the market is slipping and could be lost forever if they don't wise up. Continue Reading

Value Is The New Luxury For Home Theater & Audio Enthusiasts

In an ever-changing and ever-improving environment, AV consumers have begun to demand components that can do a lot more for a lot less, which is not a bad thing and Home Theater Review understands and supports this standpoint. Continue Reading

Will Apple Go HD on Its Pending iCloud Music Download Service?

Apple is on the verge of launching a cloud-based music service so that users can have access to music whenever they want it, eliminating the need for local storage. The question remains: Of what quality will that music be? Continue Reading

Why Are Some Audiophiles Scared of Bob Hodas?

Bob Hodas does something mysterious and powerful, which can cause fear, but really it is helpful and wonderful and can make your system sing if you take what he does for what it is and embrace it. Continue Reading

Can Burnt Bridges Be Mended Between Audiophile Retailers' Scorched Customers?

Audiophile retailers and consumers are in a bit of a battle, but it doesn't have to be that way. Jerry Del Colliano presents a few ideas that both groups can put into practice to get things back on track. Continue Reading