Feature News Stories (626 Posts)

YouTube Now Offering 3D Content

Did you really think YouTube was all just song parodies, videogame previews and cats doing really weird stuff? Turns out the mega-site is now hosting 3D video. Moreover, YouTube allows you a surprisingly large choice in how you want to watch your 3D. Continue Reading

Is Today's Home Theater Equipment Too Good?

For those who have grown up or just lived in Southern California for a long time, the closing of Ken Crane's chain of AV stores is an especially painful (and for many, downright inconvenient) example of the toll the economy is taking on the home theater equipment market. Continue Reading

The Long Term Effect On Animals In Hollywood Movies

Plenty of human beings really want to perform in films, and even when they get the job, the work can take a real toll on their health and psyches. Animals are not capable of giving informed consent for acting work or anything else; when they are mistreated, the results can be deadly. Continue Reading

Beavis and Butthead To Return To MTV

Before Mike Judge made King of the Hill and Office Space, back when MTV not only stood for Music Television but actually aired it, Beavis and Butthead was the gold standard of brilliantly moronic and taboo-breaking cable animation programming. Continue Reading

YouTube Offers 4K Video Streaming

Ever sat waiting for the latest video of a cat playing the piano to load on YouTube and thought to yourself, if only this video clip could be in 4K. No. Well you're not alone but that hasn't stopped YouTube from announcing its support for 4K streaming video, which is superior to the 1080p video coming off your Blu-ray discs, but will probably choke your Internet connection something fierce. Continue Reading

Some THIEL Loudspeakers To Be Sold At Amazon - Some Specialty Dealers Not Pleased

THIEL has announced that Amazon.com will be carrying a number of their products, much to the dismay of audio specialty dealers. Among the items to be sold on the Internet retailer are smaller bookshelf speakers, architectural speakers and some subwoofers like the THIEL PowerPoint line and their DewPoint outdoor speakers. Continue Reading

Video Games Could Be 3D's Killer Application

Designers of video games are forever striving to make their creations more immersive. It would seem that the 3D format is ideally suited to serve this desire, as it would allow players much greater depth and breadth as they go from level to level. Continue Reading

Hulu Announces Pay Membership with Hulu Plus

In a move that can only be described as what are they thinking Hulu has decided to offer a package where by their loyal fans can now PAY for the privilege to watch programming that just a day prior was FREE. Claiming to offer better shows and more premium movies with fewer commercials, Hulu Plus is attempting to take a bite out of your cable/satellite bill. Continue Reading

Would Jimi Hendrix Use Auto-Tune If He Were Alive Today?

HomeTheaterReview.com publisher/editor Jerry Del Colliano takes on the controversy about auto-tune technology, and whether its use improves or desecrates rock classics by "fixing" notes that the original performers attempted but failed to hit. Continue Reading

NHL Hockey Could Be Key To 3D HDTV Success For ESPN

Hockey fans tend to be a particularly visceral bunch, so that, even more than other sports enthusiasts, they would seem primed to appreciate seeing the games in 3D - imagine pucks flying right off the ice right at your face. This might really benefit ESPN, which transmits the NFL games on TV. Continue Reading

Legacy HDTVs Should Fear 2010 Analog Sunset Cutoff

It seems like HDTVs should be safe from the 2010 analog signal transmission cutoff that will affect old analog TV sets (and cripple those only receiving signals from "rabbit ears" antennae), HomeTheaterReview.com explains why there could be trouble. Continue Reading

Netflix Streaming App Coming to the iPhone

News of Netflix offering streaming support on iPhones is bound to please streaming fanatics and Netflix true believers however the question still remains are cell networks fast enough (without WiFi) to make streaming your favorite television show or film worth it. Continue Reading

3D Glasses Don't Work On All 3D HDTVs

VHS and Beta, PC and Mac - and now these 3D glasses vs. those 3D glasses. Yes, the manufacturers are at it again, creating electronic accessories that only work with certain brands. This forces brand loyalty, but it also fosters buyer irritation. Continue Reading

Crestron Reacts To Apple's iPad By Opening Up More Local Distribution

You've heard the saying, "You can't fight City Hall." In the case of portable electronics, City Hall equates with Apple's line of i-devices. However, the home automation company Crestron is putting up a challenge to City Hall - that is, Apple's iPad - with an expansion of local distribution. Continue Reading

Home Theater Video Nears Digital Cinema Standard Thanks To Advances In Digital Technologies

Technology continues to advance. Now, even movie industry professionals like legendary director Francis Ford Coppola acknowledge that home theater equipment is at least as good as what is at your local movie theater. Want proof? Coppola, for example, uses a SIM2 home theater projector in his postproduction suites when coloring and mastering his films. Continue Reading

Blue and Bright Sell More Video

The human eye likes blue. TV manufacturers know this, which is why many TVs are pre-calibrated to be overly blue. It may give the whites a lot of pop under the lights of a retail floor, but it's not the ideal setting for a home environment. The solution? Calibration is a must. Continue Reading

A Weekend With Francis Ford Coppola and SIM2

Italian projector manufacturer SIM2 recently partnered with legendary filmmaker and wine coinsure Francis Ford Coppola. To kick off this unique partnership, SIM2 flew a few AV industry guests, including Home Theater Review's Andrew Robinson, to the Napa Valley in Northern California for a chance to meet with the cinematic icon. Continue Reading

Using iTunes To Control Your Audiophile Music Collection

Curious how to coax the best performance out of your digital music collection? Do you use iTunes? Then you owe it to yourself and your beloved music collection to check out this article that tells you everything you need to know when it comes to transforming Apple's iTunes into the audiophile source of choice. Continue Reading

New AV Dealers Sprout Up As Economy Slowly Improves

To say its been a rough few years is an understatement and no segment of our economy has been spared, especially those dealing in luxury or entertainment goods such as specialty AV. But all is not lost for there are signs of life beginning to appear as new retail stores emerge from the ashes. Continue Reading

Would Raising The Mortgage Interest Deduction Revive The High End Home Theater Market Nationally?

HomeTheaterReview.com publisher/editor Jerry Del Colliano discusses a concept - based on the idea that most people who can afford high-end home electronics own their own homes - that could benefit the American home theater market. Continue Reading