Podcast #29A: Ultimate Home Theater in a Box for 2014

There are so many cheap Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) systems out there, most of which cost less than the price of a single good speaker! And none of them include a TV. You have to wonder how good a system that cheap can actually be? We thought, why not design a complete system, that anyone would be proud to show off but wouldn’t break the bank. Our Home Theater in a Box(es) would actually look and sound really good! Minimum components for our system are a HDTV, Blu-ray Player, Receiver, and 7.1 speakers.

Click to read more ...

Podcast #665: Projector Buying Guide 2014

We aren’t done spending your money yet. And we’re still loving every minute of it. This one hits really close to home; ever since we’ve made the move to front projection home theaters, we just sit around drooling over what our next projector might be. If you haven’t jumped into the front projector yet, maybe 2015 will be your year. And you can start it with a wonderful Merry Christmas to yourself.  We each pick two projectors and one ultimate projector for those who may have more disposable income to play with.

Click to read more ...

Podcast #664: Receiver Buying Guide 2014

It is that time of year where we get to spend your money again! This week we concentrate on receivers. Our goal with these guides is not necessarily about getting the latest product. Its about getting a good product at a great price so you may see some of last year’s gear on the list. All these receivers are readily available online or at a big box store. Just like the HDTV Buying Guide, we’re going to skip the budget categories jump right to our top picks. We each pick three receivers and one ‘money is no object’ / ‘dare to dream’ receiver for you to consider.

Click to read more ...

Podcast #663: HDTV Buying Guide 2014

Tis the season for us to go wishlist shopping and help you spend your money - one of our favorite times of the year. If you happen to be lucky enough to have budget for a new HDTV this Christmas, but still aren’t sure which one to buy, we’ve got you covered. Unlike years past, we’re going to skip the budget categories, and the screen size categories and jump right to our top picks. We each pick three TVs and one ‘money is no object’ / ‘dare to dream’ TV for you to consider.

Click to read more ...

Podcast #662: What We're Thankful for '14

Each year at this time of year we do a show where we discuss what we are thankful for. There are the obvious things to be thankful for like our families, especially our wives who put up with our home theater obsessions. And of course we are thankful for you, the listener/reader of our show. So as is tradition over the last six Thanksgivings, on today's show we give you our list of consumer electronics things we are thankful for.

Click to read more ...

Podcast #661: Black Friday Preview 2014

Another year passes, another Black Friday approaches. True to form, the deals are as good as ever. Looking back, the deals we thought were amazing look like a rip off now. In 2008 the cheapest Blu-ray player was $128 and a 50-inch 720p plasma was going for $900. In 2009 the Blu-ray player price dropped to $78 and you could get a 50-inch 1080p plasma with a Blu-ray player for $1000. In 2013, plasma TVs were still all the rage. Can’t find any this year.

Click to read more ...