A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine chatting about computer networks at a party. But today, you don't have to be a geek to be interested in networking - and awareness will only increase as more people realize that a home network can be a great way to send movies, music, and digital photos around the house.
I'm burning with desire. I'm burning Perlman and Pearl Jam, Miles, Little Feat, Nine-Inch Nails, and Collins - both Judy and Phil. I'm also burning with TDK, Harman Kardon, Roxio, Sound Forge, and Nero.
It's an iPod* dock (with a remote control). It's an AM/FM radio. It's an alarm clock. It's a 2-way speaker system - paired with a dedicated down-firing 4-inch subwoofer - that boasts great detail and accuracy. And it can be yours.
Point the finger almost anywhere you want. After all, there's plenty of blame to go around. Cable companies didn't really support it. TV manufacturers charged extra for it. The people who designed it left out a few things. And the federal government - it started the whole mess.
Spend $850 on a used car, and in a few days you'll spend another $850 on repair costs. Invest $850 in the stock market, and in a few weeks you'll have $600 worth. Spend $850 on Cambridge SoundWorks' new MegaTheater 510 DVD home theater system, and in a few minutes you'll have more entertainment than you bargained for.
The road to driverless cars is lined with technology we couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. From auto parking and rich head-up displays to cutting-edge “infotainment” features, dashboard tech is right up there with horsepower/performance, handling, and other traditional car buying metrics. And the pace of change we’ve seen over the past decade shows no signs of letting up—if anything, it’s accelerating now that technology has become an integral part of the shopping experience.
In high-def disc news, Toshiba unveiled two new HD DVD players - the $499 HD-A2, an entry-level model available in October, and the top-of-the-line HD-XA2, which will arrive in December at $999.
There's this gig that's been on our minds All the time, CE-CE-CEDIA. Expo-oh-oh . . .Whoa - sorry about that, Phil Collins. But we here at S&V are still buzzing about the 2008 Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo! We hit the convention floor in full force, sticking our cold, wet noses into every little exhibit booth in Denver, Colorado.
It all began with my obsession with snakes. Not the slithering, on-a-plane type; I mean the kind that pull wires through walls. What is it about hidden cables that so impresses people? As A/V buffs, we conquer the imposing web behind our racks with hardly a bored yawn from our wives or girlfriends.
Although I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, I was a high-school A/V geek. Some kids go out for track or baseball, others for student theater. But I, along with my (still) best friend Burt, found my haven in a small interior office full of rolling TV carts and overhead projectors.