Darryl Wilkinson

Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Remotely Possible
A Digital Dostoyesky's Time and Punishment
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Nov 28, 2012  |  2 comments
What I’m about to say borders on heresy. But before I risk being virtually burned at the digital stake, let me tell you that, although I am older than most of the writers in this industry, I am not old-fashioned. I don’t pine for the days of spending hours at the record store flipping through bins of vinyl albums, nor do I miss fiddling with my Nakamichi BX-300 (I couldn’t afford a Dragon...) in order to make cassette tapes of those albums for my car. I like - no, I love - most modern technology and crave more of it. (Bring on the domestic robots, I say! Just don’t make them with any of those scary-ass faces some Japanese researchers have designed. If they’re going to be our overlords, I want them to at least look good.)

Now for the heresy.

Continue Reading >
A Dimming Future for Universal Remote Control
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 07, 2008  |  1 comments
Remote control behemoth manufacturer Universal Remote Control is now offering control dimmers, lamp dimmers, and switches that work with a large number the company’s universal remote controls. The dimmers and such are made by lighting behemoth manufacturer Lutron specifically for URC. The system is ideal for single rooms (like home theaters) or small homes, and I’ve never seen a system in which it was so easy to program various lighting control scenes. It literally takes minutes and you’re done. Dimming switches are around $150 each, but there’s nothing extra that’s needed to make the remote controls work with the switches.
Continue Reading >
Audio Video News
A Flat-Panel TV Cable Cover Up?
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2006  |  0 comments
Wiremold wants do-it-yourself flat-panel TV installers to play hide-and-seek with the many cables plasma and LCD TVs have to have in order to do their thing. Professional installers have the wherewithal to slip those butt-ugly cables in the wall behind a high-tech display; but you and I might not be so inclined, nor do we have the tools necessary to make an in-the-wall install really stay in the wall. (If you think a crowbar might be a good tool to use when installing any kind of electronics in the wall, you should consider consulting a professional.)
Continue Reading >
Remotely Possible
A Future So Close You Can Almost Touch It
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Feb 05, 2014  |  0 comments
The so-called smart home is built on a foundation of three pillars. As with the architecture of a real home, each pillar must be equally as strong, or you run the risk of the entire structure collapsing. Fortunately, the virtual-world failure of a smart home system is nowhere near as likely to result in physical injury as is the falling ceiling and walls of a real-world building. Obviously, though, having a smart home that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do is a waste of money. Having a system that only works some of the time is even worse because there’s a period of intense frustration before the homeowner finally gives up and quits using the system entirely.

The three pillars of the smart home are...

Continue Reading >
Audio Video News
A Grand New 720p DLP Front Projector
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2006  |  0 comments
If you've been thinking about taking the big step to high-definition front projection entertainment (it's well worth the cost and effort, that's for sure), then Optoma has a thousand dollar offer you just about can't refuse. (Well, you could, but then you'd be forced to continue watching that tiny 42-inch plasma you paid more than $1,000 for last year...)
Continue Reading >
Audio Video News
A Handful of Licks, Picts, and Flicks
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Aug 08, 2005  |  0 comments
Butt-Kicker and all you other rump-rumbling transducer guys take note: portable media players just might be an untapped (and unshaken) market opportunity. Especially now that they - like the new portable from Creative - are getting so video oriented.
Continue Reading >
Remotely Possible
A Holiday "Don’t Give This" Gift Guide
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Dec 16, 2013  |  1 comments
On the 12 Days of Christmas, please don’t get these gifts for me…
Continue Reading >
Audio Video News
A House Full of Sony
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jun 26, 2006  |  0 comments
New home buyers with $20,000 to $40,000 to spare for home entertainment can turn to Sony's expandable, installation-ready NHS-3020 system. Sony says the system provides discrete control and support of audio and video content for a 7.1-channel home theater, with the resources to control up to 12 additional rooms of audio and video.
Continue Reading >
Audio Video News
A Laptop Movie Stand for the Traveling Man
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Apr 27, 2006  |  0 comments
Yeah, right, you say you brought your laptop on the plane so you could get some work done - but you and I know you really tucked it in your carry-on bag so you could watch Breakfast on Pluto without having to explain to your kids what a transvestite is. But, in addition to being a horrible place to type or do other computerized work, an airplane seat is not conducive to comfortable movie viewing, either. Thanks to the dude who has to recline all the way in the seat in front of me, I can never get the screen at the right angle to eliminate all the glare on the screen. As a result, most of the time I'm actually happy when the battery runs out before the movie ends.
Continue Reading >
A Major Controlling Interest
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 16, 2006  |  1 comments
Control4 continues its dominance in affordable home theater and whole-house automation with a huge presence at CEDIA. While the main central components - the $599 Home Theater Controller and the $1499 Media Controller - remained basically unchanged, the company announced a new in-wall touch panel (approximately 10") and ugrades to its 4Sight subscription service that allows a homeowner to both monitor and change the status of lights, garage doors, and other household gadgets via the Internet using any browser.
Continue Reading >

Pages

X