Picking the Right Video Game System for Your Home Theater

The latest line of video game systems has caused quite a buzz in the Home Theater industry. Now that we are four months past the holiday shopping season, these systems are more readily available and more adults are finding out that they are a perfect match to their Home Theater.

Let's compare the Big 3:



Sony's Playstation 3




Price: $599.99 (60GB)



*Features: Blu-Ray DVD player, music server, 4 USB ports, ports for digital camera memory cards, really cool slide shows for photos, and internet access.



*Drawbacks: If you want to load music from your i-Pod, earlier versions of the PS3 does not read artist information or album art. It lumps all song titles into one big folder.



*Overall: The PS3 is the cheapest and the best Blu-Ray player on the market. Plus if you have a flat screen mounted over a fireplace, the slide shows with music set to them is a great feature to have at parties.







Microsoft's XBOX 360



Price: Game system = $399.99


HDDVD Player Attachment= $199.99



Features: HDDVD Player, USB ports for downloading music or photos, High Def movie downloads on XBOX Live, and the best selection of games.


Drawbacks: A $200 attachment is a pretty steep price for a format that is only supported by one movie studio (Universal). XBOX Live movie downloads can take between 6-10 hours.



Overall: Universal Studios has a decent selection of movies available for the HDDVD format. However, it's only a matter of time before HDDVD throws in the towel and millions of XBOX 360 owners are stuck with an obsolete HD player.






Nintendo Wii



Price: $374.99



Features: You can play games on it.



Drawbacks: You can only play games on it.



Overall: Save this system for the kid's rooms.

TV Remote Inventor Dies at Age 93

Robert Adler, a US inventor best known for the creation of the couch potato's dream device, the TV remote control, has died at the age of 93.

He received an Emmy award in 1997 for the 1956 invention jointly with fellow engineer Eugene Polley. Adler earned more than 180 US patents throughout his 58-year career.

His widow Ingrid said the remote was not his favorite invention, that he rarely watched television and was "more of a reader".

"He was a man who would dream in the night and wake up and say: 'I just solved a problem,'" she told the Associated Press news agency. "He was always thinking science."

Adler began working for electronics corporation Zenith in 1941 and stayed at the company until a merger in 1999.

Zenith produced the first remote control device, attached to the TV by a cord, in 1950.
Later wireless devices communicated with the TV by flashing at photo cells in the TV, but these were affected by sunlight.

Adler's contribution was to create a device which used ultrasonic signals.
He was also known for his work on military communications equipment during World War II, and is considered a pioneer in surface acoustic wave technology, essential for modern-day TV sets.

Jim's Home Theater VS. The Movie Theaters

During the Home Show, we ran into a customer who had a home theater installed through us about three years ago. For anyone who knows Jim, he is a very unique character and he was going on about how he prefers his home theater to the movie theaters. After a 20 minute conversation I gave him my e-mail address and told him he was writing our next newsletter. So, here are Jim's thoughts on his home theater vs. the movie theater:

The Picture In The Theater Is Terrible - Though the digital theater revolution is coming (if George Lucas has anything to say about it) movies on film today look just like that- movies on film. There are scratch marks, artifacts, scene change cues all distracting from your viewing experience. Any fast motion on screen appears as if Dad is quick panning for the first time with the Handy-cam he got on Christmas morning. As technology changes and Dad gets his steady-hand cam so should the theater industry upgrade to digital technology.

What Am I Paying For? - The moment I pay, mostly, upwards of $10 per ticket. I am bombarded with advertising. At the concession stand I am reminded that Coke is a necessary compliment to my Sno-Caps and Ju-Ju-bees ($6.50 each). The moment I sit down I am entertained, once again sponsored by Coke, to some trivia and the occasional still advertisement to get my degree in clerical forensics from International Continental Bipolar University. Then the lights go down and I am greeted by, more advertising. Not even previews of movies I don't want to see but advertisements I might see on TV. Even before the movie starts the theater has recouped the cost of my keister being in their uncomfortable seat. Speaking of which...

What's the deal with those seats? - Sitting in a movie theater seat is like being bumped from first class, to coach, to that little seat the stewardess sits in during take off and landing. Just enough seat cushioning to make it through the previews before you encouraged to go to the lobby for some dancing peanut butter cups ($6.50). Want to adjust positions? Sure, though the 17 year old usher has never used the letters WD and the number 40 together in a sentence so prepare for squeaking louder than Flipper being deprived of a trout head. Not to mention all the other people adjusting their positions at the same time which erupts into a chorus of cheeps and chirps the likes of which haven't been heard since the R2-D2 family reunion.

The line between movies and TV is growing narrower everyday - Recent television shows have taken advantage of advances in technology and talent to churn out some primetime gems that are rivaling anything seen in the movies. Think Lost, 24, Prison Break just to name a few. All of these would make fantastic movies. Yet they are far BETTER as television shows. Throw in an HDTV signal and the experience you get at home for "free" cannot be beat.

There is No Originality in Hollywood Anymore - Think. Hard. What is the last original concept in a movie you saw that has come out of Hollywood? Just for arguments sake lets look at 2005's top grossing movies: Star Wars 3 (sequel) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Book adaptation), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book adaptation) War Of the Worlds (remake), King Kong (remake), Wedding Crashers (same genre of "frat pack" characters in a different setting), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (remake). Sigh.

I Have A Great Home Theater - It is truly awesome. Thanks Lee. Take everything that is great about movies, put it on my wall in crystal clear High Definition. Pump it though my 5.1 surround system – and get this, I can sit there in my underwear ( I highly recommend this). Gone are all the distractions. Just me and the movie.

Blu-Ray Releases for March '07

March 13th


-Casino Royale

-Ice Age

-Mr. and Mrs. Smith

-Dances with Wolves

-The Thomas Crown Affair


Our Pick= Ice Age
Animaton is always the best bet in showing off HD's full potential. The landscapes and character detail are breathtaking. Plus, both children and adults find this movie one of the most entertaining to come out of this genre.





March 20th

-Blood Diamond

-Chicken Little

-Rocky Balboa

-Eragon

-Finding Neverland

Our Pick= Rocky Balboa

Arguably, the best Rocky movie to come out since the original. During filming, Stallone would go through hours in the make-up chair to make him look like a retired boxer who has taken a few too many hits. I can't wait to see this in HD so I could link certain facial scars to Mr. T or Dolph Lundgren. Plus, with the enhanced sound, you can understand what Rocky is mumbling about during the more dramatic scenes.

March 27th

-March of the Penguins

-Happy Feet

-Dude Where's My Car

-The Pursuit of Happyness

Our Pick= Dude, Where's my Car
You need to take advantage of watching pure acting at it's finest displayed in full HD. The stunning realizm brought forth through genius cinematography is a must see for any classic movie buff. It is a shame that this epic was snubbed by the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Just kidding.... Pick up March of the Penguins

Come visit our showroom today, or call Rob Matt at 636-938-7666.