Anyone who’s followed cinema technology over the past 30+ years knows there’s been only a few significant upgrades in the way we experience movies. Sure, we’ve got better 3D visuals now and high definition viewing experiences, but nothing comes close to the increase in sound quality than what THX has brought to theaters. I’m sure my statement is debatable, but in my mind, nothing captivates, moves or creates a truly emotional experience like great sound and THX has forever transformed the soundscape. I ran across this short video on THX.com‘s website and their Vimeo page that I’m sure will spark your interest for the future of home speaker design. THX is experimenting and determined to redefine speaker design and how to achieve precision placement of sound within your listening environment. Over the past decade, they’ve become dissatisfied in how speakers are designed today and are looking to revolutionize how speakers should look and act. They are striving to achieve far more compact and unobtrusive designs. They even unveiled some of their technology at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show (CES 2011). The short video below describes their Steerable Line Array speaker concept and what they hope to achieve. If I were you, I would keep a sharp lookout for this technology to hit the market very soon. Enjoy!

THX Speaker Array Video from THX Ltd. on Vimeo.

SunChips Part 2 – Frito’s Revenge from heathaplexVISION on Vimeo.

At first, it was noisy…now it’s new and improved! Check out the difference in SunChips new 100% Compostable bag. You won’t believe your ears! To see Part I visit my first audio/video test here at heathaplexVISION.com

Link: http://heathaplexvision.com/2010/02/22/potato-chip-techonology-that-destroys-your-hearing/

Folks….it’s time to move on. Let go of your optical drive…I know you are not using it! Seriously, how often are you using your DVD Burner or CD Drive on your computer? I just thought about this the other day. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I have not used my DVD drive on my computer in over a year. Not for a movie, not to burn photos or videos, not to install software…not with green eggs and ham, Sam I Am. Had to throw that in there since it’s Dr. Seuss’ Birthday tomorrow (2 Mar 1904).

We are starting to become institutionalized towards wanting our media streamed and our files transferred through cloud computing on a fairly regular basis. Even transferring large files (bigger than 1Gb) is no big deal these days with the help of a variety of online services. I can still remember when the MacBook Air first came out and the masses wanted to throw Apple into a fire for not having an optical drive, but look what happens when you remove it! Devices get smaller, lighter, and eventually we won’t miss it one bit. Sure, there are still practical applications for this type of media  and having this functionality (archival, distribution services, commercial applications), but I don’t think it will last. I love my Blu-Ray, but only for home theater applications. I believe this is why Apple never offered a Blu-Ray drive on their Macs. They looked far into the future of a world free of discs and removable media. What are your thoughts? Oh…and ‘Thank You’ for reading! I truly value your feedback.

One last thing to think about….Hard drives are next on the chopping block! Start preparing yourself for this reality.

I absolutely love everything about this company and their product and services. This is just one of those organizations that seems to get it and treats customers like gold. I figured the best way to thank them was to share this with you all. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Be sure to take the time to tell that someone special how you feel about them.

Happy Valentine’s Day from DODOcase! from DODOcase on Vimeo.

A little fun for the holiday of love…enjoy!

AppleTV’s Little Black Box from heathaplexVISION on Vimeo.

heathaplexVISION reviews AppleTV. This is Apple’s 2nd generation home media device. To find out more about this and other home technology visit www.heathaplexvision.com. Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/heathaplexvision or on Twitter at: heathaplexvsn. Let me know what I can do to help!

Like many of you out there, I am always looking for a good deal. So, when we moved out to Washington, DC, I spent a lot of time debating how I was going to acquire internet, television and phone. This decision is much like deciding which pill to take….the blue one or the red one; and the decision can end up bad if you don’t know what you’re dealing with. Going with a traditional provider like Cox, Comcast, Time Warner has its pluses and minuses, but then again, so does going ad hoc with Skype, Vonage, MagicJack, Over-the-air (OTA) antenna, etc. Little did I know, the FIOS hardware that was already installed in my home, backed by one heck of a deal, made the decision too good to pass up. Again, I was sucked into the big service provider for the trifecta.

The area we live in is wired for Verizon’s FIOS service. This is the first time I’ve had FIOS and I have to say I’ve loved it from the point of order to the actual use of their services. I decided to go with Internet, Phone and Cable (no movie channels and 25 Mbps [Up/Down] for internet) and still ended up saving about $50 over my previous Time Warner package with slower internet and far less HD channels. I am using cable cards for my TiVo HDs, which required quite a bit of explaining to Verizon on the difference between single-stream and multi-stream cable cards. However, cable cards saved me about $20 a month by not having additional DVR boxes, but this does limit the full capabilities of FIOS (Streaming between boxes, on-demand content, etc…). All in all, I’m paying just a bit over $100 for all three services with no service contract.

Installation went very smooth despite some coaching on the Cable Card setup for my TiVos. Our service rep was incredibly professional and cared about the quality of work. In fact, he cleaned up the previous install because he didn’t like how it looked. The install can take all day, depending on what they need to hookup. Our house already had the backup battery box and junction box, so it only took a couple of hours, but I’ve heard it can entail digging up the yard to run some cable….this would be a worse-case scenario. Our installation tech was actually from the Boston area on temporary duty here in DC to help cover the workload. It has got to be tough to leave the wife and kids behind, but Verizon is taking good care of him here.

What are the services like? I absolutely love the quality of HD and the speed of the internet. Instantly, I could tell a major difference in HD quality over Time Warner. No more pixelating, no more blurs, no more cable cutting out every other day. The picture looks great, the sound is awesome and I have a ton of HD channels to choose from. No more tuning adaptors, no more calls to ask why the cable is out….just peace and harmony. The internet is very fast and the service comes with a wireless router, so the entire house is Wi-Fi ready. I was able to add other wireless extenders for the TiVos, Blu-Ray and other network enabled devices.

Overall, I am very pleased with my Verizon FIOS service and I cannot say enough about their customer service. I am not a big advocate for sticking with major cable companies and paying all kinds of money for sub-par service, but I may have found an exception. The only shortfall with FIOS is the availability in many markets. The area needs to be wired for fiber-optic, so that presents some challenges in certain rural and smaller cities. But, if you find yourself in an area where you do have the ability to acquire FIOS, I recommend giving them a call or visiting them online to check out what they can offer you. And don’t ever forget….you can always ask for a deal or new-subscriber discount. Never underestimate the value of asking for a deal. You won’t get one if you don’t ask.

For more information about Verizon FIOS service visit them at www.verizon.com

I know there’s a few of you out there that made gadget purchases online behind your spouse or loved one’s back. Some of you are able to pull off some amazing, behind the back, secret purchases in true museum heist fashion, but eventually you’ll all get caught. At some point you’ll slip up, forget to cover your tracks or get caught using your new device too early. If you are new at this game you need to do your homework before you attempt to pull of a stunk like this. Some of the biggest rookie mistakes are: using your loved-ones computer without erasing your online history, using a debit card that both of you have access to online or having the item delivered when your significant other is at home. As an amateur, you need to work through these scenarios in order to be a first-rate, behind-the-back, tech acquisitioner. However, I will offer you another approach…

Tell your mate about your purchases! Why go through all the hiding and tactics, the late night Amazon purchases, or even worse, using credit cards and bank accounts that only you know about? Honesty seems to always prevail in these sudden, yet vulnerable urges to buy the latest and greatest gadgets. Effectively argue your case to have this toy and help your better half see your point of view. You never know…they may want it just as bad as you! Perhaps your true art is convincing them they want it as bad as you do. I’ve found that by divulging my greatest wants, needs, and desires with anything related to new gadgets is far less risky than pulling a “Sneakers” behind my spouse’s back. Trust me….I’ve made plenty of mistakes and ended up paying more in the end. Mostly in the form of flowers, spa treatments and bathroom cleaning duty. You get the picture. Forget all the sneaking around and intercepting the FedEx guy a block away just so he doesn’t pull up in front of your house. I’ve done this people! Put it all on the table for everyone to see and discuss. Who knows, once your toy is in your possession, your loved one may enjoy it just as much as you in the long way. And remember,  you new toy is sure to go out of style or be updated in less than a week. And then you’ll have to ask yourself, “What is worth it?” I’m sure some of you are nodding your heads up and down right now. If you have a great tactic you’ve used effectively or a colossal failure, tell us your story. We’d all love to hear about your successes and learn from your mistakes. Happy Tech Shopping People!

TiVo has stepped up their game and made me and many other TiVo customers extremely happy. Finally, TiVo released their new Wireless-N USB Adaptor and you can buy it right now. I’ve been stuck with the Wireless-G adaptors for far too long. If you would like to extend the range of your TiVo’s internet access reach and increase download/transfer speeds, click on the Amazon link below to buy yours today! Thank you TiVo…..you really made me happy today!

I gotta give major props to the folks at Georgia Home Theater for this article. I personally want to thank Brian Bergherm and author Eric Joy for allowing me to post this for you all to enjoy. Check out the article below and the rest of their website for some incredible information on home theater installations and design. Don’t forget to take a look at their Wish Book. Visit Georgiahometheater.com today!

“Planning a new Home Theater? Here are 5 things to keep in mind.“