Home Theater - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Sony looks to trump Apple in race for next-gen TV, CEO says

  Apple isn't the only company reportedly plotting to revolutionize the television set, Sony is also on the case, according to company CEO Howard Stringer.

• Netflix grabbing greater share of bandwidth

  Cable killer or not, Netflix takes a big bite out of bandwidth every night in America.

• Apple AirPlay headed for TV sets, Says report

  Apple's attempt to dominate the living room could stretch even further with the integration of AirPlay technology in HDTVs, according to a Bloomberg report. With AirPlay built into TV sets, users would be able to wirelessly stream content from an iPad, iPhone or Mac straight to the TV, without the need for a $99 Apple TV.

• Philips remote to bring Wii-style controls to TVs

  Philips has a solution to the button-laden madness of today's remote controls, and it behaves a lot like the motion controllers of Nintendo's Wii.

• Sharp's new HDTVs are 70-inches big

  Sharp is thinking big with its newest round of HDTVs, led by a whopping 70-inch LED back-lit HDTV.

• Sony's Google TVs: FAQs answered

  Thinking about grabbing one of Sony's new Google TV-powered high-definition television sets for the holidays? The electronics maker recently unveiled its first round of Google TV products including four HDTVs ranging from 24- to 46-inch screen sizes. All four feature 1080p resolution, an Intel Atom processor, 4 HDMI and 4 USB 2.0 ports and Wi-Fi connectivity. Sony also unveiled a Google TV Blu-ray player. Android-based Google TV includes the power to search for video online and in your local programming schedule, Web browsing capability and access to third-party apps such as Netflix streaming.

• 3D TVs at top of 'Hype Cycle'

  The economy isn't the only thing that goes through cycles. Hype, believe it or not, is cyclical, too, according to the analysts at Gartner, who today released their 2010 Hype Cycle report. Technologies closing in on the "Peak of Inflated Expectations" are the 4G wireless standard and 3D flat panel TVs.

• Apple TV jailbreak confirmed; Let the hacking begin

  Earlier in the month, we reported on rumors that since the Apple TV runs iOS just like as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, it should be possible to jailbreak it. But there was no indication if how and if it could seriously be done, due to the Apple TV's limited storage capacity.

• Apple's rumored iTV: time to dump your cable provider?

  Apple is reportedly in talks with Fox, CBS, NBC and The Walt Disney Co. to offer 99-cent TV episode rentals through iTunes. It's unclear if each network would offer all their content for rental on iTunes or just select series. Episodes would be available for rental within 24 hours after their initial airing and expire after 48 hours, according to Bloomberg.

• Hollywood pushes movie streaming standard, UltraViolet

  The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), a group of 58 Hollywood studios and technology companies, is pinning its hopes for the future of entertainment on UltraViolet, an online digital locker that would allow you to buy a movie once, and stream it over the Internet for free on any other compatible devices.