As expected, Panasonic’s Full HD 3D home entertainment system, which it says is certified under the new Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) 3D standard, hit Best Buy stores this week. Somewhat surprising is Panasonic’s announcement that the system will be sold exclusively at select Best Buy stores via its specialty Magnolia Home Theater vignettes — in other words, not off the shelves at conventional Best Buy stores. The total combined suggested… View this story
Plasma • Blu-ray • Home Theater • Product News

Did you watch the Academy Awards last weekend? Or maybe you held off because you hadn’t seen many of the nominated films and performances? This week offers a good chance to catch up on a couple of heavily nominated movies as they make their way onto Blu-ray. (Click here for a slideshow of our Top 10 releases of the week.) Look for Up in the Air and Precious, Based on… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News • Slideshows

Did everyone finish their required 3D reading? After last week’s class on 3D: Getting to Know the Basics, I hope everyone has a handle on the physics and physiology of how 3D works. Now we’re moving on to the nuts and bolts ... the hardware you’ll need to to get your own 3D theater up and running in time for poison arrows, missiles, and Smurf-a-hontas to fly past your Berklines.… View this story
Flat Panel • Blu-ray • Info and Answers

Marantz America announced today the addition of Roku streaming services to their 9004, 8004, 7004, and 5004 series Blu-ray players ... in a round-about way, but one that should please Marantz fans.  Unfortunately, the players, which range from $549 to $5,999, won’t get these services via a firmware upgrade or even a mail-in hardware upgrade. Instead, Marantz is offering a free Roku HD box via mail in rebate for anyone… View this story
Blu-ray • Product News

2012, starring John Cusack, highlights this week’s Blu-ray releases. There’s a three-disc special edition version also available, in case you need a behind-the-scenes look into the global destruction. Also, there’s a few kid movies to note, including “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Ponyo” and “The NeverEnding Story.” If you’re into music, check out “The Kids Are Alright,” a documentary about the legendary band The Who. Click here for our Top… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News • Slideshows

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced the finalists for the 2010 Mark of Excellence Awards. Winners will be announced March 26, 2010 at EHX Spring 2010 in Orlando, Fla. The Mark of Excellence Awards honor outstanding innovation and achievement in custom home electronics products, services and installation technologies. Entries are reviewed by a panel of experts and submitted in Supplier and Systems Integrators categories. View past winners: 2009 |… View this story
AV Components • Blu-ray • Digital Media Servers • Displays • Flat Panel • HDTV • Power Management • Speakers • Product News • Slideshows

Director Steven Soderbergh has a pretty good track history. So does actor Matt Damon. So how is it that so many people missed out on The Informant! when it was in the theaters? Whistleblower movies are always entertaining and informative, and this one seems like it would make for good viewing. Maybe not as gritty as The Insider, but a good look at big business nonetheless. It’s based on a… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News • Slideshows

What do you get when you mix Pocahontas, Smurfs, “The Matrix”, and “Jaws 3”?  “Avatar” in 3D. But when will we get “Avatar” on Blu-ray 3D? Sometime in November 2010, according to James Cameron. “It’s all right on schedule. We’ll do the Blu-ray and the standard-def DVD April 22nd, that’s our plan as of right now, and that’ll be pretty much bare bones,” Cameron says in an interview with Wall… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News

Valentine’s Day has come and gone—did you watch any of our 15 favorite romance flicks on Blu-ray?—and we’re getting into the winter doldrums. Without a theme for Hollywood studios to latch onto this week, the Blu-ray releases are a tad weak. However, the true movie buff will be delighted, because in has stepped the Criterion Collection to offer a handful of releases while the big boys take a break. With… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Product News

Have you been holding out on buying that Blu-ray player because you think the discs cost too much? They may not be down to the likes of $1.99 HD DVD bargains at iNetVideo.com yet (though you can find some pretty cheap Blu-rays there too), but there always seems to be deals going on for you to bulk up your high-def collection. Today’s deal (via High-Def Digest) would net you a… View this story
Blu-ray • Movies and Music • Deals • Product News