National Survey Reveals Hottest Home Tech Gadgets for Holiday Season 2009
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National Survey Reveals Hottest Home Tech Gadgets for Holiday Season 2009
60 home technology experts vote on the top gifts for tech lovers
Chester Springs, PA—November 24, 2009—Electronics are always hot during the holidays, but this year there is a lot more to put on your list than iPods and digital cameras. A survey of 60 brand-savvy home technology professionals from across the country highlight the following sure-to-please gifts that should be on the radar of anyone shopping for the tech obsessed.
Those surveyed are members of the Home Theater Specialists of America who made picks in the categories of music players and distribution, speaker systems, HDTVs, projectors, video players, and controllers. Prices range from $300 to your personal limit.
Beyond iPod: Rich, Lush MP3 Sound Hits Home
Everyone loves their iPod. And a new generation of iPod docking and control gadgets now make them sound even better. Here’s what’s hot for the Holidays:
B&W Zeppelin Mini. Dark, mysterious with incredibly rich sound that transforms an iPod into high end audio, the B&W Zeppelin Mini is one of the most talked about home tech gifts of the year. It blows away all comers with racing highs, deep bottomless lows and audio quality that you could spend thousands of dollars to otherwise achieve. Price: $399.
Universal Remote Control PSX2 iPod dock. Ever wonder what cool features are hidden inside your iPod that you haven’t yet discovered? This combo iPod dock and remote control provides one touch programming and control without getting off the couch. Add songs on the fly. Play songs similar to the one airing. Shuffle playlists and take control of your player from all over the home. $399 docking station.
Step Right up to the Bar—The Soundbar
A sleeper product for 2009, soundbars offer low profile styling with awesome audio and a slew of features to enhance your TV viewing or wireless home entertainment.
B&W Panorama Soundbar. Probably not for the DIYer, the B&W Soundbar offers high-end audio that can be calibrated specifically to the acoustics of your room. For the movie fanatic, it’s breakthrough technology that brings great sound to HD TV and movie watching. Price $2,200.
Mitsubishi Unisen Immersive Sound LCD TV. This soundbar, incorporated into all new Mitsubishi LCD televisions, features 16 speakers that produce Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Users can enter the exact dimensions of the room or use a calibration microphone that configures the sound beams for the best possible sound for the size and shape of the space. A 40-inch Unisen flat panel, featuring Immersive Sound, costs $1,800.
Interactive TV Comes of Age
Long hailed as the holy grail of TV, interactive viewing is a reality this holiday season with a range of internet enabled TVs now available for the home.
LG PS80. Stream NetFlix or Vudu, check your Facebook news feed, get live sports scores all while watching. Enjoy YouTube and Hulu all on a gorgeous 50- or 60-inch plasma TV from LG without connecting a computer. Works from your wireless network without cables, it’s a TV watchers dream with the 50-inch model priced at $1,999.
LG SL80 and SL90. If you want a sleek look to match forward-thinking internet capability, these LCD flat panels are the way to go, with edge-to-edge glass displays and Yahoo! NetCast internet-connected widgets. Price: $1,599 for 42-inch.
High Def Projectors that Turn Any Home into a Theater
Home projectors are the “it” thing for the holidays. A new generation of HD projectors just hit the market, and some experts believe that soon, many of us will own a flat screen for everyday viewing and a projector for family movie nights or big sports events. Two of the best?
Epson Projector 9000. Incredible HD viewing on a screen of diameter up to 300 inches, the Epson 9000 makes everything bigger than life, literally. A special day/night mode allows for optimal viewing in any light. At $2,599, it’s the best quality for your money available in projectors right now.
Sim2 Domino D60 Projector. The Domino D60 can be connected with a number of analog and digital sources, and features two HDMI inputs, making it compatible with today’s HD devices. Display can be as large as 200” in diameter. The picture’s contrast ratio, brightness and accurate color rendition is unmatched by any competitor at the $5,000 price point.
This Way for Blu-ray
Two manufacturers have set the bar higher for Blu-ray quality, and if you’re in the market for these more basic components, look here first.
LG BD390 Blu-ray Player. Integrated Wi-Fi, in addition to flawless picture quality, makes this a must-have for your home entertainment system. Set up is simple, just plug and play. Connect the HDMI cord to the TV, and connect to your wireless network for immediate access to a number of streaming media like NetFlix, YouTube, CinemaNow and any other music and videos on your network. Price: $399.
Pioneer BDP-320 Blu-ray player. If you’re more concerned with the best possible picture and sound than add-ons like internet connectivity, this is the player for you. With this model you get 48-bit Deep Color support, three noise reduction circuits, KURO Link, 7.1-channel analog audio outs, 1GB of internal memory and a “jitter free audio transmission for CD playback.” Price: $300.
Take Control (one touch that is)
And with all the new gadgets you can buy for the holiday, how can you control them? Here are the two top choices:
Control4 HC200. An entry-level controller, this nifty gadget reduces six remotes to one remote controlled HD display on your TV. Control lights, set temperatures, manage security systems, and orchestrate multi-room music with easy to understand commands like, “Listen to Music.” It features a Control4 interface for intuitive operation, audio outputs to stream your digital music, Ethernet and ZigBee communications, a USB port for add-on storage, and audio inputs. Price: $499.
Universal Remote Control MX6000. Want something more advanced? You’ll have to leave the set up of this device to the professionals, but in addition to the usual control features (lights, HVAC, security and audio/video) this remote gives you Wi-Fi access to media files stored on your home network. The MX6000 will automatically catalogue and organize all the movies and music you have stored on your network or PC, and give you one-touch access to it all. You can also program it to display personalized weather, stock, and news reports. Price: $1,200.
The Dream Package
And for the family that wants a home theater system that offers the absolute best audio and video quality available, HTSA suggests the following dream set up:
Start with a Digital Projection Titan 3D projector completely outfitted for 2:35 -1 and add the Stewart Firehawk or Greyhawk screen. Top it off with a Classé SSP800 preamp processor, five to seven Classe CA-M400 amplifiers, a B&W 800D speaker package for audio, a Kaleidascape 1U or 3U server for your content and some M series Monster Cable Interconnects and speaker cable. The final touch? Savant’s ROSIE control system.
Even better, this system can be tailored to control lighting, HVAC, security, telephony and a host of other things you do everyday, according to David Berman, director of training for HTSA.
For more information about any of the recommendations above, please contact David Berman, director of training for the Home Theater Specialists of America. HTSA is represented by 100 retail locations and custom design centers across the country.
About Home Theater Specialists of America
Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) is a national association of electronics experts who service the home and business. HTSA’s members are located in 37 states from coast to coast and each location is staffed with experts who design and install high-end audio, video, automation, lighting, and climate systems for a discriminating clientele. HTSA represents a total buying power of more than $450 million and is supported by 59 retailers, nearly 100 store fronts, more than 800 installers and another 800 sales personnel in the field. The impeccable work of HTSA members is affirmed through partnerships with real estate developers and electronics manufacturers who recognize their commitment to quality. Visit www.htsa.com for more information.
