Home Electronics Cheadle
From Plasma TVs to DVD Players, this section of articles contains information on various home electronic units. These articles will enable you to make a smarter decision when you're ready to buy your next home electronic device.
JVC's GZ-X900 represents a considerable departure from the smooth, rounded looks of the Everio hard disk and solid-state camcorders that have helped to revolutionise home video in the past few years. The customary curves and glossy body finish have been replaced by a harder, monochromatic finish that's designed to appeal to men in their 20s and 30s.
In action the Spheros 42 is likeable - but not as imperious as some other Loewe TVs we've seen. The biggest plus point is the cleanliness of the picture with analogue TV and Sky Digital/ Freeview feeds.
This TV couldn't have existed a year ago. Full HD for less than 700? Get out of here! Nope, you read that price tag correctly: nally, the knock on effect of plummeting HD Ready TV prices has hit the Full HD market and this 37in LCD TV is a case in point.
For the money, this is a great iPod speaker with nearly all the right features and a very respectable sound quality. It reminds us of a lower-powered version of the Apple iPod Hi-Fi. The i500 will work with any iPod and comes with cradles for docking the full range.
DLP projectors now range from 1,000 entry level types to ultra high-end 25,000 pro-quality models. At the luxury end the price goes towards three-chip versions for an image quality to rival or even beat cinema projectors.
If you've built a Windows Vista Media Center PC for HD movies, you'll know the frustration of trying to get Blu-ray and HD DVD working properly.
Bright headlights could be a lifesaver on a dark winter night, but which bulbs can you rely on?All the electronic anti-skid, anti-lock and traction control wizardry that helps to make today's cars safer than ever counts for nothing if you can't see where you're going.
Aimed at small businesses with a modest requirement for colour printing, Canon's latest desktop laser looks to hit the spot for value, with the i-Sensys LBP5050n network model coming in at a shade over £150. Canon also offers a base LBP5050 USB-only model that saves you less than £25, making this network version far better value.
Canon's multifunction inkjet, the MX860, is the latest to hit the business-focussed market and to say it's a jack of all trades would be to considerably understate the case. This machine does absolutely everything: it's a colour printer, scanner, copier and a fax machine, all in one reasonably compact box.
For the money, this is a great iPod speaker with nearly all the right features and a very respectable sound quality. It reminds us of a lower-powered version of the Apple iPod Hi-Fi. The i500 will work with any iPod and comes with cradles for docking the full range.
The amp's minimal height is deceptive. It conceals a large toroidal transformer, substantial heat sinks for each channel, and a large array of relatively small power supply capacitors.
It's been a while since we reviewed the matching amplifier and CD player that accompanies the Creek Evolution tuner. But our enthusiasm hasn't waned one bit.
rather like the Crystal 12in THX subwoofer but the THX-10 sub supplied here showed a nasty buzzy sensitivity to the slightly hostile mains hum that exists in my set up.
Well, we’re all reeling from our utility bills. So, what can be done to cut energy costs.
We almost wet ourselves with excitement over Denon's awesome DVD-A1XV DVD player. This astoundingly well specified machine had both the processing power and performance guts to make its 2,500 asking price look like a steal.
Densen's line of sleek, brushed-aluminium hi-fi separates is not known for regular changes of models. So, when a new model is added, it's for good reasons.
An attractively priced HD projector that’s let down by its fear of the dark
This TV couldn't have existed a year ago. Full HD for less than 700? Get out of here! Nope, you read that price tag correctly: nally, the knock on effect of plummeting HD Ready TV prices has hit the Full HD market and this 37in LCD TV is a case in point.
One thing you know for sure you're going to get with a Goodmans TV is a jaw-droppingly low price. What you can't be certain of, though, is what your puny outlay will get you in terms of performance.
With the fight between Blu-ray and HD DVD starting to hot up, Sony's addition of a Blu-ray drive to its next-generation PlayStation 3 console has significantly increased the former's market presence.
The long running reign of MiniDV tape has recently been challenged by two different video storage formats: DVD and hard disk. DVD camcorders offer direct to disc recording, which means easy playback in any compatible DVD player.
There are degrees of home automation. You could go the whole hog for lazy luxury, or you could simply have control over the lighting in a room - programming the lamps and overhead lights to come on at a brightness level to suit your mood, for example.
The recently launched Freesat service provides free-to-air digital television to 98 per cent of homes in the UK.,You'll need a HD Freesat receiver, and the Foxsat-HD is the first we've seen. It's a small box, with no hard disk inside for recording programmes. The remote control is reasonably good, but not as well designed as those that Humax supplies with its excellent PVRs. A second set of controls is hidden under a panel on the front.
The IN3106 does come with an HDMI port too, though, as well as two VGA inputs and a corresponding loopthrough output for monitor connection. S-Video and composite complete the video ports, and there is a pair of 3W speakers for adding a bit of life to those dull slide marathons. They're far louder than any laptop speakers, and do a pretty good job of producing a well-rounded, full sound.
A remarkably talented full HD DLP projector
Outrageously cheap full HD DLP projector
If you're not ready for a new PC, you may want to add Blu-ray to your current system. This is the same process as installing any other optical drive. It's unlikely to be practical with a laptop, although it may be possible. With a standard desktop system, it's just a matter of opening up the case, identifying a free full-size drive bay, fitting the new drive, and connecting up the required power and data cables from your motherboard.
With Apple's 4GB iPod Nano currently selling for around £120, it takes a brave manufacturer to release a competing player that costs £30 more. What can the iRiver Clix possibly offer that the delectable Nano lacks?The answer is quite a lot. The most obvious difference is the colour screen, which is considerably bigger and more detailed than the Nano's.
JVC's GZ-X900 represents a considerable departure from the smooth, rounded looks of the Everio hard disk and solid-state camcorders that have helped to revolutionise home video in the past few years. The customary curves and glossy body finish have been replaced by a harder, monochromatic finish that's designed to appeal to men in their 20s and 30s.
Kudos has long been known for making some of the classier speaker stands around. The company was taken over by Neat Acoustics a few years back, but has become an independent entity again and is now headed by ex-Neat designer Derek Gilligan.
Regardless of whether you use this camera on a wired or wireless network, its video feed is managed and viewed through the web interface. It's clean and simple to use, and you can password-protect access. The WCS-2060 defaults to a video resolution of 640x480. Quality was very high, and we were able to pick out detail easily.
This combined 32in TV and 160GB PVR is great for minimising clutter around your TV and means you ne ...
Is the first 32in plasma TV for five years a stroke of genius or an exercise in lunacy?
Impressively affordable and slim plasma treads the thin red line
The GGW-H20L was far slower when burning rewriteable Blu-ray discs. Filling a 25GB disc took an hour and a half. Its DVD writing speeds were slow compared with those of dedicated DVD writers.
Like day and night, lighting design can make all the difference to a room. Here are some pointers for good lighting design.
Features about lighting products from Sea Gull Lighting, Meyda Lighting, Lightolier and W.A.C. Lighting are to be found in the article.
Fixtures in the Design Pro Series line of LED undercabinet kitchen lighting are designed to offer 40,000 hours and as long as 20 years of life. Special LED chips emit a soft, white light, the maker says, and the fixtures’ super-low profile of just � inch hides easily under any cabinet. Available in 6-, 12-, and 18-inch lengths of 4, 8, and 12 watts respectively, the snap-together design allows for a seamless run of lights under multiple cabinets.
DVDs are a cheap and convenient way of sharing your home videos or backing up your files. If you only occasionally burn a DVD, then it may not matter how long it takes a DVD writer to burn a single disc.
In action the Spheros 42 is likeable - but not as imperious as some other Loewe TVs we've seen. The biggest plus point is the cleanliness of the picture with analogue TV and Sky Digital/ Freeview feeds.
A couple of things initially stand out on the Logic3 i-Station 8. Firstly, there are the twin flanks of silver speaker cones to either side of the black flipdown iPod dock and rectangular central bass speaker. Secondly, once powered, you notice the blue LED display come to life.
It is a brand which has a very distinctive cachet, based on unusually solid engineering, painstaking technical briefs and an instantly recognisable aesthetic scheme. Key to the latter is a bold, retro-style control system, the highlight of which is a very clear fibre optic backlit glass front panel.
This universal remote is the only zapper on the market that will operate Sky, Sky+ and SkyHD set-top boxes, as well as those from Virgin Media, Freeview and integrated receivers, says its maker, Meliconi. It enables you to operate up to six devices of any brand.
The DTL-522P201 doesn't look like a budget model, as its neat black and silver design compares favourably with TVs from the big brands. Beneath the surface, however, the price starts making sense.
The trouble with most home security systems is that the people most likely to pay attention to an alarm that goes off are the owners. And most burglaries take place when you're out of the house.