Big Picture Big Sound

The Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD format war just got a bit more interesting as Japanese electronics manufacturer Onkyo announces its first HD-DVD player - a state of the art unit with next generation lossless audio streaming.

At the CES Unveiled show in New York this week, CEA announced its winners and honorees of the Innovations Awards. Among them were PowerDVD 7 and MagicSports, two innovative products from Cyberlink.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announces the winners in its Innovations Awards for 2007. Honorees are to be showcased at 'Innovations Plus' at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas at CES 2007.

The cost of full HD-compliant HDMI-switching home theater receivers is dropping with Onkyo's new TX-SR604 ($599) and TX-SR674 ($799).

For those who want true multi-channel surround sound without big clunky rear speakers, Polk offers the RTS-100, the first THX Ultra2-certified in-ceiling loudspeaker.

High-end audio vendor Integra tries its hand at a Media Center/Home Theater PC with the NVS-7.7

Launch of Big Picture Big Sound brings together home theater guru Chris Boylan and film fanatic Joe Lozito for the first time online.

As if cell phones weren't distracting enough, now you can hook your phone up to a pair of glasses with built-in video projection that simulates a big screen image. Kopin and Scalar's Teleglass allows commuters to discreetly satisfy their movie fix while on the move.

New consumer survey by NPD Group shows that TV buyers are willing to pay more for flat TVs with larger picture sizes, but seven years after its widescale US launch, HDTV is still confusing to most people.

Analyst firm, Strategic Analytics projects the first ever decrease in DVD player revenues in 2005, even with more expensive DVD recorders gradually replacing play-only models. Let's hope the manufacturers get their act together on HD-DVD vs. BluRay otherwise the industry could be headed for more lackluster numbers.