Home Theatre - Home audio - Latest Articles

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  JVC, Kenwood officially hook up

  The two Japanese audio equipment makers will combine to form JVC Kenwood Holdings, which will focus on car electronics, home electronics, and professional wireless systems.

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  A BMW for the lounge room

  You can get Lamborghini laptops and Porsche phones; now, if you're willing to stump up some serious cash, you can get BMW-designed speakers.

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  Digital radio: the countdown is on

  The countdown to digital radio has begun, with free-to-air DAB+ broadcasts starting in selected capital cities on 1 January, 2009.

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  T-Visionarium: Behind the 360 degree 3D cinema

  What do you get when you put two artists and a team of clever techies together in a dark room with a AU$1 million equipment budget? ZDNet.com.au visited the University of New South Wales iCinema centre to find out.

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  Open Interface offers next-gen Bluetooth audio

  Bluetooth audio is becoming more and more popular, but the sound quality it offers is less than stellar. Hopefully a new standard proposed by Open Interface will fix all that.

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  Pioneer unveils razor-thin plasma TV

  Pioneer shows off its TV chops at CES, with a 9mm thick bezel and rendering contrast ratios obsolete.

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  Has Blu-ray won the format war?

  The war is over. Well, that's the buzz from CES, where everyone's talking about Warner Bros' suspiciously timed decision to dump HD DVD and become a Blu-ray-only studio.

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  U2 previews unreleased track on Facebook, snubs MySpace?

  Bono has given the creators of Facebook app iLike a sneak preview of U2's upcoming re-release of the Joshua Tree, which will feature previously unreleased tracks.

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  Dolby stakes its claim in 3D movie tech

  The audio stalwart is set to mount a major challenge to pioneer Real D starting in November. How soon before all movies are 3D?

More news »

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  Where vinyl records are born

  Ever wondered how records are made? Come on a voyage to the land of vinyl as CNET News.com's Daniel Terdiman visits United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee.

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  Photos: T[Life] Melbourne

  Telstra's new T[Life] store in Melbourne is glossy and enormous, and those south-of-the-border should count themselves lucky. Everyone else we bring you a virtual walk through.

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  Sony announces 1080p Bravia range

  Sony has unveiled its 2008 range of Bravia LCDs which include new processing capabilities and better compatibility with other devices.

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  Microsoft TechFest 2008: A glimpse into the future

  Each year Microsoft holds its Techfest show, an exhibition of some of the research projects it's working on. CNET.com.au went to check out where the future lies.

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  Valentine's Day Gift Guide

  Face it -- roses, chocolates, and yes, diamond rings, have been done before. If you really want to impress your sweetheart, surprise him or her with a tech present that will have them remembering you the whole year through.

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  Ditch the disc: A guide to online music and videos in Australia

  CDs and DVDs are like so 1990s, man. If you're ready to ditch the disc and want to disco over to digital, then check out CNET.com.au's list of the major online media stores in Australia.

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  CES 2008 wrap: tech's crystal ball

  CES 2008 has wrapped for another year, and so CNET.com.au looks over the tech and the products we will be using in the years to come.

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  Photos: CES 2008 starts up

  From Bill Gates' final CES hurrah to Yoko Ono and Wil.i.am, CES launched with a star-studded cast. See the full slide show.

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  CES 2008: world's biggest tech show preview

  The annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the world's largest, and in the leadup to our exclusive CNET.com.au coverage here's what to expect from CES 2008.

More features »

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  Oi!: Bowers & Wilkins makes Diamonds from marble

  Bowers & Wilkins has come up with a design for their Signature Diamond speakers that encases the tweeter in a marble housing.

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  Oi!: Yamaha releases schmick hi-fi gear; receiver

  Yamaha is attempting to re-enter the field of hi-fi -- a phrase the company itself created -- with the release of three new flagship products.

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  Oi!: Get ready for digital radio with DAB+

  The widespread introduction of digital radio in Australia has inched closer with the world's first test of the new digital radio standard, DAB+, in Sydney today.

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  Oi!: Bowers & Wilkins designs speakers for Jaguar

  Speaker specialist Bowers & Wilkins has teamed up with Jaguar to develop a premium in-car audio system.

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  Oi!: New Audi R8 kitted out with 12 Bang & Olufsen surround sound speakers

  In what sounds like the ultimate boy's toy, the new Audi R8 sports car boasts 12 -- yes, 12 -- loudspeakers.

More oi! »

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  Sony announces 1080p Bravia range

  Sony has unveiled its 2008 range of Bravia LCDs which include new processing capabilities and better compatibility with other devices.

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  The sound of silence: Noise-cancelling headphones

  Top active noise-cancelling headphones

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  Warner Music readies CD-free 'e-label'

  Warner Music Group is creating a new music-distribution mechanism that will rely on digital downloads instead of compact discs.

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  Home audio without the wires

  Desktops, notebooks and phones have all gone wireless. Will your stereo and TV soon be untethered?

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  Bowers & Wilkins designs speakers for Jaguar

  Speaker specialist Bowers & Wilkins has teamed up with Jaguar to develop a premium in-car audio system.

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  Yamaha aims high and low

  Yamaha is aiming to entice more consumers into the world of home theatre, introducing several products in its 2005 range for the budget conscious.

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  CES 2007: Philips' home theatre in a speaker

  We heard about Philips' 1.1 virtual surround system, the HTS8100 SoundBar, before CES 2007, but now that we've got the final specs, we're even more eager to give it a whirl.

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  CES 2007 Unveiled: Photos from the show floor

  Not deterred by a mile-long queue, journalists, retailers and industry members waited patiently in line to enter a modestly sized exhibition room for CES Unveiled, a preview event held in the Sands Expo Center two days before the opening of CES 2007 in Las Vegas.

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  Is virtual surround worth it?

  I've been hearing a lot about virtual surround system recently and was wondering: what are the pros and cons?

• Surround sound buying guide

• Digital radio in Australia

• Home theatre: kits or components?

• Surround sound formats

• Calibrating surround sound

• What is HDMI?

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  Altec Lansing PT8051

  Its immense speakers suggest great audio quality, but it's all the little things that the PT8051 lacks that made it lose our favour.

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  B&W PV1

  While the B&W PV1 could be described as a "style" subwoofer, it doesn't compromise on sound quality. Good for movies, great with music.

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  B&W VM6

  The B&W VM6 are surprisingly capable loudspeakers but the compact dimensions stunt their performance.

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  LG Micro HiFi System FB163

  It's clad in a pretty package, but the FB163 disappoints on the performance front, offering confusing iPod features and an arguably superfluous USB recording function.

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  Conceptronic Grab 'n' Go Multimedia Player

  The Grab 'n' Go Multimedia Player makes a decent play at the budget-end of the playback market — but its limitations are obvious.

More reviews »

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  Logitech Squeezebox

  You couldn't ask for a much simpler audio/Internet radio streamer than the Logitech Squeezebox, although you do pay a premium for that convenience.

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  B&W 685

  The B&W 685 is the company's latest budget-level loudspeaker and uses some of the technologies developed for the flagship 800 series.

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  Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones

  Bearable 14-hour international flights? With these Bose noise-cancelling headphones to cut down the engine noise, we may have found a jetlag antidote.

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  Wharfedale Diamond 9.5 speakers

  We were bowled over by the Diamond 9.5's combination of extraordinary value, build, and sound quality.

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  Sony DAV-LF1 DVD Home Theatre System

  Sony's super-sexy DAV-LF1 most touted feature is wireless rear speakers. But do they perform as well as their wired siblings? Read our Australian review.

More popular reviews »

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  Logitech Squeezebox

  You couldn't ask for a much simpler audio/Internet radio streamer than the Logitech Squeezebox, although you do pay a premium for that convenience.

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  KEF KHT-3005

  KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theatre performance.

More editors' choice »