Creative Zen X-Fi 2 First Hands-On

The original Zen X-Fi player is an excellent little portable media player. Loads of supported video codecs and expandable storage made it a definite contender, even if its button layout could be a little challenging for those of us with fat fingers. It seems almost a given that the next step would bring Creative into the touchscreen game and that is exactly where the X-Fi 2 comes in. Having spent ample time with its main competitors, it's fair to say that the X-Fi 2 is a different experience.

We have been playing with the 16 GB unit, which carries with it a price tag of just $179. That's $40 less than a Zune HD with the same amount of storage and $20 less than an iPod Touch with half that amount. There are two other models available, including an 8 GB version for $129 and a 32 GB model for $229. That gives Creative a significant advantage in the price-per-GB contest, especially when you factor in the built-in MicroSD card slot that can accommodate more storage on the fly.

The Dolby Truck hits Los Angeles

Over the next few months, Dolby is driving a tricked-out surround sound truck around southern California to promote its surround sound technology. The Dolby Truck features Definitive Technology speakers, Toshiba HDTVs, Pioneer Elite receivers, and even some Nokia and HP cell phones and notebooks to demo.

The tour started today at a Torrance Best Buy, and tomorrow the truck will be in Los Angeles at a Weyburn Avenue Best Buy and later at the Lakers-Memphis game. For a full schedule of the truck's various stops, check Dolby's web site. The truck will be zig-zagging all over Los Angeles until January, when it will head to Los Vegas for CES 2010.

— Will Greenwald

[Source: Engadget HD]

HD Deals: Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard

For all you hardcore gamers out there we found a deal to update your current keyboard to this Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard for only $41.22. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Blu-ray's future glimpsed at Blu-Con 2.0

Yesterday’s annual Blu-Con 2.0 conference in Los Angeles delivered a progress update on Blu-ray Disc and many of the advanced technologies associated with it. The conference took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, and was organized by the Digital Entertainment Group, a trade association whose members include movie studios and consumer electronics manufacturers.

Some of the sessions were enlightening, although a few focused rather heavily on marketing data. Rather than give a blow-by-blow of each session, I’ll just cite the most interesting comments.

A Look at Some of the Freshest Beatles Tribute Albums

There are tribute albums, and then there are Beatles tribute albums, ever sprouting like mushrooms. And boy, do we love to consume those ’shrooms! Some fresh ones picked for your pleasure after the jump.

 

Boston Acoustics announces Reflection Series

Speaker makers Boston Acoustics has introduced its newest line of satellites, the Reflection Series. The new series includes 6 models ranging from compact bookshelf to floorstanding tower models, all of which us fiber-ceramic woofer cones that Boston Acoustics claims produces a consistent response across its entire frequency ranges.

The series consists of the RS 230 compact bookshelf satellite, the RS 260 bookshelf speaker, the RS 223 LCR satellite, and RS 244C center-channel, the RS 334 floorstanding tower, and the RS 1000 subwoofer. The bookshelf models respectively feature 3.5- and 6.5-inch woofers, while the LCR offers dual 3.5-inch woofers, and the center channel and tower speakers each feature quadruple 4-inch woofers. The subwoofer boasts a 10-inch driver with dual 8-inch passive radiators, and is powered by a 500-watt (1000-watt peak) amp. The RS 260, RS 244C, and RS 334 also feature dual sets of binding posts for bi-wiring/bi-amping.

HD Deals: This Is Spinal Tap on Blu-ray

If you haven't seen the rock comedy This Is Spinal Tap, this deal we found is the perfect early Holiday gift for yourself. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

What Happened To OLED?

 

Some electronics industry observers may be wondering if OLED TVs should be lumped in with the flying car, the food synthesizer, and other technological no-shows. After the first OLED TV, Sony’s XEL-1, showed up in spring 2008, the cognoscenti assumed we’d see larger models by that fall, and OLED TVs in all shapes and sizes by Christmas 2009. But almost 2 years after the XEL-1 was first demonstrated, the $2,500, 11- inch set remains the only OLED TV ever to make it to market, despite countless teasers from Sony and other manufacturers about larger sets to come.

HD Deals: Save $950 On A Sony 55-inch HDTV

Need to upgrade your small HDTV to something much larger? Then check out this deal we found on this Sony 55-Inch HDTV for  $1649.99. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Guidelines To Buying An HDTV

Question: My wife has approved the purchase of a big TV to watch the World Cup next summer. Reading S+V has proven invaluable in the search. What guidelines can you offer when shopping for a 50-inch HDTV that will produce a decent (not soft-looking) picture when watching standard-def channels on Comcast cable? Will the cursed Motorola DCT2000 set-top box provided by Comcast help at all? | Bill Holloway | Alameda, CA

Wall of Sound defines iPod overkill

Sometimes a cigar is just of cigar, and sometimes a "Wall of Sound" is just a... wall of sound. At over 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall, the Brothers Wall of Sound is one of the largest iPod docks on the market, and at almost $4,500, it's certainly one of the most expensive.

This massive slab of speaker boasts 28 different drivers producing a range of 40 Hz to 20 KHz, powered by a built-in 125-watt tube amplifier. Each Wall of Sound is hand-crafted, which contributes to the speaker's hefty price tag.

HD Deal: Panasonic 42-inch 720p Plasma HDTV

If you are looking for a deal on a Plasma HDTV check out this one we found on a 42-inch Panasonic. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

HD Deals: PS3 Slim For $274.99

For all those Sony fans who saw the deal we found on the Xbox 360 this week, here's the new PS3 slim for $274.99. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

$200 Blu-ray players from JVC and Toshiba

If you've been holding off on getting a Blu-ray Disc player until the prices go down, you might want to start shopping. JVC has just announced a new budget-priced BD player, and Toshiba's long-awaited player has been spotted at Best Buy with a price tag of $50 less than previously announced.

JVC's XV-BP11 is a bare-bones Blu-ray player with a $199 retail price. On one hand, it supports several different media codecs, including AVCHD and WMV videos. On the other hand, it only has Profile 1.1 (Bonus View). The player lacks an Internet connection, and as such it can't access BD-Live features. That's a pretty big feature to not include in a late 2009 Blu-ray Disc player. Still, if you don't want to go online with your discs, the XV-BP11 is available now for just two bills.

Radical Sheik: Artcoustic’s Crystal Range speaker grille

I haven’t traveled to Dubai, so I have to trust Artcoustic’s assertion that the residents of the sheikdom demand crystal encrusting on all their luxury products. For this elite clientele, Artcoustic has created the Crystal Range speaker grille. The edge of each grille is covered in tiny Swarovski crystals, creating a look sure to appeal to fabuously wealthy oil magnates, flamboyant interior designers, and Hannah Montana.

The grilles start at $1,400 each, and they’re available for most of the speakers in Artcoustic’s line. The company is best known for slim on-wall speakers with grilles that carry artwork or the images of your choice.—Brent Butterworth

HD Deals: Video Game Credit Deal

We all can agree that video games aren't the cheapest things to buy during the Holidays, so hopefully today's deal will help early shoppers slash their expense a little: Amazon.com is offering a $40 game credit when you spend $80 on a variety of games. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

How To Prevent "The Pause" When Switching HD Channels

Question: My high-def DirecTV receiver connects to my Pioneer Pro-111FD plasma HDTV through a Pioneer SC-07 A/V receiver. When I’m changing channels, there can be a significant pause before the new channel is displayed. It seems that the TV is always searching for the best way to display the picture, and a message bar will appear across the top of the screen telling me the resolution of the new channel.

I don’t mind the pause, but is the data displayed accurate? For example, HBO and other premium movie channels are often preceded by a banner stating “1080i,” while ESPN and ABC often are preceded by “720p.” Is DirecTV really delivering HD in different formats? Am I really receiving certain channels in 720p? BRIAN MCINTOSH / VIA E-MAIL

HD Deals: Poltergeist on Blu-ray

If you want to get a good scare out of your party guests on Halloween then there's no better movie to do that than Poltergeist. And we just happened to find a deal on the Blu-ray just before the holiday. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Roku rocks out with two new players

Roku is making a nice sandwich out of its line-up, with new offerings priced above and below its popular Roku HD streaming media player.

On the high end, Roku has announced the HD-XR player, an updated Roku HD player with 802.11n wireless support on top of the original's built-in 802.11b/g wireless. Besides the speedier wireless protocol (of which users can only take advantage if they also have an 802.11n wireless router), the device is essentially identical to the Roku HD. At $129, the HD-XR retails for $30 more than the original HD.

HD Deals: Xbox 360 For Under $200

Get your hands on an Xbox 360 for under $200 with this deal. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

PS3 finally getting official Netflix streaming

It's almost time to rejoice, Sony fanboys. Sony has officially announced that Netflix content will be coming to the PS3 later this year. Unfortunately, it looks like you're going to have to jump through a few hoops to get at big red's content. You'll need an "instant streaming Blu-ray disc," which uses BD-Live in order to enable the service. That means you'll have to put that disc in every time you want to stream something. It's not an ideal solution, but all signs point to it being done up right with the next major software overhaul. On the plus side, this method does offer a few advantages, like the ability to add content to your queue right from the interface.

If you want to get in on the program, you'll have to go to the Netflix.com/ps3 and request one of the free Blu-ray discs. We suggest doing so as soon as possible if you don't want to see the dreaded "long delay."

Press release

HD Deals: Huge Cable Sale

Thanks to mzpro5 in our forum, we found this deal on cables from Cables on Demand. Check out the site from now until Oct. 31 and get 30% an assortment of cables. If you find a great deal make sure you post it in our forum for all our users to see. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Brutal Legend: Truly metal gaming

When you hear the phrase "music game," you probably think of musical rhythm games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, games that give you a list of songs and make you emulate playing them by hitting keys or buttons in a specific order at specific times. They're certainly games that involve music, but are they really titles that fully take advantage of music? They're certainly entertaining, but when you break them down they're little more than complicated games of karaoke and Simon Says. You follow the music, but you don't really take part in it.

Brutal Legend might be one of the best music-related games of the last few years, and digs into what really makes music (or rather, one specific genre of music) so engrossing. I call it a "music-related game" and not a "music game" because it's more than following a pattern of button-presses. Brutal Legend is a game about metal, and everything that makes metal awesome: over-the-top thematic brutality in a variety of flavors.

HD Deals: The Hangover Unrated On Blu-ray

If you missed the hit comedy The Hangover during the summer, we found this deal to pre order the Unrated Edition Blu-ray for $19.99. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

How Small Is Too Small A Room For Surround Speakers?

Question: My home theater is located in a 12 x 12- foot spare bedroom. A local A/V dealer told me this room is too small to install back surround speakers for 7.1. Is this true? If so, is there a speaker that can function as both surround and rear speakers so both channels can be hooked up to the same pair of surround speakers (thereby getting a 7.1 from a 5.1 speaker system)? STEVE TEMPLE / VIA E-MAIL

Miles Davis headphones: Buds of the Cool?

Any hopes of extrapolating Monster's headphone strategy have flown straight out the window with the company's latest announcement. First it released Beats by Dre, after the rapper. Then, it released Heartbeats by Lady Gaga, after the pop diva. Now Monster is releasing Miles Davis Tribute headphones, after the jazz legend. I can honestly say that I have no idea what's coming next.

The limited edition headphones are the first product to officially bear Miles Davis' name, authorized by Miles Davis Properties, LLC (the company that manages Davis' estate). They're also among Monster's most expensive ear buds, retailing at $499 (but can be ordered for $399 from monstercable.com).

HD Deals: Forza Motorsport Playseat

The holiday season is coming up, and we have a deal today for all the serious gamers on your list: Buy this Forza Motorsport Playseat and get the game and 50% off of the wireless racing wheel. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

HD Deals: Tom Clancy's EndWar

If you are into the normal RTS games for your console the new take on the genre by Ubisoft in Tom Clancy's EndWar is exactly what you've been waiting for, and here's deal for you. More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Windows 7 gets a new Netflix interface

Good news for Windows 7 users: starting today you can enjoy Netflix's streaming video library with a shiny new interface. The upgrade offers a streamlined way to navigate the "Watch Instantly" section through Windows 7's Media Center.

Unfortunately, even with the new set-up, users can't enjoy high-definition videos, nor can they set up Netflix to work with Media Center extenders (two features that place Windows 7 behind home theater-linked devices like the Roku Player and the Xbox 360). Well, still a few bugs in the system.

A/V Support: Playing An iPod Through Aux Input

Question: I have an older high-end Marantz receiver, which I now use with my iPod. Unfortunately, the receiver doesn’t have a dedicated iPod input, so I use the auxiliary jack instead. The playback volume is lower than from other sources. Is there any loss of fidelity playing an iPod through the auxiliary input? I know that newer receivers have dedicated iPod inputs. JEFFREY S. BALOG / VIA E-MAIL