Yamaha shows off ultra-thin cloth speaker

The signs in the photo above aren't just signs. They're actually Yamaha speakers, made from a millimeter-thick layer of cloth. The company showed them off at CEATAC JAPAN 2009, demonstrating the prototypes as part of its booth.

There aren't many details about commercialization of the cloth speakers, but Engadget shot an interesting video of the prototypes in action at Yamaha's CEATAC booth (the source of the picture). We can't know how effective these speakers might be for very discreet home theater installations, but the technological potential is at least there. Maybe in a few years, we'll have posters of speakers that actually work like speakers, and utterly confound our friends.

— Will Greenwald

HP debuts Envy 15 Beats by Dr. Dre laptop

We've all learned to live with lousy laptop sound, but those of us with a couple thousand dollars to spend on a notebook computer won't have to suffer much longer. At a press event in the Thom Thom Club, a Santa Monica, Calif., nightclub owned by Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, HP introduced the Envy 15 Beats by Dr. Dre laptop, which has been tweaked for what HP calls "a new benchmark in sound quality."

A digital audio signal processor in the laptop has been programmed with an audio processing algorithm chosen after consultation with famed music producers Dr. Dre, Will.i.am, Timbaland, Polow Da Don, and Pharrell. According to an Interscope exec who introduced Iovine, "This isn't some audiophile's vision of sound through an oscilloscope. This is sound you can feel."

HD Deals: A Deal Too Good To Be True

Usually each day we spotlight a deal that is a can't miss opportunity for everyone looking to expand their high-def lifestyle, whether it be on Blu-ray discs, HDTVS or home theater equipment. However, today we are showing you an extra special deal that would save most of us more money than we could ever imagine spending on a single item (that is if it was for real).

Thanks to someone in our forum we found this Amazon post that is offering this Olevia 747i 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV for $12,555,000.00 (normally $16,321,500.00). A 23% saving might be pretty good for any normal HDTV, but that deal knocks nearly $4 million off the original price of the TV. It's a good thing that this price seems pretty unreal, because it is considering we can find this TV for under $2,000 on other sites. So, this just gives us more reason to warn you that all good deals might not seem all they are cracked up to be. 

For more believable HD and gadget deals* check after the jump.

7 Ways To Test If You Have Good Speakers

What do good speakers sound like? Here’s what to listen for. Make sure to bring your own demo material so you’ll have a known reference.

A Natural Tonal Balance

Acoustic instruments and vocals should sound realistic, not muddy or bright. An instrument with a wide frequency range, like a piano, shouldn’t change character between its low, middle, and high registers.

iTunes LP format out of reach for small artists

iTunes 9 comes with a handful of new features, one of which being the new iTunes LP format. It lets labels release complete albums onto the iTunes music store in an interactive form, with lyrics, liner notes, and cover art available directly within the files.

Unfortunately, small labels might have hard times releasing their albums in iTunes LP format, according to a recent report from Gizmodo. It says that small label Chocolate Lab Records attempted to find out how to release their albums in iTunes LP format and were told that it was not being offered to small labels, and that Apple charges a $10,000 processing fee for iTunes LP releases.

HD Deals: Samsung 52-Inch LCD TV

Check out this deal on a Samsung LN52B750 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV for $2,019.00 (normally $2,799.99). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

5 Things To Consider Before Buying Speakers

Deciding what speakers are best for you depends on your room size, budget, and listening requirements.

Consider the following:

Room Size

Are you in a small apartment or room, or are you building a large-scale custom home theater? For the former, a compact satellite/subwoofer system will do the job (and these systems can play surprisingly loud); for the latter, you’ll need larger speakers and perhaps multiple subwoofers. Make sure the speakers will fi t into your installation or entertainment cabinet.

HD Deals: "Street Fighter" FightStick Controller

Get back to the good old days of arcade gaming without having to worry about waiting in line or dishing out quarters with the Street Fighter FightStick Controller for $129.99 (normally $149.99). More HD and gadget deals* after the jump.

Do Speaker Cables Make A Difference?

The merits of “high-end” vs. generic “lamp cord” speaker cable have been, and will be, endlessly debated. I personally have heard differences between speaker cables — there, I said it! Use common sense — $500 worth of cable with a $200 speaker system is silly — and don’t use anything smaller than 18-gauge wire (preferably 16-gauge or less) or the electrical, and possibly audio, performance will suffer.

Check out more speaker facts from Frank Doris in the feature: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Speakers

Wal-Mart rolls back DVD and Blu-ray displays

If you've ever gone for a long stroll inside a Super Wal-Mart, you've probably seen the DVD orchards, where vast rows of discs sit fresh on the shelf, ready to be picked. At the end of most rolls, there is are great new release trees, where the newest films hang from their cardboard branches, signaling the harvest season for new releases.

Those orchards are about to experience some deforestation. Wal-Mart is removing DVD displays from its stores, and no longer using those aisle end-caps to promote new releases. Since Wal-Mart is one of the country's largest retailers of DVDs (and anything else), this change is fairly big news.