This is high end and you can expect to pay for quality. I have to confess for $3995 currently discounted on Amazon I was expecting something a bit special and I wasn’t disappointed…

Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Class KURO Plasma HDTV

but I have to say that for such a serious amount of money as this is (listed at over $5500 on the Pioneer website) I wasn’t totally blown away either.

Yes this HDTV screams class and it could win style awards but that doesn’t make it a great HDTV and at this price point you expect a lot for your hard earned cash.

When a Television is this pricey, it’s only fair to expect the best.Sadly,this 60-inch plasma from top of the range makers of such things Pioneer doesn’t measure up to its lofty ticket price in my book.

I can recall a few years ago when buying high end audio and video equipment Pioneer would always be high on my wish list

But nowdays others have taken up the mantle and companies like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and even LG are producing better products at competitive prices.

The Kuro has many plus points but when you must consider products like the new range of LED TV’s from Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony this really has no way of competing at that over inflated price and at it’s true list price well don’t even get me started.

If I was spending $3000 or more on a TV and I am not, the Pioneer Kuro would not even be on my short list yes the screen is really black and the picture colors are some thing else compared with plasma TV’s in the past but every one has caught up with Pioneer and they are being left behind.

I thought movement on screen was some what jittery and prone to judder on panning sequences. I also felt the tuner on this set should have been much better it’s like it’s been a time warp or something maybe that’s one reason Pioneer are getting out of the TV game?

Both standard (ie playing a DVD or watching TV) and high-definition pictures are afflicted by the jitter and close up the pixels seem to be slowly vibrating maybe that was eyes as I wasn’t far from the screen and didn’t notice it further away from the screen.

Rather curiously the HD pictures seemed just not as good as I had anticipated maybe I am just over optomistic with my expectations.

The included speakers, boasts a strong stereo effect plus nice depth and detail. But I think it would be better if their was an option as there used to be for not buying speakers and using those with your existing system.

The Pioneer can be transformed should you wish into a huge computer display by connecting via the analogue VGA or one of four HDMI sockets. So could be connected to some of the new HTPC systems available.

All in all this is a really good TV but for the price I would either get the new LED TV from Samsung or LG or wait and see what the new generation of TV’s are going to cost when those shown at CES 2010 hit the stores.

If you have $3500 or so burning a whole in your pocket that’s fine but don’t buy it if you have been saving for years for your dream TV.

Related articles on HDTV

• 6 reviews of Samsung FPT5884 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (rateitall.com)
• The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy [TVs] (gizmodo.com)

This latest addition to multi media home theater allows you to take HD Home Theater where ever you are in the world provided you can access the internet.

It allows you to connect to multiple A/V devices and tune into your favorite TV shows, sporting events, and special programming in stunning, true-to-life 1080i high definition.

As I said The PRO-HD gives you all the same features and ease of use as the Slingbox SOLO, plus a high-quality HD viewing experience—anywhere in the world. This of course would only be true if you are watching with suitable equipment so don’t go thinking you are going to magically transform your TV or PC.

The great thing abou the Slingbox Pro HD is you can take all your entertainment with you where every you are and in that has to be good thing doesn’t it?

Related articles on Media Streaming

• CES2010: Sling Media trots out four new devices (seattlepi.com)
• LaCie’s LaCinema HD Media Streamers Can Play and Record [Home Theater] (gizmodo.com)

Instead of getting on the hype created by latest 3D bandwagon, LG has gone in a different direction with its new flagship Blu-ray player, the BD590, which includes all the features that made it’s previously popular BD390 a hit–like built-in Wi-Fi, tons of streaming services (Netflix, Vudu, Pandora)–plus a 250GB hard drive that can be used to rip your music collection and store photos.

The BD590 also has built-in Gracenote software to automatically add metadata to ripped digital music.

Some how I can’t help feeling that just maybe this holding back from launching a 3D Blu ray player could prove to be a very prudent move as I for one am yet to be convinced of the 3D medium and it’s ability to become little more than a fad in serious home theater. If I was buying a new Blu ray player this year so far this would get my cash.

To see how good the LG BD390 is watch the video provided by CNET.com. Some people are saying that for gamers the PS3 is better option but for home theater I would always choose this Blu ray player any time how about you?

Related articles on the LG Blu ray Player

• New LG BD590 Blu-ray player sports a 250GB hard drive (engadget.com)
• VUDU comes to LG Blu-ray home theater systems (engadget.com)
• 3D, or Not 3D? That Was the Question at CES (gigaom.com)

I thought for those of you who were wondering what made the Samsung LED Tv’s from Samsung Electronics so different from every other LCD or Plasma TV this short video might be helpful.

More on LED TV’s

• CEAG Introduces a Complete LED TV Buying Guide, Part of LCD TV Buying Guide, to Review New Models and Provide Technology Comparisons (prweb.com)
• Samsung’s LED TV Couple packs a 7-inch tablet remote for streaming TV and so much more (engadget.com)
• The Future: 3.3mm-thick Samsung TV (crunchgear.com)

The launch of the Toshiba BDX2000 Blu- Ray Player at the lower end of the blu ray market is seen by some Home Theater experts as perhaps the biggest indication that Toshiba has pretty much given up on the resurfacing of what now seems a thing of the past the the HD-DVD format.

This format once championed by Toshiba and it’s partners seems likely to end up where Betamax and other counter formats have gone before them.

The AV world is funny thing and once it adopts one format in preference to another it pretty much ends up being the death of the other.

In light of it being Christmas time it has not been possible to review the Toshiba BDX 2000 Blu Ray Player or actually get our hands on one so I felt rather than leaving you unaware of it’s appearance on the market I would direct you to some well written comment by some fellow HT enthusiasts.

Toshiba BDX2000 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player | b’cause Shopping for …

Toshiba BDX2000 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. 1080P Video Content; Promotes Blu Ray Live; HDMI output. Product DescriptionBlu Ray Disc Player. . . More >>. Toshiba BDX2000 1080p Blu-ray Disc PlayerToshiba intros the BDX2000 Blu-ray player, HD DVD is officially dead

Fellow HD DVD die hards, it’s a sad day. Toshiba has officially surrendered to the enemy camp with the BDX2000 Blu-ray player. HD …

…Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray Player Preview – Blu-ray

Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray Player review: Pssst. Don’t mention the war. The Toshiba BDX2000 is the company’s first stab at a Blu-ray player and includes BD-Live and HD audio decoding.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray player (ubergizmo.com)
• Toshiba introduces Blu-ray disc player (newswire.ca)
• Toshiba Launches Its First Blu-ray Player (shoppingblog.com)

Sound bars are normally placed below or directly in front of an HDTV. They are also frequently mounted on a wall, often using included mounting hardware.

A sound bar can include three speakers (left, center and right), a built-in receiver complete with surround sound and DSP features. Sometimes sound bars come complete with a DVD player although that is still relatively new addition.

The JVC TH-BA3

The JVC TH-BA3 is a 280 watt, 5.1 channel surround system made up of a sound-bar, wireless subwoofer, and a wireless rear speaker kit.

The wireless rear speaker kit consists of wireless left and right surround speakers as well as a wireless receiver.

The sound-bar consists of four speakers – one each for the left and right channels, and two speakers for the center channel.

The sound-bar also has a built-in power amplifier, surround decoding, system controls, and a transmitter for the wireless surround speakers.

Inputs consist of one analog and two optical digital inputs. Formats decoded include Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby ProLogic II.

The JVC TH-BS 7

The JVC TH-BS7 is designed to match the thinnest of flat-panel HDTV sets out there and consists of a sound-bar that measures a mere 1.4 inches tall, a slimmer wall-mountable amplifier/control unit, and a wireless subwoofer.

The system is a 180 watt 4.1 channel system utilizing JVC’s Direct Drive speaker technology. The frequency range of the system spans from 200 Hz all the way to 20,000 Hz and falls off to 200 to 10,000 Hz at 360 degrees off-axis.

The sound-bar is made up of four JVC Direct Drive speakers – left and right main channels and left and right surround channels – each driven by 20 watts. The two surround channels are processed by JVC’s Front Surround technology which provides surround sound effect without the need for real rear speakers.

The slim amplifier/control unit measures 1.2 inches deep and is capable of decoding Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II. Inputs include one analog and three optical digital. The wireless sub features a six inch woofer powered by a 100 watt amp.

JVC outs first wireless soundbar speaker systems | nexGadget

On Monday, JVC introduced two new soundbar surround sound speaker systems, including the first wireless system, the TH-BA3, along with the slim but wired T…

JVC debuts super-slim wireless speaker setups | TechOat.com

JVC has today unveiled two new audio setups, which do away with pesky wires.Out of the two systems, the dual soundbar setup (codenamed TH-BA3) is standout, being that it’s the first one in existence ever which features a wireless …

JVC intros cord-free TH-BA3 and TH-BS7 soundbar audio systems …

JVC’s never been much on using wires to hook up its home theater systems, and for those not looking for mind-blowing 7.1 surround, these soon-available, JVC’s never been much on using wires to hook up its home theater systems, …

Related Soundbar articles

• JVC’s New Soundbar System Yells “NO MORE WIRED SPEAKERS” [HomeTheater] (gizmodo.com)
• Sharp announces HT-SB500 soundbar at CEDIA, some iPod docks too (engadget.com)
• JVC TH-BA1 and TH-SB100 soundbars (ubergizmo.com)