Home Theater

Hey look, everybody! Logitech has announced a new Harmony remote control. That's right, the Logitech Harmony Touch that Best Buy started selling over the weekend now officially exists. While it is certainly nice of Logitech to acknowledge the existence of the new remote control, there was not much to announce that we hadn't already learned from the box that ashoemaker took a picture of. The Harmony Touch is a fairly traditional candy bar remote dominated by a 2.4 inch color touchscreen that supports taps and swipes. The touchscreen can be used to control activites as well as provide direct access to up to 50 specific channels, complete with channel numbers and customizable channel icons. The placement of the transport controls above the touchscreen, near the front end of the remote control will probably be a sticking point for anyone not interested in Logitech's vision of controlling the home theater from a touchscreen, though. The Harmony Touch will sell for $249, comes with a charging dock, and supports up to 15 devices via IR.

One interesting note from the Logitech blog suggests that the MyHarmony.com website where users register and setup their remotes has been changed to allow users to swap out an old remote for a new remote. Given how inflexible the MyHarmony.com account system has been in the past, even this small change will be welcome for long-time Harmony users, though I suspect that MyHarmony.com still does not allow for more than one Harmony remote to be registered per account at one time.

It features a simple, streamlined design and a touch-screen that lets you smoothly swipe and tap your way to your favorite entertainment options, including one-touch activities such as “Watch TV” and “Listen to Music.” Channel icons and numbers for your favorite networks are automatically provided based on your location and TV service provider, and you can add, remove and organize your favorites right on the remote.

Logitech Blog

--Press Release After the Break--

Yamaha has been slowly rolling out their 2012 RX-V series receivers over the last month or so. The latest additions to the line-up are the new RX-V673 and RX-V773WA, priced at $649.95 and $849.95 respectively. Both models will include 4K-Passthrough, Apple AirPlay support, a low power ECO Mode, and network support for DLNA and Internet streaming as well as app controllers for iOS and Android devices. The RX-V773WA strives to justify its heftier price tag by also including a Wi-Fi adapter and an improved multi-point version of YPAO, Yamaha's room calibration system. Perhaps the most interesting feature for these new models is a subwoofer level adjustment that Yamaha promises will boost bass without adjusting the crossover point or negatively impacting sound quality.

The flagship RX-V773WA model also features an improved YPAO room calibration system, YPAO R.S.C. (Reflected Sound Control), which offers automatic multi-point room measurement to determine speaker positioning. The RX-V673 offers YPAO R.S.C. for automatic single-point room measurement. The YPAO system now reportedly ensures more accurate room measurements by confirming the subwoofer is fully responding before making audio adjustments.

HomeTheaterReview

Balancing the desire for good home theater against the free standing speakers count in the family can be difficult. My better half is very understanding when it comes to this issue, but even I opted for angled in-ceiling for positions 6/7 to reduce clutter in my new (well technically different ) house that wasn't setup for proper home theater use.

Oddly enough reviews are scarce for stealth speakers (maybe because you have to make holes to test them) so being able to buy on brand is more important here than in other, better vetted, areas. So it is great that Atlantic Technology is continuing to advance their lineup of in-ceiling speakers with five new models including one with a 15° angled woofer and independently angled woofer (up to 30°) for more control directing audio toward the "sweet-spot" in the room.

PR after the click.

Meridian recently released the 818 Reference Audio Core, their new integrated pre-amp and the most recent addition to the 800 Reference Series, rounding out the lineup of high-end audiophile gear. In celebration, Meridian is offering a trade up program allowing folks to trade up from a selection of previous generation CD players and controllers and apply the value toward the purchase of a Reference 800 Series device. Perhaps a bit self-serving as far as celebrations go, but for Meridian fans, it might just be the deal you need to spring for an upgrade.

With immediate effect - and until the 31st May 2012 - customers can obtain a minimum trade-up value from an authorizedMeridian retailer on selected CD Players and Controller products against the purchase of a new 800 Reference Series product.

Home Theater Review