Elite Home Theater Seating Blog

THX Introduce THX Tune Up

February 4th, 2013

THX, the audio reproduction standard for over a decade now introduce a calibration app for the iPad and iPhone called THX Tune Up. The app helps home theater ethusiasts get the best sound from their home entertaiment system.

The app can work in two different ways:  connect directly to your home entertainment system with an Apple Digital AV adapter or wireless through Apple TV. The camera on your  iPad or iPhone is used to set up the number of parameters on your TV, (colour, brightness, etc.) The app will ensure that your speakers are connected effectively with the proper sound levels of your home entertainment system.

The app was free until today but now is available from the iTunes store for $1.99. According to iTunes, the app is compatible with:

- iPhone 4
- iPhone 4S
- iPhone 5
- iPod touch (4th generation)
- iPod touch (5th generation)
- iPad 2 Wi-Fi
- iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G
- iPad (3rd generation)
- iPad Wi-Fi + 4G
- iPad (4th generation)
- iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (4th generation)
- iPad mini and iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular

For an indepth review courtesy of PCMag.com, please click here.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC
V3S 2A7
Tel. 604-575-8310 Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA
98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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Has Mobile Technology Changed or Enhanced Home Theater?

October 10th, 2012

Last week we did a blog on home theater apps for your smartphone and tablets. These apps enhance your home theater experience and add a great value to it, however is there a different take on this as well? Have smartphones and tablets driven people away from home theater viewing?

We have such busy lives that we tend to do things on the fly nowadays. I know I use my iPhone more than my personal computer at home, even while I’m at home. While sitting at my desk, I can have  Netflix running on my iPhone watching a new movie while getting work done. This way I’m getting two things done at the same time. However,  all of us that work here at Elite HTS love the home theater experience and we do not compensate with using our smartphones or tablets in its place.

A recent article from Z6 Mag states that home theater will have to play catch up with mobile technology and we can understand their view. We all use mobile technology to communicate with one another and we also use it as a form of entertainment, from music to movies. However the reason home theaters have become popular over the past several years is to replicate the experience of going to a theater to watch a new release. Most people enjoy the big screen, the surround sound, and the concessions. Would this all be replaced by mobile technology? It’s hard to imagine that we will all resort to watching movies on our smartphones and tablets and not in the comfort of our home theaters.

As you’ll see in the clip below, Netflix on an iPhone can be useful for us on the go and for those of us with kids and no entertainment system in the car, having this technology is great to keep the kids entertained. Would you really be able to use this in place of the true home theater experience?

It’s true that smartphones and tablets have increased so much in popularity but I don’t think there is a concern where this will take the place of a true home theater experience. The Z6 Mag article has valid points and it made us think about it. Our conclusion is that it will not replace the home theater and it will enhance the experience. Just like we said in our Home Theater App blog from last week, smartphones and tablets enhance our home theater experience, they don’t take away from it.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel. 604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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Home Theater Apps

October 1st, 2012

Smart phones and tablets can make your home theater interactive. Here is a list of a few fun apps for you to try.

1) iMaster Control Pro is a full functioning remote where you can use your smart phone or tablet into control your entire home theater system
2) RedEye controls your home theater system that has an extensive online database to provide control codes for numerous devices through a WiFi signal
3) Logitech Squeezebox Controller  is an app that plays Internet radio or digital audio across a home network
4) Remote HD costs $5.00 that controls your Mac, PC, & Apple TV directly from your iPhone.
5) Plex puts your TV, video, music, & photos accessible through your smart phone. iTunes, Netflix and 200 various sources are all at the palm of your hand

6) Dijit allows you to replace all remotes you use in your house. You can even share what you are watching, listening to, or something you find interesting directly to Facebook and Twitter
7) Remote controls your Apple TV directly from your iPhone or iPad. This app is free!
8) DirectTV can be accessed via your smart phone and tablet and set to record shows even when you’re not at home
9) Home Theater Glossary won’t control your home theater but it will help you with terminology while you try to purchase your home theater system. This $3.00 app is only available on the Android system
10) i.TV is only for the iPhone or iPad. This digital TV guide will allow you access to what is available on cable, iTunes, Netflix, and Hulu

With smart phones and tablets increasing popularity, on a daily basis, using some of these apps to control your home theater system is extremely convenient. There is no need for multiple remotes that can be confusing to use. Each app we’ve listed has a direct link to download or view customer comments. Just click on the highlighted name to access each page. If you use any of these apps, we would love to hear what you think of them.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel. 604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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Pioneer Elite Blu-ray Player

September 10th, 2012

Pioneer Electronics unveiled their new Elite BDP-62FD Blu-ray Disc Player which comes equipped with duel HDMI outputs, high-resolution file format playback, & the iControlAV2012 app control. The file format compatibilities are: DivX, MPEG-4, Flash Video , WMV , AVI, JPEG , FLAC , MP3 ,WMA , & LPCM. Retailing at $399, the Elite BDP-62FD Blu-ray Disc Player will be available in September 2012 and a welcomed addition to the home theater experience.

The exciting aspects of this Blu-ray player is its ability to play various file formats, eliminating the use of other devices. Since it can support Flash, you can watch streaming content from numerous websites. FLAC are high quality audio files which can also be played on the Elite BDP-62FD Blu-ray Disc Player. The iControlAV2012 app enables the user to use their smartphone to control their Blu-ray player. The iControlAV2012 app is your remote control via a wireless connection and the duel HDMI outputs allow you to send your content to two different places, (TV, computer monitor, projector, etc.)

 

If you own a smartphone you can push content from your phone directly through a wireless network or an Ethernet connection. Netflix, YouTube, and Pandora can be accessed through your smartphone and pushed through the Elite BDP-62FD Blu-ray Disc Player. Marvell’s Qdeo technology offers high quality video processing that gives you a superior image than standard Blu-ray players. For detailed information on exactly what the Elite BDP-62FD Blu-ray Disc Player is capable of doing, please watch the clip above.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact us at any of the methods below.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel.  604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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iTV: Rumours of Apple Expanding to HDTV’s?

July 18th, 2012

Apple has been a leader in technology over the past ten years.  The iPod revolutionized how people listen to music. In 2007 they released the iPhone which changed the cellular phone industry. In 2010 the iPad was released and the world fell in love with tablets. When rumours started to generate around a new HDTV manufactured by Apple, people took notice.

A few weeks back, we had a feature on Apple TV, the rumoured iTV is completely different. The iTV is a full functioning HDTV that is believed to revolutionize standard TV’s. Apple TV is a box that you connect to a standard TV and the iTV takes everything to a whole new level. The iTV is rumoured to have an iOS just like the iPhone & iPad and you could use either as a remote. Currently Apple TV enables you to stream your iTunes content and the internet, (YouTube, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter) on to your TV, this is also to be the same with the iTV. Since there aren’t solid facts regarding the iTV, nobody is sure if you can connect to the internet through Wi-Fi or through a cable system.

The screen sizes are to be 37″, 42″ and 50″. The picture above is not the actual iTV, this is a mock up. A built in camera would allow you to take pictures as well as the ability to use Skype. The iTV is said to be touch screen and would also have the ability to detect your movement from a distance, similar to the Samsung Smart TV. If the rumours become fact, one will be able to use hand motions without the use of the remote or without touching the screen itself. The iTV would be a fully functioning HDTV with full internet capabilities.

The price is supposed to start at $1499. The release date has changed since the rumours began.  Some are stating a late 2012 or early 2013 date. It would be in the best interest for Apple to release the iTV close to the Christmas shopping season. If the iTV is a reality, this will cannibalize the existing Apple TV shortly after. We are excited about the possibility of the iTV because it will enhance our home theater experience, just like the iPhone changed how we communicate with one another. Maybe Siri will be the main way to communicate verbally with your iTV? Right now it’s all speculation and we cannot wait to see what Apple introduces to all of us.

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