Kaleidescape hopes for a wider customer base as it redesigns the Cinema One player with a sleeker form factor the company says is as easy to install as any off-the-shelf Blu-ray player.

Like the original Cinema One, the redesigned player stores up to 600 DVDs inside an internal HDD. It can also store up to 100 Blu-ray discs, if with connection with a separate DV700 Disc Vault.

The player doubles as a Blu-ray player, and offers the same on-screen movie guide seen in other Kaleidescape systems. An online Kaleidescape Store allows download of 1080p/24 quality movies.

Integra launches a pair of home theatre receivers-- the DTR-40.5 and DTR-50.5, both with Ultra HD/4K support, internet radio, built-in wifi, Bluetooth interfaces and THX Select2 Plus certification.

The DTR-50.5 is the more powerful option, with a 7-channel 135W-per-channel power amplifier (compared to thes 7x110W-per-channel DTR-40.5). It also carries additional digital audio inputs, differential DAC for front channels, programmable remote control and Integra's Digital Processing Crossover Network (DPCN).

Both receivers stream music from mobile devices and PCs via wifi and Bluetooth. Integra offers iOS and Android Remote Control apps, and users can play high definition music files (in FLAC, DSD, ALAC, HD 24/96 and HD 24/192 formats) from HD music download services and on-demand services such as Spotify, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM and Tune In.

Marantz announces three additions to the SR home theatre receiver series-- the SR5008 (7.2 channel), SR6008 (7.2 channel) and SR7008 (9.2 channel) receivers featuring HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module) technology and current-feedback circuitry.

Further upgrades include improved speaker terminals, enhanced user-friendly setup and Apple AirPlay connectivity.

The SR6008 also features dual discrete HDMI matrix outputs and digital-to-analog audio conversion for multizone playback, while the 9-channel SR7008 carries an advanced suite of Audyssey Laboratories room correction features such as Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 and Sub EQHT.

Customers demanding the biggest and most spectacular of living room entertainment setups? Maybe a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-screen home theatre from no other than IMAX will spark their interest!

That's right, the gigantic cinema screen and overpriced ticket peddler is now part of the private home theatre game, perhaps due to fears of waning box office returns...

The IMAX private theatre uses the same technology from commercial multiplexes-- curved floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall screen, 4K dual-projection system for 2D and 3D video, 7.1 channel audio with laser-aligned loudspeakers and microphones for daily audio calibration duties.

The dimensions of the space housing such a theatre are, surprisingly, not fixed, but the bigger the better. After all, it must have enough space to fit a pair of projectors measuring 120 x 75 x 150cm in an area separate from the screening room.

Microsoft unveils the successor to the Xbox 360 (released 2005), the Xbox One-- and positions the device less as a games console and more an all-in-one living room entertainment hub.

A sharp angled two-tone (half gloss, half matte) black box with industrial design reminiscent of a 1980's VCR, according to Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business president Don Mattrick the Xbox One is, "where all of your entertainment comes alive in one place." And just as well, seeing how the launch presentation focused mainly on connectivity with TV STBs and media deals with the likes of the NFL (no details on a similar, more Euro-centric deal are yet available) and Steven Spielberg (who is working a TV show based on the Halo franchise).

The box itself carries 8GB RAM, 8-core 64-bit CPU, 500GB built-in HDD, Blu-ray drive, 802.11n wifi x2 USB 3.0 ports, x2 HDMI, toslink audio (for legacy surround systems) and IR blaster. Spec-wise it all sounds fairly similar to the Playstation 4 (up to and including a PC-style processor made by no other than AMD), even if the XBox One offers a unique addition-- HDMI passthrough allowing the direct connection of cable/satellite/DVR STBs to the console.

ConnectTRx announces the ConnectTRx wireless device family, one consisting of the TX MHL MediaHub, RX MediaHub receiver and the ConnectTRx-enabled SmartPico projector.

“Our technology enables high-speed, high-performance wireless communication among consumer electronics, PCs, and mobile devices." ConnectTRX creator Michael Seo says.

The devices are all battery powered and compatible with either Apple and Android platforms. The technology uses the 60GHz frequency band, with high bandwidth and error-correction allowing the wireless delivery of uncompressed HD video, multi-channel surround sound and control data with virtually no latency.

The TX MHL MediaHub connects to mobile devices and transmits data to TVs equipped with the RX MediaHub receiver and the SmartPico DLP portable projector. It features 854x480 resolution, 50 ANSI lumens brightness, 800:1 contrast ration and 66-inch throw at 2m (FOV 46º).

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