by Brent Butterworth

It’s rare that a professional audio/video equipment reviewer gets truly excited about a new technology—and even rarer when they all do.

The technology I’m referring to is Internet video streaming. It’s the ability to play video from Internet sources like Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube right on your TV. Streaming used to require a computer, but now it’s built right into numerous home theater devices, such as TVs, Blu-ray players, and video game systems.

Streaming didn’t catch on when it debuted about a year ago, probably because it started with a motley collection of second-tier web video services nobody cared about. In the year since, it’s matured into perhaps the most exciting and useful new home theater technology of the last few years. All of the reviewers and editors I talk with regularly not only like Internet streaming, they’re using it several times a week.

I’d seen Internet streaming at press events, but never thought much of it. Recently, though, I upgraded to a Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player and it just happened to include Netflix and YouTube streaming. I was astounded to see Jackie Chan’s The Legend of Drunken Master appear on my TV screen in a matter of seconds—and in surprisingly good fidelity through my 6 Mb/sec Internet connection.

Since then, I’ve spent many a night enjoying some of the 12,000-plus movies and TV shows available on Netflix’s streaming service. And I’ve used the YouTube streaming to watch all sorts of old clips and TV shows—most notably a forgotten favorite, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.

None of these devices has enough internal computing power to run a browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox. I originally thought the lack of browsing capability was a crippling omission—but I now realize it’s an advantage. With no browser interface to accommodate, the Internet services can be reformatted so they’re properly cropped and zoomed to fill your TV screen, and so they’re easy to navigate using a TV remote. In fact, I find the YouTube interface on my Blu-ray player easier to use than the YouTube website.

To sum up: You get tons of great content, instantly available for free. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection and one of the new Internet streaming devices.

by John Sciacca

One of the hottest lifestyle trends right now is outdoor living, and there is plenty that can be done to expand your entertaining options beyond your home’s four walls. But no matter how nice your space, you can’t really entertain outdoors until you have some audio and video to liven up the party.

Whether you opt for an inexpensive stereo receiver, use your surround system’s Zone 2 output or enjoy a Macked-out whole-house A/V system, options for getting your music outside are more plentiful than ever.

For A/V gear, the outdoors is a far different world than cushy indoor living. Whether it’s surviving the cruel desert sun, bearing up to unrelenting snows, living rust-free in the coastal salt air or just gutting it out in the toxic death clouds of LA, anything that is going to remain outdoors permanently has to be designed for it. Chances are your favorite speaker manufacturer has a model for the task. Just don’t expect it to look like a speaker. Because, God help you if you have a party and have to endure the indignity of someone pointing out that that plastic encapsulated monitor with sweet-sweet music pouring out of it is actually a speaker. It’s far less shameful to choose a model that disappears ninja-like into your landscaping. Rock speakers are very popular, as are models that resemble planters. Several manufacturers have even created models that resemble landscape lighting. Others can be buried in the ground or mounted to the underside of a wood deck.

When placing speakers outdoors, resisting the urge to skimp out and use a single pair of speakers is key. Imagine your backyard as a Super Wal-Mart for a moment. Minus the long lines, the forlorn wails of hundreds of children and the incessant calls over the PA, of course. The point is, Wal-Mart could put a single speaker in the center of the store and play it loud enough that everyone could hear the desperate calls of sales at the meat counter. However, it would be barely audible to some and soul-witheringly loud to others. Far better to have many speakers spaced out all playing a controlled and comfortable level. Same goes for your backyard. Trust me on this; more is almost always better. Your friends and neighbors will definitely thank you.

Now, load up a playlist on your iPod, grab a beer, and get outside and start living!

As you probably know, I’m a Google Fan. I typically try everything they create. In most cases, they take an existing technology and make it better. I’ve been using Google Chrome web browser for some time now. Its FAST, its simple to learn, BUT its different so you have to have an open mind. Its not a Microsoft “me too”.

Try it, I love it.

http://www.google.com/chrome

Best Buy — about as mass market a retailer as you can find — has taken to selling vinyl records. Just goes to show you that the amazing sound quality I raved about in my blog back in February is contagious. Vinyl is still a tiny part of the overall music business, but growing. Check out this post at hometheaterreview.com to get the lowdown, and that website’s take on using Blu-ray as the next big music format. Whatever format comes out on top, I still love my old (and new!) albums! — Bob