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| March 1, 2010 • Vol.7 Issue 3 | |
The Connected Entertainment Center Bring The Web To Your Home Theater | |
 Our home theaters make it possible to enjoy music and videos from all kinds of sources, and the newest components have branched out to deliver Internet connectivity and the ability to play back files stored on our PCs. In this article, we’ll detail how specific home-theater electronics can add flexibility to your entertainment center.  Built-In Connectivity Internet-connected HDTVs and BD (Blu-ray Disc) players offer access to popular Web content, such as Facebook, Flickr, or YouTube, through widgets (small preprogrammed hardware applications). In most cases, you’ll only need to enter your username and password for the Web service to access your favorite media. BD players often include several options for streaming movies after paying a monthly subscription, such as Netflix or Blockbuster On Demand, and Internet-connected HDTVs offer widgets for breaking news and Internet radio stations. Many Internet-connected HDTVs and BD players can also search for and play back content stored on PCs connected to your home network. Perfect For: People who want an easy way to access their favorite Web content, such as media streaming, news, and social networking Web sites, on their home theater. Add-On Internet If you’ve already purchased an HDTV and BD player that aren’t of the Internet-connected variety, but you still want to enjoy networked PC or Internet media on your home theater, you can invest in a streaming set-top box. Set-top boxes don’t typically offer as many widgets as Internet-connected HDTVs or BD players, but they generally include access to select Internet radio and image-sharing Web services. Perfect For: Those who want to view videos and listen to music stored on their networked PCs or the Web without investing in a new Internet-connected HDTV or BD player. Use Your Laptop With Your Home Theater Intel’s Wireless Display (www.intel.com) is one of the newest connectivity options available: It allows you to wirelessly stream the video and audio from your laptop to your entertainment center. All you need is Intel’s Wireless Display, which at press time was exclusively available on Best Buy’s Blue Label 2.0 notebooks, and Netgear’s Push2TV adapter ($99.99; www.netgear.com). The adapter then plugs into a unused HDMI port on either your HDTV or A/V receiver. Perfect For: People who want to use their laptop’s display and sound with their home theater components. A/V Receiver Connectivity Many new A/V receivers feature music player docks, which let you use your music player with your surround-sound system. Or, if your receiver has front audio minijacks, you can connect the player to the receiver using a cable. To play music stored on your mobile phone, some A/V receivers include wireless Bluetooth connectivity to let you pair it with the receiver. If satellite radio is more your style, most modern receivers are satellite radio-ready, meaning all you’ll need to do is have a service subscription set up to start listening. Perfect For: Those looking for a way to play the music on their MP3 player or mobile phone on a surround-sound system. by Nathan Lake |
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