Wired@Home.blog

Wired@Home.com: Fresh Redesign, Social News Features

I'm happy to announce that Wired@Home.com has undergone a complete redesign being transformed into one of the largest online databases of DIY Home Theater and Home Entertainment related news, product reviews, forums and more. The site is also very social so any article can be emailed to a friend, saved to your favorite bookmarking site, shared across your social networks or even saved for reading later.






The site is in open beta right now so please, check it out at www.wiredathome.com and see what you think. There will be more tweaks, changes, new features, etc in the coming weeks so let us know what you like or don't like.

Thank you for your patience during our redesign period. We hope you like the changes!

David Ward
Wired@Home.com

Amazon.com Launches Amazon Video On Demand

Amazon.com has launched it's Amazon Video On Demand service for movies and TV shows. You can now choose from thousands of movies and commercial-free TV shows to watch from your PC or Mac, no downloading required! They even have new Fall TV shows that you can watch before they premier on TV!






I will give the new service a try and report back here later this week. You can check it out now as there's some great content to choose from including hours many worth of free content. Let us know what you think of Amazon's new Video On Demand service.

DIY: Calibrate your HDTV (or become a professional and make money!)

Here's your chance to learn how to calibrate your HDTV set like the pros. Better yet, if you're going to spend the money on the top 9 calibration tools, why not become a professional and charge others for the service. Read the CE Pro Article.

DIY: The Ultimate Guide to In-Wall and In-Ceiling Speakers

Here's a great speaker guide for all you DIY'ers looking to upgrade your speakers or planning a new home theater or home audio installation project. CE Pro rounds up 43 of the latest Wall and In-Ceiling speaker models.

DIY: Build Your Own Speakers

Yes, it's been 4 months (wow, unbelievable) since my last blog post and I apologize for that but I'm back and what better way than to start with a great and not-so-difficult DIY speaker project. This one comes from Popular Mechanics and will appear in their August issue. Enjoy and good luck if you decide to try this one...

DirecTV D11 Satellite Launch a Success

Unfortunately I missed the live launch of DirecTV's D11 Satellite which will serve to enhance the HD local and national channel offering. Thanks to Boeing and Sea Launch, I was able to catch the replay online and it was very cool although it would have been amazing in HD, minus all the clouds!

Check out the Sea Launch photo album.

According to DirecTV, the satellite should fully operational within the next 30 days.

Where is HD? That's the question...

There's been several websites and local HD programming lists around the web but WhereisHD.com really answers the question, Where is HD in your local area, better than any other resource I've found. It's as simple as entering your zip code and then you're shown a complete listing of the available HD programming in your area listed by local over-the-air broadcasts, your local cable operator, DirecTV, Dish Network and C Band-4DTV.

Although it won't help you determine the type of OTA antenna you will need like AntennaWeb.org, it will help you choose the best HD provider based upon the content that's available or even help you decide if you made the right choice with your current HD provider.

Toshiba to drop HD DVD?

Well it certainly seems that way according to an article in the Hollywood Reporter that quotes sources from Toshiba. Jodi Sally, VP of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products, was quoted as saying "Toshiba will continue to study the market impact and the value proposition for consumers, particularly in light of its recent price reductions on all HD DVD players." Another HD DVD source is quoted as saying “An announcement is coming soon, It could be a matter of weeks.”

It's unfortunate but not surprising given the hundreds of millions of dollars that Sony's Blu-ray camp has thrown at the movie studios. 

Earlier this week, Netflix and Best Buy announced their support for Blu-ray. You can also look to Amazon.com who is offering 50% off HD DVD's and other online retailers that have or will follow.

CES 2008: CES - It's a Wrap

Well, another CES has come and gone and I'm still recovering. The early numbers show the attendance was down from about 150,000 last year to about 140,000 this year. Really? I didn't notice, the show seemed more crowded and bigger than ever, covering over 8 football fields! There was so much to see and no matter how long you're there, it's still tough to see and touch everything. There really wasn't much this year that stood out and grabbed me. Yes, I laughed at Bill Gates final Keynote address, drooled over Panasonic's 150" Plasma TV that would require a crane to lift it into place, Kid Rock and the new Corvette ZR1, Comcast's new FREE VOD website Fancast, XStreamHD, Logitech's SqueezeBox Duet...actually, there was some cool stuff to see this year.

Here's some more great CES 2008 Wrap Ups:

About.com
Best of CES 2008

CNET CES 2008 Wrap Up
Home Audio Wrap Up
Home Video Wrap Up
HDTV Wrap Up
Computers Wrap Up
Emerging Technologies Wrap Up
Car Tech Wrap Up
Portable Wrap Up
Cell Phone & Smart Phone Wrap Up

DigitalCameraReview.com
CES 2008 Wrap-Up

Earth2Tech
CES Green Gadget Wrap Up

Engadget
CES 2008: Everything you must see
The Best of Crapgadget

Engadget HD
CES 2008: The Best and worst of HD
CES 2008: The Best of Set Top Boxes
CES 2008: The Best of LCD TV HDTVs
CES 2008: The Best of Plasma HDTVs
CES 2008: The Best of Blu-ray Players

GearLog
Best of CES 2008

Gizmodo
Best of CES 2008

Mahalo
Everything CES 2008
CES 2008 Videos

PC Magazine
Best of CES 2008

popgadget
CES - It's a wrap

Tech Digest
CES 2008: The 50 Hottest Products

CES 2008: Kid Rock Introduces the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1

Kid Rock is in the house for CES 2008! He put on a nice little show at at the GM Style Event for the introduction of the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1. Thanks to Vincent Nguyen over at Slash Gear for the video.