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Samsung's HW-F750 stuffs tubes in a sound bar

Samsung's obsession with tubes started with last year's CES darling, the DA-E750, and now the company is adding vacuum tube amplifiers to home theater systems and even sound bars.

The newly announced Samsung HW-F750 is dubbed the "world's first sound bar with a vacuum tube amp," which is technically true: like last year's models, it has a tube preamplifier paired with a digital amplifier. In any event, the difference is largely academic, as I didn't find that the DA-E750's tubes added a distinctively analog sound, although it was a good-sounding tabletop system.… Read more

Samsung's HW-E550 sound bar 'morphs' into vertical speakers

Typically, sound bars are horizontal speakers that are designed to be placed below your TV.

Samsung's upcoming HW-E550 Surround Sound Bar is just that--but with a twist. Not only can you place it horizontally below your TV (the speaker weighs 4 pounds), but you can split it in two and turn it into a traditional 2.1-channel floor-standing system using the included bases.

Yes, there's also a subwoofer, but the sound bar (or speakers if you split it in two) connects to it wirelessly using Samsung's proprietary dual-band 5.2/5.8GHz wireless technology. Samsung says the … Read more

Samsung's sound bar sports two HDMI-ins

LAS VEGAS--A ton of inexpensive, decent sound bars came out in 2010, but for the most part they lacked HDMI inputs, forcing you to make separate audio/video connections or use your TV as a switcher. Samsung's HW-D550 is an update to last year's HW-C450, with the big improvement coming in the form of two HDMI inputs. Even better, both inputs support both 3D video passthrough and ARC.

The rest of the 46-inch sound bar features are standard, including a wireless subwoofer, virtual surround sound mode, and 310 watts of total power. Samsung also includes a wall-mount bracket … Read more

Samsung announces a combo receiver/Blu-ray player

LAS VEGAS--We're used to seeing AV receivers with integrated Blu-ray players in home-theater-in-a-box systems, but they're pretty rare as standalone products.

Samsung's newly announced HW-D7000 combines a full, component-style AV receiver with a Blu-ray player, packed with features on both counts. The receiver has standard midrange specs, such as 120 watts per channel, four HDMI inputs (each with audio return channel and 3D compatibility), and DTS-HD Master Audio/Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Pro Logic IIz sound processing.

The HW-D7000's Blu-ray features are similar to those of other high-end Blu-ray players Samsung is showing at CES 2011, although … Read more

System temperature tracker

Keeping track of your system's temperature and operating conditions just makes good sense, especially since today's hardware makes it so easy, with a little help from programs like HWMonitor from CPUID. It's a handy, free tool for monitoring the built-in temperature sensors in your CPU, motherboard, video card, and other devices, as well as your hard drives' S.M.A.R.T. data, system fan speeds, and critical operating data like voltages. It can access most sensor chips and onboard thermal sensors, and it's even compatible with special hardware sensors in some components, including mainboard and … Read more

Samsung HW-C450 sound bar: Superthin, but sounds big

Sound bars aren't as thin as the slimmest HDTVs yet, but the Samsung HW-C450 ($300 street price) is getting close. It is less than 2 inches thick, which seems almost impossibly thin, considering the fact that it houses six drivers and built-in amplification. Even more impressive is that Samsung manages to get some great sound quality out of those cramped quarters (plus a wireless subwoofer), with better-than-average sonic detail on movies.

Music, on the other hand, sounds a little disappointing, and JVC's somewhat heftier TH-BA1 is a better pick if you plan on listening to more than TV … Read more

One more Westinghouse goes 16:9

Westinghouse seems to have completely moved into the same 16:9 spacious flat that most other monitor vendors have begun cramming themselves into. In addition to their previously announced monitor sizes, make room for the company's 22-incher.

The Westinghouse L2220HM with its "Full HD" 16:9 aspect ratio offers a resolution of 1,920x1,080 (1080p), a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 candelas per square meters (cd/m2) brightness, a pixel response time or 5ms, and a 170-degree horizontal viewing angle.

Connection options include DVI and VGA. In addition, the monitor includes built-in stereo speakers.

The … Read more

Small TVs are ideal for tailgating...according to Westinghouse

In Westinghouse's press materials it states that either of the following monitors would be an ideal solution for a tailgating party. Finally, vendors are starting to give tailgaters the respect they deserve. No word yet if these TVs/monitors include beer holders.

During CES Westinghouse announced three new LCD HDTVs. The 19-inch PT-19H340S, the 22-inch PT-22H340S, and the 22-inch 1080p PT-22F380S. Each display includes support for 720p (1,366x768) resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and a purported 5ms pixel response time.

In addition, each display includes connections and support for ATSC/NTSC/CATV/ClearQAM tuner, which allow for … Read more