This study conducted in conjunction with Nielsen Entertainment Research showed Home Theater growth as being up to 33% of U.S. households at the end of 2004.

Interesting stat, I wonder what that’ll be like at the end of this year. The growth rate seems to be increasing exponentially.

Supporting the conclusions of the Nielsen Entertainment study, separate published reports by the Consumer Electronics Association estimate that by the end of 2004, 33% of U.S. households owned a home theater system, up from 21% at the end of 1999. Adding to the ownership levels, in an online survey of 2000 adults ages 18 to 65 across the U.S., Nielsen Entertainment determined that a full 75% of current home theater households have true 5.1-channel or greater surround sound installed, indicating the importance of sound to the home entertainment experience.

Source

No, it’s not a spacecraft. No, it’s not an infrared heat sensitive camera.

It’s the flagship projector from InFocus!

Man, that thing just looks awesome doesn’t it? I wish I had one, maybe I’ll just run out and buy one right no…. mustt… resist…whew.
Ok, for 15 grand, we might have to skimp on something else in life. (hhmmm… let’s see kids, mortgage, college, new roof) Bah! Priorities!

Anyway, if you are in the market for a top-of-the-line DLP projector, and won’t have to sell your children to do so, this bad mamma-jamma should be at the top of your list.

Ok, on to the review:

Features
Type: DLP
Native Resolution / Aspect Ratio: 1280 by 720 / 16:9
Lamp Life : 2,000 hours
Dimensions (H x W x D, inches) 8.5 x 23.7 x 28.4
Weight (pounds) 44.4
Price: $14,999 (with standard throw lens)
Connections : DVI (1), D5 (1), RGB D-Sub 15-pin (1), component (2, RCA and BNC), S-video (2), composite (1)

Overall Rating: 93
If you have the means, there should be little to dissuade you from getting a 777. Its light output is extraordinary, the color points are nearly perfect, and everything else is damn-near excellent. This is how you make a projector.

InFocus 777 full review
Also noted at HDBlog

GameFly, the awesome game rentals via mail service has been taking pre-orders for Xbox 360 titles. They have released a list of the top 10 most requested Xbox 360 games, even before release:

1. Perfect Dark Zero, Microsoft
2. Call of Duty 2, Activision
3. Quake 4, Activision
4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Take 2
5. Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Electronic Arts
6. Dead or Alive 4, Tecmo
7. Gun, Activision
8. Madden NFL 06, Electronic Arts
9. Project Gotham Racing 3, Microsoft
10. Kameo: Elements of Power, Microsoft

If you haven’t used GameFly before, give them a try. You get a 10-day free trial and always free shipping. Click here to try them out.

I love their service, I get soooo excited when I see the orange mailers in my mailbox. (Yeah, it don’t take much.)

Source

Fujitsu toda announced its Holiday Savings Consumer Rebate Promotion, offering customers cash incentives to purchase the company’s two most popular Plasmavision 40-series plasma displays. One of them is HD (the 50″, the other is 1024×1024 - buyer beware.)

The Holiday Savings program runs from November 1 through December 31, 2005, offering $500 cash back on the Plasmavision P42HHA40US (MSRP: $4,999) and a $1,000 rebate on the P50XHA40US (MSRP: $6,999).

All purchases must be made from authorized dealers to qualify for the promotion.

You internet deal buying cheapskates (like me) hear that? No Joe from-around-da-corner with one in his trunk - only AUTHORIZED dealer sales.

For more info see http://www.plasmavision.com.

Press Release

I came across 2 reviews today of this popular LCD projector from Sanyo. Here are the main parts of the reviews:

Cnet:
The good: Solid video processing with 2:3 pull-down; strong feature package with numerous setup options; excellent setup flexibility with both horizontal and vertical lens shift; runs quietly.

The bad: Disappointing black-level performance; visible screen-door effect; HDMI input rolls off resolution.

The bottom line: While its image quality can’t compete with that of entry-level 720p DLP projectors, the inexpensive Sanyo PLV-Z3 LCD is a good choice for people on a tight budget.

NST.com:
“… the Z3 offers a performance level that is difficult to imagine possible just a decade ago.

The level of performance of the LCD format in projectors has taken a huge leap recently and is today rivalling the DLP system. Everything being equal, the latter is likely to cost more.

If you are a big picture fan for whom every ringgit counts, you would want to check out the affordable capabilities of this little gem from Sanyo.”

Sanyo PLV-Z3 Review - CNET
NST.com Sanyo Z3 review

I ran across a site today that mentioned the MovieTime DV10 by Optoma was on sale for $1099.

I don’t remember and can’t find where I saw it, or I’d link (think it was lockergome?), but anyway, it’s going on.

Just go to amazon and search for movietime. Sold through CompUSA without the free screen and subwoofer.

I don’t think I’ve seen this model that cheap anywhere else.

ZDnet check out this HTIB (home theater in a box) for us. This rig gets a thumbs up of 7.3/10.

Personally, I’m not fond of wireless speakers, but for a non-audiophile rig such as this, it should work just fine. The review and other reader reviews commented on the bass being too boomy. Some like that, though.

The good: Dreamy HTIB design; five-disc slot-loading DVD/SACD/CD changer/receiver; HDMI output upscales to 720p/1080i video; wireless surround speakers; tower speakers.

The bad: Tricky setup menus make changing the subwoofer level a pain; tedious DIY speaker assembly; subwoofer sounds bass-heavy.

The bottom line: Sony’s revamped wireless Dream system ups the ante with cutting-edge features and improved sound quality.

Sony DAV-FX100W Full Review

The third and final plasma screen reviewed in Sound & Visions “Plasma in Steps” article is the 55 inch Fujitsu P55XHA40US.

This unit is a bit different than the others, it is more expensive, has no hd tuner, but has some quality video processing for watching standard definition content. If you’ve ever watched regular broadcasts on a nice set, and gasped at the wasted tech, you know what this means.

1366 x 768 Resolution
HDMI, DVI, VGA, component and RS-232 inputs
Color Focus fine color adjustment
Ambient Sensor daylight contrast control

Pros:
•Crisp HDTV and DVD picture.
•Clean video processing of standard TV programs.
•Wide array of picture adjustments.

Cons:
•Expensive.
•Limited shadow detail with some programs.
•No built-in HDTV tuner or speakers.

“BOTTOM LINE Fujitsu’s 55-inch offers a small but noticeable step up in size over a 50-inch model. In this case those few inches come at a steep price, and you don’t get extras like a built-in HDTV tuner or even a complimentary TV stand. But what you do get is exceptional video processing — something that really makes a difference with standard programs — and an usually high level of tweakability that lets you hone in a truly satisfying picture. If you’ve got ten grand to spend and want a bigger and, in many ways, better than average picture, this plasma TV is worth checking out.”

Psst… see above for street price.

Sound And Vision Magazine: Fujitsu P55XHA40US Review (popups)

I came across a preliminary review of this awesome Darkchip 3 DLP home theater projector that should be available very soon.

Keep in mind, this review was done an an evaluation, pre-production PE8720 unit. However, it should be pretty close to the final product.

Basic stats:
-1000 lumens
-Powered by a single Darkchip3 DLP chip
-Maximum contrast: 6200:1
-Lamp life: 2000 hours at ful-l power, 3000 in economy mode
-Noise: less than -26db full power, less than -23db, economy mode
-Faroudja video processing, (DCDi, etc.)
-Sealed light path

Looks like this one is going to be a winner.
(Possibly the best yet, under $10k)

Excellent image quality. (After tweaking)
2000 hour lamp life
No discernable light leakage.
100″ picture from 13 to 17.8 feet.

Expected street price is 7-8000.

Kudos to BenQ for an excellent overall projector, whos most notable issues should be corrected with new gamma, IRE, color tables in the upcoming production models. (And if they don’t get it all fixed, there shouldn’t be anything that a professional calibration won’t cure!)

If you are torn between those under $5000 projectors available online, and the $10,000+ models available only through local dealers, this new home theater projector from BenQ appears to deliver that $10K+ performance at a somewhat more affordable price.

Full Review

Press Release announces a couple of new models coming our way soon.

Of note to me, was the 50″ plasma that will retail at $2700:

The 50-inch Vizio P50HDM has a 1,366×768 resolution, 1,000 ANSI brightness and Faroudja DCDi motion-adaptive de-interlacing that produces 231 billion-color images. The P50HDM’s video processor also features single scan technology for a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, reduced solarization and false contouring along with sharpness improvement, non-linear chroma enhancement, closed color suppression, non-linear scaling and adaptive contrast and color controls. Video connections include VGA, as well as two component and two high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) inputs. The model will be sold at a retail price of US$2,700.

It’ll be interesting to see how these offerings measure up, no doubt. And here is the review: Vizio P50HDM 50 Inch Plasma Review

Press Release
Also at HDBlog