receivers

A big TV without big speakers is just plain criminal. Alas, you can't just buy a pair and plug them directly into your LCD or plasma; you need a receiver to act as the hub and amplify the audio.

Of course, if you've ever shopped for one, you know that receivers can cost a small fortune. But not today.

Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the Pioneer VSX-521-K 5.1-channel A/V receiver for $134.99, plus $5 for shipping. Unlike many Woot products, this one's new, not refurbished.

The VSX-521-K is nicely equipped for … Read more

Sparrow is an attempt to get away from supercomplex, feature-packed e-mail clients in favor of a simpler e-mail experience. The interface is elegant while remaining very straightforward: the left side of the interface shows where e-mails are from, and the right side displays the message and any photos or other media commonly sent through e-mail. Setup only requires that you add accounts; then you can get started right away.

Though the interface is sparse compared with many big-name e-mail clients, you still get plenty of the common actions and options you'd expect from a basic e-mail app in Sparrow. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The Parrot Asteroid Android-powered car stereo is back at CES, and this time it's brought a few new family members.

First up is the Parrot Asteroid CK. This 3.2-inch-screened device installs on the vehicle's dashboard, providing Bluetooth hands-free calling, A2DP audio streaming, voice command for dialing, and digital audio playback from a connected iPod, iPhone, USB storage device, or SD card. You can Bluetooth-tether a smartphone or connect a USB 3G dongle, and the Asteroid CK can connect to the Internet to stream music from the cloud or access geolocation services. The CK does not appear … Read more

I get this question all the time, "I just bought a new TV, do I need to buy a HDMI receiver?" The short answer is no.

You can hook up your Blu-ray or cable box's HDMI outputs directly to the TV, and run digital audio cables to your receiver, and live happily ever after. Granted, you won't be able to play Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks, just standard Dolby Digital and DTS audio you have enjoyed all these years. Some players, like the Oppo BDP-93 or '95 internally decode TrueHD and DTS Master … Read more

Yamaha has unveiled its AV Controller App 2.0 for Android and iOS devices. The app is designed to let users not only control Yamaha receivers and Blu-ray players wirelessly but also stream music to them via DLNA and from a mobile device.

The new app also offers multizone functionality, enabling users to control music in any zone, in addition to system functions such as power, source selection, zones, DSP, and volume.

The app lets users select computers and/or NAS devices from a source list, browse the media contained on them, and stream that media to a receiver. Yamaha … Read more

CNET Reader Name Withheld writes:

Hi, I own a Sony 46-inch TV connected to a receiver and cable box with HDMI. I've always thought the picture just didn't look as good as it did in the store...which I chalked this up to lack of bright store lighting/never calibrating the TV. I'm in the process of moving, so I'm running the cable box directly to the TV, and it now it looks WAY better. What's going on? Should I ditch the receiver? I really don't want to go back to switching inputs on the TV.

Thanks for your help.

Well, Mr. Withheld, interesting question.

… Read more

CNET reader John asks:

I am a senior. My hearing abilities are deteriorating and I expect there are a lot of others with the same problem. Background music in a lot of programming drowns out the voice. Higher frequency and soft voices are more difficult to understand.

I would like to know if there is any way to control the audio portion of a HD cable TV signal? Would a home theater sound system give you any control?

I know I may require hearing aids eventually but was wondering about an interim solution. If control is not an option, would headphones work?

Thanks for your help, John

I can't speak to the question of hearing aids, but as far as TV audio is concerned, it's not entirely your ears.

The problem is: all TV speakers are crap. Many people can't hear dialogue from their TV speakers. Fortunately, there are several solutions.… Read more

CNET reader Jibran writes:

Hi, I need your help. Currently I have my PS3 connected to my 5.1 AV receiver through the PS3's optical out. The TV is connected via HDMI. I'm planning to get an Xbox 360 also, but my dilemma is that how do I connect the Xbox 360 to the same AV receiver? There is only one optical input on the receiver.

Anxiously looking forward to your help.

Regards, Jibran

Great question, Jibran. There are several options. … Read more

Not content to leave the streaming to the new SMP-N200 box, Sony announced two new AV receivers at CEDIA with integrated support for Netflix, YouTube, and Pandora. They'll be among the first receivers we've seen with streaming-video support; most networked AV receivers stick to streaming-music services. The STR-DA3700ES and STR-DA5700ES are part of Sony's high-end ES line, which means they're likely to carry hefty price tags when they're released in November.

Whether buyers want media streaming in their AV receivers has yet to be seen. As we've argued in the past, AV receivers typically aren't great media streamers, … Read more