The Price: $119.95 for a two pack (currently on sale for $99.95 ) or $69.95 in a single version (on sale for $59.95)

The Verdict: The i2i Stream works as advertised. The sound quality from the streaming music is good and it holds up well inside the range of 30 feet (even when separated by walls). Furthermore, switching between audio sources is easy with the color coded channels, and it gets a decent amount of battery life (around 6 or 7 hours). Still, I can't recommend something that seems unnecessary to me. It's not that it is huge or anything (although it could stand to be a little smaller), but when you plug in an iPod and headphones it is nothing more than another cumbersome gadget taking up space and emptying your wallet. And why? So you can share your horrible taste in music with your friends? If you want to DJ your tunes, a simple portable speaker would suffice. Besides, for the price of a single i2i Stream you could get a 2GB Shuffle and listen to your own music.[i2i Stream]

Featuring both analog and digital inputs, the headphones feature 50mm drivers that promise "deep rich bass sounds and crisp high frequencies" within the oversized cups. The device's removable microphone also has a handy feature of sending your voice back through the headphones, meaning that you'll always hear just how obnoxious you are getting during Call of Duty—and in addition, it will dynamically auto-mix your voice over unforeseen in-game noise.

All-in-all, Turtle Beach's Ear Force X4 headphones are looking pretty snazzy if you've got the $199.95 asking price. We'll try to get our hands on a pair to let you know if they're worth it.

It all makes sense to us. Dropping prices will move the older units, while a 60GB model will better compete with the PS3 on specs, filling and rounding out that gap between the 20GB Premium and 120GB Elite. [Hollywood Reporter, Ars, Kotaku]

First Place — No Country for Mole Men

Second Place — JarJarHead

Third Place — Robin Hood: Prince in the Closet

Really, there were lots of these entries that deserved to be in the top 3; I had a really hard time choosing the winners. Which makes your perusal of the Gallery of Champions even more imperative now. This gallery is full of some serious gold. Thanks to all who entered!

YAMAHA INTRODUCES THE YSP-3050 DIGITAL SOUND PROJECTOR,

ITS LATEST SINGLE COMPONENT SURROUND SOUND SOLUTION

—New model to its market-leading line offers HDMI, video upconversion, iPod and XM Satellite Radio compatibility, FM tuner and advanced listening settings —

BUENA PARK, Calif.—Yamaha, the innovator in home theater and digital audio and video reproduction, today unveiled the YSP-3050, the latest in its award-winning line of Digital Sound Projectors which focus audio signals into precisely controlled and directed "beams" that provide true multi-channel surround sound from a single component. The YPS-3050 fits neatly underneath a flat-panel television and gives consumers a space-efficient option to installing multiple speakers throughout a room for immersive audio for watching movies, television and sports programming.

The new YSP-3050 features 21 beam drivers, and two woofers, 23 corresponding digital amplifiers, three Cinema DSP programs (movie, music and sports), analog to HDMI video upconversion, high definition video upscaling to 1080i/720p and a 1080p (24Hz and 60Hz) compatible HDMI interface with two inputs and one output to facilitate pure digital connections with the latest home theater components.

The YSP-3050 is XM Satellite Radio ready with XM HD surround sound powered by Neural Surround. The YSP-3050 also offers iPod compatibility via the new optional YDS-11 dock (more information on the YDS-11 below). Once docked, the iPod can be operated (song selection, play, etc.) via the YSP's remote control and on-screen display. Yamaha's proprietary Compressed Music Enhancer technology compensates for the lost detail of audio that is compressed during the "ripping" process, recapturing the essence of the original recording. An integrated FM tuner further broadens the user's entertainment choices.

The YSP-3050 creates a wide soundstage designed to fill the whole room with convincing surround sound regardless of where listeners are seated. Sound settings include 5-Beam, 3-Beam, 3-Beam + Stereo, 2- channel Stereo, My Beam, 5-Channel Stereo and My Surround modes. My Surround mode delivers surround sound to even the most difficult installation environments where walls may not be present or are covered with unsuitable materials. My Beam mode focuses the sound at a specific listening position, so the listener can hear all program audio clearly, including dialog, without disturbing others in the room.

Yamaha's proprietary IntelliBeam™ automated system calibration enables users to quickly and easily set up each system for the optimal listening experience and intuitive, multi-language on-screen displays.

The YSP-3050 offers full support for surround sound standards, including Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6, as well as CINEMA DSP technology, to create realistic soundscapes in any room. For late night movie and music enjoyment, a Night Listening Enhancer mode allows dialog and quiet passages to be heard clearly, even at low volumes. The TV Equal Volume mode prevents sudden startling bursts of sound from TV programs and commercials. The model also features SRS TruBass technology to provide exceptionally deep and rich bass response.

The YSP-3050 is currently available for a suggested retail price of $1,399.95.

Features

DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, JPEG and MP3 playback

MPEG4 playback

Flash media card capability with a port for SD(tm), MMC and MS Cards

Built-in USB port

16:9 widescreen format

High-resolution active matrix TFT display

Built-in stereo speakers and anti-shock system

Includes rechargeable NiMH battery, IR remote control, AV cable, AC/DC adapters and carrying case

[Chipchick]

Naturally, Netflix anticipates demand by combining box office popularity with your input—but it is not always first come, first served when it comes to new releases in the queue. In fact, the more active you are with your membership, the less likely you are to receive a new release quickly. Furthermore, if you have received numerous new releases over the course of the month, you are less likely to get them down the line. So, if there is a new movie you are dying to get right away, it might be a good idea to pass on some lesser movies to up your odds.

Oh, and if you were wondering why Netflx did away with profiles in the queue, Sound & Vision discovered that it was a move intended to streamline their service and keep prices low going forward. You may not consider it a "minor feature," as they do—but if it is true about the prices, dropping it is probably worth the sacrifice. [Sound & Vision]

80W 2.1 digital DSP based stereo system with separate sub-woofer
LF/MF (AM) and FM stereo reception
Band III DAB Digital Radio (where available)
Built-in antenna for local stations
Two assignable antenna sockets
Selection of antenna accessories available
3.5mm digital optical/analogue headphone out
3.5mm aux analogue input (Aux 1)
3.5mm digital optical input (Aux 2)
Mini-DIN input (Aux 3) for docking station
CD/DVD drive accepts CD-DA, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, DualDisc, DVD-V, DVDR/RW
S-Video and composite outputs PAL/NTSC
Radio/tone alarm function
Compact infared remote control

There, that's the specs. The only thing that is even slightly eyebrow raise-worthy is that the remote-control is magnetic, so you don't lose it. Come the revolution... [Dunhill via Sybarites]

On the plus side, the inherent ESPN-ness of the remote will undoubtedly appeal to hardcore fans. It even goes so far as to play the ESPN theme song in Tim The "Tool Man" Talyor's famous grunt when you turn on the TV. Convenient features like a "learning mode" to customize functions and a programing setting that will allow you to perform multiple tasks in a single keystroke were also nice touches. However, for $300, you will be getting a device that is fairly difficult to set up, uncomfortable to hold, and includes an underwhelming W-Fi experience with a small screen and plain old WAP browsing.

All in all, PC Mag felt that you would be better off with a Logitech Harmony One as an "ultimate remote control." Not a bad idea when you consider that it can be had for at least $50 less than ESPN's remote. [PC Mag]

What's absurd is that she was in fact reported missing, but somehow no one ever checked her apartment, which leads me to believe no one checked anywhere. I mean, where else do you look for someone when they're missing? I don't understand it. Her neighbors apparently just assumed she moved out of her apartment, and she was finally found when the police broke in to figure out who owned the place.

A police spokesman said: "When officers went there, they said it was like stepping into a place frozen in time. The cup she had been drinking tea from was still on a table next to the chair she had been sitting in and the house was full of things no one had seen for decades. Nothing had been disturbed for decades, even though there were more than a few cobwebs in there."

Well, that's unsettling. [DailyRecord; img]

Features:

•Industrial rack mounted hardened PC
•Two 19” Digital monitors
•7.1 surround sound system
•Wireless network capability
•Ergonomic keyboard and mouse
•Video conferencing capability with a built-in camera
•VOIP with full telephony features
•Articulating calf support (programmable to reduce DVT)
•Mechanically adjustable armrests
•Mechanically adjustable head rest and monitors
•Pneumatically inflatable lumbar and headrest bladders
•Mechanically reclining motion to 38 degrees
•Mechanically adjustable seat depth (knee to hip)
•Mechanically retractable monitors
•Swing away keyboard (manual)
•Form fitting seatback, armrests and seat cushion
•Memory chair presets via proprietary Motion Control Board/Software
•Compact design using twelve square feet of floor space

As I mentioned earlier, the Ergonomic Workstation is currently in a prototype phase so the when, where and how much information is not yet known. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was far too expensive for the average lazy geek to afford. [Ergo Motions via Born Rich]

The question here is: Why the hell would anyone want to build such a device? Microsoft's justification for the project is that PCs can often do the same things that dedicated devices can do (like cellphones), but there is a learning curve involved :

User studies carried out on a number of users have shown that entertainment, communication and information retrieval are the three main motivating factors for people to use devices like a personal computer. However since a personal computer is a general purpose device, some amount of learning is associated with achieving the same task as compared to achieving the same task using a special purpose device like a telephone, a music player, or the like.

For example making a telephone call using a computer involves knowing what application is used on a computer to make a call, starting the application and figuring out how to use it using input devices attached to the computer like keyboard and mouse. Instead if the device had a hardware keypad that is normally used in a telephone, along with appropriate software then dialing a call would just involve pressing “Dial” button, followed by the numbers to be dialed on hardware keypad and the required software will come up and complete the call for the user. In this way the interaction of the user with the device would be the same as the interaction with a special purpose device for making a telephone call.

So, instead of focusing on user friendly smartphones and portable PC software, they have basically duct-taped a cellphone to a laptop. The future is here...today! [WIPO via Unwired View]

This guy is clearly trying to prove something. His Italian room has a giant screen at 135 inches, but there's also a "Bourbon Street Room" in the basement, which has a 170-inch screen and a full bar. Oh, and then there's the 110-inch drop-down screen and 1080p projector in the bedroom and the 20-foot screen on the side of the house for pool viewing. The entire house is over 15,000 square feet, so as Tony says, "It is a long walk to the main theater!" Oh ho ho, you jokester you! I bet it's tough walking the hallways between your home theaters and having so much time to dwell on how empty you feel inside despite having so much expensive crap in your house!

Be sure to check out the full gallery at Electronic House to see just how ludicrous this house is. [Electronic House]

Basically, on one end you have 2 HDMI ports, 2 component video ports and a composite port. Video from all your set-top boxes go in there, from the 480p Wii to the 1080p PS3. You select inputs the way you'd select them in a switcher—at any given time, the thing is only streaming one signal, upconverted to whatever resolution you choose. If you have an audio system nearby, you can send audio out of it via optical cable or digital coax. The system keeps the audio that goes out in sync with the picture that's distributed all over, so there's no lip-out-of-sync issues.

The video (and optionally, audio) is encoded and transmitted to a receiver unit with HDMI and optical outputs, so it can be the only thing next to your TV or projector. The transmitter also has a coax output, and the receiver has a coax input, to receive the signal. (When you're transmitting UWB through your house, it apparently doesn't interfere with your cable-TV signal.)

That means users could stream HD video content with full 1080p resolution between their HDTV displays, Blu-ray, DVD players and/or set-top boxes within a room or between adjacent rooms and transmit A/V contents up to 330 feet over existing coaxial cables. Monster expects their new wireless HD products to hit the market by this October. Check out the press release for full details.

Press release:

Monster Teams with Sigma Designs to “Go Wireless” in HD Home Entertainment with Exciting New Wireless HDAV and UWB-over-Coax Combination Solution

New Monster® “Wireless Digital Express HD” for HDMI Cable Replacement System Offers Both In-Room and Room-to-Room A/V Signal Distribution

New York City – June 12, 2008 – Monster, the world’s leading manufacturer of audio and video connectivity solutions, and Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM), a leader in digital media processing system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for consumer electronics, today announced a collaboration to create advanced wireless solutions for HDMI™ home entertainment distribution.

The first fruit of the Monster/Sigma Designs partnership will be the new “Monster® Wireless Digital Express HD” system, which will use Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ for High-Definition (HD) A/V cable replacement as well as its UWB-over-Coax technology to offer consumers an elegant “wireless and no new wires” combination solution for enjoying HD content throughout the home. In addition to letting users stream HD video content with full 1080p resolution between their HDTV displays, DVD players (including Blu-ray), and/or set-top boxes within a room (or to an adjacent room), Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD system will allow room-to-room HD entertainment streaming, transmitting A/V contents up to 330 ft. over a home’s existing coaxial cables. Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD line of products was officially announced at Digital Downtown 2008, a CES showcase running June 12-14 in New York City. Monster® Wireless Digital Express HD products are scheduled to reach the market by October 2008.

“After evaluating other wireless solutions for A/V cable replacement, we chose Sigma as a partner for our entry into the wireless distribution arena simply because the company’s solutions proved to be the most reliable and because they meet Monster’s strict quality parameters,” said Noel Lee, The Head Monster. “In addition, Sigma’s UWB allows us to continue offering our customers the quality service levels they’ve come to expect. Together, we are achieving a “virtual wireless” solution for the whole home by combining wireless for in-room HD content streaming and UWB-over-Coax for room-to-room streaming.”

Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD is powered by Sigma’s Wireless HDAV™ which features Sigma’s UWB Windeo® chipset and its Intelligent Array Radio™ (IAR) technology. Sigma’s IAR technology incorporates three antennas to deliver the industry’s most reliable wireless link that is uninhibited by walls, objects or people, also referred to as non-line-of-sight activity. Sigma’s Wireless HDAV solution will ultimately enable Monster’s customers to mount their HDTVs on walls without the need for multiple HDMI and A/V cables spread throughout the room or hanging across the walls. Meanwhile, users will experience the same advanced high definition signal quality they have come to expect via traditional wires.

Sigma’s Wireless HDAV and UWB-over-Coax combination solution also powers the Monster Wireless Digital Express HD product with long range capability to cover the whole home with wireless connectivity that achieves mobility and flexibility for in-room video streaming. At the same time, the solution maintains the highest quality of service that is required for HD content that travels from room-to-room. Finally, Sigma’s UWB technology is based on the most preferred WiMedia™ Alliance standard supported by many of the world’s leading technology companies. The WiMedia standard-based architecture and interoperability enables economies of scale and rapid market adoption.

“We are excited that Monster has chosen Sigma’s wireless HDAV and “no new wires” UWB-over-Coax solutions to power the new Wireless Digital Express HD product,” said Hung Nguyen, vice president and general manager at Sigma’s Wireless Products Division. “Monster’s selection of Sigma’s UWB technology further validates that advanced wireless home connectivity is here now, ready for our home high def products. We are delighted to offer Monster customers a simple way to set up and experience broadband wireless connectivity between their home entertainment products, and once and for all eliminate the need for any new complex wiring.”

More about Monster Wireless Digital Express HD

Monster’s Wireless Digital Express HD product includes transmitter and receiver elements inside box equipment that encodes older video formats to 1080P HDMI, can upscale all inputs to 1080p format, and offers in-room and adjacent room wireless connectivity, and 330 ft. plus range of coax connectivity room-to-room. In addition, the product offers a fully integrated Infrared (IR) distribution solution as well as inputs for two HDMI ports, two component, one composite video/S-video with audio, coax digital, optical digital with outputs of coax digital, optical digital F-connector for coax, 3 IR emitters and a serial communication input. The input switching is IR controlled for advanced whole home control capability. The Wireless Digital Express HD can be software updated through its included USB port.

More about Sigma’s Wireless HDAV Solutions

Sigma’s Wireless HDAV streaming is a technology for transporting HD multimedia using standard-based encoding technologies over Ultrawideband (UWB) to replace high definition audio/video cables. Sigma enables developers of home networking systems to eliminate cables between a television and set-top box or High-Definition DVD player using wireless HDAV, the first technology solution to support both the H.264 format and UWB based on the WiMedia® standard. Wireless HDAV streams high-definition content from device to device at distances up to 330 feet.

Sigma’s wireless solution combines the Fujitsu H.264-compliant MB86H52CODEC with Sigma Designs’ SMP8634 Secure Media Processor decoder and UWB Windeo® chipset, the only UWB chipset that uses Intelligent Array Radio (IAR) technology. IAR ensures the highest reliability in wireless connections between devices and also delivers through-wall and range extension capabilities. Using the MB86H52 to compress raw video allows wireless HD video streaming without compromising visual quality.

Unfortunately, the game doesn't let you play any of the instruments in an orchestra, which would be pretty cool and allow for nice, 50-person online games. Instead, it uses the Wiimote as a baton, letting you conduct the orchestra. Yep, it's a game that's totally controlled by you waving your hands to the music. Sound boring? Yes, I agree, but hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are explosions when you really get the tempo right or when you lead that soloist to perfection. Classical music explosions, that is. The future is now!

Unfortunately for you, it's not for sale. Instead, it'll be set up before London Symphony Orchestra shows to give people a chance to try their hand at conducting before seeing the real maestros at work. You'll have to settle for my incredible box art Photoshop. [Reuters]

[Aving USA and Displayblog]

Aside from housing the plasma screen, the walnut hardwood console even incorporates room for a built-in center speaker. Made from "Fender amp screen material," the front facing speaker grill is in a perfect location to complete the surround-sound speaker layout.

This design to house electronics in a clean modern look is a complete throwback to the entertainment consoles that emerged in the 1950s. Back then it was very common to find a TV housed completely in a wood console, or a record player hidden inside a teak credenza. With entertainment technology becoming such an integral part of every household, it's nice to know that there is someone out there trying to put it it all together again.

Since the console was only on display to "test the waters of public interest," there is no word on specific specs, pricing or availability. Apartment Therapy did get a few words from the designer, and found out that his furniture company, Wilkerson Furniture, is still unsure if they should offer the console and the screen as a package. I'm glad this is a concern, because with plasma TVs currently on the way out, it could mean this console is just old stuff. [Wilkerson Furniture via Apartment Therapy]

They have teamed up with Triad speakers to offer units that incorporate the front left, center and right channel speakers underneath your flat-panel television. When you turn on the unit, the artwork retracts to reveal the screen but leaves the speakers masked from view behind a black matte material. Custom sizes and speaker setups are available, but I'm sure that regardless of the configuration you choose, installing VisionArt in your home will not come cheap. Still, it may be a small price to pay for such a seamless solution. [VisionArt via Electronic House]

The Mandarin's top tier units feature Bang & Olufsen 65-inch plasma and 40-inch LCD televisions along with matching B&O 5-zone sound system, Creston TPMC-8X remote (ready to control your TV and air conditioning), LG Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player and an Xbox 360 to round it all out.

But to save some dough, we might "rough it" at the Elounda Peninsula in Crete, Greece. Starting at just $630 a night for a junior suite (and peaking at around $14,000 for the best rooms) they offer private beaches along with a 45-seat symmetrical shared theater with Barco IQ-G300 projector. Hit the link for all of Sound & Vision's top picks. [Sound & Vision]

The hardware itself looks a lot like a beefy router. Connecting to the internet without the aid of a computer, it will feature USB ports for flash memory storage along with S-Video and/or HDMI out (it doesn't sound like the final specs are nailed down just yet, honestly).

But Verismo is promising a ton of partnerships that could make the PoD a sort of one-stop media streamer for BitTorrent and paid downloads alike. Plus, the UI looks speedy and easy to use in this demo. We'll be keeping an eye out for sure. [Verismo Networks via newteevee]

The Xbox 360 isn't all that much better, using 23.57kWh per week when idling compared to the PS3's 31.74kWh. The Wii, on the other hand, is downright dainty in comparison, using only 2.97kWh per week when idling, less than 10% of the energy used by the PS3.

It's all a good lesson to simply turn off your console, whatever it may be, when you aren't using it. I'm not one to disparage the good work done by Folding@Home, but if you leave your console cranking away on it all the time you'll spend enough to go out and buy a Wii by the time a year is up. [Choice via GadgetLab]