Home Theater Away From Home
You Don’t Have To Leave All the Benefits of Home Behind You
May 2007 By Marshal M. Rosenthal
Going to college might mean leaving behind that home theater you’ve put together, but who’s gonna put up with watching movies or TV shows on some little television with dinky speakers? There’s all kind of choices that don’t care how big the space is, or what kind of budget you’ve got. E-Gear’s got you covered, so check this out:
Dorm Room
Just because there’s not much space or you have a roommate doesn’t mean you have to give up on the home theater experience.
OPPO LT-201 LCD TV/DVD Combo $599 | www.oppodigital.com
The LT-201 doesn’t take up much space and combines an enhanced definition (800x600 resolution) 20-inch flat-panel LCD TV with a slot-loading DVD player. Extensive connections include a digital audio output for connecting to home theater systems and a VGA input for gaming and computer multi-tasking.
Using your laptop’s DVD drive and a pair of headphones gives you personalized viewing, but add these to turn it into a full fledged entertainment center:
AVerTV Hybrid USB
$149 | www.avermedia.com
This TV tuner pops into a USB port and works with Microsoft Windows XP Home/Professional, Media Center Edition 2005 Vista to let you view both analog and high-definition TV programming up to 1080i (an off-air antenna is needed). Use it to watch live TV, listen to FM radio, and digital record and save programs to the hard disk.
Replay TV PC Edition
$99 | www.replaytv.com
It’s like their digital box, but it’s all software to give your PC full-fledged PVR control. That includes a program guide for scheduling recordings and plenty of viewing features to personalize TV your way.
Onkyo CS-V720S Universal A/V System $399 | www.onkyo.com
Small enough to fit on a dresser, desk, or night stand, the Onkyo combines a two-channel receiver, universal DVD-A/SACD disc player, and complete 5.1-channel processing. A pair of two-way loudspeakers, progressive scan video output, and pre-outs allow for expanding into a full-fledged 5.1-channel home theater mini-system. Match it to an Onkyo DS-A2 Remote Interactive Dock > $109 | www.onkyo.com, grab the remote and you’ve complete control over all iPod functions. It even charges the iPod as well.
Razer Mako 2.1 Bi-Amplified
Speaker System
$299 | www.razerzone.com
Dorm Room
Just because there’s not much space or you have a roommate doesn’t mean you have to give up on the home theater experience.
OPPO LT-201 LCD TV/DVD Combo $599 | www.oppodigital.com
The LT-201 doesn’t take up much space and combines an enhanced definition (800x600 resolution) 20-inch flat-panel LCD TV with a slot-loading DVD player. Extensive connections include a digital audio output for connecting to home theater systems and a VGA input for gaming and computer multi-tasking.
Using your laptop’s DVD drive and a pair of headphones gives you personalized viewing, but add these to turn it into a full fledged entertainment center:
AVerTV Hybrid USB
$149 | www.avermedia.com
This TV tuner pops into a USB port and works with Microsoft Windows XP Home/Professional, Media Center Edition 2005 Vista to let you view both analog and high-definition TV programming up to 1080i (an off-air antenna is needed). Use it to watch live TV, listen to FM radio, and digital record and save programs to the hard disk.
Replay TV PC Edition
$99 | www.replaytv.com
It’s like their digital box, but it’s all software to give your PC full-fledged PVR control. That includes a program guide for scheduling recordings and plenty of viewing features to personalize TV your way.
Onkyo CS-V720S Universal A/V System $399 | www.onkyo.com
Small enough to fit on a dresser, desk, or night stand, the Onkyo combines a two-channel receiver, universal DVD-A/SACD disc player, and complete 5.1-channel processing. A pair of two-way loudspeakers, progressive scan video output, and pre-outs allow for expanding into a full-fledged 5.1-channel home theater mini-system. Match it to an Onkyo DS-A2 Remote Interactive Dock > $109 | www.onkyo.com, grab the remote and you’ve complete control over all iPod functions. It even charges the iPod as well.
Razer Mako 2.1 Bi-Amplified
Speaker System
$299 | www.razerzone.com
