Best Home Theater Add-ons and Accessories

Home theater has certainly given us more and better options for enjoying home entertainment. However, it has also given us the clutter of remote controls. Many of us have a half-dozen, or more, remotes on the coffee table. The quest for a remote control that can do it all is the true "Holy Grail" of home theater. There are many "universal remotes" that can than replace some of the functions of your remote control collection, but the Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control can just about do it all and is not any larger than most single component remotes.
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Also available, the Logitech Harmony 900, which has both IR and RF transmission capability - Comes with RF receiver and additional IR blasters.
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The DVDO Edge is a feature-packed, affordable, standalone video scaler and processor that delivers what it promises. Anchor Bay VRS technology enables the DVDO Edge to deliver the best possible image on an HDTV from Composite, S-Video, Component, PC, or HDMI sources. In addition, other features, such as 6 HDMI inputs (including one on the front panel), a complete array of NTSC, PAL, and HD output resolutions, variable zoom adjustment, mosquito noise reduction, and audio synch give the DVDO Edge a great deal of flexibility. To find out more about the DVDO Edge, and whether it is a product that is right for you, check out my Short and Full Reviews, as well as my Photo Profile and Video Performance Test Results.

If you are a TV and video recording fanatic, consider the Moxi 3-Tuner HD DVR. If connected to digital cable system, its three built-in tuners can allow recording of up to three TV shows simultaneously, while playing back a fourth. The Moxi can store recorded programs on its included 500GB hard drive, but can also accept external hard drives for increased storage capacity. Another bonus is that Moxi can also access streaming audio/video content from the internet.

Also, a separate, compact, Moxi Mate unit can be added to a TV in another room for access of all the content stored on the HD DVR, as well as web-based content via its network connection. To find out if the Moxi system is right for you, check out my Review and Photo Gallery.

You've spent a lot of money and collected a lot home theater components over the years. With each upgrade or addition you have another power cord to plug in. After the number of wall outlet options run out, you add a surge protector, then another one, and then you still run out. One solution to this mess is to get a centralized power management system, such as the Panamax M5400-PM that not only provides all the outlets you need, but also includes additional connectivity organizes coax and ethernet cable connections, provides a practical way to both monitor and regulate your voltage level, and aids in clearing up power interference. To find out more details on the M5400-PM, read my Short and Full Reviews and also check out my Photo Gallery.

Although HDMI carries audio/video signals using a single cable connection, one issue is that it is effective only over short distances, unless signal boosters are employed. This is a problem when using HDMI in home theater and whole house audio/video installations where connection distances of up to 100 feet or more may be required. To solve this, a converter can be used that allows signals that normally travel via HDMI to travel over the Cat5E or Cat6 cables used in computer networks. Check out a look the Atlona AT-HD-V40SRS HDMI to Cat5E/6 Converter Kit.

The Accell UltraCat HD - HDMI Over Cat5e/6 Extender provides a practical way to send several types of signals over long distances via a single Cat5e/6 cable. HDMI audio/video, Ethernet, as well as IR and RS-232 control can be sent simultaneously in parallel, or individually, to distances up to 328 feet. To find out more about Accell UltraCat HD - HDMI Over Cat5e/6 Extender, and if it provides and answer for your home theater and home networking connection needs, read my Photo Illustrated Review.

The Sunfire Universal Wireless Subwoofer Kit allows consumers to make a wireless connection between any subwoofer with LFE or line inputs and any home theater receiver with subwoofer preamp outputs. By plugging the SDSWITX transmitter to your home theater receiver and SDSWIRX wireless receiver to your subwoofer, you can eliminate the long, and unsightly, subwoofer audio cable that is usually required. An added benefit is that you have more freedom in placing your subwoofer in spot you need to place it in for best low frequency response - as long as you have an AC outlet nearby to access power for your subwoofer and the SDSWIRX wireless receiver.

Also, the SDSWITX transmitter can be used with up to two wireless SDSWIRX receivers, allowing the wireless connection of two subwoofers for your system, if you so desire. Some of the features of this kit are: 25 foot transmission range via 2.GHz band, 16 bit audio resolution, and 48hHz sampling rate capability. The price for the SDSWITX transmitter and one SDSWIRX receiver is about $160. Priced separately, both the transmitter and receiver are priced at about $80 a piece.
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Compare Prices for the SDSWIRX universal wireless subwoofer receiver.

You've spent a lot of money and collected a lot home theater components over the years. With each component upgrade or addition you have another power cord to plug in. After the number of wall outlet options run out, you add a surge protector, then another one, and then you still run out. One solution is to get a centralized power management system that provides all the outlets you need, monitors your voltage level, and also provides battery backup. One product that might do the job for you is the Panamax MX5102. To find if out the MX5102 would make a good addition to your home theater setup, check out my Review and supplementary Photo Gallery.