I was really surprised to see this monitor turning up in my labs because Samsung has already made two LED based LCD monitors for 2010 and thus it makes no sense to make another model. Maybe the other two products are doing really well in the market and Samsung decided to cash in by making more such panels. Samsung SyncMaster BX2350 is quite stylish just like the XL2370 and PX2370 both from the same manufacturer. The feature set too is quite similar. The footstand of the Samsung SyncMaster BX2350 is a bit different. Instead of going for the oval or rectangular stand, this panel has two big feet protruding from the bottom of the screen. This is quite similar to some of the high end 3D TVs from this manufacturer. The two feet extend out at an angle of 45 degrees. This stand doesn’t allow the monitor to topple over even if you hit the display from the sides. Ergonomic options on the Samsung  [...]

Logitech Z-5 speakers are made for your computer music needs. They are black in color and the dimensions are similar to that of standard computers speaker set. They do have a bit of modern look though so don’t assume them to have those boring traditional looks. I lifted the speakers and immediately noticed they are a bit lighter as compared to the regular speakers. I don’t see the advantage of the light weight design; you cannot carry them with you because they are a bit tall. The Logitech Z-5 is totally covered in cloth except for the top and bottom parts. They have an omnidirectional design which means you get the same sound output from all the sides of the speakers. This design is good if you are going to place the set in the center of your room while listening to music. But I really don’t think that it is of much use in computer speaker set since they always have their back against  [...]

You might not have heard about B&W, they stand for Bowers & Wilkins and are big wigs in the British hi-fi audio industry. They usually make high end speakers for audiophiles. Before this, we got the Zeppelin iPod speaker systems in our labs for review and the company has now come up with P5 headphones which cost $300 and B&W MM-1, priced at $500. The price is really startling, are you willing to spend so much on computer speakers? B&W MM-1 is connected to the computer via USB and once you plug it, the drivers get installed automatically on to the computer. Both Windows and Mac are supported. According to B&W, USB connection is fed upon to quality of ‘audiophile’ and there is a digital to analog converter which comes with equalizer in order to increase the woofer’s bass output. On the back of right unit, you have aux input to plug in your iPods or any other  [...]

$500 priced the Oppo BDP-83 is one of the best performing Blu-ray disc players in the market. Now, the company has released – the Oppo BDP-80 that costs $290 with quite similar functionality of the BDP-83. However, it lacks inbuilt Wi-Fi and media streaming services. Fairly, the Oppo provides the option to go for a cheap Blu-ray player to attract the budget conscious users who just need a basic player. The front panel is made up of plastic, which is different as compared to brushed metal front of the BDP-83SE and the BDP-83. It is noteworthy that you can browse the music tracks stored on the attached USB drive. The remote layout looks similar to that of the Oppo BDP-83. The keys do not have a backlight, but still glows in dark. The buttons are large and directional pad is located in the center. The user interface of the Oppo BDP-80 is much simpler than that of other players. It lacks  [...]

The Creative Inspire S2 Wireless is actually a Bluetooth enabled small speaker set with a sub-woofer and two small wired connected speakers. It costs $109.9 and provides natural sound with pretty loud volume as per its size. You can connect your mobile handset, Netbook, laptop, and computer with the Inspire S2 speakers. However, it features like a typical PC speaker but costs more than that due to Bluetooth ability. Moreover, there was little distortion at high volumes and Bluetooth connectivity is a bit trickier. On the bright side, the Inspire S2 is compact and small enough. You will get an auxiliary and headphone input at the right speaker of the Creative Inspire S2 Wireless. These input ports can be used to connect portable media players and music phones. We are disappointed that the Creative does not provide any remote controls. There is volume up and down buttons and power switch  [...]

LG BD390 was the first “must buy” Blu-ray disc player with 7.1 analog audio ports; inbuilt storage; good range of streaming services; and inbuilt Wi-Fi. Now, the company has launched its new product – $250 priced LG BD570, which is less as compared $400 for the BD390. The BD570 does not have 7.1 analog audio outputs and not compatible to 3D Blu-ray. On the contrary, the BD750 features excellent picture quality, inbuilt Wi-Fi, and online streaming services such as Picasa, Pandora, YouTube, Vudu, and Netflix. Currently, every company is providing Blu-ray player with Netfllix and inbuilt Wi-Fi at this price. As a result, the LG BD570 will face a tough competition in the market. Overall, LG BD570 is an excellent Blu-ray disc player; still it is not as great as BD390. LG has redesigned the remote control of the BD570. It has black glossy main surface that works as magnet to capture  [...]

You must need a sound bar HTIB (home theater in a box) system for a simple and absolute home theater. JVC TH-BA1 is such a standard configuration of long speaker with wireless sub-woofer. It does not have any pesky wires and AV receiver. It has standard and classified features, but does not include HDMI connectivity. If you are looking for a HDMI connection enabled sound box then you have to go for Sony HT-CT100. However, JVC TH-BA1 is the best deal amongst others Denon DHT-FS33 and Yamaha YSP-900. It has transparent black grille covering all the four speaker drives and you can easily recognize the 3.19 inches drivers. JVC TH-BA1 is self-amplified and provides 30 watts per channel. We appreciate the JVC to include the basic LCD display on front. The LCD display is dark, but lights up automatically when you use the controls. You can turn off or dim the centered blue light on the display. JVC  [...]

Sony was the pioneer of the Blu-ray technology but now they have been surpassed by Samsung, LG and Panasonic. The company makes another attempt with BDP-N460 to top the Blu-ray player market. It’s streaming services including NPR, Slacker, YouTube, Amazon VOD and Netflix and challenges LG BD390 at low price. There are a few shortcomings though, the BDP-N460 does not have inbuilt storage, Wi-Fi, network media streaming and multi-channel analog outputs. These drawbacks make the BDP-N460 a poor alternative to other players like LG BD390. Moreover, the PS3 Slim is available for $100 more and it offers media streaming and high-definition gaming experience. Sony BDP-N460 offers a good combination of Blu-ray playback and streaming functionality at a budget friendly price. Although the LCD display of Sony BDP-N460 is small in size, yet it is readable from distance. You can dim and turn off  [...]

Logitech got us 4 speakers for personal computer or laptop and all of them are in the price range of $69.99-$129.99. None of these speakers have USB connectivity and they have drivers at both the sides which give you omni direction sound output. The speakers have omni directional sound as it has drivers both in the front and the back. This is seldom seen in speakers and we think this is great innovation. Even if you turn the speaker around the back speakers will give you same quantity of noise since the size of the drivers is same on both the sides. The speakers are designed to be placed in the center of the room or someplace where the sound can be thrown in all the directions. We think this is a bit difficult if you are using this set as a desktop speaker since the back of the speaker will face the wall. The speakers are not that heavy one speaker weighs about 1.1 pounds and the  [...]

We haven’t tested speaker systems for quite a long time in our test centers so we were happy to finally find one on our tables when we came to work the next day. Mint Studio Speaker System is a simple looking but provides the features that you expect from it. The sound quality is also pleasing. With Mint Studio Speaker System you can connect your iPod or iPhone to the dock and listen to the songs. There is a remote that gives you the freedom to control the play back from a distance. With the iPhone you will have to enter the device in airplane mode so that it doesn’t interfer with the device. Most cell phones are these days equipped with ‘Airplane mode’. When you activate this control you cannot send or receive calls, text messages and you cannot do browsing or use any other communication based feature on the phone. But you can use the phone to play games, store reminders  [...]