The Samsung 85-inch UltraHD LED 3D TV that was first showcased at CES 2013, has finally arrived at Abt Electronics.  This TV has a wildly incredible picture and a really cool looking design   Check out the overview from Abt’s YouTube channel.  If you are in the Chicagoland area, stop by ouor store and see this HUGE HDTV in person!

This weekend, May 17th to May 19th, Abt is hosting its annual Time Watch Boutique Watch Fair.  Come on by and see our wide selection of elegant timepieces and meet with watch representatives.  Enjoy a variety of light hors d’oeuvres and champagne and see our full collection in our Time Watch Boutique.

Samsung has entered the field of 4K HDTVs with their new 85-inch Ultra HD TV.  For those that aren’t familiar, 4K means four times the resolution of standard 1080p HD picture quality.  Samsung calls their new TV a work of art, which works because the presentation looks like a canvas on an easel.  It has a floating design that offers you control to tilt or raise and lower to perfect your eye-level viewing experience.

The Samsung 85-inch 4K HDTV is packed with a whole lot of exceptional features.  The frame has speakers that pump out volume up to 120 watts giving you great audio with amazing picture quality.  There is a camera in the upper frame which gives you accessibility to online chat through Skype and other various programs.  Being connected to the internet is a breeze with Samsung’s proprietary Smart Hub menu offering you a vast array of applications and more.

Stop by Abt Electronics this evening, May 15th and see and see the Samsung 85-inch Ultra HD 4k TV for yourself during our Samsung Live Event and be amazed!  Hope to see you there!

The weather is beautiful today in the Chicagoland area.  What better way to usher in the beautiful weather, than firing up your grill and enjoying some delicious BBQ food!  At Abt Electronics, we have a wide variety of outdoor grills and grill accessories to get you cooking your favorites all Summer long.  To help you cook your various items, you are going to need some great accessories.  Shop our grill accessories page and find just what you are looking for!

Not sure what grill is best for you?  Not a problem.  If you need a little guidance, visit Abt’s How to Buy a Grill buying guide and find out what’s best for you!

Be sure to visit the blog this summer as we will have new, weekly grill updates featuring grilling events, recipes, and new sales on all your favorite grilling items!

Just when you thought TV manufacturers couldn’t get any more innovative with their technology, they pull another trick out of their sleeves!  First it’s high definition TVs, then it’s 3D TVs, now, it’ TVs with Cloud capabilities.

Introducing the Toshiba 65L7300U 65-inch LED TV with cloud capabilities.  Just like your phone or favorite portable electronic device, the cloud TV capabilities give you the opportunity to connect and enjoy a ton of excellent news, information and other capabilities.  Whether you are a program junkie, a news fanatic, or want to stay connected to the ones you love, Toshiba offers an incredible experience with just the touch of a few buttons.  Explore Toshiba’s Cloud TV capabilities at Abt Electronics.

For many people, checking the time of day is no more than a quick glance at their cell phones or a turn to the clock on the wall.  Owning and wearing a watch isn’t as necessary as it once was, but there is still an element of style involved.  Citizen Watch Company has released a new watch that gives users much more than the time of day: a sense of classic style.  Check out our video below.

Called the Citizen Eco-Drive, the watch offers exceptional craftsmanship.  The word “eyes” comes from Citizen’s belief of having “astute, unclouded eyes and foresight, and to represent a futuristic concept watch.

Ever wish you could have your important files escorted across the internet by a rough-and-tumble English rogue in a high-performance European sedan, ensuring they get to a safe, secure destination? If you’re like me, you sure have. Data storage on “The Cloud” continues to grow in popularity, but many people are nervous about reliability and privacy of cloud-based storage, not to mention recurring storage fees. And that’s where the Connected Data Transporter Private Cloud comes in, giving you the convenience of cloud storage services, without the monthly fees, and with the peace-of-mind of having total control over the location of your data.

Getting started with the Transporter drive is a pretty simple process. First, buy the unit with the amount of storage you need: 1TB (terabyte), 2TB, or a bare unit, to which you add a hard drive of your choice. Then connect it to your home network, either wirelessly or with a wired connection. Once hooked up to your network, simply create a Transporter account, and you’re ready to easily and safely sync files and share them with anyone you want, from anywhere you have access to the internet. Read the rest of this entry »

Since “Abt at the Movies” took a brief hiatus, there have been a handful of movies that have come and gone.  Many of which became Oscar winners or nominees this past February at the Academy Awards.  One such film had been under intense scrutiny before it even came out.  Noted for its subject matter and controversial depictions,  Zero Dark Thirty was ruffling feathers and sparking interest before the opening credits even began to roll.  Since its release, it has garnered a wide variety of critical acclaim as well as public outcry, much of which derives from the various interrogation scenes that were, according to the filmmakers, true to life.

The opening of the film is set on a black screen with the headline, “September 11, 2001″.  We hear an audio clip of a woman frantically calling 911.  She is in one of the World Trade Center buildings on a floor above where the first plane just hit.  Her fate is clearly understood in her voice.  A chilling start to the movie, but a necessary part that gives the audience an idea of just why the protagonists in the movie do what they do.

Directed by Katherine Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty showcases a whirlwind of emotions, perfectly crafted by the three lead actors, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler.  The rise and fall and rise again of the chronological hurdles that were faced is nothing short of exhausting.  Chastain earned her Oscar nomination as the beleaguered Maya who, through her tenacity and voracious determination, fought hell and high-water to find her target.

Director Katherine Bigelow does an equally amazing job at telling this story.  No stranger to military-style film-making  Bigelow was recognized by the Academy for her last film, The Hurt Locker.  Her attention to detail and gritty representation of the horrors of warfare were a perfect match to direct this movie.  The time progression in the film is handled perfectly.  With the events that followed September 11th, you are presented a series of immensely intense moments.

We all know the end of the movie.  We know what happened, or we know what we’ve been told, with the events that led up to finally eliminating Osama Bin Laden.  What Bigelow has done, is recreated a series of events spanning over 10 years that catapulted America to locating and disposing one of America’s Most Wanted.  In no small feat she has assimilated every little detail, every nuance and every possible feeling involved and encapsulated them in just under 3 hours of cinema experience.

Zero Dark Thirty is not necessarily an action movie.  It’s not totally a drama and it’s not a documentary.  It’s a primal look into what was gained, lost and then found again, to reach the ultimate catharsis for the players involved and, more appropriately, an entire country and more.  It’s a movie that has subject matter, riddled with a  variety of emotions, and presented them as thoroughly as possible, no matter how gut wrenching they may be.

Make no mistake, this movie can be difficult to watch.  Whether the events of September 11th are still a sensitive subject, or whether the idea of any kind of torture, no matter the outcome, is horrific, emotions will be touched upon in this 2 1/2 hour endeavor.  Zero Dark Thirty is an overall accomplishment in film-making and storytelling.

Rated R for strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language.  Running time: 157 minutes.

Summary:

HOME THEATER DEAL OF THE WEEK

Samsung 40-inch Black LED 1080p 3D HDTV UN40F6400

Enjoy your favorite programming in beautiful high-definition with the Samsung UN40F6400 TV.  With incredible clarity and a Clear Motion Rate of 480, your images will be smooth and blur-free.  Connect directly to the internet to stream your favorite music or programs with the built-in Wi-Fi capabilities and Samsung’s proprietary Smart Hub TV.

Mother’s Day is still a couple weeks away, and we know how hard it can be to find a gift for that special lady. Walk around our store, and you’ll get a million different ideas: an elegant watch, a coffee maker, or a pair of chic sunglasses. But if she’s anything like my Mom, ask her what she wants and she’ll say “I want you to not waste your money buying me a gift,” and she’ll probably mean it. If that’s the dilemma you’re facing, stop in the store this Sunday, April 28^th, from Noon to 4pm, and we might still be able to help you out.

In conjunction with Sony, Abt will be hosting a pair of creative digital artists, who will be using their skills to create personalized gifts that any mother will love.

Renowned photographer Me Ra Koh is coming to Abt to teach how to best capture photos of your little loved ones.

Read the rest of this entry »

USA Today ran a story recently about the ever growing popularity of the “Man Cave“, or, also known as, the “Woman Cave“.  The popularity stems from someone seeing a unique opportunity to turn what was once a car and belonging storage space, to a relaxing, hospitable part of their home.

USA Today interviewed Abt’s very own Todd Shuster for a bit of information on the proliferation of these new “garage caves”.  ”Man caves have always been popular, but with the ever increasing size of rec rooms and kids’ playrooms, the man has nowhere to go,” says Shuster. “Enter the garage, a place that can be a shrine to your favorite football team, your Harley or sports car.”

One of the most popular uses for a garage has been to store your car.  Celebrities and the wealthy have gone the same route, however, to much more expensive results.   “The place where you park has become a living quarters,” says Phil Berg, author and photographer for the book series Ultimate Garages.  This book series showcases a variety of leading celebrities and business owners who have an obsession with collecting and preserving cars in their pristine garages.  Celebrities like, Jay Leno.

Image courtesy of CNN

Garage uses range from the typically normal; they are storage devices to the more unique where homeowners transformed them into  spacious art-like galleries featuring cars.  For the every-man  Abt Electronics can help you turn your garage into the more traditional man or woman cave with a variety of luxury appliances, electronics and even furniture.  If you are simply looking to keep organized, we carry a wide variety of the popular Gladiator Garageworks.