The holiday season is in full swing and our gift guides are still going strong. Today we’re highlighting gifts for the movie lover including everything they need for a great movie night. From cinematic sound quality to movie theater snacks at home, our guide to gifts for the movie lover covers all kinds of viewers. Most importantly, these gifts will add a heavy dose of holiday magic to your friend or family…
Home Theater
How to Set Up Your Own Backyard Movie Theater
Setting Up Your Own Outdoor Movie Theater A normal night at the movies hasn’t been possible for quite a while, which has been a bummer for ardent film fans and casual moviegoers alike. Some theaters have adapted by offering drive-in movies, marking a resurgence in a tradition that was nearly extinct. But even with the drive-in theater renaissance, it’s still a rare option. If you can’t find a drive-in theater nearby or…
We compare the Samsung HW-T450 vs HW-T550 vs HW-T650 As televisions continue to make strides in picture quality, smart features, and thinness, there’s one feature that they almost always fall behind on: great sound. Televisions that combine both a slim design with impressive sound quality are far and few between—and that’s just a matter of physics. Speakers make sound by moving a cone which moves air to create soundwaves, and with the…
Sonos Speaker Lineup Explained
Sonos basically invented the networked wireless speaker, and in the decade since the PLAY:5 debuted, they’ve continued to evolve and expand their offerings. Today, Sonos offers a refined product selection that offers wireless audio solutions for mutli-room music, movies, and outdoor listening. They’ve been extra popular lately, as countless people are seeking ways to make home life a little more entertaining or add some pleasant tunes to a home office. If you’ve…
How to Choose an Audio Receiver
Whether you’re looking to build a full-scale home theater with the most immersive surround sound system, or just want a basic stereo system to listen to music, the one piece of equipment you’re absolutely going to need is an audio receiver. The receiver is the brains of any audio system, bridging the gap between your input devices and your speakers. It’s what takes the signal from a radio station, TV broadcast, vinyl…
The Abt Audio Innovation Event Returns
When it comes to shopping for audio products, the proof is in the performance. Video reviews and forum advice might help you narrow down your target gear, but there’s no substitute for being able to demo an A/V receiver or set of speakers before you buy them. It’s even better if you can do it in a space that lets you pit a variety of products against each other. Our speaker listening…
It’s no secret that today’s ultra-thin TVs tend to lack in audio quality—this is an unfortunate side effect of their shrinking profiles. So, in order to get the most out of movie night, some sort of supplementary speaker system is just about mandatory. A surround sound system greatly improves the cinematic experience, bringing the feel of the theater into your own home. Unfortunately, setting up and subsequently using a high-tech audio system…
Samsung Q900 QLED 8K Launch Event
Last month, the groundbreaking Samsung Q900 QLED 8K TV quietly hit our showroom floor. The set was the industry’s first commercially-available 8K TV, and Abt was one of the few places in the country that you could see it. With four times the detail of a 4K TV, and clocking in at a whopping 85 inches, the Q900 display was one of the most popular products on display. To mark the release…
Continuing their trend of hiding fabulous displays in plain sight (see the transparent and rollable OLED TVs) is the LG HU85LA CineBeam laser projector. This ultra-high-definition, ultra-short throw home theater projector brings serious imaging capabilities to your home, without the space requirements of a traditional projector. A typical home theater projector has a throw ratio of around 1.5-2. This means that for every foot of projected image width, you’d need to place…
Cyber Monday Deals: Building the Ultimate Budget Home Theater
Black Friday through Cyber Monday is the best time of the year to get the gear you need to build the ultimate home theater. Deals on TVs and home audio abound, plus we’re at the Peak TV-watching period of the year, with the Big Game right around the corner and crummy weather outside making you want to veg in front of the tube for hours at a time. While building a home…