I went into Office Depot today and they had Ativa 5.1 speakers for 20$. The set was marked down from 119.99 and the deal was available in store only (online they are 40$). For the average user or somone who doesnt want to invest a lot of money into a set of speakers for a computer or home audio this isnt a bad deal at all. If you intend on using the set for a computer with 5.1 sound you will need a card capable of 5.1, also the card will need to have the 3 inputs required. The inputs for 5.1 are usually identified by  color. Green is for your fronts, black is for your rears, orange is for your center and sub.

You will also need 3 RCA to 3.5mm stereo mini plug cables to connect from the ports on your sound card to the amp built into the sub. I had enough cables lying around to splice together to make 3 RCA to 3.5 minis, but they took some time to make. I would suggest getting them from Monoprice.com (.59 Cents) if you dont have the tools or the time to make the cables. After getting everything hooked up I did have some issues in windows 7 getting the sound to come out it 5.1. After about 20 mins of fooling around with drivers and the IDT Sound Control program, I found a post showing how to enable 5.1 through the windows control pannel. You have to go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound -> Speakers (make sure these are your default audio device). Click on the speakers entry once so they are blue and then click configure on the lower left corner of the window. In the next window click 5.1 as your configuration and then click test. you should now hear all your speakers chime one at a time. Watch the indication on the screen to make sure you have your RCAs in correctly. I had to switch a couple of mine so the rights and the lefts matched up.

So, I decided to snag a deal on the Harmony One by Logitech. Wow, am I impressed buy the simplicity of setup. The software that comes with the remote is very smart and it was configured in a matter of minutes. It helps to know the exact model numbers of your devices but those are easy to find. So far I have a TV, HTPC, DVR, Receiver,Roku box, and DVD player all configured. I was just sick and tired of having 5 remotes laying by me at all times. This little bad boy even controls my HP Pavilion laptop and its Windows Media Center functions. I have to say this is by far the best universal remote I have ever used. It retails for about $180.00 but it can be found for about $140.00.

Highlights:
Easy setup
Rechargeable
Backlit buttons
Custom activity macros
Tons of advanced features
Ability to basically control anything

If you already own the remote, here is a nice resource for favorite channel icons you can upload to the remote via the software: Logitech remote icons

I was in Best Buy the other day and the prices of Monster Cable never cease to amaze me.
Do yourself a favor and skip buying $100.00 over priced Monster Cable. I’ve wired many Home Theaters using cable from Monoprice.com. They have some awesome cable options and you can’t beat their prices. That is just one option, the Home Theater market is flooded with lots of great alternatives to the “Monster”.

**Newegg has a super deal on a 6ft HDMI calbe for $2bucks!

Other online cable options:
http://www.tartancable.com
http://www.bettercables.com

Roku Player

Roku is now adding a channel store that will allow owners link up to their Facebook, Pandora and other types of media accounts. I’ve had a Roku player for over a year now and love it. If you have a Netflix account, I suggest you invest in a Roku player. They start at 79.99 for the SD option and it doesn’t have any hidden or monthly fees.

Engadget just posted some info on the Atlona’s HDAiR wireless USB-to-VGA / HDMI adapter. I get questions from customers all the time about getting their PC video out to a HD monitor. This could be a viable solution and the device is wireless.

Atlona’s HDAiR wireless

HDAiR wireless