Created by Q Acoustics, the Q-TV2 straps onto the back of your flat-panel television, providing true 2.1 stereo sound that should beat out anything that’s built into your TV. Just snap the QT-V onto the back of your set, plug it into your TV’s optical, RCA or headphone jack, and you’re all set. The whole thing measures in at just 38mm (appx 1.5-inches) deep.

If you’re sick of your  TV’s thin, tinny speakers, the Q-TV2 should blow you away. Left and right channel sound is provided by a four wide-dispersion balanced-mode radiator speakers, powered with a 25w per channel amp. For big bass boom, there’s a slim vibration-free subwoofer that hides behind your display, powered by a 50W amp (the sub uses 4 individual to fit into such a thin package). Both the left and right satellites offer swivel mounts so you can adjust the angle of the speakers too.

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While the base model of the Q-TV2 is designed for TVs that are sitting on a stand, they do offer optional wall mounts (both stationary and cantilevered) for an added charge. Since the Q-TV2 is made in the UK, you’ll probably need a power adapter if you want to use it in other countries, and at this point it’s only available for TVs between 30 and 42-inches diagonal. So if you have a bigger screen than that, you’re out of luck. The system is available now from Amazon UK for £299.99 (appx. $497 USD).

Nanotech’s Multipin is a digital pinball simulator, mashed-up with the physical look of a classic pinballer. The game is a full-sized pinball machine that provides electronic renditions of 17 pinball machines in a single cabinet. The system comes loaded with a number of original pinball games, as well as several modern remakes of classic Gottlieb pinball titles from the 1970s and 80s. And if 17 games aren’t enough Nanotech plans on offering upgrade packs with additional tables you can load in later.

Games are played on a large 32-inch 720p high-def LCD monitor that’s set into the playing surface under glass. Multipin not only looks like a pinball cabinet, the game is controlled with all of the classic trappings, a mechanical plunger, clicky flipper buttons, and a realistic audio experience which includes all of the sounds you’d expect to hear coming from a mechanical pinball machine. There are even digital motion sensors in the cabinet that let you nudge and shake the ball around (and eventually tilt the machine if you go too far). There’s also a second LCD screen under the machines backglass that’s used for displaying scores, game graphics, and the occasional mini-game.

Here’s some video from a recent episode of NBC’s TechNow showing off the Multipin in action:

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The best thing about the Multipin? You can buy one for yourself – now. This isn’t vaporware, it’s a real thing. The $6000 (USD) machine is available now over at Hammacher Schlemmer. Sure, you’ll need some seriously deep pockets to buy one, but if you’re a serious pinball addict, you might want to put Multipin on your Christmas list this year.

Acousticom’s Sound Egg is an acoustically-insulated pod, loaded up with a 5.1 surround sound system. In addition to the 5 precisely positioned satellite speakers, there’s also a hefty 10-inch subwoofer right under your seat. Talk about some serious rump-shaking. The guys at Acousticom claim the speaker system offers solid frequency response all the way from 20Hz up to 20KHz. As you can see from the photo below, you’ll still need to B.Y.O. home theater system and amp, but the chair has all of the speakers built-in.

Originally created for audio testing and home theater demonstrations, the Sound Egg is designed to provide a completely enveloping audio experience, that’ll have you never wanting to head out to the theater again. At least not when you’re by yourself, since there’s not really a good way to have multiple people share in the Sound Egg experience at the same time.

Ready to sit inside a giant egg and chill out to the latest blockbuster movies and video games? Don’t care for red and grey. No worries – the Sound Egg’s outer shell is available in 7 different colors, and you have 11 choices for the sound-deadening foam lining (a few colors cost $25 bucks extra). You can sit your butt in your very own Sound Egg for $1450 (USD) over at Acousticom’s online store.

Each DreamScreen features a bright, high-resolution LCD color screen, and has built in speakers so it’s a completely self-contained media playback device. And if you don’t want to bother streaming media from your PC, the DreamScreen has a built in 6-in-2 media card reader and a pair of USB ports too. Video formats supported include MPEG 1, 2, 4 and H.264, while you can listen to audio in MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV formats.

In addition to media playback, you can access Facebook and view updates without getting up from your chair. There’s also a slideshow integration with Snapfish, so you can upload photos to their site and view them on the DreamScreen. HP has also been kind enough to provide access to streaming digital music via Pandora, and HP’s own “SmartRadio” which aggregates Internet radio from around the globe. There’s also a built in calendar and alarm clock, so you might want one of these on your bedside table instead of a traditional alarm. There’s no word on future plans to roll out additional Internet services, but I’m hopeful HP will release more integrations in future.

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The only major downside I can see to the DreamScreen is that it’s crying out for a touchscreen surface. For now, you have to navigate using the buttons along the sides of the screen, or using the included wireless remote. Hopefully, HP will make a touch-enabled version in the future. I also wish there were an open standard for widgets like there is with the Chumby.

The DreamScreen 100 features a 13.3″ display, while the DreamScreen 130 has a 10.2″ screen. Both devices have 800×480 screen resolution, so the smaller display just has smaller pixels. The DreamScreen 100 lists for $249.99 (USD) and the DreamScreen 130 is $299.99, but you can find both models over at Amazon for a few dollars less.

The innovative Table of Sound (ToS) coffee table was created by designers Wout Fierens and Miquell van Meelen of Wondering Boys for a recent competition over on designboom. The ToS provides a new way to enjoy your music right in the middle of your living room. Instead of pushing speakers out to the corners of your room, they’re mounted conveniently in the legs of the table.

Just plug your iPod into the table’s built-in dock, and crank up the tunes while you sip your coffee and read the morning paper.

The Table of Sound appears to be just a one-of-a-kind concept design, but I’d definitely buy one if I were in the market for a new coffee table… and a new stereo at the same time.

[via Hemfeber]

The Wand remote control can convert up to 13 different hand gestures into infrared remote signals. Just wave the wand in the proper direction in the air, and it’ll issue commands to your IR-controlled gadgets. Of course with just 13 gestures, you can only program 13 commands from your remotes. Oh well, that should be enough for changing channels, adjusting volume, or switching between inputs on your TV, right?  It’s also got a nifty feedback system which provides “pulses” that confirm your gestures as well as let you know when the battery is running low.

Just imagine yourself as a wizard or warlock, donning one of those pointy wizard hats, and wearing your flowing silky wizard robe, wildly gesticulating  in the air with your magical wand – only this time, it’s to flip channels between The Real Housewives of Orange County and Dance Your Ass Off. Perfect.

Here’s some video of The Wand working its hocus pocus in case the diagram above didn’t get the point across…

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And if you act now, as an added bonus, The Wand ships in this schmancy storage box so you won’t lose it. Now how much would you pay?

You can find The Wand over at UK gadget shop(pe) Firebox for £49.99 (appx. $80 USD). Currently, it’s only available in the UK part of their shop, and not in the U.S. side. Boo. Hopefully that’ll change soon. Maybe you can wave your real magic wand and make that happen. Abracadabra!

TV Armor is a simple, yet ingenious invention that keeps your LCD or Plasma TV from getting cracked, scratched, dirty or otherwise slimy by covering the screen with a thin, but durable acrylic shield. A 1/4″ thick layer of optical-grade plastic is thick enough to keep your screen from getting damaged, but won’t interfere with picture quality. Just slide the TV Armor over the top of your TV, fasten the Velcro straps, and you won’t have to worry about flying Wii-motes smashing your precious investment.

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They’re available in a variety of sizes to fit whatever screen you have, and prices range from $69 to $289 (USD), depending on screen size. You can order yours over at the TV Armor website.

Remember, your kids’ wounds will heal, plasmas and LCDs won’t.

Each speaker is a whopping 36″ tall. So why are they called Little Horn? Because there’s an XL Horn, 8-feet tall beasts that have earned multi-talented musician Andrew Bird’s approval. Little Speaker’s horns are made of fiberglass, while the base – which houses the driver – is made using “heavy, void-free Baltic birch plywood.” Damn all these classy words and their vague meanings. Little Horn speakers are equipped with Fostex full-range drivers, the FE-103E and the FE-108 Sigma.

The regular price of Little Horn Speakers is $1,850 (USD), but you can get them for $1,500 at Specimen Products’ website (Paypal only; contact the company for other payment methods). The speakers come in various colors, but buyers can also specify their own custom colors. Little Horn speakers are compatible with any stereo system, but if you want to pair them with your DAP, Specimen Products suggests that you also get their tube amplifier, pictured above along with a pair of black-and-gold Little Horns and a classic black, crappy sounding iPod. The amp will set you back another $2,200, so you better start saving now.

[via Unplggd]

I’m seriously  wondering if the speakers will break if it plays stuff like Children of Bodom or Lamb of God.

But if by “acoustically dead” it means that porcelain and cork don’t absorb sound, then metalheads can enjoy their favorite bands with these babies. Can someone explain the acoustics of porcelain to this poor writer?

gSelect sells the porcelain speaker set for $500 (USD); unfortunately it’s out of stock as of this writing. You may want to head on to its product page anyway so you can leave your email address and be notified when the product is available again.

[via likecool]

Yvan of Switzerland’s Cosm!k’ Art Deco Team built his Tablet Mac into a coffee table.

The Tablet Mac was built using the brains of an old iBook G4 laptop (running OSX Tiger). The laptop circuitry was set underneath a 37-inch flat panel LCD screen. Everything is self-contained in the table, with the only thing sticking out at all being the power cable.

While the display isn’t a full touchscreen (it should be), there are six tactile control buttons around the perimeter of the display which allow interaction with the apps on screen. Being true MacGyvers, the circuitry for the buttons came from a cheap six-button joypad.

Notice the DVD loading slot there? Clever hiding place. An embedded Griffin PowerMate USB controller on the front edge of the table also provides for basic interactions like scrolling and adjusting volume. There’s also a wireless keyboard and mouse if six buttons and a scroll wheel aren’t enough for you.

While the interface is limited in its capabilities, it’s more than sufficient for controlling tracks in iTunes as shown in this video clip…

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It’s all built into a sturdy steel-framed table with thick tempered glass tabletop to protect the screen from spills and other damage. If only there were a true multitouch display and it ran Snow Leopard – I’d be sold. Still I wouldn’t kick this thing out of my living room if one showed up at my door.

You can check out more photos and the complete build log here (Google Translated from French).

For those of you out there who have put their PlayStation 3 at the center of their home entertainment system because of its stellar Blu-ray player, you know what a pain it is to control both your PS3 and your other A/V devices because of Sony’s choice of Bluetooth instead of IR as their remote communication protocol.

The new Blu-Link remote combines both Bluetooth and infrared capabilities in a single remote control. While it’s not as full-featured as higher-priced universal remotes, the six-device remote does have built-in support for hundreds of brands of consumer electronics, plus it can “learn” infrared commands from other devices as well. It’s also got all of the specialized controls for interacting with Blu-ray discs, as well as dedicated PS3 control buttons. With one of these in hand, you really can think about throwing your Sony Bluetooth remote out in the trash bin.

Priced at just $49.95 (USD) it’s really a great deal if you want to finally pare down from multiple remotes to a single control. You can order the Blu-Link now over at Interlink Electronics.

DishPointer’s next-generation software uses augmented reality technology to overlay the exact position of the satellites on the live video from your iPhone. The application takes full advantage of the iPhone 3GS built-in compass, GPS, and accelerometer to show you the locations of the satellites in the sky. Check out the video below to see a preview of the application in action:

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You’ll have no excuse for those pesky tree branches or leaves getting in the way of your mega 5-LNB high-def dish with this app in hand. And if you’re a satellite dish installer, you’ll definitely want this in your bag of tricks when it’s released.

DishPointer hasn’t revealed when the new augmented reality app will hit, but says it should coincide with the release of iPhone OS 3.1 (rumored to be in September). For now, you can check out DishPointer’s other satellite pointing apps here.

The new PS3 Slim console sports a compact new form-factor, and a lower price to go with it. Priced at $299.99 (USD), €299, and ¥29,980, the PS3 Slim is $100 bucks cheaper than the previous model.

The PS3 Slim will ship with a spacious 120GB hard drive, and is 32% smaller than the previous models. As an added bonus, it consumes 34% less power too. And while the box shot below was leaked a long time ago, it looks like it was the real deal:

I’m none to thrilled with the cheaper looking case design, but if that’s what it takes to get the size and price down to size, I suppose it’s worth it. And I won’t miss the fingerprints.

In addition, Sony also announced the impending release of the their new v3.0 firmware for all PlayStation 3 models. Here’s a sneak preview of what’s new in the 3.0 firmware for those of you who care:

No word yet on a release date for the v3.0 firmware, but Sony says that it should be released “soon”.

You can now pre-order the PS3 Slim over on Amazon for $299.99 (USD).

[image credits: PlayStation Blog and GameSpot]

This ginormous disc changer lets you load up to 400 Blu-ray discs (or for you hillbillies out there – DVDs and CDs). In addition to playing a ton of discs without ever leaving the comfort of your BarcaLounger, the player can automatically download Gracenote MusicID and VideoID data over an Ethernet connection, saving all of the information (including cover art) that you need to easily navigate disc titles onscreen. Plus, navigation is easy, thanks to the familiar Sony “Xross” media bar interface that’s made its way onto the PS3, PSP and recent Bravia TVs.

The bad-boy of a player features all of the high-end features you’d expect to find on a top-of-the-line Blu-ray player, including full HD 1080p video and 24p support for optimal playback of movies shot on film. The changer also sports an advanced upscaling system for those rare occasions when you have a crappy old DVD lying around. The Cinema HD upscaler dynamically adjusts image quality at the per-pixel level, which is a rarity in cheap Blu-ray players. Audio support includes Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD and DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel sound.

You can get your hands on the Sony BDP-CX7000ES Mega Disc Changer over on Amazon with prices between $1798 to $1899 (USD).

[screenshot via Engadget]

The 6.4 lbs. HD20 has two HDMI inputs, as well as VGA, component and composite video inputs, and it supports a boatload of video and computer formats. It has 1,700 ANSI lumens of brightness,  with an estimated lamp life of  4,000 hours in standby mode and 3,000 hours in bright mode.

The HD20 ships early this Fall and is available for pre-order over on Amazon now.

[via Twice via CrunchGear]