Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. Guides

The technophobe’s guide to wireless home theater gadgets

By

CenturyLink logoIt’s 2012. Wires should be obsolete by now. If you still have cords running across your living room connecting the television to your speakers and media players, it’s time to consider some of these tools to turn your home theater system wireless. We’ll give you some tips and tricks on how to make them all work for your living room.

Wi-Fi Speakers

Most smartphones and MP3 players will come equipped with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Apple Airplay connectivity, so help yourself to a slew of speaker systems that require no cables to hook your gadgets together.

Recommended Videos

Our picks in the $100-range include the SonyHomeShare NASSV20i which can either stream music via Airplay or dock your iOS device to simultaneously play and charge. The sleek, Wi-Fi capable device can also stream music from Internet radio stations like Pandora and Slacker. If you own any other Sony gadgets, such as its Blu-Ray player or home theater system, the SonyHomeShare will stream music wirelessly to those devices as well.

If you want a color LCD screen with that speaker set, consider the Pioneer X-SMC4-K. It’s also complete with Wi-Fi capabilities, and an Air Jam app so up to four Apple devices can link up and create a group playlist. The Philips AD7000W Fidelio SoundAvia is also a fine choice for those who want portability with their wireless stereo.

klipsch-gallery-g-17-airplay-speaker-front-right-angleGot a bigger budget to work with? Look into the Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air which boasts striking design and four drivers to deliver quality sound with sleek aesthetics. For more details, check out our review of the system, where A/V editor Caleb Denison gave the Gallery G-17 a whole 9/10 for amazing audio in a compact size.

For something a little funkier, check out the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air. It’s got two tweeters, two mid-range drivers, and an “internal subwoofer” that offer crisp sound most audiophiles won’t argue against. If you like a little more personality with your gadgets, you may enjoy the Libratone Live which comes encased in various shades of luxurious cashmere wool.

Smart Projectors

Got a blank space on your wall fit for a projector? Long gone are the days of pixelated, low quality videos. Smart projectors, such as the Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Projector or the Cinemin Slice, both have an iOS dock so you can play movies, stream content from the Netflix or Hulu apps, and watch YouTube clips straight from your mobile device in high definition.

3m streaming projector roku stick hdmi battery operated

If you don’t want to rely on a smartphone for the apps, other smart projectors with apps built-in include the LG HW350T which has all the apps you’d find in an LG Smart TV. Alternatively, the 3M Streaming Projector with Roku has the full capacity of a Roku Streaming Player, so you can access the Amazon Instant Video app and more straight from the projector – no Airplay required. These tiny projectors pack a ton of power for its size, making it perfect to for travel or for kids who aren’t ready for their own television set just yet.

Making the most of these gadgets

The best part of these wireless home theater gadgets is the ability to use them all together. Combine the Epson MegaPlax projector with one of the Airplay speakers to get enhanced sound and beautiful picture straight from your iOS gadget. It’s a budgeted way to get a wireless home theater system without setting up your living room from scratch.

Another way to utilize Apple Airplay is via the Apple TV: Stream your content from your iOS device to the Apple TV so you can get wireless control using your current home theater system. It won’t cut your pre-existing cables and cords, but an easy solution to making life a little less wired.

Topics
Natt Garun
Natt Garun
Former Digital Trends Contributor
An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…
The best portable power stations
EcoFlow DELTA 2 on table at campsite for quick charging.

Affordable and efficient portable power is a necessity these days, keeping our electronic devices operational while on the go. But there are literally dozens of options to choose from, making it abundantly difficult to decide which mobile charging solution is best for you. We've sorted through countless portable power options and came up with six of the best portable power stations to keep your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets functioning while living off the grid.
The best overall: Jackery Explorer 1000

Jackery has been a mainstay in the portable power market for several years, and today, the company continues to set the standard. With three AC outlets, two USB-A, and two USB-C plugs, you'll have plenty of options for keeping your gadgets charged.

Read more
CES 2023: HD Hyundai’s Avikus is an A.I. for autonomous boat and marine navigation
Demonstration of NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

This content was produced in partnership with HD Hyundai.
Autonomous vehicle navigation technology is certainly nothing new and has been in the works for the better part of a decade at this point. But one of the most common forms we see and hear about is the type used to control steering in road-based vehicles. That's not the only place where technology can make a huge difference. Autonomous driving systems can offer incredible benefits to boats and marine vehicles, too, which is precisely why HD Hyundai has unveiled its Avikus AI technology -- for marine and watercraft vehicles.

More recently, HD Hyundai participated in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, to demo its NeuBoat level 2 autonomous navigation system for recreational boats. The name mashes together the words "neuron" and "boat" and is quite fitting since the Avikus' A.I. navigation tech is a core component of the solution, it will handle self-recognition, real-time decisions, and controls when on the water. Of course, there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes with HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation solution, which we'll dive into below -- HD Hyundai will also be introducing more about the tech at CES 2023.

Read more
This AI cloned my voice using just three minutes of audio
acapela group voice cloning ad

There's a scene in Mission Impossible 3 that you might recall. In it, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tackles the movie's villain, holds him at gunpoint, and forces him to read a bizarre series of sentences aloud.

"The pleasure of Busby's company is what I most enjoy," he reluctantly reads. "He put a tack on Miss Yancy's chair, and she called him a horrible boy. At the end of the month, he was flinging two kittens across the width of the room ..."

Read more