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- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes16
- First reviewNovember 9, 2012
- Last reviewJanuary 2, 2016
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- Average rating5
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betona's Reviews
This Sony HTNT3 2.1-channel soundbar's Bluetooth interface enables you to wirelessly pair with compatible Bluetooth-enabled headphones and other devices. The wireless subwoofer produces rich low-end audio.
Posted by: betona
from Ohio
I already have a 5.1 surround system, but sometimes you just want to flip on the tube and watch the news or a regular program. This unit fits the bill when coupled with a current generation Sony TV. Or crank up a football game or even a movie and it really does a nice job and can get really loud with enough bass to feel it.
I got this at about half retail price from BB by buying it along with a big 4K TV. I doubt that I wouldn't have bought it at full retail price. I'm using the soundbar as the switching agent, with my cable box, Blu-ray and Roku all plugged into the sound bar, and then running only one HDMI 2.0 cable to the TV's HDMI ARC slot. What's really cool is how well everything integrates. For example, I can simply turn on my five-year-old Sony Blu-ray player and the TV and sound bar both turn on and automatically switch to that source for me, ready to play the movie. Or more common, just turn on the TV and the soundbar comes on with it--exactly as I'd hoped it would.
For what this is, the sound has been impressive to me - I wasn't expecting that much out of it. It's not 5.1, but it's way better than any TV's regular sound. And while my previous experience with wireless speakers in the past hasn't been very good, this wireless subwoofer works extremely well and makes it easy to place it wherever you wish.
The controls appear on screen if you wire it as I did, but I've found that using the Sony SongPal mobile app is much easier to use and gives me better control -- like selecting the input, adjusting the delay or controlling the subwoofer volume. The app on my iPad somehow just connected to the soundbar via Wifi which made that easy. So five stars for this product, being in its genre.
My Best Buy number: 0420928687
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+3points
3of 3voted this as helpful.
Sony XBR-75X910C LED 4K Ultra HD TV: This smart TV is designed to make a bold statement with its incredible 4K resolution combined with a sleek bezel-free body. Advanced technologies provide clear action sequences, vibrant colors and upscaled 4K content.
Posted by: betona
from Ohio
To begin with, I am not at all a Sony fanboy, but this thing's been pretty slick. I needed to replace an aging Toshiba 65" DLP with its second bulb growing dimmer and my requirements were to be larger than 65", good refresh rate, 4K, excellent upscaling and bought via retail store 'just in case'. At this price point, there are only two or three choices and my opinion is that this Sony handily beats the others especially on the critical upscaling.
Getting this model hasn't been easy: Best Buy's been out of stock nationwide most of the Fall. Apparently they've been selling better than expected. I had a few miscues after ordering, even being told that the model was discontinued twice by the 1-800 BB reps. But once the general manager of my local store heard about it, he jumped in, discovered that a big order was already on its way and made sure that one was mine. A week later it was delivered. I am very glad that I bought it from a retail store.
The TV speaker is very basic and you could get by with it. While I have a 5.1 surround system, we don't always want all that going just to watch the news or a basic TV show. So I took advantacge of a special offer at the time by picking up the HTNT3 sound bar & woofer at half price when bought with this TV. I connected my U-verse cable box, a Roku and an old Sony Blu-ray player to the sound bar, and then connected that sound bar to the TV with an HDMI 2.0 cable which has ARC (Audio Return Channel). So the sound bar is where I select the source, not the TV. And a surprise to me is how smart it all is. If I turn on the Blu-ray, everything automatically switches over and the TV and sound bar are all ready to play the disc. The only downfall is that the sound bar is slightly taller than height of the TV stand and the IR receiver on the TV is on the bottom, so we have to hold the remote up a little for the TV to see it (we did not wall mount it). Sony could've done a better job thinking about that situation.
Now on to the TV itself. The first thing I did after the delivery guys left was update its firmware. While it can do it on its own over wifi, I already had the 1-gig file downloaded in advance and did it via a USB drive. This went smoothly. Installing the updated software took about a half hour and following that, this thing takes a while to boot up.
The first thing everyone notices is that this TV is really thin. I've looked and looked - no light bleed here. Colors are vivid and with a good source, even 720p can look really crisp - horay for great upscaling. It's funny how some shows are much clearer than others--and that's due to what cable is sending. The cable movie channels and sports look fantastic even though they're 1080i. Blu-rays look fantastic.
Streaming: I don't have ethernet available to the TV and setting up Wifi on it was as expected. While I have a current gen Roku 2, I set up my Netflix, Amazon Prime, Google and YouTube accounts in the Android OS apps on the TV. Because the Android TV apps can incorporate 4K while my Roku can only do 1080p. I have to wonder how much I'll ever use this Roku now. Amazon promptly showed me a new area of all 4K content - cool! For Netflix, you have to upgrade your streaming account to get 4K at www.netflix.com/ChangePlan. We just watched the final two episodes of Sense 8 in 4K and it was a much better experience with fantastic color and sharpness. Also, I've found that YouTube has a lot of nice 4K videos you can use to demonstrate the set - look for a Costa Rica short film, for example. While we all call it 4K, in many cases it's called UHD, Ultra HD or Ultra High Def, so look for that if you don't see 4K programming.
So with a few weeks under our belt, the verdict is all thumbs up on this set which has turned out to be a dramatic upgrade for our house.
My Best Buy number: 0420928687
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+11points
11of 11voted this as helpful.
This Targus Vuscape THZ044US case features a hard shell exterior and a scratch-resistant lining to protect your iPad 2 while you're on the go. The case converts into a stand for hands-free viewing of videos, eBooks and more.
Posted by: betona
from Ohio
I looked at this in the store and was worried that it might not be very sturdy. After all, it only has two side mounts and two corner mounts. I bought it anyway based on reviews and found it tot be very solid.
Also, it says it's for the iPad 2, but i've fit both a 3 and an iPad 4 in it just fine - this review being typed on a 4 in the same case. Two thumbs way up.
What's great about it: Slim, light and durable
What's not so great: n/a
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+2points
2of 2voted this as helpful.
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