Customers demanding the biggest and most spectacular of living room entertainment setups? Maybe a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-screen home theatre from no other than IMAX will spark their interest!

That's right, the gigantic cinema screen and overpriced ticket peddler is now part of the private home theatre game, perhaps due to fears of waning box office returns...

The IMAX private theatre uses the same technology from commercial multiplexes-- curved floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall screen, 4K dual-projection system for 2D and 3D video, 7.1 channel audio with laser-aligned loudspeakers and microphones for daily audio calibration duties.

The dimensions of the space housing such a theatre are, surprisingly, not fixed, but the bigger the better. After all, it must have enough space to fit a pair of projectors measuring 120 x 75 x 150cm in an area separate from the screening room.

Microsoft unveils the successor to the Xbox 360 (released 2005), the Xbox One-- and positions the device less as a games console and more an all-in-one living room entertainment hub.

A sharp angled two-tone (half gloss, half matte) black box with industrial design reminiscent of a 1980's VCR, according to Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business president Don Mattrick the Xbox One is, "where all of your entertainment comes alive in one place." And just as well, seeing how the launch presentation focused mainly on connectivity with TV STBs and media deals with the likes of the NFL (no details on a similar, more Euro-centric deal are yet available) and Steven Spielberg (who is working a TV show based on the Halo franchise).

The box itself carries 8GB RAM, 8-core 64-bit CPU, 500GB built-in HDD, Blu-ray drive, 802.11n wifi x2 USB 3.0 ports, x2 HDMI, toslink audio (for legacy surround systems) and IR blaster. Spec-wise it all sounds fairly similar to the Playstation 4 (up to and including a PC-style processor made by no other than AMD), even if the XBox One offers a unique addition-- HDMI passthrough allowing the direct connection of cable/satellite/DVR STBs to the console.

ConnectTRx announces the ConnectTRx wireless device family, one consisting of the TX MHL MediaHub, RX MediaHub receiver and the ConnectTRx-enabled SmartPico projector.

“Our technology enables high-speed, high-performance wireless communication among consumer electronics, PCs, and mobile devices." ConnectTRX creator Michael Seo says.

The devices are all battery powered and compatible with either Apple and Android platforms. The technology uses the 60GHz frequency band, with high bandwidth and error-correction allowing the wireless delivery of uncompressed HD video, multi-channel surround sound and control data with virtually no latency.

The TX MHL MediaHub connects to mobile devices and transmits data to TVs equipped with the RX MediaHub receiver and the SmartPico DLP portable projector. It features 854x480 resolution, 50 ANSI lumens brightness, 800:1 contrast ration and 66-inch throw at 2m (FOV 46º).

Go ConnectTRx

Microsoft still has to announce whether it is working on a TV STB, yet word on its potential demise is already out-- The Wall Street Journal says "it is unclear whether the company will introduce the device."

According to anonymous WSJ sources Microsoft is working on different "simple set-top box device" designs, all offering similar functionality to the likes of the Apple TV or the Roku. More recent prototypes even having Kinect compatibility.

Such a device would cost less than the Xbox 360 console, yet still allow access to the Xbox Live social network.

The WSJ also reports the company is encouraging development teams to write apps using recently developed coding standards making it easier to create programs working on any device (be it Xbox, PC or smartphone) running Microsoft software.

Kaleidescape launches Blu-ray-quality downloads on its online video store-- one the company claims is the first offering films, special features and bonus content in the same quality audio and video quality as the disc versions.

Available as a beta since December 2012, the Kaleidescape Store provides video in up 1080p/24 quality with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The service is compatible with the UltraViolet cloud-based content locker, meaning users can stream specific titles on other devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets) via Flixster app.

Users can also upgrade previously purchased DVD-quality content to Blu-ray for $6.99.

“The new Kaleidescape Store makes it easy for our customers to discover, purchase and enjoy great movies over the Internet without compromise,” Kaleidescape says. “People want to own the movies they love for viewing for years to come in the best quality possible, and this is the first service to enable such content to be delivered electronically. We already have seen a great response to the Warner Bros. library during the beta launch of the Kaleidescape Store, and we are looking forward to providing customers with these new capabilities.”

Blu-ray downloads require an M-class player to play, and the company also allows the purchasers of HD copies to download a DVD-quality version should they own an older player.

Go Kaleidescape Launches Online Store for Downloading Blu-ray Quality Movies and TV Shows

Rumours on Amazon working on a smartphone are nothing new, but Bloomberg claims the online retailer has another device in the works-- an online video streaming TV STB.

According to "three people familiar with the project" the STB is a Roku/Boxee-style device providing access to the growing stable of Amazon video content, including Video on Demand and Instant Video services.

The company declines to comment.

The Bloomberg sources do not mention whether the STB will offer competing streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube) like Amazon's own Kindle Fire does. A name is not available either, although "Kindle TV" sounds like a more than obvious choice of moniker.