Post about "entertainment news"

A Brief History of Home Entertainment

The concept of home entertainment and indoor recreational activities changed when home electronics invaded our lives. One can say that access to numerous electronic products at home has revolutionized the idea of what constitutes a complete home entertainment. Nowadays, anyone can have immediate access to every kind of electronic entertainment via different media within the comforts of their homes. They can have their choice of entertainment which may range from the latest DVD players, radios to the wireless internet connection which offers them the convenience of mobility. Advancement in technology has gifted us with loads of home entertainment options ranging from radio, television, CD, DVD players, home theatre system, games consoles and so on.Music has always been one of the most preferred leisure activities. It found its way into our home through the long playing discs and the gramophone. Of course with the coming of radio a decade later made music a more widespread home entertainment. Before the advent of the CD or DVD player, the radio was the most popular home entertainment system available. Though there were some juke boxes available in the local pubs or salons where one could listen to a song of their choice at home there was only the radio. With radio, the choice of listening was however quite limited as people had to listen to the songs that the radio channels would play, even though some of the stations would at times play the selected numbers based on listeners’ requests. But there were no complaints as there wasn’t anything better for decades to come.Initially, when television had not yet become an everyday part of our lives, the visual entertainment strictly meant those theatres which had large screens to view a movie. Things changed dramatically with the invention of the television in the initial phase of the 1950s. The television was a complete wonder in the days when it was discovered. People did not have to restrict themselves anymore to music as their only entertainment at home. They could actually watch a full length movie in the comfort of their own home.Not only movies, this small wonder box started entertaining people with more and more new ideas, programs and techniques. Television has been considered as one of the pioneers in the history of home visual entertainment. Of course it provided more than just entertainment. With news and special documentaries, TV soon became the most important source of amusement. The long playing discs were also a part of home entertainment which was an early discovery. While radios, LPs and television made a permanent place in everyone’s home, the quality of sound in those times essentially required tremendous development.Good sound systems and speakers stared to develop in the mid 1970s. Various technologies were discovered to enhance the quality of sound. And with the music genres like rock, pop and discos coming into being, there was a specific and urgent requirement for good quality sound systems. Thus the electronic giants did not stop producing recorders and put more emphasis on amplifying and equalizing the sound to give it a new dimension.Good quality sound systems were specially designed and created for homes which produced outstanding music. Woofers and subwoofers along with various amplifiers equalizers and multi channel audio were being used to produce crisp stereophonic sounds.However, this concept took a back seat when CD and DVD players came into existence. During the end of the ’70s and early ’80s some of the electronic giants worked in collaboration to develop the world’s first Compact Disc system. Experts proved that this CD player was quite compact and lightweight with its unique durability. For music lovers it was truly a boon. At the same time this CD system opened a new window in the audio equipment industry.Compact discs were more durable than any other long playing discs or tapes. Thus the CDs removed all other music disc and tapes from the market and held prominent position. The 80s and early 90s saw a vast improvement in the technology of compact disc systems. It became very popular with people because of the crystal clear sound it produced and was affordable. These CDs not only stored music, it was versatile enough to store movies, data, pictures or even software.Along with CDs a much improved device which actually revolutionized and changed the entire system of home entertainment is the DVD or digital versatile discs. These discs are powerful and large enough to hold two movies in one. It stores data digitally and is more durable. The scratch proof technology of the DVD players also makes the DVDs last a long time. Both music and movie buffs felt delighted when the DVD player came into the market. Recent survey statistics reveal that the DVD player is the most successful product of home entertainment. It was introduced in the year 1997 and has reached great heights of success ever since.Nowadays, people can have the same effect of a movie theatre in their homes. With the latest DVD players, LCD screens and the sound systems with woofers, sub woofers and multi channel audio systems, anyone can have a fantastic home entertainment system with high quality sound and spectacular visual effects. The plasma and LCD screens are high resolution televisions which started to develop in the latter half of the 1990s and these sleek televisions enabled the viewers to experience digital sound and vision with fantastic picture quality and various advanced features.With the invention of DVDs and a major development in the visual media such as Plasma and Liquid Crystal Display or LCD in the late 90s gave home entertainment its latest technical dimension. With it, the meaning of home entertainment changed significantly with more and more people installing the home theatre systems with newest gadgets and technologies.

In Jewelry: A Collection of the Hottest Jewelry News

What’s new in the world of jewelry? Here are hot news items culled from various fashion, entertainment and jewelry sources from around the world.

  • Fall jewelry colors: bright and warm. Fall jewelry colors will contrast brighter-than-usual warm colors against versatile neutrals. Some “in” colors include Phlox (deep purple), Orchid Hush (gray with orchid undertones), Deep Teal (watery blueish green), Quarry (cool medium gray) and Cedar (midtone neutral green), Nougat (warm tan), Emberglow (bright warm orange), Bamboo (warm yellow with greenish undertone), Coffee Liqueur (rich creamy brown) and Honeysuckle (Awarded “Color of the Year” for 2011 by color technology company, Pantone).
  • Real jeweler visits “Real Housewives.” Real-life jeweler Erica Courtney appeared on the October 3 episode of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Courtney did a walk-on to show housewife Camille various glittery gems she could wear to the Tony Awards.
  • Celebrities gaga over cocktail rings. Celebrity Jewelry Gawk observed that today’s hottest celebrities are all about cocktail rings this season. From large, ornamental designs to more delicate feminine styles, cocktail rings are being seen on the red carpets of the world.
  • Survey reveals most consumers prefer to sell to a jeweler. Most consumers prefer to sell their unwanted gold at local jewelry stores, according to a survey by MVI Marketing’s Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council. The survey found that 60 percent of people who sold gold did it at a local jewelry retailer, while 14 percent sold their gold through a television offer. Only 10 percent sold their jewelry at a one-day event.
  • Company claims it can determine origin of diamonds. Texas company Materialytics claims it can determine the origin of a diamond with 95 percent accuracy. Materialytics uses lasers to determine the chemical composition of a mineral, then matches it against a database of that object’s properties. The company does not yet plan to market its technology, but there is much interest in the industry, in part due to its impact on the blood diamond trade.
  • Citizens in Southwest Alaska voted to prevent the construction of the Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. The ballot vote was conducted by mail among residents of the Lake and Peninsula borough. Residents voted 280-246 against building the mine. The Pebble project is controversial because critics say it will destroy the surrounding salmon habitat, along with the long-standing fishing business that goes with it. Jewelers including Zale and Tiffany support anti-mining efforts. The Pebble Partnership and the State of Alaska view the initiative as unconstitutional since it covers state-owned lands, and will challenge it in Alaska’s Superior Court.