Blu-ray won the format war so it’s time to update the Blu-ray / HD DVD section at HomeTheaterNetwork.com. The section was renamed to just Blu-ray and the following sections were added:

• Is it Worth it to Switch to Blu-ray?
• Blu-ray 1.0, 1.1 and BD-Live Differences
• Blu-ray Technical Details
• Blu-ray vs. HD DVD
• Blu-ray Tips

We also updated the HTPC section with a top 25 ways to use a HTPC section.

The ratings for game 5 of the Stanley Cup final were up 79% from last year. HDTV sales were up 60% over last year. Is this a coincidence? Probably the increase in TV ratings is due to a more interesting match up between Crosby’s Penguins and Hockey Town’s Redwings, but I would speculate that a portion of the increased ratings is due to increased amount of HDTV owners. 

HDTVs are perfect for watching hockey games as the wide screen format better fits the size of an ice hockey rink. The increased resolution and details makes the small puck visible and easy to find. The increased frame rates in HDTVs also make it easier to follow the 100+ mph slap-shots. 

New HDTV owners who stumble upon an ice hockey game are seeing the benefit, which is increasing viewership. Along with watching the Discovery HD channel, watching an ice hockey game in HD should be on every new HDTV owner’s to-do list. As more and more people get HDTVs, maybe “The puck is too hard to find” comments will finally be put to rest.

Netflix Streaming Without a HTPC
If you don’t have a HTPC and you don’t feel like connecting a laptop to your TV, then Netflix has a new option for you. The Netflix Player is a $99 compact box which allows streaming of Netflix movies and TV shows.  Too bad other web streaming services such as Joost, Hulu, and YouTube are not supported. 

Home Automated Door Locks
It’s always good to see new home automation product announcements, but this one caught our eye. Schlage introduced Z-Wave door locks which will let people remotely lock and unlock a door. Could be useful if someone forgot a key or to let someone in if no one is home. It’s important to not that Z-Wave does not encrypt their signals so this not a real good way to keep your house secure.

Researching home automation reminded me of how it was when I started researching HDTVs a few years ago. HDTVs have different technologies such as DLP, LCD, Plasma and SXRD just like home automation has different protocols such as Z-Wave, Zigbee, X10, UPB and Insteon. They all have their pluses and minuses so we created a home automation section at HomeTheaterNetwork.com to help out. It could even help out some experts because I heard a lot of false information at the last EHX conference.

Below is a video demonstration of AutoHTN:

HomeTheaterNetwork.com is our information site, YourHTN.com is our community site, and now we’re adding a way to control a home theater network with AutoHTN. Designed for Google Android mobile phones, AutoHTN can automate and control lighting, security sensors, cameras, electrical outlets, thermostats, streaming video from a HTPC, window blinds, and receivers.

The capability to control a home theater network from an internet capable mobile phone adds a ton of new applications, which could be useful to the average two or three bedroom household. AutoHTN lets a user turn on lights in their house when they get home late, view motion sensor alerts to see if the kids got home from school on time, or view security cameras to make sure the house is safe. These are just a few examples of apps that wouldn’t be convenient if there weren’t on a mobile phone, and could bring home automation to the mainstream.

More information on AutoHTN can be found at our AutoHTN.com site, and more information on how to connect a home automation system can be found at our Home Theater Network site.

We all know technology changes quickly, which means its time for the ultimate connection diagram to get an update. We would like your suggestions. What are we missing? The obvious missing HTN item to me is the Wii. I don’t know how I missed it since I own one.

We will also be adding home automation devices to the diagram since Home Theater Network is now officially made up of HOME automation, home THEATER and home NETWORK systems.

I was lucky enough to attend the Electronic Home Expo (EHX) in Orlando this past weekend. The conference is a dream come true for anyone who is a fan of home theater networks. Home automation and video/audio streaming devices of all price ranges were demonstrated and displayed. Albeit, most of the price ranges were in the high end and something the average middle class person can’t afford.

Here’s a list of my notable highlights from EHX:

1. ControlWare software from Superna was really easy to use and could control multiple home automation protocols. Not to expensive either.
2. The Z-wave Alliance demo room showed off different manufacture’s devices all working together. Some of the other protocols, such as Zigbee are having big problems with interoperability.
3. PMC demo speakers, which cost $120,000 just for the left and right pair. Although a little pricey, the trailer for 300 never sounded so good.
4. Niveus and other HTPC manufactures were showing off their products. Some included CableCard support.
5. Window’s MCE plug-ins were everywhere so it was nice to see Pluto-CI demoing LinuxMCE.
6. Multiple companies showed off their home automation system and how it can be controlled by an HTPC.