Latest and greatest fad....

[gmichael]

What's going to be the next great fad? We've been through the CD craze, the HT craze and now the IPOD craze. What will be the next great fad to sweep through the industry? Games come and go. They will always be around, but they aren't really a new idea. The newer IPODs have video now. But they only output to compossit jacks (as far as I know). Will they come out with HDMI connections? Will the next generation have enough memory to hold music and high definition videos? What do you think will be next?

 

[mustang_steve]

I think the next big thing will be wireless digital cable.

Imagine how awesome that would be....and profitable for the company to get into it.

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

The 'Next Big Thing' is always brand new technology. They either fade away (pet rock, NKOTB, pop-up headlights), or they become old standards (Walkman/iPod, Cable TV, automatic transmissions).

Only time will tell the next big fad... maybe it'll be 3-D tattoos!

 

[BostonMark]

class D amplifiers

I don't know if it will become as hot as the IPOD, but these new Class D amps, like the RMD 1077 from Rotel are pretty amazing. It's a 100 watt per channel 7 Channel amp and it weighs 17 pounds! Not like the behemoths of old, some new switching technology i.e. stuff I don't understand lets it deliver massive amounts of pure clean power without needing huge heat sinks etc. to do it. A regular Rotel Hi Current amp of the same power weighs in at 86 pounds!

On a more popular front I imagine soon they will have headphones that don't even need the attached IPOD, the memory will be stored in the headphone piece itself.

 

[gmichael]

On a more popular front I imagine soon they will have headphones that don't even need the attached IPOD, the memory will be stored in the headphone piece itself.

This is the kind of thing that I think will catch on. At least with the general public. Most people want something that does it all without being big & heavy.

 

[j_garcia]

On a more popular front I imagine soon they will have headphones that don't even need the attached IPOD, the memory will be stored in the headphone piece itself.

Oakley already has this, sort of - glasses with headphones and a built in MP3 player. A bit pricey. If they were smart, they'd offer one without the glasses...

 

[gmichael]

So, like a phone, camera & IPOD earplug? Should we throw in a navigation system and a tiny screen?

 

[mustang_steve]

I don't know if it will become as hot as the IPOD, but these new Class D amps, like the RMD 1077 from Rotel are pretty amazing. It's a 100 watt per channel 7 Channel amp and it weighs 17 pounds! Not like the behemoths of old, some new switching technology i.e. stuff I don't understand lets it deliver massive amounts of pure clean power without needing huge heat sinks etc. to do it. A regular Rotel Hi Current amp of the same power weighs in at 86 pounds!

On a more popular front I imagine soon they will have headphones that don't even need the attached IPOD, the memory will be stored in the headphone piece itself.

www.si-5.com

They ar ethe makers of the T-amp, and Super T-amp. I plan on buying a super soon. Fantastic 2-channel amp (well integrated amp...it has a volume knob....only one input though) for nearfield use, and it's only $140. These things are silly small.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I think the next big thing, is still a few years away, and that is the replacement of the HTIB with the HTPCIB. That is, a home theater PC that truly does it all. Simplification is what people are always after, and M$ is poised to deliver.

A next generation Media Center PC that actually boots up like a normal piece of A/V gear. But, then it allows for a Netflix like download of HD content direct to the box. It allows for CableCard or SatelliteCard connectivity for the television viewing of your choice. Includes full DVR capabilities. Allows for full networking of your video throughout your home to all compliant devices easily. Includes MMC and the like so you can make legitimate copies of your videos directly to the box and see them anywhere in your home, then put the discs away for safe keeping. All over some version of wi-fi... nice and easy, plug and play, little to no configuration, and almost entirely silent.

Yeah, maybe a few years away yet.

 

[majorloser]

I think the next big thing, is still a few years away, and that is the replacement of the HTIB with the HTPCIB. That is, a home theater PC that truly does it all. Simplification is what people are always after, and M$ is poised to deliver.

A next generation Media Center PC that actually boots up like a normal piece of A/V gear. But, then it allows for a Netflix like download of HD content direct to the box. It allows for CableCard or SatelliteCard connectivity for the television viewing of your choice. Includes full DVR capabilities. Allows for full networking of your video throughout your home to all compliant devices easily. Includes MMC and the like so you can make legitimate copies of your videos directly to the box and see them anywhere in your home, then put the discs away for safe keeping. All over some version of wi-fi... nice and easy, plug and play, little to no configuration, and almost entirely silent.

Yeah, maybe a few years away yet.

Put all that in a compact, quiet and cool running case and I'll buy one!
They just need to work on a wireless keyboard and mouse system that is comfortable to use on your lap while watching TV in the ol' Lazy Boy.