Audio Video News

It wasn't a Saturday matinee; it was a Saturday Home Entertainment show - and there was even less elbow room in the hallways than during Friday's opening day. Squeezing edgewise into each room, those of us who were here to bask in the adulation of grateful readers discovered that we were yesterday's news compared to the equipment on display. (When, oh, when will the adulation begin...?)

Luckily, we didn't have long to ponder our low lot in life before the lure of the gear drew us in, too. Texas Instruments (TI), for example, presented a level-headed, low-key demonstration comparing a pre-production Samsung rear-projection TV built around TI's 1080p DLP chip with a Sony SXRD rear-projection TV. The new DLP technology - in which each mirror on the DLP chip is used to create two pixels on the screen - more than held its own, and the demonstration answered several questions we had as to whether the TI's SmoothPicture process was really ready for prime time. DLP rear-projection HDTVs with the 1080p chip should begin arriving in stores around July.

Because the booth was a bit off the beaten path, some attendees might have missed Belkin's RazorVision video enhancement cables. Coming soon (July 2005), the RazorVision cables incorporate "the market's first system-on-chip, real-time, large-kernel, video-enhancement-integrated circuit into an active video cable." (Say that six times backwards...) Basically, the cables include digital enhancement technology to improve the video content, and they're supposed to work "regardless of which display is used". Split-screen demonstrations pretty much backed up Belkin's claim that the cables provide increased picture contrast with more detail, brighter whites with darker blacks, and restored detail in glare and shadow areas without producing edge outline artifacts. The cables will come in several connector arrangements (HDMI/HDMI, HDMI/DVI, and DVI/DVI) and lengths of 8 feet ($249) or 16 feet ($299). Standard definition (480i) and digital versions for all ATSC video rates (up to 1080p) will also be available.

A Belkin add-on that caught our ears was the TuneStage. This handy package includes a small Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack of your iPod. The receiver, about the size of a trade paperback book, sits near your home theater or two-channel receiver and, after receiving the Bluetooth signal, sends analog audio out via headphone or RCA jacks. The system lets you carry your iPod around the room while you change tracks or volume. The TuneStage transmitter gets power from the iPod, so the system can only be used with iPods or iPod Minis. The Belkin folks in the booth said the range is officially rated at 30 feet, but they achieved a good deal more at the show. They also assured us that other Bluetooth devices would not interfere with the TuneStage - nor would conversations be audible over the stereo system if you happen to be using a Bluetooth wireless headset nearby. (And a good thing, too, if you're in the habit of making incriminating phone calls...)

After waving goodbye to Belkin, we came across a demo of the Gyration GO Mouse. It's a 2.4GHz cordless optical "air mouse" with a tiny built-in gyroscope. It functions as a standard wireless mouse on your desk top mouse pad, or you can pick up the GO Mouse and use simple in-air hand motions to move the on-screen cursor. Bundled GyroTools Media Control software lets you customize the mouse's two Media buttons for regularly used actions, and a "swipes" button can be programmed to let natural hand movement begin up to 60 tools/actions. For example, you might choose to have the "swipes" button programmed so that, while you're watching a DVD or listening to a CD, a wave of your hand to the right makes the disc fast forward while a wave to the left causes the disc to fast reverse. In June, you'll be able to pick up the GO mouse and a compact wireless keyboard (which would really be cool if only it were illuminated) for $129.95. The new GO Mouse by itself will be $79.95.

As in the past, there were plenty of great sounding speakers to be found spread throughout the show halls. This year the most pleasant find of the show was the Aural Acoustics Model B. Aural Acoustics doesn't yet have a center channel speaker around which you could build a to-die-for home theater, but the Model Bs were so good they made us beg that the company would complete the prototype center speaker in short order. While not inexpensive (they're about $4,500 for the pair), the solid looking Model Bs easily sounded like they should cost much more. With a unique three-step grille configuration, each of the available wood finishes (black, maple or cherry) looked great, too.

One more day yet to come.