CEDIA 2012

Wow, was my first thought when I heard Jennifer Warnes’ mellifluous voice floating between a pair of SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers , one of four models in Pioneer’s new budget line of “home theater and music” speakers introduced at CEDIA Expo. Budget in price, not sound. The handiwork of chief speaker designer Andrew Jones who also happens to be director of engineering for high-end speaker maker TAD, the $130-a-pair bookshelf model is joined by the SP-C22 center speaker ($99), the floor-standing SP-FS52 ($130 each) and the SW-8MK2 subwoofer ($160). Design highlights include a sophisticated multi-element crossover that you just don’t find in this price range. The deal gets even sweeter if you opt for a complete home theater package: $499 for a system with four bookshelf speakers, a center-channel and sub or $629 if you go with a pair of mini towers for the front channels. The mission behind the new line is to engage younger consumers by offering high-quality sound at affordable prices, Jones said.

Pro Control says that the company is a new remote control brand that was created by super-custom remote control maker Remote Technologies Inc (RTI) to bring a line of more affordable – yet still customizable – remote control solutions to the market. Shown here at CEDIA were the Pro24.r 2.4-inch color touchscreen remote control that. The $250 MSRP remote can be used as a standalone remote or as a more elaborate remote control system when used in conjunction with the $250 MSRP ProLink.r central processor that offers one-way control capabilities when used with the Pro24.r, as well as with PCs, in addition to iOS and Android devices running the company’s ProPanel app..

The $450 Pro24.z also sports a 2.4-inch color touchscreen but comes with its own charging cradle and provides control plus two-way feedback when used with the $450 ProLink.z central processor. (Like the Pro24.r, the Pro24.z can be used as a standalone remote, as well.) Wizard-based programming software is said to make it simple and straightforward to program either system, which means that labor costs should be lower than the fees for charging other, more extensive remote control systems.

Coming later this year is the iPro.8 “companion controller” for use with systems based on either of the two central processors but which are normally controlled by smartphone or tablet apps. The iPro.8 allows users in the room who don’t have ready access to a smartphone/tablet to still be able to operate the system. The iPro.8 will have an MSRP of $149.

Extruded aluminum enclosures and Imagine Series lineage are only part of what make the Imagine W1 and W3 on-wall speakers special. In addition to being voiced like the great-sounding Imagine Mini, they're also coordinated the way designer Paul Barton says surround speaker systems should be: with the center having twice the output of the left and right combined. So the W3 center ($1200/each) has a sensitivity rating of 89dB, versus the 86dB of the W1 ($600/each), and the 3dB difference enables the center to play twice as loud with the same power. Of course, in practice, you'll level them to have the same output, but your amp will have more headroom for the center at dynamically challenging moments. Elsewhere in the Imagine line, the Imagine Mini Center ($700/each) is now available to match the Imagine Mini satellite. All of the above are shipping October. PSB also announced CustomSound in-wall and in-ceiling speakers of which the most interesting is the C-SUR, whose angled baffle contains enough drivers to run both side- and back-surround channels. Shipping end of December. Also shown was the second-gen VISO 1 AP compact audio system, which eliminates the original VISO 1's dock in favor of AirPlay for $600. It ships first quarter of 2013. The original VISO 1 remains available.

Runco is in Indianapolis with several new DLP front projectors across a range of price points, including three models in its new XtremeProjection Series targeted at high-end installations, the X-200i ($14,995), the X-400d ($34,995), and the X-450d ($39,995). The X-200i features integrated processing, while the two top models ship with the DC-300 Dimension Digital Controller, an outboard processor said to be optimized to enhance 3D performance. The X-200i, shown here and demonstrated for press on Thursday, is a single-chip DLP projector rated for 1430 ANSI lumens and up to 50 foot-lamberts of light output. It threw some impressive images of Kung Fu Panda on a 120-in Stewart Studiotek 130 screen.

Screen Innovations has incorporated adjustable (and defeatable) backlighting at the boarders of its zero-edge, fixed-frame projection screens. Just don’t call it Ambilight! Apart from this, however, I saw a stunning, bright, and colorful image (granted, the source was Speed Racer) on the 138-inch diagonal, 2.35:1, 1.4-gain Black Diamond screen, driven by a Sony VPL-VW1000 4K projector and a standard 2K Blu-ray disc.

Just what the world needs, another A/V receiver, I thought as I approached the Sherbourn booth. But the new SR-8100 (7 x 80 watts) and SR-8200 (7 x 125 watts) receivers---the company's first---have a refreshingly uncluttered look and low-profile design, support Bluetooth streaming and are covered by a generous 10-year warranty. Other goodies include multiple HDMI 1.4 inputs (seven and four, respectively), automatic room correction and an audiophile-oriented Class AB amplifier section. The $999 SR-8100 is expected to be available by the end of the year while the $1,999 SR-8200 is slated to ship in early 2013.

At its Friday press event, SIM2 Multimedia featured its M.150 single chip DLP projector with LED illumination. Normally, LED-based projectors aren’t very bright, but this one lit up the screen. It might have helped that the 125-inch diagonal screen was a DNP Supernova with a gain of 2.4. Surprisingly, this screen had no perceptible hot spot and little fall off in brightness at off-axis angles, making it a viable alternative for LED-lit projectors like the M150.

SIM2 also launched, but did not demonstrate, its SIRIO high Brightness 3D projector (shown in the photo above). Its single-chip DLP dual lamp design (2 x 300W) is claimed to offer higher brightness than other dual lamp projectors. The projector body by itself is $25,000, and a variety of lenses are available at extra cost. The projector will go on sale in late October.

The company also announced a $1000 drop in price for its base line, single-chip DLP models. The Crystal 35 is now $5000, the Crystal 45, $7000.

A price was also announced for the Cinemaquattro 4K projector mentioned in an earlier blog: $158,000, not including lens, of which there will be a variety available. Just in case you were hovering on the edge of your seat before writing that check. The projector is based in a professional Christie design; the light output also mentioned earlier will depend on the chosen lamp configuration and lens.