CES 2012

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CES 2012
CES 2012 Toshiba Glasses Free Quad 3D TV
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
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CES 2012
CES 2012 Goldenear Triton 3 Speakers
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
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CES 2012
CES 2012 Goldenear Cinema Bar
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
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CES 2012
CES 2012 MartinLogan Speakers
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
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CES 2012
CES 2012 Paradigm Earbuds
Jamie Sorcher  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
CES 2012
Locking HDMI Cables
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
If you have any TVs or monitors with a vertical HDMI connection where the HDMI cable comes loose and wriggles itself out, you’ll appreciate the locking HDMI cables being shown by Perfect Path. The cable locks into place because its end cover slides back and forth to lock or release the cable.
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CES 2012
LG’s Upgraded Smart Upgrader
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  1 comments
LG showed an upgraded model of its Smart Upgrader media player and streamer. The new model is 3D compatible, and is able to play almost any kind of video file.

The 2012 model will come with the LG magic wand remote that can act like a virtual mouse for navigation.

Upgraded from last year’s models this LG Smart Ugrader has a web browser that includes both Flash 10 and HTML 5, which means it can stream videos from many TV and movie websites.

LG will still offer a less expensive model similar to its 2011 Smart Upgrader. Both include Vudu, Netflix, YouTube and access to download 1200 LG smart TV apps.

CES 2012
Meridian HD621 3D Upgrade
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
Among various high-end audio products, Meridian also announced an upgrade to its HD621 HDMI switch/audio upsampler (sitting atop a G68 pre/pro in this photo) that adds 3D passthrough. This upgrade is free to existing owners from Meridian dealers.
CES 2012
GenAudio AstoundSound for CE
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
GenAudio astounded me at last year's CES with its AstoundSound 3D audio system, which creates a convincing spherical soundfield from two speakers. This year, the company announced that its launching AstoundSound for CE, an application that manufacturers can include in their products, such as iPod speakers, soundbars, and TVs—in fact, GenAudio is partnering with Analog Devices and other DSP makers to include the algorithm in their chips.

I heard a clip from Kitaro's Earth in Bloom that was downmixed from 5.1 to 2 channels and then expanded by AstoundSound in real time played first on a $12,000 pair of Gheithain pro studio monitors and then on a $300 2.1 Panasonic soundbar, and the result was remarkable, with various sounds flying all around the room, including overhead. Of course, the studio monitors had better sound quality, but the effect was quite pronounced—and enjoyable—from both.

CES 2012
Intersil/D2Audio Mighty Cat Audio Enhancement
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
In collaboration with Mark Levinson (the man, not the company), chip maker Intersil and its subsidiary D2Audio are developing a suite audio-enhancement algorithms called Mighty Cat. The idea is to use mastering tools to optimize the performance of audio hardware, such as soundbars, computer speakers, and TVs; manufacturers would "tune" the algorithms specifically for each individual product and then embed the code in the firmware of that product.

The demo I heard was played on a pair of inexpensive Logitech computer speakers. The ultimate goal is to make the Logitech speaker sound like the $25,000/pair Daniel Hertz M7 on which it is sitting in this photo—an impossible dream, to be sure, but the processing did improve the Logitech's sound dramatically, making it much richer and fuller. Intersil is in negotiations with various manufacturers to incorporate this technology into their products.

CES 2012
"Ultimate Home Theater" from DPI, Kaleidescape, D-Box, Stewart, Totem, ADA
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
Billed as the "ultimate home-theater experience at CES," a ballroom in the Sands Convention Center was equipped with a Digital Projection Titan projector, Kaleidescape Blu-ray server, Stewart CineCurve screen with masking (Studiotek 130, 14 feet wide), Totem Acoustic speakers, ADA power amps, and D-Box motion actuators in luxurious recliners. Because I'm sensitive to motion sickness, I can't tolerate motion-actuator systems, but the rest of the audience seemed to really enjoy it with clips from Avatar, Monster House, Top Gun, and Fast Five. The picture quality was outstanding, as was the sound.
CES 2012
Wolf SDC-10 3D D-ILA Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
New at CES from Wolf Cinema is the SDC-10 3D D-ILA projector ($10,000), affectionately known as the Pup. The spec'd contrast ratio is 70,000:1, and that's without a dynamic iris! It offers three lens memories that let you preset the zoom and focus for different aspect ratios, and it can accommodate an anamorphic lens as well. The demo was BBC's Life in 2D and Legend of the Guardians in 3D shown on a 120-inch-wide Stewart Reflection 170 screen, and it looked spectacular.
CES 2012
The Incredible Shrinking THX Certification
 |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
Got modest plans for a modest home theater using modest-sized speakers but want a THX-Certified experience? At CES, THX announced the company’s latest certification program, the THX Compact Speaker System Certification. The new specifications are designed for systems used in rooms up to 1,000 cubic feet and cover two-channel (2.1 - two speakers and one subwoofer - is the minimum requirement) all the way to full-blown 7.1-channel systems.

In the company’s suite, the THX people showed off a sample of a new MK sub/sat 2.1 system based on the MK M7. The speaker hasn’t finished the certification process yet, but THX expects that MK will be the first company to begin selling THX Compact Speaker System Certified speakers. The matching subwoofer was not on display. Expected pricing was not available.

CES 2012
Picture the Sound of These Speakers
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
British speaker maker, VIBE (Vented Innovative Bass Enclosures), showed off some interesting hybrid in/on-wall speakers. The PICS (Picture Integrated Cinema Speakers) speaker cabinets are designed to extend into the wall in much the same way that a traditional in-wall speaker would, except the remainder of the speaker extends another inch or two out from the wall. In order to stealthify the speakers, they come with a basic picture frame bezel and a black, acoustically transparent grille cloth. The frame can be painted, or you can go to your local frame dealer and have a frame of your own made. VIBE says customers can choose from a number of images or submit their own image for printing on the grille cloth. Unlike other manufacturers who make art/photo grille clothes, VIBE fuses the image into the cloth. The process is supposed to maintain the acoustically transparent properties of the cloth. According to VIBE, traditional screen printing on grille cloth significantly changes the acoustic properties of the cloth.

Currently, PICS are not available in the U.S. due to a lack of distribution, but the company does intend to bring them to America. While pricing on the entire line was unavailable, the large grille-less speaker in the middle of the photo above sells for around $4,000/ea.

CES 2012
Make Mine a Double
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 13, 2012  |  0 comments
How do you know when you've had too much?

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