Digital Projection International (DPI) isn’t mentioned often in our pages except at shows, perhaps because its product lineup is bewilderingly varied, or perhaps because most of its offerings are priced in the “If you have to ask” category.
Take the Insight Laser 8K 3-chip DLP shown here...
The Harman booth housed a number of sister companies, including Revel, JBL, Mark Levinson, Arcam, Lexicon, and Harman itself (Harman once owned Infinity, but that classic marque appears to have been killed off).
Shown in the photo is a new line of wireless and “smart” products boasting the also once iconic (then Harman Kardon) Citation name, most of which will ship this month...
Sony introduced three new 4K HDR projectors at the 2019 CEDIA EXPO: the VPL-VW295ES at $5000, the VPL-VW695ES at $10,000), and the VPL-VW995ES at $35,000. (Remaining in its extensive home projector lineup are the 4K VW5000ES and VW885ES, the 2K HW65ES and HW45ES, and the short throw 4K VZ1000ES).
The lamp-based VPL-VW295ES replaces the VPL-VW285ES, and is very similar to its predecessor in a number of waysthe same motorized lens but without lens memories, and no iris control, either manual or dynamic. But it adds a number if significant features...
For 2019, Sony has further refined the VPL-VW285ES projector I reviewed last year and is now calling it the VPL-VW295ES. I was able to spend some time to spend with it before heading off to CEDIA.
Miguel, a feisty youngster in small town Mexico, loves music, particularly the work of his hero, the long dead guitar and singing star, Ernesto de la Cruz. But because his great-great grandfather abandoned his wife and daughter for a career in music, his family remains virulently opposed to music and forbids Miguel’s having anything to do with it.
Adante AS-61 Speakers Performance Build Quality Value
SUB3070 Subwoofer Performance Features Build Quality Value
PRICE $2,500/pair
AT A GLANCE Plus
Detailed, clean highs
Superb vocal reproduction
Bloat-free bass
Minus
Relatively low sensitivity
Limited bass extension
THE VERDICT
Elac's step-up AS-61 standmounter gets most everything right. Combined with the company's well-matched SUB3070 subwoofer, it makes for a highly appealing, high-performance speaker package.
Germany-based ELAC was well known in the 1960s and 1970s for its automatic (Miracord) turntables. The company disappeared from North America in the ensuing decades while transitioning into a major European loudspeaker brand. A few years ago, it decided that the time was right to return to the U.S. market. To produce new designs for that move they lured veteran speaker designer Andrew Jones away from his extended gig at TAD/Pioneer. The ELAC Debut line (now in its second generation) came first and seriously shook up the budget speaker sector. That was followed not long after by the pricier, but hardly pricey, Uni-Fi series.
Last week Sound & Vision editor Al Griffin wrote on this site about Sony’s recent New York event. The subject was the launching of the company’s new Master Series flagship televisions, the new A9F OLEDs (in 55- and 65-inch sizes) and Z9F LCDs (65- and 75-inches). The event was held in a venue that in its past life was an exclusive dinner theater from 1938 to 1951, fell into disrepair in the following decades, and was remodeled in 2013. Since then it has been contracted to Sony, renamed Sony Hall, and used for a variety of theatrical and business events.
AT A GLANCE Plus
Deep black levels
Extremely wide viewing angle
Supports Dolby Vision and HLG
Minus
Expensive compared to same-size LCD UHDTVs
Lower peak brightness than LCD UHDTVs
THE VERDICT
This new C8 series set exceeds the performance of LG’s previous OLED models, making it the best OLED TV from the company I’ve yet tested. Its price is also significantly lower than last year’s C7, which means more buyers can now bring home an LG OLED instead of dreaming about one.
The picture quality improvements in LG’s 2018 OLED Ultra HDTVs aren’t a dramatic upgrade over the company’s already superb 2017 sets, but they are accompanied by a new Alpha 9 processor, an autocalibration option, and a few new and updated features. LG has gathered all of these capabilities under the “LG ThinQ AI” rubric. While the AI (Artificial Intelligence) claim may be a bit overstated, that’s where the market is going and LG is not alone in it. I wonder if adding a blinding blizzard of do-everything geegaws makes the screen interface too complex for the average user who simply wants to turn on his or her TV and watch a movie.