Custom installation is all about taking products and technologies from different manufacturers (and sub-systems such as A/V distribution, HVAC, lighting, security, and surveillance) and making them play nice together. Fortunately, there was no shortage of new control products on the show floor, including touchpanels from Elan and several slick remotes from UEI, Philips, and Universal Remote Control. But I was taken off-guard by Acoustic Research's ARRU449 ($399), a universal remote that uses Wi-Fi to download news and channel-programming information.

Of all the control interfaces in Denver, the sweetest was found in the Savant booth (see Coffee-Table Remote Control). This was Savant's official coming out, and it did so with a bang. Savant employs a very customizable icon-based interface that lets you use a drag-and-drop method to make selections. My major complaint is the confusing product nomenclature: Every component in the lineup is called Rosie. But this was less irksome once I met the ultra-hot booth babe named "Rosie," the star of Savant's ad campaign.

Next-Gen High-Def Discs No end seems to be in sight for the format war between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. At CEDIA, both sides continued to proclaim major advances - and depending on whose press conference you attended, you'd likely think the other format is about to disappear any day.

Toshiba's third-gen HD DVD lineup features three new players, with the middle-of-the-line HD-A30 delivering 1080p/24fps performance for $399. Sony launched the BDP-S2000ES ($1,299, fall), the first Blu-ray player to wear its coveted ES badge, while Sharp debuted the BD-HP20U Blu-ray player ($549, available now), its first non-display product to carry the Aquos name. And Samsung showed the first home theater in a box to include a Blu-ray player, the HT-BD2 ($1,499, fourth quarter).

For those who choose not to choose, LG introduced its second-gen combo player, the BH200 ($999). Fully compatible with both HD DVD and Blu-ray, it includes advanced BD-Java and HDi interactivity. Meanwhile, Samsung showed its first combo offering, the BD-UP5000 ($1,049, fourth quarter).

There were also companies demoing the ability to rip and stream the high-def formats. Axonix's MediaMax can handle both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, while Inteset and Xperinet showed products that stream only Blu-ray titles. These capabilities aren't an official "feature" (the products ship with capable drives, and customers then have to download and install the proper decrypting software at their own legal discretion), but that didn't stop the companies from doing their demos - a fact that raised eyebrows when I mentioned it to the respective camps. Still, being able to rip and stream high-def discs is something we all desire. Quickly selecting titles from a screen full of DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD titles at the Axonix booth was the ultimate theater experience. Note to Hollywood: Enable mandatory managed copy!

THX

The No. 1 complaint among home theater owners is: "I can't hear my surrounds!" There's a good explanation for this: Most people don't listen at anywhere near the levels used to record and mix movies, music, and games. But the apparent lack of activity in the surrounds still results in unhappy clients. THX has addressed this with Loudness Plus. By employing tone compensation and channel rebalancing, Loudness Plus makes sure the surrounds are still audible regardless of the listening volume. This feature will be first available in two mega-receivers: Yamaha's RX-Z11 ($5,499, November) and the Pioneer Elite SC-09TX ($7,000, winter). Loudness Plus will ultimately be offered on all forthcoming THX Ultra2- and Select2-certified products.

HDMI

At this year's Expo, options abounded for sending HDMI longer distances using Cat5 cabling. But according to Monster Cable's Head Monster, Noel Lee, all HDMI cables come from China. And just because a cable has an HDMI connector doesn't mean that it meets the specifications. To counter this, Monster has developed a Speed Rating system to let customers and installers know which cable is right for them and which data-transmission rates the cable can support.

Panels Sound & Vision hosted the off-site Tech Den, where installers could stop by and relax over lunch and libations. The Den also featured two panel discussions hosted by yours truly. The first one included installers whose projects have been featured in S&V, along with Paul DiComo, Definitive Technology's VP of Marketing. The participants discussed ways installers can get their work covered by the press, and what that can mean for business. The second panel was a flipside, featuring four industry insiders who talked about the benefits of having their products highlighted in installation articles.

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