LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2013
JVC Pro Does Ultra HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
In addition to its full lineup of new eShift3 projectors, and impressive demonstrations of them in its booth at the Denver Convention Center and at an off-site location, JVC also announced an 84-inch, 4K monitor at $13,500. The set was shown only at that off-site location, and as it is apparently intended for the pro market, it was not shown on the CEDIA show floor.
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CEDIA 2013
Oh Joy, Carpets
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
For the adventurous home theater, Joy Carpets & Co, offers a range of carpets, from conventional to truly wild.

Not to be a party pooper, but the best carpet for a darkened home theater using a projector and screen is as close to jet flat black as you can manage. Black walls and ceilings, too. Just sayin'.

I think a hundred or so interior decorators were just administered CPR.

CEDIA 2013
Future Automation Does Fireplaces
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
Mounting a flat screen HDTV over the fireplace is a favorite trick of decorators everywhere. It's also a terrible idea, unless you don't mind a sore neck from looking up. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Future Automation isn't the first company to offer a mounting bracket that moves the TV out then down to a more comfortable position, but such devices are still not common. And this one isn't cheap. At about $3000, $4000 for a model that also swivels, it costs more than many HDTVs! And you obviously shouldn't use it in the down position with a fire in the fireplace!

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CEDIA 2013
Da-Lite Does 4K Screens
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
Any screen can be used for 4K projection, but unless the screen surface is sufficiently smooth and free of roughness or graininess, those tiny 4K pixels can be degraded. Da-Lite features a wide range of screen materials that it argues are 4K-ready.
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CEDIA 2013
Vicoustic Acoustic Treatment
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
Vicoustic USA is a company new to me in the field of acoustic treatment. They offer a wide range of products, including some unique absorbers and diffusers, for that application. Many of them are less expensive, in my experience, than many of the similar devices currently available. They begin as low as $75 each for an approximately 2-foot square panel (but only available in a package of 10), though the prices can escalate rapidly when you get to premium products such as all wood diffusers.
CEDIA 2013
First Impressions
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
Companies hoping to sell you their high-priced home theater recliners were, as usual, all over the place at CEDIA, but none of them could match the little number at the lower left for sheer Victorian chic.
CEDIA 2013
Sony's Highlights Curved LCD HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
Passersby wondered if this was an OLED set (no luck there&mdashSony showed no such product) or a 4K HDTV (despite Sony's clear 4K leanings, it wasn't that either.) Nor was it an XBR; all Sony XBRs are now 4K.

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CEDIA 2013
Sony's Big 4K
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 27, 2013
In the market for a movie-theater size home theater with a projector to match. Sony has your number. This 4K giant is based on Sony's pro theater projectors, modified to be suitable for home theater, including HDMI inputs, of course. It can be yours for only $125,000. The lens is extra!
CEDIA 2013
From the Inventors of the Subwoofer a, er, Subwoofer!
Fred Manteghian  |  Sep 27, 2013
M&K’s X12 is a solid piece of form following function. I love the back panel, that’s why you’re seeing it too. You’ll see left/mono and right channel inputs, in both RCA and XLR form, as well unfiltered, pass through outputs. Low pass with the amp can be turned off, set to 80 Hz, or specified by a continuously variable dial that stretches from 50 Hz to 125 Hz. M&K is huge on THX and this X12 is no exception, with a THX reference switch that bypasses the level control.
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Grace Notes
Movie Premiere: Rush
Leslie Shapiro,  |  Sep 27, 2013
The year is 1976, when sex was safe and racing was dangerous. The Formula One World Championship is up for grabs, and it’s a grudge match. British race driver James Hunt goes mano a mano with Austrian race driver Niki Lauda, both driving pedal to the metal, with absolutely no margin for error and loving every minute of it. As Hunt explains, “The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel.” Director Ron Howard accelerates out of his comfort zone, and you’re sitting beside him, on the ride of your life.

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