LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2009
Pioneer Project ET
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2009

Atlantic Technology isn't the only company with a concept product at CEDIA. Pioneer is showing its Project ET (Entertainment Tap), a networking paradigm that could be incorporated into a real product by next year. The Linux-based box being demonstrated at the show holds a 1TB (terabyte) hard disk, optical drive that can read Blu-ray, DVD, and CD as well as burn DVD and CD, HDMI I/O, and USB and RS-232 ports; in fact, up to 128 USB devices can be connected, including more hard disks.

Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
Monster Makes HDMI Thin and Fast
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 10, 2009
The continued flattening of video displays makes bulky premium HDMI cable look ever more like an anachronism. That's why Monster Cable has introduced the SuperThin HDMI cable. It's 75 percent thinner than Monster's usual HDMIs. A sexy swivel adapter further enhances its flexibility -- and, by the way, Monster's flat-panel screen mounts are now less than a half-inch thick. Another Monster product is billed as the world's fastest HDMI cable, carrying 21Gbps up to 50 feet, with the help of active circuitry from Gennum. Monster's Noel Lee: "Consumers need to be freed from the fear of obsolescence." After all, with analog cables, "you never had to worry about your cables expiring." More Monster news covered uninterruptible power supplies, powerline conditioners, high-end Turbine earbuds, and other headphone lines. They don't call this company Monster for nothing. Ever the party animal, Monster always throws a party at major shows, and this year's CEDIA party will be called "The Recession's Almost Over Party." That's the kind of attitude we like.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
Trufig Makes Custom Fixtures Almost Disappear
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 10, 2009
Trufig is a new brand from the founders of Sonance. Its job is to make touchscreens, lightswitches, and other custom installable goodies practically disappear into the wall, as you can see in the pic -- old-style fixtures at right, disappearing ones at left. It was inspired by the after-the-fact design process that's been taking place when Sonance's architectural speakers come up against the wishes of architects and interior designers. The things being made to disappear are not actually Sonance or Trufig products but things like Crestron touchscreens and Lutron light fixtures. Starting at $300 for a single-gang fixture, Trufig is not cheap, but it will presumably find its way into the high-end custom install market.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
Integra Receiver Is PC Savvy
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 10, 2009
Look closely at the upper righthand corner of the Integra DTR-80.1 receiver back panel and you'll see a VGA input for your PC, a relative rarity. With nine amp channels (and 11 sets of binding posts) it's armed for bear. You might use those extra channels for width or height speakers, thanks to Audyssey DSX, or for height via Dolby Pro Logic IIz. Also shown were two other receivers and two preamp-processors. Integra products are sold through custom integrators only. See press release for pricing and further details.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
The Procella Story, Continued: Now You Can Buy Them
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 10, 2009
More on Procella: "You can't buy them" -- that's what visiting engineers used to be told by the denizens of the DTS testing room in Europe. That is what inspired the Procella folks to go into the speaker business. Following a third-generation redesign, now you can buy them. Shown is the P8, bolted on the P15, and don't call the latter a subwoofer. It's a "powered bass unit" that goes down to 40Hz at a thundering 126dB.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
JVC GD-463D10
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2009

JVC surprised me with the intro of a 3D-capable LCD TV. The 46-inch GD-463D10 uses circular polarization and passive polarized glasses to achieve the 3D effect, which uses alternate lines on the screen for each eye, effectively cutting the vertical resolution in half. It can also display 1080p at full resolution in 2D. The GD-463D10 is available now for $8995. I thought the demo looked pretty good, but not good enough to change my mind about preferring a good 2D image.

Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
JVC Blu-ray Recorders
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2009

I get tons of e-mail asking if there are any Blu-ray recorders available in the US, and up to now, I've had to say no. But JVC changed my answer with the introduction of the SR-HD1500 and HD1250. They can't record over-the-air, cable, or satellite content, nor can they be used to duplicate copyrighted material. Instead, they are intended to record camcorder footage on recordable Blu-ray media. The camcorder can be connected via FireWire or USB, or a memory card can be inserted in the unit's card reader, and the footage is copied to an internal hard disk. It can then be edited and burned to BD-R or BD-RE with or without menus. The HD1250 has a 250GB hard disk and will list for $1995, while the HD1500 has a 500GB hard disk, can accept Final Cut Pro files, and will list for $2550; both will be available in October.

Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
JVC Projectors for Mere Mortals
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2009

Aside from the DLS-RS4000 4K behemoth, no less than six new projectors were announced at JVC's press conference today—three in the Reference series from the company's professional division and three in the Procision line from the consumer group, all with HQV video processing. At the top of the heap are the DLA-HD990 and RS35, which feature hand-selected and -tuned optics, 70,000:1 native contrast ratio with no dynamic iris, inverse telecine back to 24fps with 96Hz refresh rate, and ISF and THX certification. Both will list for $10,000 and should be available this month. Stepping down the model ladder, we come to the HD950 and RS25, with 50,000:1 contrast and THX movie mode for $8000. The entry level is occupied by the HD550 ($5000) and RS15 ($5500) with 35,000:1 and 30,000:1 contrast, respectively. The demos looked quite good, especially because JVC always goes to great lengths to show its projectors in a darkened environment.

Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
JVC DLA-RS4000
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2009

At last year's CEDIA, JVC showed its 4K projector intended for flight simulation and similar applications. Today, the company introduced a version for the ultra-high-end consumer market. With 4096x2400 resolution, the DLA-RS4000 uses a xenon lamp to output 3500 lumens and boasts a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1 with no dynamic iris. This THX- and ISF-certified monster will be available next month for $175,000 (including an outboard I/O box and your choice of lens). The main demo consisted of upconverted 1080p, and the black level wasn't as deep as I expected, even in the mostly darkened room, but some still photos at 4K, such as the screen shot shown here, looked spectacular.

Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2009
JVC Projects
Tom Norton  |  Sep 10, 2009
JVC is introducing a whole new range of its DILA projectors at the show. There are six new models, three from the consumer division and three essentially identical models from the pro division. The star of the six is the DLA0RS35 (pro, $10,000), available this month. It has a claimed peak contrast ratio of 70,000:1, adds JVC's 120Hz Clear Motion Drive, and is both THX- and ISF-certified. The consumer version is the DLA-HD990, at the same price.
Continue Reading »

Pages

X