LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2014
Dolby Atmos Takes Center Stage
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 11, 2014
Left to right: AVS Forum’s Scott Wilkinson moderated a panel discussion with Greg Russell, re-recording mixer who worked on Transformers: Age of Extinction, Onkyo’s Paul Wasek, Jeff Cowan of Denon/Marantz, Pioneer’s Andrew Jones, Definitive Technology’s Joel Sietsema, and Dolby’s Brett Crockett.

At a pre-show press conference, Dolby rallied the AV/home entertainment industry around the new Dolby Atmos surround-sound platform, calling it the most significant advancement in home theater in 20 years.

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CEDIA 2014
Rachio Waters the Lawn with Wi-Fi
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 11, 2014
When it comes to gardening, some people have a green thumb. Others say they have a brown thumb. In my case, I happen to possess one of the few thumbs covered in sand and tumbleweeds. It’s not that I hate plants. (Although, it seems, plants evidently hate me…) I simply can’t remember to take care of them. It’s always weeks after plants at my home have turned to petrified wood when the thought finally pops into my head that I ought to give them some water. Lawn care is similarly problematic for me. Fortunately, Rachio is a new company that offers an alternative to brown lawns and dead gardens.

The Rachio Smart Irrigation Controller is a DIY sprinkler controller that...

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CEDIA 2014
LG Gives Ultra HD New Meaning
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 11, 2014
LG launched a wide range of new TVs at a press event on the first full day of the show but the eye-catcher was a 105-inch curved, Ultra HD, LCD/LED set with a 21:9 aspect ratio. The company also showed a flat 98-inch 16:9 Ultra HD LCD/LED model. At $100,000 (OK, it’s actually $99,999.99) for the 105-incher and $40,000 for the 98-incher, they’re not exactly impulse purchases.

But both use IPS panels for better off-axis performance, have full array backlit local dimming, and incorporate 7.1-channel audio systems designed in cooperation with Harman Kardon.

CEDIA 2014
LG Announces New OLED/Ultra HD TVs
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 11, 2014
Bolstering its dedication to OLED, LG announced two new models, both with Ultra HD resolution and both curved, at 77-inches (available in November at $25,000) and 65-inches (October, at $9,999). The company will also be bringing out a wide selection of new LCD/LED Ultra HD models from 40 inches to 65 inches, with the price for the largest model topping out at $3,500.
CEDIA 2014
OmniMount Keeps Full Motion Flat
John Sciacca  |  Sep 11, 2014
People like the idea of having a full motion, articulating arm flat panel TV wall mount but they generally avoid buying them for two big reasons: 1) They stick off the wall too far and look ugly when the TV is pushed back “flat” against the wall and 2) They are too stiff and hard to move. OmniMount’s new OE120IW recessed in-wall mount system solves both of these issues.

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CEDIA 2014
DarbeeVision’s Darblet Gets a Big Brother
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 11, 2014  |  First Published: Sep 10, 2014
DarbeeVision introduced a follow-up to its popular Darblet video enhancer at a Media Preview gathering on the eve of the CEDIA Expo 2014.

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CEDIA 2014
Steinway Lyngdorf Announces Super Surround Processor
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 10, 2014
Steinway Lyngdorf, the Danish company that teamed with Steinway & Sons in 2005 to design, develop, and manufacture fine audio gear, offered a sneak peek of the P200 “three-dimensional surround sound processor” it plans to start selling in early 2015 for $18,000. (No, that’s not a typo.)

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CEDIA 2014
Sony Keynote Touts 4K, Hi-Res Audio
Rob Sabin  |  Sep 10, 2014  |  First Published: Sep 11, 2014
In a keynote speech that marked the beginning of CEDIA’s 25th anniversary celebration this week in Denver, Sony Electronics President and COO Mike Fasulo touted an “Install Innovation” theme and took attendees through a variety of new and growing profit opportunities that Sony, along with industry partners who joined Fasulo on stage, is presenting to today’s integrators.

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CEDIA 2014
Control4 Makes Custom Composing Easier
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2014  |  First Published: Sep 11, 2014
Custom integrators that sell Control4 systems got a boost today when Control4 announced the immediate release of Composer Express, “a powerful mobile configuration tool that enables Control4 Dealers to dramatically simplify and accelerate the set-up process for home automation systems.” According to Control4, even basic-level installation technicians should be able to use Composer Express on a tablet or smartphone in order to “configure most one-room home theaters in very short order, or set up hundreds of devices in the most complex whole-home installations in a few hours…”
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CEDIA 2014
GoRave Plays Audio from Any Device Anywhere
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 10, 2014  |  First Published: Sep 11, 2014
GoRave says its “wireless” audio distribution system makes it possible (and easy) to use any app on any smart device to play audio in one or multiple rooms. The key to the system is are wireless transmitters, called “Audio Senders”, which are designed to be used with a variety of smart devices (Android and iOS), as well as with computers via a universal USB dongle. The Audio Senders wirelessly transmit the audio from whatever is being played on the device to one or more of GoRave’s 5-channel AR5 Audio Receivers. Because the Audio Senders simply transmit whatever audio is being output on the Android or iOS device, the user can listen to Spotify, NetFlix, YouTube, or some other source of audio - including Skype calls - through the connected speakers in the home.

GoRave does not use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for its wireless connectivity...

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