LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2014
Elite DarkStar
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
Elite Screens introduced its DarkStar ambient light rejecting screen. It claims a good balance between gain, contrast, and viewing angle. Available only in fixed frame form, its price was not specified, only that it would be a fraction of the cost of the current market leaders in such screens.
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CEDIA 2014
Digital Projection Offers Insight
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
For VERY high end home theaters, Digital Projection offers the Insight 4K projector. It has the professional 4K resolution of 4096 x 2160, and is available with either LED or laser illumination. In the latter form, it's specified for an output of 12,000 Lumens, a laser lifetime of 20,000 hours, and a color gamut beyond Rec. 709. Yours for $120,000.

With LED illumination the output drops to a still considerable 3000 Lumens, the claimed LED lifetime increases to 60,000 hours, and the price rises to $150,000. In LED form it's also claimed to be the first projector capable of the Rec.2020 color gamut. In a darkened room demonstration, however, the LED version had heavily oversaturated colors, suggesting not that there was anything wrong with the projector, but rather that the playback gamut didn't match the gamut of the source material--a guarantee of inaccurate color. The laser version was being demonstrated in the open area of the booth, and its color looked excellent.

CEDIA 2014
Digital Projection and NEC Team Up on Pro Cinema Projector
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
The NC 900C 2K, 3-chip DLP shown here is offered by Digital Projection in cooperation with NEC, at around $50,000. It offers the D-Cinema color space, and is said to be one of the smallest pro-cinema certified projectors. The NC 900C is also the projector used for the JBL Atmos demo, which shows that it can hold its own in a high-end home theater setting. Finally, it doesn't use a Xenon lamp, making lamp replacement less expensive.
CEDIA 2014
Form Meets Function: Bang & Olufsen's 85-Inch 4K/Ultra HD TV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
B&O is widely known for making excellent, stylish, but very expensive products. While its BeoVision Avant 85-inch 4K/Ultra HD LCD set isn't exactly cheap at $25,000, it's not that far off from the prices its competitors charge for similarly-sized 4K sets (and cheaper than some). The set comes with a unique powered, rotating stand and remote. A B&O sibling 55-inch 4K set is also available, but its $8,000 price (the stand for this model is optional at $2,000) it's not as competitive.
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CEDIA 2014
DVDO and Ultra HD
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
Video Processor maker DVDO is to be commended for spending all of its press conference discussing Ultra HD in general, instead of flacking its own products. Shown here is a summary of what is at present the "roadmap" to full Ultra HD. As you can see, there's much work to be done (and not universal agreement on everything, particularly Rec.2020 as the color gamut of choice). While we'll see more and more Ultra HD material in the coming 18 months or so, initially its major benefit will be 4K resolution. The color enhancements we ultimately hope to see will take longer.
CEDIA 2014
Pearls of Wisdom
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 12, 2014
Wisdom Audio teamed up for its demo with Datasat (preamp-processor), Barco (projector) Seymour Screen Excellence, and HTE (Home Theater Environments), and likely others to whom I apologize for leaving out here due to my rapidly scribbled notes. The wide-ranging selection of program material was particularly noteworthy. 2K from Blu-ray, and no Atmos in sight, but it was excellent nonetheless (though the videophile in me whispers that the gamma was a bit too high, making for rather dark and contrasty images!). HTE deserves special mention for the most stylish room at the show, which should be evident from the picture above. But HTE is from Italy, so that's not surprising!
CEDIA 2014
Ya Never Know...
SV Staff  |  Sep 12, 2014
…who you might run into at a trade show but there he was—Buddy Valastro (aka The Cake Boss), surrounded by throngs of camera-crazed showgoers. America’s favorite baker delivered the massive cake shown above to help home automation powerhouse Elan celebrate its 25th anniversary. The base of the cake is modeled after the company’s next-gen g1 system controller. The globe…well, we’re not sure what it signifies—perhaps the desire for world domination? (Actually, it’s probably a nod to Elan’s tagline: “Your World Made Simple.”) Valastro is no stranger to Elan. His 7,000 square foot New Jersey home (next door to Tony Soprano) and state-of-the-art bakery production center are both equipped with an Elan g! system.
CEDIA 2014
SunBriteTV Says Thin is In for Outside
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 12, 2014
Outdoor TV and accessory manufacturer, SunBriteTV, showed off to CEDIA attendees the company’s full line of Signature Series outdoor TVs for residential use. As with SunBriteTV’s previous Signature Series models, the new TVs are designed to be installed and left on display outside permanently thanks to weatherproof technology that protects the TV’s innards from salt air, humidity, rain, snow, dust, and even insects. The new Signature Series models range in screen sizes from 32-inches to 65-inches (pictured above) and have a depth of only 3.5 inches. The new sets are both the slimmest and lightest of any TVs yet made by SunBriteTV.

One reason for the surprisingly thin form factor is that...

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CEDIA 2014
IR Meets RF in NextGen’s New Remote
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 12, 2014
Florida-based NextGen is introducing a new Universal Learning Radio Frequency Remote Control that’s a standard 4-in-1 device IR remote control with a built-in RF transmitter. The package includes one of the company’s RF Receivers, which can be used with the handheld remote to relay commands through closed cabinet doors, walls, floors, and ceilings and has a range of up to 100 feet. The system has automatic RF addressing, so there’s no need to pair remotes to the receivers. The package also includes a three-eye IR emitter cord.

The Universal Learning RF Remote Control is expected to be available in November with an MSRP of $99.

CEDIA 2014
Focal Bar and Flat Sub Fit Together Nicely
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 12, 2014
Focal ingeniously integrates a soundbar with a subwoofing TV stand. They're two separate products, but notice how they fit together. The Dimension 5.1 soundbar ($1399) is a "true 5.1" bar with a brushed aluminum chassis holding five inverted dome full-range drivers and lateral bass drivers, driven by six times 75 watts, along with HDMI, lossless surround decoding, and touch controls at the right side. Four dip-switch DSP controls compensate for room size, seating distance, and whether you're using a wall mount or placing the bar on a cadenza. Both standing and wall brackets are provided. If you want more bass, place the Dimension SUB ($399) behind the bar. Wouldn't that block the sub's drivers? No, the elliptical drivers are on the sides. The demo sounded excellent, with a warm, un-screechy midrange and full bass.

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