LATEST ADDITIONS

CEDIA 2013
Yamaha Takes the Aventage
Fred Manteghian  |  Sep 27, 2013
The CX-A5000 is the new crowning jewel of the Aventage series introduced by Yamaha a few years ago. The 11 channels (not even counting the subs here folks) pre-pro uses Yamaha’s proprietary YPAO room correction software, four distinct zones and more ins and outs than the revolving doors in Washington D.C. The extra channels are a Yamaha trademark, you know the old, you bring a knife, I’ll bring a gun chestnut. But they are used to create front and rear “presence” channels which, if your room and budget allow, could make your movie experience all that much more intense.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
Ripwave Media Streamer Does it All
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 27, 2013
Two-year old RipWave has come out with the ultimate media streaming machine. Not only can it rip your Blu-rays and DVDs to its hard drive, you can add a cable card or off-air antenna and use its hard drives as a DVR. It can also stream videos from most any video streaming website using the PlayOn server or stream to other devices using the Plex DLNA server.

Models names follow the surf theme. They are offering a dedicated movie player model, the Tsunami for $2000. The media player line can also play music and photos and includes the Stingray with 3 to 12 TB of storage, the Barracuda, and the Orca with 9 TB up to 30 TB of storage. The software menus are as impressive as the hardware features. Users can choose from a number of graphic menus from a carousel to a grid to extensive information about a movie that displays metadata from 7 different sources. The menu options make it one of the truly intuitive devices as each user can choose the view that is easiest for them to use.

The Ripwave is the best media server I've seen yet. Let's see if it performs as well as its first impression.

CEDIA 2013
CEDIA Fact of the Day
SV Staff  |  Sep 27, 2013
As part of its annual market research report, The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) asked systems integrators (a.k.a. custom AV installers) how they see the demand for 4K/Ultra HD TV sales shaping up over the next 12 months. Survey participants said they expect the new high-resolution sets to account for only 11 percent of their TV sales, suggesting the need for content to catch up. Is an Ultra HD TV in the cards for you?
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
Krell Debuts New Media Streamer for the Discerning Listener
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 27, 2013
Krell Industries, manufacturer of high-end audio components has added an audio streaming unit to their line. The Krell Connect can handle up to 24/192 decoding so it will stream uncompressed audio. It is available as a fully digital model for $2500 or with analog output for $3500. The analog version includes a resolution D/A converterr and can do up to 24/192 decoding. When connected to Krell's Foundation audio processor and pre-amp, digital music could sound better than you ever thought possible.
CEDIA 2013
Monster Cable Brings High End Power Protection to Value Power Protectors
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 27, 2013
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
Monster Cable's Saving Power Play--Complete With Android Tablet
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 27, 2013
Monster shows power monitors and control app to tell you how much money you are spending to power your home theater.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
In-Ceiling Home Theater Speakers Sound Golden
John Sciacca  |  Sep 27, 2013
GoldenEar Technology's Sandy Gross knows how to make an outstanding sounding loudspeaker. Whether bookshelf or tower, Gross's designs never fail to impress. But in-wall and in-ceiling speakers can be a trickier proposition. GoldenEar Technology showed they were up to the challenge by building a new demo theater this year to highlight the company's Invisa HTR 7000 speakers designed for use as ceiling mounted main front left, center right speakers.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
Kevo Offers a Touching Way to Unlock Your Door
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 27, 2013
Kevo is a Bluetooth-enabled motorized deadbolt that turns your smartphone into an electronic key (eKey). When your phone is close enough for Bluetooth communication to be established, the eKey allows the deadbolt to recognize and respond to the touch of a finger. In other words, if you come home with groceries in both arms, the Kevo app will automatically put the Kevo deadbolt into a touch-receptive mode.
Continue Reading »
CEDIA 2013
Subwoofer Envy
Kris Deering  |  Sep 27, 2013
If there is one reoccurring theme at the show it’s that your subs are nowhere near big enough. California Audio Technology seems to have gotten the message with their in-wall 18” drivers. These were actually some of the smaller subs I saw around the floor.
CEDIA 2013
Darbee Cleans Up Its Act
Kris Deering  |  Sep 27, 2013
Darbee Vision won our Top Pick last year with their ugly duckling, the Darblet. While the processor didn’t have any outer beauty, its processing turned your video into a swan. Darbee evidently got the message and was showing a prototype version with a very clean aesthetic that included a gorgeous touchscreen and chassis. No word on when this may ship but one can only hope.

Pages

X