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CES 2009
DTS Revels in Multiple Strategies
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 09, 2009
What struck me about my DTS briefing is that the formidable licensor of surround standards has dual strategies in two areas. One is sound enhancement for portable devices. For high-end surround headphone use, there's Head Tracker, which causes the soundfield to follow your head movements -- just like in this pic of a dude turning his head. Head Tracker will be built into an Onkyo receiver. For lower-end portable uses, DTS offers Envelo, which deals with the problems of highly compressed audio formats. DTS's other dual strategy arrives with the acquisition of Neural Surround, a matrixed adaptation format, which overlaps a little on existing Neo:6 territory. But the DTS people say the two circuits will find different applications, with Neo:6 (again) as the high-end player and Neural focusing on low-bit-rate applications like broadcast and MP3 (it's already used in XM, or now Sirius XM, satellite radio). DTS will be among the surround licensors to offer height channels with Advanced Neo. It will adapt 7.1 sources to 10.2, 11.2, or 12.2 channels, and is now being discussed with a/v receiver makers.
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CES 2009
LG LHX Does Wireless
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009
No, this is not a typo. LHX isn't a take-off on THX, but rather the designation for LG's top of the line flat panel LCD sets. See the vital stats above. Note the wireless capability. Wireless HD video is one of the big stories at CES this year, with most of the major manufacturers showing their own wireless solutions (generally for their top of the line sets) and add-on wireless devices from vendors such as Gefen and Radiient. But before you take the plunge, be sure that the wireless capability you're about to buy does not apply additional compression to the HD source.
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Audio Video News
CES 2009: Panasonic's Blu-ray in a Box
SV Staff  |  Jan 09, 2009
The term "Home Theater in a Box" formerly had about as much cache as "wine in a box." HTiB was, in fact, a very pejorative acronym used only with extreme prejudice. But, that is changing. Increasingly, HTiBs are going upscale,...
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Audio Video News
CES 2009: Samsung's HTiB Details
SV Staff  |  Jan 09, 2009
More details are now available on Samsung's new lineup of home-theater-in-a-box systems. Three systems are being unveiled, and all three have Blu-ray players with BD-Live capabilities. In addition, they'll have streaming capabilities to...
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CES 2009
Vizio Jumps on the 240Hz Bandwagon
Debbie Stampfli  |  Jan 09, 2009
Now that 240 has been designated the lucky number of this year’s CES, multiple companies are showcasing their own versions of the technology. VIZIO’s version comes in the form of its XVT series. The 55-inch VF551XVT LCD HDTV ($2,000) features 240Hz technology coupled with 1,000,000:1 Mega Dynamic Contrast with local dimming.
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CES 2009
Processing Gone Wild
Debbie Stampfli  |  Jan 09, 2009
Always ready to keep the home theater industry on its toes, Anthem has introduced a new and improved version of its popular AVM 50, the AVM 50v. The full-featured surround processor stands out in the crowd with added HDMI inputs and improved audio and video processing. Its processing abilities are increased through Sigma Designs VXP digital video processing and two dual-core Digital Signal Processing (DSP) engines for audio processing.
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CES 2009
Want to Buy an Experience?
Debbie Stampfli  |  Jan 09, 2009
SIM2 and Entertainment Experience are joining forces to unveil a new combination product that promises to give home theater aficionados the experience they’ve been craving. The All-in-One Digital Entertainment Media System combines SIM2’s Grand Cinema C3X 1080 (pictured) or HT5000E 3-chip DLP projector with an Entertainment Experience Media Center.
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CES 2009
Easy Listening
Debbie Stampfli  |  Jan 09, 2009
For those days when your significant other tells you to turn the volume down, Audio-Technica has a new set of headphones that will make your home theater experience a much more private one. Its latest bunch of headphones are easy on the ears and eyes, and they come in both in-ear and on-ear varieties.
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CES 2010
CES 2009 Day Two: Texas Has Nothing Over Las Vegas
uavGary Altunian  |  Jan 09, 2009

Las Vegas is very visually deceiving. Buildings, signs and objects are so large in Las Vegas they appear much closer than they really are. Case in point: The Las Vegas Hilton is next door to the LV Convention Center, but walking from one to the other can take 20-30 minutes or more . Last night I attended an event at the Wynn, which is next door to the Venetian. A friend suggested we walk rather than drive. After convincing him that was a mistake, we drove from one parking garage to the other and the distance turned out to be more than 1/2 mile. I have nothing against a good walk except when carrying my laptop computer and the tons of literature collected at the show. Gotta go, it's time to walk the convention floor, which is over 1.5 million square feet! Despite the saying that "Everything is bigger in Texas", the Lone Star state has nothing over Las Vegas.

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Audio Video News
CES 2009: LG AMOLED
SV Staff  |  Jan 09, 2009
The question many TV manufacturers are asking at CES 2009 is, "How thin is thin enough?"   LG demonstrated their AMOLED technology, which is a scant .85 millimeters thin, or about .033 inches for us non-Metric heathens. This 15-inch TV is...
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