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CEDIA 2015
TruAudio Subterranean Sub Pounds the Ground
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 17, 2015
The bright green fiberglass-reinforced plastic enclosure of the Subterrain-12 caught my eye as I walked the aisles of CEDIA 2015. Designed to be buried 3 feet under, the subterranean subwoofer has a 12-inch driver that vents through a mushroom dome that blends nicely into landscaped areas.
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CEDIA 2015
Comcast Cozies up with Custom Installers, Adds Atmos
Bob Ankosko  |  Oct 17, 2015
You might not expect to see Comcast exhibiting at CEDIA but the company is here promoting the latest wrinkle to its Xfinity X1 platform—a rack-mountable box for custom installers.
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CEDIA 2015
Nuvo’s New Neato In-wall Keypad
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 17, 2015
One of the things I dislike about most dedicated multiroom wireless music systems (i.e., Sonos, HEOS, Bluesound, etc) is that the only way to control them is through an app on a smart device, unless you’ve integrated the components into a larger whole-home control system, such as Control 4. Nuvo aims to eliminate that annoying lack of tactile control with its new P10 Keypad, a wall-mounted keypad utilizing Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), that provides “quick access to the system’s basic functions, including volume/mute, play/pause, next/previous track navigation, as well as a “Favorites” button that allows the user to quickly scroll through up to five of their preset favorites at the preferred volume.” The Nuvo P10 will be available in three choices of finishes (white, light almond, and nickel) and is expected to begin shipping in November. Pricing was announced.
CEDIA 2015
Elite Rejects the Light
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
Screens designed to reject light have been a major growth area in projection technology over the past few years (particularly light coming from the side and above; it’s nearly impossible to reject light aimed directly onto the screen itself, otherwise it would reject light coming from the projector itself!). Elite Prime Vision’s latest entry in the race is PolarStar...
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CEDIA 2015
Unwinding
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
These lucky showgoers (probably weary AV scribes worn out from a hard day spend pounding the keys) catch a few winks before getting back to the grindstone.
CEDIA 2015
Edimax Shows Smart, Super-Small, Affordable Wi-Fi Switch
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Oct 17, 2015
You may not have heard of the networking component-making company, Edimax, but that’s to be expected because the majority of what the company has made in the past has been targeted at commercial use or has been sold under other companies’ brand names. Edimax is starting to bring more of its own branded devices to the market, one of which will be the new SP-2110W, a very small Wi-Fi smart outlet switch with power metering capabilities. Of course, Wi-Fi-based smart outlet switches aren’t a new concept. Edimax’s SP-2110W, however, is one of the smallest such switches that I’ve seen so far. Its rounded, shallow design is much preferable to the standard wall wart-style of most smart switches available from other companies today. The SP-2110W is controlled by Edimax’s app and is capable of email push notifications of on/off status, as well as real-time power-usage statistics. MSRP is expected to be under $30 with availability in early 2016.
CEDIA 2015
Over the Fireplace
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
I’ve long preached against mounting a flat screen over the fireplace, but the concept is so beloved by interior designers that the trend continues unabated. There have been several motorized HDTV wall mounts on the market that move out and down to position the set into a more comfortable position for viewing, but they have ranged from pricey to higher than the cost of the set itself.

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CEDIA 2015
Screen Innovations Grows
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
Screen Innovations, or SI as it is more commonly known today, made its mark with ambient light rejecting screens. But it has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
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CES 2015
MicroliteScreen with a Twist
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
The MicroliteScreen is unlike most other examples breed. It’s composed of several layers that together are said to offer high light rejection when used in ambient lighting. Four versions are available, up to a gain of 3.3, with a half gain viewing angle said too be up to +/- 80 degrees—previously unheard of in a screen with a gain that high.
CEDIA 2015
Stewart Bobs and Weaves
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 17, 2015
There are both advantages and disadvantages to acoustically transparent screens. On the downside they reduce screen gain as some of the light passes through them rather than contributing to the brightness of the image. They also affect the sound, however slightly, in much the same way (though sometimes more significantly) as grill on a speaker. And their lack of a completely smooth texture can reduce resolution, which will be even more important with 4K than with 1080p HD.

On the upside they position the sound to best support the picture on the screen...

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