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CEDIA 2012
Sony Video meets Sony Audio
Tom Norton  |  Sep 08, 2012
When it comes to high-end speakers, Sony has had tough sledding in the U.S. market, despite some quality products. Its current SS-AR1 and SS-AR2 are excellent designs, but at $27,000 and $20,000 per pair respectively, they'll be a hard sell to any but the passionate and well-healed audiophile.

So when I saw a new pair of concept speakers side-by-side with Sony's new 84-inch, 4K flat panel on the company’s show floor booth I was intrigued. They weren't getting much attention from the CEDIA crowd, of course. All eyes were on the HDTV, and the sound was at a very low level and drowned out by the general din of the convention center din.

But the speakers were being demonstrated rather secretively at a nearby hotel. The official introduction is still weeks or months away (possibly at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver in October but more likely at CES in January), so it’s all very hush-hush for now. If I tell you more about them here I’d have to kill you. But you can get a closer look in the following entry, including the speaker’s unique tweeter arrangement. For now I'll just say that they will get a lot of positive attention when they arrive officially. The pricing is still TBD, but will be lower, and perhaps considerably lower, than the SS-AR1 and SS-AR2. And unlike be those determinedly 2-channel designs, matching centers, bookshelves, and subs will be available.

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CEDIA 2012
Sony Concept Speakers
Tom Norton  |  Sep 08, 2012
Here's a closer look at the Sony speakers discussed above.
CEDIA 2012
Voicepod! Come Here. I Want You.
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2012
Of all the cool stuff at CEDIA 2012, by far – for me, at least – the most impressive and most cool thing I saw/heard/experienced was the voice-controlled home automation add-in for a Control4 system from Houselogix, called voicepod, that will be available later this year. Any number of voicepod “pods” can be used to allow you to control a virtually unlimited number of functions that may be available in your particular Control4 system. A voicepod is a small, flat device that looks somewhat like an electric hot plate for a coffee cup. Built into each voicepod is a microphone and speaker that allows the system to talk back to you in order to confirm commands or ask for additional commands. In order to keep the voicepod from responding to random conversation in the room, communication with the system has to be woken up by saying, “Hello, voicepod,” after which a female voice asks you what you would like to do.

During the demonstration, Theodore Rosenberger, the President and Founder of Houselogix, turned lights on/off, raised/lowered Lutron wireless shades, selected preset angles and panned a security camera, and even programmed the system on-the-fly to respond with specific phrases. I’ve seen quite a number of voice-controlled devices and systems over the years, and this one from Houselogix is by far the most exciting I’ve come across. Even though it’s only in beta testing now, I’ve already begun begging Houselogix to let me get my hands on a voicepod or two to integrate into my Control4 system.

CEDIA 2012
Hockey Puck Hears Bluetooth, Speaks IR
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2012
Scheduled to be available later this year, NextGen’s latest remote control extending device is a hockey puck-like device that receives signals from a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and blasts out the corresponding IR code so you can control your AVR gear using NextGen’s smartphone app. Pricing is expected to be $79.95.
CEDIA 2012
An AVR That Can Fill an Entire Home with Music
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2012
URC was showing off the company’s long-awaited DMS-AV Network Home Theater Amplifier that takes a 125-watt x 7 AVR with boatloads of inputs and features and marries it to a URC Total Control-based whole-home music distribution system. The DMS-AV connects to the homeowner’s LAN and can handle up to 32 streaming audio sources. You can even digitally stream the analog output from a turntable to any of the connected zone amplifiers in the home. URC says the DMS-AV is finally shipping with an MSRP of $1,499.
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CEDIA 2012
MartinLogan Triple Threat
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2012
MartinLogan’s updated Motif X is a triple-hybrid center channel speaker that combines cones, electrostatic, and folded motion drivers in one cabinet. The original Motif included a traditional one-inch neodymium soft-dome tweeter which is replaced in the Motif X by the company’s hot Folded Motion tweeter. Availability and pricing was not available.
Out Of The Blu
Back to School, Back to Work: The Office Season Eight, Glee Season Three, and Hung Season Three
Chris Chiarella  |  Sep 08, 2012
The Dunder Mifflin crew takes the recent shakeup in stride, while singing and dancing makes senior year fly by at McKinley High, and Ray Drecker proves once again that he's more than just a gigolo.
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CEDIA 2012
Yamaha Previews Pro Series Headphones
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 08, 2012
We can thank Michael Phelps for making it cool to wear over-ear headphones while on the go. In a nod to that trend, Yamaha will roll out the stylish Pro Series line of headphones at the end of the month. Good/better/ best models were previewed at CEDIA Expo: the Pro 500 ($399 in black or blue), the Pro 400 ($299 in blue or white) and the more compact Pro 300 ($199 in black, white or blue).

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CEDIA 2012
CEDIA Expo 2012: Huge, Flat, and 4K
Al Griffin  |  Sep 08, 2012

Both Sony and LG had 84-inch edge-lit LCD TVs on display at CEDIA. What distinguishes these sets from other oversized TVs from companies like Sharp, etc. is that they have a resolution of 4K (actually, 3,840 x 2,160, or “Quad Full” HD).

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CEDIA 2012
Onkyo Bows Compact TV Speaker System
Bob Ankosko  |  Sep 08, 2012
Along side its impressive lineup of A/V receivers, Onkyo is demonstrating the EnvisionCinema LS3100 at CEDIA Expo, a 2.1-channel powered TV speaker package featuring two oval speakers with removable stands to accommodate wall or cabinet mounting, a wireless powered subwoofer and a low-profile 20-watt digital amplifier/control center offering SRS audio processing and Bluetooth 2.1 for wireless streaming from compatible devices. The system, which comes pre-programmed for control with most TV remotes, switches on and off with the TV and responds to volume commands. Better yet, it incorporates SRS’s TruVolume equalizer that smoothes out fluctuations in volume as you switch channels, WOW HD audio processing for a more expansive soundstage and a Dialog Mode that enhances voice intelligibility. EnvisionCinema will be available in November with a suggested retail price of $499.

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