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CES 2010
No Rest for a CES Blogger
uavKim Wilson  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  2 comments

It may sound glamourous to you, having the opportunity to come to CES, see all the latest new CE toys, and write about it for you. Yes, it can be fun and the best part for me is interacting with friends and colleagues I don't get to see year round. Days start early and usually end very late. However, this year I did't need an alarm clock to get me up in the morning, no matter how tired I might have been the night before. We are staying at the Hyatt Place, a wonderfully remodeled hotel, a bit off the beaten path, which is quiet and tranquil compared to the large themed hotels with casinos. But there is always a catch. It is right in front of McCarren airport and each and every plane flies directly over us. Fortunately, McCarren has a curfew from midnight to 6am. So there is a small window of opportunity for uninterrupted sleep but you can set your clock by that first flight of the morning.

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CES 2010
Samsung BD-P1600/3600
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments

TVs aren't the only things at Samsung's booth, though you might not realize it looking at the front of the booth, which is awash in flat panels. Also present and accounted for are three new Blu-ray players, including the BD-P1600 (bottom) and BD-P3600 (top). Both conform to BD-Live, though the 1600 needs a 1GB flash drive; the 3600 has 1GB built in. Both can also access Netflix content and support WiFi operation with an optional USB dongle. The 3600 also has 7.1 analog-audio outputs. Blu-ray marches ever onward…

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CES 2010
The Axar Enabled Home
uavKim Wilson  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  1 comments

Axar Media, a company based out of the UK, was showing a prototype of a Wireless HD system. The system looked simple enough with a transmitter and a receiver. Using two suites at the Venetian Hotel, they effectively demonstrated the transfer of an HD signal (both from a media player and a Blu-ray player) from one room to the next. They use the H.264 AVC video compression scheme to make the most effective use of the bandwidth. There is some degradation in the signal quality, and I detected some motion artifacts especially from the media server transfer. However, we have to start somewhere and the time for Wireless HD has finally come. Its just a matter of time before it will be as ubiquitous as streaming audio.

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CES 2009
Hitachi Super Thin
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Hitachi offered this prototype of an upcoming thin LCD. But wasn't their watchword last year, "1.5 is coming?"
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CES 2009
Hitachi Super Resolution
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Both Hitachi and Toshiba were showing technology designed to upgrade the quality of program material. Toshiba's (Resolution+) is coming soon in some of its new sets and is being promoted as an upgrade for SD programming. Hitachi's Super Resolution is still in the prototype stage, but is designed to work with both HD and SD material. The effect was stunning and quite obvious in the photo, where the image on the left side is straight, unprocessed SD and the image on the right side has been processed by Super Resolution. We'll be anxious to give this technology a try when it comes with Hitachi sets.
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CES 2010
Laptop Sooloos
uavKim Wilson  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments

Sooloos, manufacturer of server-based home entertainment systems, was recently acquired by Meridian, well known for their luxury AV products. The Sooloos has been considered one of the most intuitive and user friendly (as well as costly) media servers available. The merge with Meridian is a great fit for both companies.

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CES 2009
Accordian to Built
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Built (that's the company's name) apparently makes interesting accessories, such as a unique backpack for a laptop. But that wasn't my main interest here. Take a look at the odd-looking "wall" that was used to set off Built's exhibit. It consists of an accordian-like construct of stiff brown paper, and when stretched out becomes free-standing with an outside edge that resembles thin vertical ribs with gaps in between. I immediately thought "acoustic room treatment." Just a thought, of course, and it might not work at all, but it's perhaps an interesting idea for a cheap (perhaps--I don't know the price of the product) diffusor. The product itself is made by a Canadian company called Molo, the paper is fire-retardant, and it apparently comes in a variety of colors.
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CES 2010
Building on a Good Idea
uavKim Wilson  |  Jan 08, 2009  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2009  |  1 comments

Last year, Wadia Digital introduced the 170 ITransport, a high-resolution audiophile iPod dock for playback on high-end A/V systems. A new companion piece is the 151 Digital Amp, which creates a miniature 2-channel system for listening to not only your iPod but other stereo sources as well. The 151 has 2 coax and one optical input, along with a USB port (for flash drives). The high-end DACs (which is what WADIA is well known for) coupled with the build-in 50 watt amp, creates a compelling high-end system that doesn't cost a lot (by audiophile standards) or take up much space. The iTransport sells for $379. The price for the 151 Digital Amp was not disclosed but would definitely be under $1K.

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CES 2009
Pioneer Blu-ray
Tom Norton  |  Jan 08, 2009  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2009  |  0 comments
Pioneer introduced two new standard Blu-ray players, the BDP-120 and the BDP-320. The BDP-120 is expected to sell for under $300. A new Elite player, the BDP-23FD, offers Kuro Link, a new feature said to sync up with Kuro HDTVs for optimum setup and operation. We'll wait to se on that one.
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CES 2010
Induction Dynamics S1.8 Speaker
uavGary Altunian  |  Jan 08, 2009  |  First Published: Jan 09, 2009  |  2 comments

Induction Dynamics showed its S1.8 3-way ported loudspeaker, a versatile model that can be used as a bookshelf or freestanding speaker. Based on my recent experience with ID speakers, they feature extraordinary construction quality, excellent sound quality and are well suited for multichannel music and movies. The secret to their sound quality lies in the 4th order crossovers, which provide 24dB per octave roll-off between drivers. The S1.8 has an 8-inch Kevlar woofer, a 3-inch soft dome midrange and a 1.125-inch soft dome tweeter.

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