LATEST ADDITIONS

Escient Now Serves DVDs
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
Four new Escient media servers, including the VS-100 ($3999), now handle DVDs. You can also get paid downloads from Rhapsody and other outfits, run a photo show, and bask in the new user interface. A media server has to be copy-protection-savvy to transfer disc content to its hard drive, so Escient follows with interest the legal woes of Kaleidescape, whose own DVD server has sparked litigation by the studio-dominated DVD Copy Control Association.
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Harman Kardon Gets into the Zones (Four of Them)
Mark Fleischmann  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
The DMC 1000 media server is out in a new version (or will be in October or November) with four independent zones, a 250GB hard drive to complement the DVD/CD drive, 1080p processing, cooler cosmetics, and the ability to be commanded by a Palm Pilot. Got $3499?
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iPod iRIS
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2007  |  1 comments

I was impressed, and surprised, by the quality of the image that Meridian's iRIS produced on a modestly sized, flat panel screen. More than a simple iPOD dock, this $400 jewel upconverts the low rez image on a video iPod to 1080p, cleans it up in various ways, and outputs it to your HDTV. No, it's not high def, or even DVD-quality, but it was way better than VHS and more than watchable. Two other nearby screens also showed different program material (animation and TV-based) but they weren't as impressive as this one. If the color balance looks a bit whacked in the photo, it wasn't the demo, but rather my hurried attempts at color correction. The untouched, available light photo was badly skewed by the lighting in the convention center.

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Aerial Goes Wide
Tom Norton  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 09, 2007  |  2 comments

Aerial prez and designer Michael Kelly stands next to a version of his company's impressive System 1. it's shown here for the first time with a 2.35:1 screen, which may be flat or curved, masked or unmasked.

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Ear Horn
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
The Klipsch folk have decided they want to horn in on the earphone business with models starting at around $99, one of which is supposed to be the smallest in-ear model on the market. Oh, and to the dude who stole the iPhone that was part of this display, you are definitely not cool.
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A Rack for the Rest of Us
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
Omnimount isn't happy with just hanging things on the wall any more. This new pro-style equipment rack will retail for $999 with other versions to come soon. It's sturdy. The shelves are adjustable. It makes your system look neat and tidy. What more could you want?
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World's Most Expensive HTiB
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 09, 2007  |  3 comments
SE2 Labs has what is most likely the ultimate HTiB. It looks like an expensive espresso machine, but there's so much audio/video goodness inside this beautiful box that the approximately $20,000 price tag seems dirt cheap. Seriously, these guys have put just about everything you'd ever want in terms of high-end home theater gear and capabilities into one extremely well-machined chassis. All you need to add are speakers and an HDTV.
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Light One Up
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  First Published: Sep 09, 2007  |  0 comments
Soundolier is finally shipping their wireless torchiere omnidirectional speaker and will soon be shipping a matching wireless subwoofer, too. Of course, wireless is a relative term. You still have to plug the torchiere into an AC outlet (ditto for the subwoofer). It's not meant as a replacement for a full-blown wired-speaker system, but it will bring sound to some rooms where sound wouldn't have gone before.
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It's Supposed to be Denver not Boulder...
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments
No stone has remained unturned in our search for the ultimate outdoor speaker. Niles is showing off some of their new rock "finishes" along with a new planter speaker. Klipsch is also finally getting into the rock business with its first single-speaker stereo model for $299.
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Pioneer Super AVR Amp Section
Shane Buettner  |  Sep 08, 2007  |  0 comments

Here is the amp section of the below mentioned, super cool Pioneer Elite AVR.

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