Audio Video News

Digital Projection International (DPI) has announced that it will begin shipping a high-brightness laser projector in June. Hailed as the first of its kind, the HighLite Laser WUXGA 3D projector is a three-chip DLP design said to deliver 10,000 ANSI lumens from a stable solid-state light source capable of producing over 20,000 hours of illumination, according to the company. Native resolution is 1920 x 1200.

According to a report issued last week by <A HREF="http://www.alliedworld.com">Allied Business Intelligence</A>, a worldwide conversion from traditional analog broadcasts to digital images is creating a windfall for those producing consumer set-top boxes. Findings in the report, "Digital Set-Top Boxes: World Markets, Architectures, and Vendors," also indicate that the global installed base of digital set-top boxes will reach 252 million units by the end of 2004. The report states that two key factors driving the demand will be the use of digital set-top boxes by both DBS and cable subscribers. Growth in terrestrial digital TV decoder boxes is likely to be significantly slower, according to the research.

The buzzword "Digital" is on everyone's lips at the <A HREF="http://www.nab.org/">National Association of Broadcasters</A>' NAB 99, which opened Saturday in Las Vegas. Most of the noteworthy goodies on display at the convention are designed for the digital-television market. Demonstrations feature high-definition video courtesy of Las Vegas television station KTVN (Channel 41), which will be broadcasting 720p material all week long.

For nearly a decade and a half Caleb Denison was the face—and, frankly, the voice—of Digital Trends’ A/V coverage. If you’ve watched a TV review on the site’s 1.3-million-subscriber YouTube channel, you’ve heard the guy: plain-spoken, velvet-baritone narration backed by B-roll of the latest OLEDs, soundbars, and turntables. Then, in mid-April, Denison announced he was leaving to “own the work I create,” thanking Digital Trends (DT) but making it clear he wanted to steer his own ship.

The <A HREF="http://www.nab.org">National Association of Broadcasters</A> (NAB) show earlier this month featured all manner of professional high-tech toys, from HDTV cameras to the latest video-production devices. But among the broadcast-industry announcements, several products of interest to cutting-edge consumers were also presented.

On Tuesday, February 16, five major computer and consumer-electronics companies---<A HREF="http://www.hitachi.com/">Hitachi</A>, <A HREF="http://www.ibm.com/">IBM</A>, <A HREF="http://www.nec.com/">NEC</A>, <A HREF="http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/">Pioneer</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.sony.com/">Sony</A>---announced that they have achieved an acceptable copyright-protection system for digitally reproduced movies and videos. The five companies are original members of the 11-member Copy Protection Technical Working Group (CPTWG), which has been at work on the problem for two years under the auspices of the DVD Forum.

Every few days, the convergence envelope gets pushed a little further. Last week, on July 15, <A HREF="http://www.bostonacoustics.com/">Boston Acoustics</A> announced its new DigitalTheater 6000 loudspeaker system, which the company describes as "a complete Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound system created specifically for use with computing and home theater systems." The five-satellites-plus-subwoofer system is being packaged by <A HREF="http://www.gateway.com/">Gateway</A> with its Destination computer systems.