CEDIA 2009

Home theater seating manufacturers are a fixture at CEDIA, and their exhibits often attract as many weary show-goers as buyers.

For the 3-chip DLP experience, Projectiondesign is introducing the Avielo Helios, the flagship of the Avielo range. Included are Projectiondesign features such as RealColor advanced color management and Advanced Color Optical Processing technology (ACOP), which together are said to allow for accurate calibration to the REC709 HD color standard.

Harman Kardon, the first receiver maker to feature Dolby Volume, has added it to three models. That's good news because Dolby Volume will even out level differences among source inputs and make dynamically extreme movie soundtracks less excruciating. The new models start at $600 and 50 watts times seven for the AVR 1600. Step up to the AVR 2600 for $800 and you'll get 65 wpc, Faroudja Torino video processing, and compatibility with the Bridge III (optional) which brings iPod docking and charging. Step further up to the AVR 3600 for $1200 and get 80 wpc with the Bridge III supplied. We hope to get the latter (pictured) for review.

At CES last January, a group of journalists was invited to see a demo of HQV processing after the brand and intellectual property had been bought from Silicon Optix by IDT. Unfortunately, we were sworn to secrecy until the development was farther along. At CEDIA, the embargo has finally been lifted, and I can write about the new HQV Vida processing chip, which was launched at the end of July.

Panasonic certainly thinks so. While there is currently no standard for home 3D, a consortium of companies is working on one, and according to Panasonic reps a decision is expected before the January CES. That means we could see product and software within a year. The companies are pushing for a standard that will produce full 1080p resolution to both eyes using sequential frames and active shutter glasses--though I would expect to see some scalability based on price. But you will need a new TV and 3D Blu-ray player to take full advantage of it (HDMI 1.4 will be required).

In its continuing quest for perfection, JBL is introducing the K2 S9900 speaker ($22,000 each) for the discerning—and well-heeled—audiophile. This full-range floorstander is an update of the K2 S9800 with greater bass extension down to 33Hz (topping out at 50kHz) and 35 percent more power-handling capacity. The driver compliment includes a 15-inch fiber-pulp cone woofer; 4-inch, horn-loaded, mid/high compression driver; and 1-inch supertweeter.