CEDIA 2015

Parts Express showed a prototype of a new subwoofer plate amp (available soon). It includes two separate amp channels, to separately power two subwoofer drivers in the same cabinet (with each amp rated at over 1200W into 4 ohms), or perhaps single driver with a slaved sub located elsewhere. The amps also offer DSP room compensation, and while it wasn’t yet clear exactly how this would be implemented or how extensive it might be, a microphone for it is included. Price TBD.

You may not have heard of the networking component-making company, Edimax, but that’s to be expected because the majority of what the company has made in the past has been targeted at commercial use or has been sold under other companies’ brand names. Edimax is starting to bring more of its own branded devices to the market, one of which will be the new SP-2110W, a very small Wi-Fi smart outlet switch with power metering capabilities. Of course, Wi-Fi-based smart outlet switches aren’t a new concept. Edimax’s SP-2110W, however, is one of the smallest such switches that I’ve seen so far. Its rounded, shallow design is much preferable to the standard wall wart-style of most smart switches available from other companies today. The SP-2110W is controlled by Edimax’s app and is capable of email push notifications of on/off status, as well as real-time power-usage statistics. MSRP is expected to be under $30 with availability in early 2016.

Kaleidescape, the company that literally invented the movie server category, is looking to remain on top with the launch of a new product line called Encore. This new line-up of movie players and servers will target aggressive price points designed to attract new customers as well as feature cutting-edge, industry leading performance in the new Strato Movie Player; the world’s first 4K Ultra HD, HDR player for the home to cement the company’s position at the top of the luxury home cinema market.

If you haven’t heard, DTS Play-Fi is a housewide wireless audio streaming solution making a heavy play to take a bite out of the Sonos’ pie. Play-Fi's technology has been licensed by many partners including Definitive Technology, Polk Audio, MartinLogan, Paradigm, Anthem, McIntosh and more. However, because the Play-Fi system is so reliant on the smart device - iOS or Android, phone or tablet - that is currently controlling it, there has been no way to integrate any of the Play-Fi products with third party control. Until now.

The big news from the Integra front is that all the surround receivers announced at 2015 CES now support HDMI 2.0a, accommodating the metadata that drives HDR, a significant improvement to Ultra HD.

It’s been a few years since I checked out motion seating (had a butt massage) at an electronics tradeshow so I stopped by the Jaymar booth at CEDIA 2015 to experience the “world premiere of new luxury D-Box motion-enabled seating.”