CEDIA 2018

Perhaps the biggest new trend at CEDIA 2018 has nothing to do with audio, video, custom installation, or Smart home tech at all.

Pioneer is bringing its first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player to the CEDIA Expo, helping fill a premium-player void created by Oppo’s exit from the Blu-ray market.

French streaming service Qobuz (pronounced “Ko-buzz”) set up tent at CEDIA to show off its extensive hi-res music catalog, which will be made available to U.S. audiophiles as soon as late October. Qobuz also provided a glimpse of the service’s app (PC, Mac, and Android/iOS are all supported, and there’s a web browser version).

The mini-wave that’s 8K video might well become a tsunami, so Samsung means to get out in front of it. At CEDIA Samsung demo’ed its new Q900FN series of 8K sets. They’re also said to be capable of 4000 nits of peak brightness, which if achievable after calibration could be more significant than the 8K pixel count. Today’s 4K UHD source material is mastered at either 1000 nits or 4000 nits, and a set capable of 4000 nits (a level OLED will likely never achieve) will not need tone mapping for those sources.

Sony introduced three new 4K HDR projectors at the 2019 CEDIA EXPO: the VPL-VW295ES at $5000, the VPL-VW695ES at $10,000), and the VPL-VW995ES at $35,000. (Remaining in its extensive home projector lineup are the 4K VW5000ES and VW885ES, the 2K HW65ES and HW45ES, and the short throw 4K VZ1000ES).

The lamp-based VPL-VW295ES replaces the VPL-VW285ES, and is very similar to its predecessor in a number of ways—the same motorized lens but without lens memories, and no iris control, either manual or dynamic. But it adds a number if significant features...