Scott Wilkinson

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CEDIA 2010
Krell Evolution 555 Blu-ray Player
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Krell is finally about to ship its Evolution 555 Blu-ray player ($15,000, November), and a rep was quick to point out that it's not a rebranded Oppo—it was designed and built from the ground up by Krell. It has most of the bells and whistles, including access to Hulu and Netflix, WiFi, UPnP (not DLNA), and an iPad control app; 3D will come in a firmware update next year. Processing is provided by Sigma Designs VXP, and if you connect it to a Krell pre/pro via HDMI, it will jump right to the disc menu, skipping all those pesky trailers and FBI warnings.
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CEDIA 2010
Pathos Adrenalin Monoblock Power Amp
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
At $50,000/pair, the Adrenalin monoblock from Pathos is a serious investment. But for all that bread, you get 180W of pure class-A power with a tube input stage and MOSFET output stage. And it looks wicked cool, too!
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CEDIA 2010
Focal Viva Utopia Speakers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Focal is growing its Utopia line with the Viva, which comes in two varieties—a vertically oriented LCR that is also used for the surrounds and a horizontal center-channel that is otherwise essentially identical. Both incorporate the company's IAL2 beryllium tweeter and third-generation W-cone midranges and woofers for a frequency response from 39Hz to 50kHz (±3dB) and a sensitivity of 92dB/W/m.
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CEDIA 2010
DreamVision Starlight3 LCoS Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Last week, I wrote about the DreamVision Starlight3 LCoS projector ($9500), which is available in several finishes, such as the faux carbon-fiber pictured here. Today, I popped in to see a demo of the Starlight2, and it was mighty impressive on a Perfect Vu unity-gain screen (2.35:1, 140 inches diagonal) using a Schneider anamorphic lens ($8000)—great blacks and colors on clips from Avatar and Up.
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CEDIA 2010
Velodyne Digital Drive Plus Subwoofers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 25, 2010
Looking like a scene from CSI, Velodyne's booth is emphasizing the goal to "kill the competition" with its new Digital Drive Plus subwoofers, which come with drivers measuring 10 ($3000), 12 ($3500), 15 ($5000), and 18 inches ($6000). These models feature 4.5 to 7dB more output depending on model, new rohacell driver material, redesigned cabinet, and much easier setup with 8-band EQ. Retained from the previous Digital Drive models is the same high-gain servo technology that reduces distortion to a mere 0.5% at 20Hz.
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CEDIA 2010
Runco D-73d 3D DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 24, 2010
Runco had a lot to talk about at its press conference, starting with the D-73d 3D projector. As you can see, it looks like two stacked projectors, but the Runco rep insisted that it's one projector with dual single-chip DLP imaging and LED light engines, an approach Runco calls Constant Stereoscopic Video (CSV). Unlike most 3D displays out there today, this one uses circular polarization, which means it needs a special silver screen that the company certifies under its PISCES (Polarized Image Sequence Conservation and Enhancement Standard) program. The high-end polarized glasses are called PreciseLight and can be made as clip-ons and even prescription as well as conventional.
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CEDIA 2010
Runco Vistage Plasma Flat Panels
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 24, 2010
Also at the Runco press conference was a new line of thin plasmas called Vistage. Interestingly, the rep avoided using the word "plasma," instead calling it a flat panel based on "emissive cell structure." C'mon, it's a plasma! Granted, it has a number of refinements, including optical precision glass and an outboard DHD processor, and it did look quite good in the demo. Three sizes will be available—50, 58, and 63 inches for $6000, $8000, and $10,000, respectively.
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CEDIA 2010
Runco Q-1500d LED-Illuminated DLP Projector
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 24, 2010
In addition to the D-73d 3D projector, Runco unveiled another dual-chassis model, the Q-1500d LED-illuminated DLP projector, which will list for $39,000. With two light sources, this is the brightest LED-powered projector on the market with up to 1400 ANSI lumens, which means it can be used on screens up to 200 inches in size. Also, it can be upgraded to 3D operation.
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CEDIA 2010
Analog Devices 3D Sound Processor
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 24, 2010
As I was walking back from the Runco press conference, I passed a huge room occupied by chip maker Analog Devices, so I stopped in to see what it had cooking. I'm glad I did—among the demos was a new audio processor intended to give soundbars the ability to reproduce a true 3D soundfield, and it worked shockingly well.
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CEDIA 2010
SIM2 C3X Lumis 3D DLP Projection System
Scott Wilkinson  |  Sep 24, 2010
Like Runco, SIM2 is taking a dual-projection approach to 3D. In this case, however, two C3X Lumis 3-chip DLP projectors are stacked in a frame for $80,000. And instead of using polarization or active-shutter glasses, SIM2 decided to go with Infitec color filters, the same technology used in Dolby 3D, which means it does not require a special screen. The projection filters can be moved in and out of the light path much like an anamorphic lens on a sled to accommodate 3D and 2D, for which the system can shine 2500 and 6000 lumens, respectively.
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