Tom Norton

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CEDIA 2010
Wisdom of the Ages
Tom Norton  |  Sep 24, 2010
Wisdom Audio makesd highly specialized and very expensive in-wall audio systems. The utilize line-array full-range speakers with the midrange and high end covered by long planar drivers, the lower end by several mid-sized bass units per channel, and, now, humongous subwoofers consisting of two 15" PRO drivers in cabinets estimated at over 12 cubic feet. Wisdom's brochure assures us that these 17.75" wide, 36" deep, and (I'd guess) five feet high monsters are "space efficient!" But they are designed to be hidden away.
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CEDIA 2010
Life Would Be a DreamVision
Tom Norton  |  Sep 24, 2010
The DreamVision Starlight2 ($9,495) was being demonstrated on a 120" wide, flat white, Perfect View screen, with a fixed Schneider anamorphic lens. Scenes from both Avatar and Dark Knight looked terrific, which did not surprise me given my experience with the DreamVision Starlight1 and the same lens (Home Theater, October 2010).
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CEDIA 2010
In Sharp Focus
Tom Norton  |  Sep 23, 2010
When Sharp introduced its new four-color Quattron sets at last winter's CES, they were met with a collective, "Fine, but where's the 3D." Sharp's Quarttron launch may have been buried in an avalanche of 3D news at that time, but the company knew that it had 3D designs waiting in the wings.
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CEDIA 2010
Sharp Projection
Tom Norton  |  Sep 23, 2010
The new Sharp ZV2-1700 is the first new 3D projector we've officially heard about at the show, but we know it won't be the last. It's a 1-chip DLP. Like the Quattron 3D sets it comes with 2 pair of active 3D shutter glasses. These are triggered not only by a IR link, but by DLP-Link as well. The latter places invisible white frames into the image periodically to trigger the glasses, which works better than the usual IR link for larger, more widely seated audiences——more likely with a projector than with a flat panel display.
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Sony in Depth
Tom Norton  |  Sep 23, 2010
With all the activity in 3D, did anyone think that Sony wouldn't offer its first 3D projector at this year's CEDIA? Well, it has—the VP-VW90ES, and it's the first Sony projector to carry the ES brand.
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JVC Goes 3D
Tom Norton  |  Sep 23, 2010
JVC has announced six new projectors, three in the consumer Procision series (DLA-X9 at $11,995, DLA-X7 at $7,995, and DLA-X3 at $4495), and three models in the Reference Series (DLA-RS60, DLA-RS50, and DLA-RS40). The models at the same level in both series are equivalent in features and price (the DLA-RS-60 and the DLA-X9, for example) apart from slight cosmetic differences and different sales channels.
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CES 2010
It's a Wrap
Tom Norton  |  Jan 12, 2010
CES 2010 is now just a memory, but hopefully not a fading one. On my last day or two I saw a few things that I couldn't get posted while still in Vegas. IDT, the company that now owns the HQV Reon video processing technology, showed a number of interesting new technologies. The most intriguing was a small, nondescript box (no wasted funds on here on cosmetics!) that can perform all the Reon video processing functions, including deinterlacing, upconverting, and noise reduction, plus flesh tone correction&$151;the latter said to be more sophisticated than the flesh tone correction offered in some televisions. No decision yet as to whether it will be marketed under IDT's own brand name or by a third party. The price could be as low as under $100, which would be a huge plus for those whose HDTVs have mediocre built-in video processing.
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CES 2010
Atlantic Technology Gets aH PAS
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2010  |  Published: Jan 10, 2010
Atlantic Technology was showing a near finished prototype of its H-PAS speaker, first seen in early form at CEDIA. H-PAS stands for Hybrid Pressure Acceleration System, a fancy name for what is claimed to be a breakthrough in bass loading. It combines several speaker technologies, including bass reflex, inverse horn, and transmission line. The system is purely passive;there is no subwoofer hidden in the box and the only drivers in the design are the two 5.25" woofers and soft dome tweeter seen in the photo (which does not do the gloss black design justice).
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CES 2010
Magico Magic
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2010  |  Published: Jan 10, 2010
Here is a cutaway shot of the insides of Magico's Q5. The damping material and crossover have been removed. According to Magico, the speaker is made entirely in-house.
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CES 2010
Magico Q5
Tom Norton  |  Jan 09, 2010  |  Published: Jan 10, 2010
Magico's Q5 loudspeaker is composed entirely of one-half inch thick aluminum, and while the speaker isn't very larga as high-end floor-standers go, each one weighs 400 lbs. There are two 9" woofers, one 9" mid-woofer, one 6A" midrange, and a beryllium tweeter. The latter is new for a for Magico; the other drivers are similar in design to the drivers in other Magico speakers. $54,000 a pair, if you have to ask! For five channels, that's...never mind.
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