Tom Norton

CEDIA 2009
They're Everywhere
Tom Norton  |  Sep 10, 2009
LCD televisions with LED backlighting were all over the show (but c'mon Toshiba and others, they are LCD TVs with a new form of backlighting, NOT LED TVs), and Toshiba's 670 series with local dimming are among the best. We know, because you'll see a review of one in our November 2009 issue.
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CEDIA 2009
Choose Your Flavor
Tom Norton  |  Sep 10, 2009
AudioQuest showed a desert menu of HDMI cables, though we don't know how gemstones fit into the mix. Now you can have a chocolate mid-brightness region on your HDTV.
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CEDIA 2009
JVC Projects
Tom Norton  |  Sep 10, 2009
JVC is introducing a whole new range of its DILA projectors at the show. There are six new models, three from the consumer division and three essentially identical models from the pro division. The star of the six is the DLA0RS35 (pro, $10,000), available this month. It has a claimed peak contrast ratio of 70,000:1, adds JVC's 120Hz Clear Motion Drive, and is both THX- and ISF-certified. The consumer version is the DLA-HD990, at the same price.
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CEDIA 2009
Burning Blu
Tom Norton  |  Sep 10, 2009
JVC now has a two new Blu-ray players, but with a twist. The RS-HD 1250 ($1995) and RS-HD 1500 ($2550) not only play Blu-ray discs, but record them as well. Before you get all excited about this, you should know that the two cannot record HD either off the air or from copy-protected Blu-ray discs. Marketed by JVC's pro division, primarily with pro applications in mind, they can, however, copy HD video onto disc from HD camcorders, both pro and consumer. The material is first copied to an internal hard drive, then from there to to Blu-ray. The more expensive model differs in that it can record material from Final Cut Pro, has a larger hard drive 500GB vs 1250GB), and offers an RS-232 connection. Both machines have USB and IEEE-1394 ports.
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CEDIA 2009
New Sony Projectors
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
A new projector or two every year is a CEDIA tradition from Sony, and they did not disappoint us this year. The new VPL-VW85 video projector offers significantly enhanced brightness compared to the VPL-VW70 (known as the VPL-VW80 in some markets), and deep blacks courtesy of a combination of SXRD chips with superior contrast and Sony's well-established Advanced (dynamic) Iris. It also has a variety of user-selectable gamma settings, custom gamma adjustment via an external computer program, a Motion Enhancer feature operating at a 96Hz frame rate with the option of either full brightness or darkened interpolated frames, and an aspect ratio for use with an add-on anamorphic zoom lens. $8000, in October. A review of the VPL-VW85 is currently scheduled for the November 2009 issue of Home Theater. There's also a new, lower priced Sony SXRD projector, the VPL-HW15, with a claimed peak contrast ratio of 60,000:1 and 1000 ANSI lumens output at a suggested price of $3000. Also in October.
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CEDIA 2009
A Wicked Change-Up
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
Sony is introducing the CX7000ES Blu-ray mega-changer ($1900) to complement the BDP-CX960 Blu-ray changer ($800) currently available. The BDP-CX7000ES can hold up to 400 discs—either Blu-ray, standard DVD, or CD—. Sony made it a point to mention that four of these changers piggybacked together can hold all of the Blu-ray titles currently on the market! The player can download all relevant disc information via a broadband connection to Gracenote.
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CEDIA 2009
New Sony LED Edge-Lit LCDs
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
Sony is launching the new Bravia XBR10 series at CEDIA, featuring an ultra thin design, wireless transmission, an Ethernet connection for receiving Sony Bravia Internet Video over broadband, Motionflow 240Hz, and edge-lit LED backlighting— but no local dimming. The only Sony local dimming models are the XBR8s, and they are being phased out. There may be new local dimming models from the company down the road, according to one Sony source, but I suspect not this year. The XBR 10s are available at 47-inches ($4500) and 52-inches ($5000).
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CEDIA 2009
Do Do That Vudu
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
LG Electronics has just added the high-definition streaming movie service from Vudu, Inc. to its BD390 Wireless Network Blu-ray Player. Vudu offers rental or purchase of a wide range of movie and TV titles, including more than 2,200 in 1080p. The BD390 ($399) currently provides Netflix, Roxio, CinemaNow, and YouTube streaming content as part of its “NetCast Entertainment Access” feature. The Vudu addition will be available later this month (September 2009) as a free player upgrade.
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CEDIA 2009
Look Ma, No Wires
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
LG has brought wireless to some of its new LCD HDTVs. The flagship 55-inch, 55LHX (shown, $4799) offers wireless operation of up to 30 feet between the supplied media box to which the sources are connected (shown on the right in the photo) and the set itself. Just as important for enthusiasts, however, is the set's LED backlighting with local dimming, for a claimed 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.
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CEDIA 2009
Thin Is Still In
Tom Norton  |  Sep 09, 2009
LG Electronics also showed its new ultra thin “Full HD” LED LCD HDTV. The SL90 series, available in 42-inch and 47-inch sizes, features LED lighting with local dimming for a claimed dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1, a depth of 1.15 inches, extensive calibration capabilities, and TruMotion 120Hz.
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