Steven Kim

News By Steven Kim

Meridian fires up its CES party with Sooloos whole-home audio

It's been about a year since Meridian picked up Sooloos, and the fruits of the acquisition are coming at you, whole-home style. The new ID40 Sooloos Card can be dropped into select Meridian 800-series components to open up network audio streaming and play queue control. The new 808.3 Signature Reference CD player gets an ID40 bundled, and it's an option on the 861 Reference Digital Surround Controller (now in its sixth version and ready to gobble up 8-channels of audio from a HD621 HDMI Audio Processor). Just in case a $9,900 $5,000 Control 10 qualifies as a handy remote to you, there's also an iPhone / iPod touch app as well. Full details in the press releases, but those with mortal budgets might feel more at home with something like Sonos or Logitech. EDIT: The $9,900 Control 10 package includes an Ensemble server unit.

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News By Steven Kim

Dolby's spreading the word, reaching out to eyes and ears

Our trip to Dolby's San Francisco lab facility was mind-blowingly great, but it turns out that the company is ramping up efforts to let you get behind the "double D" logo. Things have come a long way from optically-encoded film audio and analog tape noise reduction, so Dolby just launched a campaign to bring everybody up to speed on how much higher your grin factor will be if you treat yourself to great surround sound in your home and on-the-go audio setup, no matter if music, movies or games are your cup o' tea. Fire up your browser and hit the links below -- the company is blanketing the webisphere with a microsite, special twitter activity (a little birdie mentioned the magical "giveaway" word), YouTube and flickr. Things will get really fun, however, if you push back from the keyboard, venture into the sunlight and get yourself into the Dolby truck as it makes the rounds at special events around California. Planned stops for the funhouse on wheels are in the links below; you'll see why we'd like to "borrow" this little rig chock-full-of audio wizardry to go alongside our own CES double-wide. Read - truck schedule Read - campaign microsite Read - twitter feed Read - YouTube Read - Dolby's flickr feed

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Accessories By Steven Kim

Paradigm ships its Special Edition speakers

The winning record Paradigm's Special Edition (SE) series of speakers racked up in blind testing piqued our interest, but now it's time for John Q. Public to take the taste test. If the promise of Studio-like sonics at Monitor-ish price points holds, the SE series should help Paradigm add customers to its ranks, that's for sure. If you're chasing after a matched surround setup, it's simple -- pick between bookshelf (SE 1, $299 each) or floorstander (SE 3, $699 each) left/right channels, and then add in an SE center ($499), SE subwoofer ($699), and additional SE 1s as surrounds to your heart's content. As you'd expect from Paradigm, there's some emphasis on high-efficiency -- so you can bet that these will sing well together, even with a smaller amp. Judging from the press photo, the cabinets are a little boxy, but the glossy finish (in slimming black, no less) and radiused edges should help you sneak these into your setup. Full press release after the break.

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Accessories By Steven Kim

Paradigm SUB 1 and SUB 2 subwoofers -- six drivers on three sides for buzz-free bass

Paradigm doesn't move models in and out of its Reference Signature lineup very often, and the SUB 25 was introduced less than a year ago. Progress never stops, though, and the SUB 25 has been displaced as top dog by the SUB 2 and its "little" brother SUB 1. These new designs feature six drivers (10-inches in the SUB 2, 8-inches for the SUB 1) arranged in three radially symmetric stacked pairs -- the end result being a lot of effective radiating area with in-cabinet forces that balance each other out. In the real world, that means more boom and less buzz, especially with the kilowatt range Class D amps Paradigm includes in these subs. Yeah, we want one too, but even with just six drivers this isn't going to come cheap. The $3,500 price tag on the SUB 1 is comparable to the outgoing SUB 25, but the SUB 2 will sink your wallet to a $7,500 crush depth. Pick yourself up off the floor and read the full release after the break if you're interested.

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TV & Movies

TV & Movies By Steven Kim

IMAX taps Audyssey MultEQ for room-correction

Even dedicated theaters like those IMAX uses (well, at least some of them are dedicated) need a little help when it comes to achieving the best sound. Take a look across the consumer AV receiver landscape and you'll see that various flavors of Audyssey's MultEQ technology is pretty popular for measuring and correcting the artifacts that arise in real-world rooms. Small wonder then, that MultEQ (no doubt a pro variant) has been selected by IMAX to help iron out problems with in-theater sound. Who knows, maybe we were distracted by the armrest-gripping visuals, but we've never had a complaint about IMAX sound. Still, we'll take any improvements we can get once the technicians start running through IMAX theaters with mics and test tones in 2010.

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Streaming

Streaming By Steven Kim

Join the Engadget HD podcast live on Ustream

It's Monday, and we know that getting the week started can be tough. We're here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to tape on Monday, September 28th at 6:30PM ET. Think of it as a kind of time machine that will help you power through your day by reviewing what happened in the week HD-wise. Embedded Ustream tools and a list of topics after the break.

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News By Steven Kim

Pioneer adds Anchor Bay VRS scaling to VSX-23TXH, VSX-21TXH and VSX-1019AH-K receivers

Video scaling has been a longtime knock held against Pioneer's AV receivers, but Pioneer is addressing those concerns with the inclusion of Anchor Bay VRS processing in its Elite VSX-23TXH ($899) and VSX-21TXH ($699) models, and also the VSX-1019AH-K ($499). Of course, Pioneer's home market in Japan isn't getting the short shrift -- the VSA-LX52 and VSA-1019AH are getting the same treatment. These models will be getting an ABT1015 to ratchet input signals all the way up to the magical 1080p figure; hopefully an indication that Pioneer will take a page from Denon's playbook and include ABT scaling in all of its AVRs from here on out. Full details after the break. UPDATE: We have sent questions to Pioneer about whether this is a mid-production spec bump, or ABT VRS has been in these models all along. We'll report back with any answers we get. UPDATE: We got official word back from Pioneer -- the VSX-1019, 21, 23, 25, and 27 models have all had Anchor Bay VRS scaling from the initial production, so there's no need to go throwing your AVR out. We can't imagine why both Pioneer and Anchor Bay haven't touted this feature from day one, but if your eyes told you the new Pioneer receivers had great scaling, give yourself a point.

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Accessories By Steven Kim

KEF lands its wireless HTB2SE-W subwoofer

Don't get us wrong -- we love subwoofers -- but honestly we've been pretty satisfied with the formula that combines a driver, strong box and large amplifier into a more or less (we prefer less) inconspicuous cube. Changing the physical design always looks kind of strange, even when the results are great. Horses for courses, however, as KEF has introduced its HTB2SE-W subwoofer that has us thinking of one George Jetson. That impression is only enhanced by the wireless connection (hey, it was futuristic a few years ago) that promises "CD-quality sound," which is probably more than sufficient for even lossless LFE tracks. If you don't like the flying saucer look, simply put the HTB2SE-W on its side -- the 10-inch driver and 250-Watt amp promise to deliver bass so non-directional that you won't be able to tell the difference. Available next month for $1,200 -- head below the fold for one more pic if you're not sure if this is the look for you.

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Reviews

Reviews By Steven Kim

Price check -- Runco's LS-3 projector within reach of mere mortals

We'll admit that sour grapes coming from the direction of our wallets usually make us look right past Runco's offerings. It's great stuff from a good company, but let's just say if you slip the Runco logo into a Rorschach test, we won't come up with "affordable." So in case you missed it in our CEDIA blitz, Runco's LS-3 LightStyle beamer carries a MSRP of $4,995 -- not cheap, but not new car kind of money that we associate with the brand, either. It's a 1080p DLP projector that packs a list of Runco tech like ConstantContrast, Vivix enhancement, Runco image processing, that all together are good for 10,000:1 contrast. If you're fortunate enough to be in the market for something like a JVC projector, consider adding the LS-3 to your audition list and call us over for some popcorn.

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Computing

Computing By Steven Kim

Cake havers and eaters unite as Sharp promises better LCD contrast and efficiency

Ah, the wonders of technology. Sharp's lab rats have come up with "UV²A" technology that should allow for tighter control of the liquid crystal shutters in LCDs; that's geek speak for "higher contrast and lower energy consumption." We know that simply calibrating your set can net you benefits in the same two areas, but this is the kind of incremental gain that will help push LCDs past plasmas in the long run -- a 60-percent increase in contrast with 20-percent less juice from the wall. We'll be ready to apply some salt to the 5,000:1 contrast ratio figure and leave it to the marketing department to handle the use of "UV radiation" to twist the crystals (a healthy suntan from your Sharp TV?). We're just excited to see some tech that's production ready, as in UV²A could be rolled out next month.

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Streaming

Streaming By Steven Kim

Join the Engadget HD podcast live on Ustream

The CEDIA rush has faded, but there's still plenty to talk about on the Engadget HD podcast. So set up the DVR to record the game tonight -- we're not going to promise a short show -- or strategically position the lappy next to the La-Z-Boy when the podcast goes live onto the interwebs Monday, September 21st at 6:30 PM ET, right on Ustream. Embedded Ustream tools for those who don't mind the Flash IRC client and a list of topics after the break.

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News By Steven Kim

Atlantic Technology's FS-7.0 soundbar leaves nothing behind, crams all 7 surround audio channels into one cabinet

We were so intrigued to hear how much bass Atlantic Technology could squeeze from a small speaker with its H-PAS technology that we overlooked the company's passive FS-7.0 soundbar. That's right -- passive -- for the person who needs the compact footprint of a soundbar, but can't let go of the processing, signal switching and performance of a separate AV receiver. Atlantic Technology managed to squeeze enough drivers (and we assume speaker taps) into the 40-inch soundbar to handle all 7 audio channels; which might explain why there was no room left for a built-in amplifier. LCR audio is handled by three 1-inch tweets and a pair of 4x6-inch woofers along the front face, and the surround and rear surround audio is handled by the triple voice coil, 3.25-inch drivers on each side of the cabinet. The company PR assures that this arrangement creates spacious audio, and with all the surround audio coming from the front of the room, we're sure that's true -- but not necessarily good. More channels isn't necessarily better, but anyone with FS-7.0's $800 asking price (and maybe even $300 for the companion SB-800 sub) and an open mind is free to give us their impressions below.

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News By Steven Kim

Denon keeps high-end covered with AVR-4810CI receiver, DBP-4010CI universal Blu-ray player and ASD-51 iPod docks

Denon loyalists may have been stinging from the company's no-show at last week's CEDIA Expo, but the latest round of releases should help ease the pain. Here we go with the AVR-4810CI receiver, DBP-4010DCI universal disc player and ASD-51 iPod docks. The 9.3-channel AVR-4810CI ($2,999) looks to be the successor to Denon's popular 4308CI -- feature packed and definitely on the high end of the spectrum. Six HDMI 1.3a inputs, a pair of outputs, 140-Watts to nine channels, and the familiar set of features being rolled out across Denon's lineup: Anchor Bay video processing, Audyssey DSX and Dolby ProLogic IIz. Denon wants you to know it will pair up just fine with the DBP-4010UDCI universal disc spinner, which you should think of as a cheaper -- but at $1,999, not a "poor man's" -- DVD-A1UDCI. It'll play back just about every disc you've got (okay, maybe not laserdisc), and the build quality ensures it'll do so until after your physical media has turned to dust. Finally, Denon has also brought out the ASD-51W and ASD-51N iPod docks that also let you pull in internet radio, Napster and Rhapsody -- grab up the ASD-51W if you want to do that sans wires. As you'd expect from "CI" (custom integrator) designation on these bits of fun, everything is getting in on the network control and connectivity game, but we'll leave it for you to suss out those finer details after the break.

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News By Steven Kim

NuVision crashes the projector party with LED-lamp P2, 3-chip P3

NuVision has picked our favorite way to make a splash with a product sector entrance -- bring out models packing relatively unique tech. The P1, P2 and P3 DLP projectors should fit into NuVision's custom-centric product lineup quite nicely when they release early next year. Things start out pretty tame with the $8,999 P1, a UHP-lamped offering with (of course) 1080p native resolution. The P2 makes the game interesting with its LED lamp system that should pretty much cut the lamp exchanges down to zero if you can really control the ambient light in your theater; but then again, $18,999 would pay for a lot of bulbs. Finally, there's no denying the glory of a three-chip DLP setup, though, and P3 mates those three chips with a 300-Watt UHP lamp for the kind of no-compromise performance you'd expect from a $36,999 beamer.

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Accessories By Steven Kim

JVC's trio of consumer-ish projectors still make wallets weep

Did we mention that CEDIA was a whirlwind of activity? There are a few bits of good stuff we didn't manage to get our HD hands on, including the new JVC projectors aimed at folks who just can't swing the mortgage-busting $175,000 for the company's pick o' the litter. The DLA-RS35, DLA-RS25 and DLA-RS15 are available through the "professional channels" CEDIA targets, but the equivalent DLA-HD990, DLA-HD950 and DLA-HD550 are in the consumer lineup. Everyone of the 1080p, D-ILA beamers gets the 120-Hz treatment, HQV Reon video processing, motorized lens zoom and focus, horizontal and vertical lens shifts and of course, ISF calibration modes so you can get things tweaked just so. Sounds great, but you can't expect JVC to deliver this feature set on the cheap -- $5,000 for the HD550, $5,500 for the RS15, $8,000 for the RS25 or HD950, and an even $10,000 for the RS35 or HD990.

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Streaming

Streaming By Steven Kim

Join the Engadget HD podcast live on Ustream

We're kicking off a new recording date and time for the Engadget HD podcast this week -- Monday September 14 at 6:30PM ET. So if you're one of the crowd who tunes in to Ustream to catch the show live, you'll need to rejigger your schedule. There's plenty of news from CEDIA to go over, and we might even get some new regular chatroom members at our new time, so come on by and check it out, won't you? Topic list and Ustream embeds after the break.

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News By Steven Kim

Yamaha shows off its RX-V2065 network AV receiver

Yamaha has introduced a new top-end RX-V2065 model to its RX-V65 receiver line. Connecting the receiver to both the home network and the internet at-large is coming on strong, and the RX-V2065 definitely got the memo. Starting with the basics, the RX-V2065 is a 7x130-Watt receiver featuring Yamaha's ToP-ART amp design with a 5/2 HDMI in/out complement. Yammy then adds its home-cooked assortment of DSP modes, packing 17 flavors of sonic manipulation into the new receiver. Networking is where this model really sets itself apart from the similar RX-V1900 model, though, with the ability to pluck streams from Rhapsody, internet radio, DLNA, and files around your home network. Heck, even sneakernet is supported courtesy a USB port up front. To be sure, there's a lot more acronyms and add-on accessories for this unit that the custom installer crowd at CEDIA can use to round out their sales pitches (and to help bring up the margins on this $1,400 AVR), but we'll leave that for you to decipher by hitting the link.

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Entertainment

Entertainment By Steven Kim

JVC's TH-BA1 and TH-SB100 soundbar systems fill out 4.1-channels

Back in January, JVC slated its TH-SB100 soundbar + subwoofer + Blu-ray player system as "3.1-channel," which kind of made sense since the soundbar housed LCR drivers. There's been something funny in the punch since then, because the TH-SB100 has morphed into something with 4.1-channel status. It's still a soundbar system, but JVC is using magic called "front surround" to get the outermost drivers to handle the left/right channels and the inside two drivers to handle the center + surround audio. It sounds crazy to us, but we'll try to keep an open mind because otherwise things look pretty good -- 220-Watts total, wireless subwoofer, and Dolby Digital, Pro Logic II and DTS processing in the soundbar. If all you've already got a Blu-ray player, opt for the $400 TH-BA1 (soundbar + sub only), otherwise get onboard with Blu-ray and grab the $700 TH-SB100 (complete with Blu-ray deck).

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News By Steven Kim

NAD doubles its Blu-ray fleet with new flagship M56 player

Until now, if you wanted a Blu-ray deck with the NAD (New Audio Dimensions, smart guy) logo, you could either pony up the $1,500 for the T587 or get familiar with silk-screening your own faceplate. But now, a $1,999 option from NAD's Master Series has opened up for you in the M56. Back in the day, we had some pretty nice NAD stereo gear, but those pieces always stood for good value -- and unfortunately, we can't say we're seeing the same value proposition here. Aside from the overbuilt chassis construction , the specs add up to a Profile 2.0 player that can dole out Blu-ray's lossless audio via bitstream, LPCM or 7.1-channel analog jacks and play back media via a USB port; in other words, the standard feature set for a reasonably "complete" Blu-ray player these days. If you really need something that fits style-wise into your current rack full of NAD gear, go for it; otherwise consider some alternatives -- including getting back into silk-screening.

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News By Steven Kim

Sherwood delivers R-972 receiver with Trinnov Optimizer room EQ

All right, traditionalists -- if Sherwood's NetBoxx AVR with all its internet streaming is too radical for you, the R-972 and R-774 might strike a chord with your "the receiver must have a volume knob" sensibilities. The 7x100-Watt R-972 has been awaited mostly for its 3D Trinnov Optimizer room equalization, which has made some pretty big promises -- we'll have to see how it fares when paired up with Silicon Optix REON video processing, three zone support, and compliment of 4xHDMI inputs, which seems like a negative in the current crop of $1,500 AVRs. Rather than just scale things down for the $850 R-774 model, Sherwood keeps the power at 7x100-Watts, but touts Anchor Bay video processing, two zone support, and optional pairing with the BT-R7 Bluetooth receiver so you can send tunes wirelessly to your receiver.

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Accessories By Steven Kim

HT-SB500 soundbar poised to overthrow HT-SB300 as Sharp's best yet

Before the end of the year, Sharp will have a new entry at the top of its soundbar offerings -- the HT-SB500. The $350 model, due in December, packs LCR and sub drivers in one cabinet, thus one-upping its stablemates with a "3.1-channel" soundbar designation. The latest multichannel connectivity is a moot point on soundbars, so the HT-SB500 takes the reasonable (at least in our experience) approach and sticks with optical and coaxial SPDIF inputs, stereo RCAs and a 3.5-mm jack. The onboard decoders for DTS, Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II should cover the bases for the intended uses, and adding in a dash of Dolby Virtual Speaker or SRS TruSurround HD processing should help create a soundstage that's bigger than the soundbar itself. Sharp knows aesthetics really count in this segment, and caps things off with its Touch Panel (hey, it's trendy right now) controls up front. Full details after the break.

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News By Steven Kim

Sherwood BDP-5004 Blu-ray player moves up to Profile 2.0, down to $200

It sounds like Sherwood took critical reviews of its BDP-5003 Blu-ray player to heart when it worked up the plans for the successor. The BDP-5004 is taking a bow at CEDIA in advance of its October release, and the wrongs have been righted -- it's a Profile 2.0 player with onboard decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, it has 5.1-channel analog outputs around back so you can get some more miles out of your old receiver, and it's targeted for just a nickel under $200. If that's still not enough for you, how does DiVX support through a front-panel USB port sound? If you can't bring yourself to consider a deck that doesn't do the online streaming thing, though, keep looking.

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Samsung

Samsung By Steven Kim

Samsung's LN65B650 LCD takes a 65-inch bite out of CEDIA, no LEDs harmed

Plasma TV's have been retreating from LCDs to the safety of sizes larger than 50-inches, but emboldened LCDs are striking into that territory as well. Embarking on recon from CEDIA is Samsung's LN65B650, a 65-inch behemoth sporting a 4ms response time, 120-Hz Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation, Medi@2.0 connectivity, and Samsung's Touch of Color treatment in grey. All the latest wizardry, you say? Not quite -- it's CCFL backlit; but even without LEDs -- the LN65B650 is probably too big for edge-lighting to cover, and would take roughly a gazillion LEDs to backlight directly -- the real plasma killer here might be the little check mark in the "Energy Star qualified" box. The $6,000 price (and we'd guess ultimate picture quality, too) means that biggie-sized plasmas are safe for now, but we know how prices and performance go with time. Full details on this beast after the break.

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Samsung

Samsung By Steven Kim

Samsung's LN65B650 LCD takes a 65-inch bite out of CEDIA, no LEDs harmed

Plasma TV's have been retreating from LCDs to the safety of sizes larger than 50-inches, but emboldened LCDs are striking into that territory as well. Embarking on recon from CEDIA is Samsung's LN65B650, a 65-inch behemoth sporting a 4ms response time, 120-Hz Auto Motion Plus frame interpolation, Medi@2.0 connectivity, and Samsung's Touch of Color treatment in grey. All the latest wizardry, you say? Not quite -- it's CCFL backlit; but even without LEDs -- the LN65B650 is probably too big for edge-lighting to cover, and would take roughly a gazillion LEDs to backlight directly -- the real plasma killer here might be the little check mark in the "Energy Star qualified" box. The $6,000 price (and we'd guess ultimate picture quality, too) means that biggie-sized plasmas are safe for now, but we know how prices and performance go with time. Full details on this beast after the break.

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Reviews

Reviews By Steven Kim

InFocus' SP8602 projector puts the ScreenPlay line back on the map

It's been a long time since InFocus has brought out a beamer under the ScreenPlay name, but the SP8602 is coming out guns blazing at CEDIA. The 1080p DarkChip DLP boasts a 30,000:1 contrast, but can also crank out 1,300 lumens for when viewing must compete with that big ball of fire in the sky. The SP8602 is packed with good tech, including a six-segment color wheel, TI's BrilliantColor, 10-bit video processing from PixelWorks and 120-Hz support to make sure the images thrown up on the big screen are eye-poppingly good. Heck, it's even ready if said screen is less than perfect -- vertical and horizontal lens shifts, automatic image flipping (ceiling mount is where it's at) and warping functions (don't use them unless you have to) should pretty much be able to deliver square images to all but the most compromised situations. Available in late October, but you'll have to hit up your dealer for pricing.

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