Cedia2008
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JVC issues revised specifications, new details on D-ILA HD projectors
JVC has pushed out a release today clarifying some of the claims it made back at CEDIA 2008, and by and large, it's things that prospective buyers will want to hear. The company introduced an HD foursome of projectors in Denver earlier this month, but apparently, some of the specifications it included weren't, shall we say, final. Looking specifically at contrast ratio, we see the DLA-HD750 and DLA-HD20 jumping from 30,000:1 to 50,000:1, the DLA-RS10 going from 17,000:1 to 32,000:1 and the DLA-HD350 doubling up from 15,000:1 to 30,000:1. Also of note, JVC is now highlighting the 16-step fixed aperture in the DLA-HD750 and DLA-RS20 that "helps eliminate extraneous light that can reduce contrast levels and allows adjustment of brightness to suit user preferences." As for updated prices, you can expect to pay around $6,000 for the DLA-HD350, while the DLA-HD750, DLA-RS10 and DLA-RS20 come in at $8,000, $6,000 and $8,000 in order of mention.
Marantz intros $799 Profile 1.1 BD7003 Blu-ray player
We fully understand that Marantz buyers are going to pay a premium for that Marantz logo, but this just screams absurd. Joining the company's $2,000 BD8002 is the "budget-minded" BD7003, a Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player with an equally stupefying $799 price tag. Oh sure, it's got HDMI 1.3a, 1080p upscaling for standard DVDs and support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, but we're still unclear on what makes this thing worth nearly eight bills. If you've got it all figured out, however, you can dive right in this November.
HDMI founders to finally rally around single CEC standard
Back in March, we called for HDMI members to put aside their differences and unify around a single HDMI-CEC standard. According to Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC, that movement is about to begin. While speaking to CE Pro at CEDIA, the bigwig confessed that the HDMI founders (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba) have finally agreed to team up on a "unified CEC plan." If executed, the result would mean that HDMI-CEC-enabled VIERA plasmas could be controlled in unison with HDMI-CEC-enabled Sony receivers, and the whole VIERA Link / BRAVIA Sync / Anynet+ / AQUOS Link garbage could finally be disposed of. Mr. Venuti also claimed that there would "probably be an announcement at CES 2009," so we'll be keeping an ear out in around 100 days.[Image courtesy of AVReview, thanks Lindsay]
Poll: Favorite announcement at CEDIA 2008?
CEDIA 2008 is behind us, and CES 2009 has already been spotted just around the bend. But before we go getting ahead of ourselves, we're curious to know what your favorite item / technology was from the show floor in Denver. Were you digging that 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer? Jazzed about wireless HD yet? Floored by any of those HDTVs / speakers? Feel free to drop your vote in below, and if your fav isn't listed, stand tall and represent it in comments below. %Poll-19665%
Panasonic offers up 65-inch 1080p TH-65VX100U plasma
Originally unwrapped at CEDIA (and just now made official), Panasonic's TH-65VX100U is a 1080p behemoth aimed specifically at the "high-end custom home theater enthusiast." It becomes the first in the outfit's line of Premiere Series models and features a 60,000:1 contrast ratio (with an "industry-leading gradation level of 7,160 steps"), 18-bit digital signal processing, 16 adjustment menus and a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) panel. This living room centerpiece is currently on track for a January release, though there's no telling how badly it'll hurt your wallet when the time comes.
CEDIA 2008 roundup
CEDIA 2008 was a whirlwind of new projectors, HDTVs and all sorts of other wares that home theater freaks just love. As always, we were here in the Mile High City covering every minute, but we completely understand if you missed anything. Just in case, we've compiled a summary of what all happened here in Denver, and make sure you head on past the break for the rest. Hands-onsHands-on: Sony shows off prototype 400-disc Blu-ray Mega ChangerHands-on with LG's BD300 Netflix / Blu-ray deckHands-on with the THX-certified QuietHome doorHands-on with Niveus Media's Denali, Rainier and Cargo media waresHands-on with Sony's SXRD BRAVIA VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10 projectorsHands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototypeHands-on / a look within Pioneer's Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray playerHands-on with Toshiba's SRT REGZA HDTVs (and other old crap)Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player
Runco CEDIA 2008 booth tour
Runco's booth at CEDIA this year wasn't nearly as outlandish as SpeakerCraft's, but it definitely had an outdoor vibe to it. Curiously, all of the outfit's newly announced kit wasn't out for viewing, but the flagship 70-inch Crystal Series CX-70DHD (and its external DHD video controller / processor) was hard to miss. Now, if only affording one was as easy as browsing the gallery... %Gallery-31310%
NuVo Technologies CEDIA 2008 booth tour
Generally speaking, we've always found NuVo Technologies' products a tad too pricey for what they are, but who are we to think for everyone, right? All of its mainstream gear was in attendance, from the NV-M3 music server to the Essentia E6G to the all new Renovia. Give the whole fam a look in the gallery just below.%Gallery-31309%
projectiondesign CEDIA 2008 booth tour
projectiondesign's overhead sign was practically larger than its array of projectors, but those uniquely designed boxes drew our attention and wouldn't let go. Thus, we snapped a few shots of what we saw, and while everything there was too rich for our blood, no one said we couldn't stare real hard. Dive in below.%Gallery-31306%
ZeeVee CEDIA 2008 booth tour
Well, would you look at that. The little Massachusetts startup that got all of our hopes up with a localcasting ZvBox showed up at this year's CEDIA, and while it didn't bring much to the show (after all, it only has one product), there seemed to be a good bit of buzz around the floor. We're still giving ours a thorough run-through, but if you're anxious to see what ZeeVee was doing in Denver, check out the gallery below.%Gallery-31304%
Control4 CEDIA 2008 booth tour
While Control4 didn't make a lot of fuss about the few new products that it rolled out at CEDIA, people knew about 'em, regardless. Easily one of the most packed booths at the Expo, this one showcased the full gamut of wares offered up by the home automation outfit. We snapped images from every angle imaginable, and we even got a few with the new touch panels and remotes. Don't believe us? Just have a look at the gallery, it's all there.%Gallery-31303%
Mitsubishi's 65-inch LaserVue priced at CEDIA: $6,999
Mitsubishi has been trickling out details for its mysterious LaserVue HDTV for months now, but at long last, we finally know the most pertinent piece. Reportedly, the 65-inch set -- which was seen lookin' mighty fine on the CEDIA floor, by the way -- will retail for $6,999 when it ships to Select Diamond retailers at the end of this month. The forthcoming 73-inch version doesn't have a price / release date just yet, but given the way we've found things out about its smaller sibling, we can't say we're shocked in the least.
Harman International CEDIA 2008 booth tour
Harman International is comprised of a great many companies, so it's no surprise that it took two CEDIA booths to hold 'em all. We took our trusty camera through the both of 'em to check out the latest from the likes of Infinity, JBL, H/K and Mark Levinson, and we spotted JBL's fresh LS Series, Infinity's wireless subwoofers / Prelude Forty and a $15,000 SACD player from Levinson that made Sony's new $1,500 SCD-XA5400ES look dirt cheap. Have a walk around, the gallery's right down there.%Gallery-31302%
Bowers & Wilkins / Rotel / Classe CEDIA 2008 booth tour
B&W, Rotel and Classe didn't go out of their way to announce anything new this CEDIA, but we couldn't resist the urge to wade on through their combined booth and snap a few shots. Of course, the lovely Zeppelin was getting an uncomfortable amount of attention, but even the more obscure hardware was seeing its fair share of onlookers. Say, why don't you become one by hitting up the gallery below? %Gallery-31295%
Velodyne's latest subwoofers at CEDIA: eyes-on
In case you've never had the privilege of attending a trade show, here's a fact: the lighting is horrid. It's tough enough to take decent photographs as-is, but when the floor underneath of you is rumbling the entire time, crisp images are even harder to come by. So yeah, you'll have to forgive us if any of the pics of Velodyne's latest families are a tad out of focus, but believe us when we say every single one was fit for a king. Or a rock star. Or you.%Gallery-31311%
SpeakerCraft CEDIA 2008 booth tour: it's a jungle in there
There's zero doubt that SpeakerCraft paid good money for a hot spot on the CEDIA floor to showcase its wares, and there's also no denying that it had the zaniest booth at the entire Expo. From a dozen yards out, you could feel the bass pumping, you could sense the ground moving, and you could see the mass of people gathered at the SpeakerCraft installation. Upon heading over, we realized that it had brought along the jungle (and even its inhabitants), and we found all sorts of drivers hung up in trees and underneath canopies. Put simply, it was just too bizarre to not pass along, so here you go. %Gallery-31294%
AudioQuest's Series 10 HDMI cable takes 1080p 115-feet with no extender
Taking your HDMI signals a few hundred feet isn't a problem if you're kosher with dropped a few Benjamins on an extender, but AudioQuest has a better idea -- just make a cable that can take said signals further. The Series 10 HDMI cable is making its grand entrance at CEDIA this year, and thanks to some fancy Advanced Critical Twist Geometry and a proprietary conductor alloy, it can pipe 1080p content up to 35-meters (115-feet) from the source "virtually error-free." Pricing and availability weren't mentioned, but considering how much you'll save by not having to buy an extender, we'd expect these strands to be mighty pricey. Full release after the break.
Integra quietly launches DBS-6.9 Blu-ray player at CEDIA: hands-on
If you'll recall, Integra surprised at last year's CEDIA by trotting out its DHS-8.8 HD DVD player; this year, the company has quietly (silently, in fact) released its plainly styled DBS-6.9 Blu-ray deck. While the design may not suit your fancy, it's far from being the ugliest BD player at the Expo, and reportedly, the Profile 1.1 unit will retail for a buck under $600 whenever it decides to ship. We can already tell you're uninterested based on the price alone, but feel free to peruse the gallery at Engadget HD if you're hungry for pics.
Oppo joins the Blu-ray revolution with BDP S83 deck
Oppo, best known for its upconverting DVD players and universal decks, has apparently decided to join the BD camp with little to no fuss. The BDP S83 was spotted over at the company's CEDIA booth, and while no real details were provided ("it's loaded" is all we have to go on), we can't see any harm in having yet another alternative. Unless it's $350+, in which case we'll roll our eyes and stomp away with our arms crossed.
Paradigm's Signature SUB 25 maximizes the fun-per-volt
The use of Class-D amplification in subwoofers is nothing new, but Paradigm's new Signature SUB 25 makes use of Power Factor Correction on the supply to grab the most power possible out of mains voltages between 108- and 265-Volts, yielding amplifier performance that can steadily crank out 3,000-Watts (and 7,500-Watt peaks). Put all that power behind a 15-inch driver with 3-inches of travel and you've got a formidable low frequency generator that will definitely expose any room nodes (or loose fillings) you have. And that's just where the Paradigm Perfect Bass Kit (PBK-1) room correction system comes in, using tech from the Anthem ARC-1 to help you tune those problems away. Expect the SUB 25 and PBK-1 in late Q3 for $3999 and $299, respectively.
