CEDIA @ 20
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 5:01 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CEDIA's founding, a fact that was not lost on any attendees thanks to the ubiquitous signage, an example of which is shown here with Sony rep Jon Lin. A momentous occasion, to be sure. I just wish the celebration had been at a different venue—the Georgia World Congress Center was universally panned by everyone I spoke with. It's way too spread out, making it nearly impossible to walk from one end to the other in less than 20 minutes. And forget about getting anywhere offsite! Noel Lee, head monster at Monster Cable, was riding his Segue as usual, and I saw consultant Tony Grimani zipping around on a small razor-type kick scooter—maybe I'll get one of those for next year!
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Optoma HD8600
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 5:00 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Long known for exceptional value in DLP projectors, Optoma introduced another winner in this regard at CEDIA. The HD8600 is one of the only—if not the only—single-chip DLP projector with multiple lens options for less than $10,000. To be more specific, the projector with standard lens lists for $7500, while the long-throw lens option is $8600, and the short-throw version is $9500. It is said to output 1600 lumens with dynamic contrast of 50,000:1 thanks to Texas Instruments' Dynamic Black. To my delight, it also provides lens shift, which has been missing in the company's previous models, something I've complained about for years. The HD8600 will be available only through custom installers, not at retail.
Triad Cinema Plus
Posted Tue Sep 15, 2009, 4:59 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Of the few live audio demos I heard on the show floor, Triad's was among the most impressive. The company introduced its Cinema Plus home-theater package of in-wall speakers, including three modified Platinum LCRs in front, six Gold surrounds, and 12 modified Silver subwoofers powered by a total of 6kW. Also included in the package is a detailed installation plan from home-theater consulting firm PMI, acoustic treatments, and tech support.
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CAT MBX 4
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 10:37 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
If money really is no object and you want a true digital-cinema projector in your home theater, this is the only game in town. The CAT MBX 4 is a 3-chip DLP with a resolution of 2048x1080, the same as you see in digital cinemas. It also provides D-Link decryption in order to display DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) files. Other standard features include 3-kilowatt xenon lamp, dual power supply, custom lenses, anamorphic lens with sled, custom irises, and a plenum enclosure with a cooling system that keeps the internal temperature within 3 degrees of the target at all times. The projector is fed by an outboard processor via two dual-link DVI connections, each of which provides a higher bit rate than standard DVI. If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it, but I'll tell you anyway—$208,000 with the standard processor (10-bit processing, 12-bit output) and an extra $32,000 for the 12-bit processor. Heck, why not buy two for 3D?
Sony KDL-46XBR10
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 4:04 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
I didn't include a post about the XBR10 series of LCD TVs with the rest of the products from the Sony press conference on Wednesday because it was not active, and photo of a blank screen is boring. This 240Hz LCD uses LED edge lighting, which allows it to be very thin but precludes local dimming. It also provides widgets and access to online streaming content, and an outboard box transmits 1080p wirelessly to the set. It will be available next month in 46- and 52-inch screen sizes; pricing was not disclosed.
Lexicon BD-30 Redux
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 4:02 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
I already blogged about the Lexicon BD-30 universal Blu-ray player, but no one outside the company knew before the show that it has received THX certification. At the Lexicon booth, I also learned that it can decode DVD-Audio and SACD and send multichannel PCM via HDMI, a great feature in this $3500 player. The BD-30 is pictured here with the MC-12HD pre/pro, which just received a firmware update that lets it accept a 7.1-channel PCM bitstream from Blu-rays that offer it—the previous version was limited to 5.1 PCM.
Samsung UN55B8500
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 4:01 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
The B8500 series is Samsung's latest LED-backlit, local-dimming LCD, available in 46- and 55-inch screen sizes. What distinguishes this line is its depth—only 1.6 inches, far thinner than most LED-backlit sets. The 46-incher will list for $3700, while the 55 carries a price tag of $4600.
Samsung LN65B650
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 3:57 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
The newest addition to Samsung's stable of LCD TVs is the LN65B650, a 65-inch monster with conventional backlighting that will list for $6000. Of particular note is a picture mode called BD-Wise, which is found on select 2009 TVs and all of the company's '09 Blu-ray players. BD-Wise lets the TV and Blu-ray player communicate and automatically set their parameters depending on the content. A satellite feed looked quite bad with lots of artifacts, but Blu-ray looked much better.
Digital Projection Redux
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:44 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
At the end of the day, I stopped by the Digital Projection booth to see its new offerings, which I blogged about before the show. The M-Vision Cine LED was being compared with an iVision 30 lamp-based projector on adjacent screens, and while the iVision was brighter, even on a larger screen, the Cine LED exhibited better color saturation. In another part of the booth, the HighLite 3-chip DLP looked great, with excellent color and detail.
Digital Projection also presented two 3D demos using the Titan Reference 3D (pictured). Off to the side was one system with a computer-based server that used active-shutter glasses, but it was having technical difficulties when I was there, so it didn't look very good. The other demo used passive glasses and
an 18-foot-wide, 2.35:1 Stewart UltraMatte 100 CineCurve, the largest ever built. That was much more impressive, but in both cases, the picture looked very dim after passing through those glasses, a problem common to virtually all 3D systems I've seen.
Classe CT Series
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:43 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Classe's Delta series of components incorporate beautiful industrial design, but their curved enclosures prevent them from being rack mounted. To address this problem, the company is introducing the CT series, which includes several new power amps and a rack-mountable version of the SSP-800 pre/pro. The amps boast a new thermal-management system and other refinements that led one rep I spoke with to exclaim, "They're the best-sounding amps we've ever made." Prices range from $5000 for the 300W monoblock to $9000 for the 5x300W CT-5300.
Rotel RSP-1580
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:41 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
This surround preamp/processor from Rotel is so new, it isn't even in the company's CEDIA press kit. Shown here in a rack below a Rotel tuner, the RSP-1580 sports a large LCD display and incorporates dual audio DSP chips with a combined processing speed of 3000 MIPS as well as the latest Genesis video processor that uses 12 bits per color. It can decode all the current audio formats, and a front-panel USB port lets you connect an iPod. Perhaps most interesting is its integrated HDMI matrix switcher with four inputs and four outputs, allowing you to send the signal from any input to any output. The RSP-1580 will list for $4500 when it ships in January.
SIM2 Solar 47
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:40 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
I've seen demos of Dolby's HDR (High Dynamic Range) LED local-dimming technology for LCD TVs for over a year, but it's finally about to be released in a real product from SIM2. The Solar 47 is a 47-inch, 1080p LCD TV with 2206 white LEDs arrayed behind the imaging panel, and unlike other local-dimming sets, each LED is individually addressable. It should be available by the end of the year for—get this—$25,000. Sure, it looks great, but 25 grand for a 47-inch LCD? Yikes!
SIM2 C3X Lumis
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:39 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
SIM2's C3X line of 3-chip DLP projectors has a long and venerable history, capped by the latest model, the C3X Lumis. A custom implementation of Texas Instruments' Dynamic Black feature leads to a claimed contrast ratio up to 35,000:1, and a new dimmable 280W lamp can output up to 3000 lumens. The demo was very impressive, with excellent dark detail in a clip from The Dark Knight. The C3X Lumis is available now for $36,000.
SIM2 Mico 50
Posted Sat Sep 12, 2009, 0:38 AM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Yet another entry in the LED-illuminated, single-chip DLP projector sweepstakes is the Mico 50 from SIM2. Said to deliver 800 lumens, the PhlatLight LEDs have an expected lifespan of over 30,000 hours. It's name means "sparkle" in Italian, but I saw no sparkles in the demo on a Da-Lite Affinity screen, which is a good thing. Not so good was the demo material—a clip from a concert video featuring singer Seal. The colored stage lighting was not conducive to evaluating color accuracy, though Seal's dark skin looked about right when he was in white light. The Mico 50 should be available in November for $25,000.
Runco VX-33 Redux
Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009, 12:57 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Now that I've seen the new VX-33 projector after writing about it before the show, I can confirm that it is indeed bright enough to fill a giant screen and compete with some ambient light. The demo was a football game on a 14-foot-wide Stewart GrayHawk with the room lights on, and the picture was plenty punchy.
Runco VX-3000
Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009, 12:56 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Another new "entry-level" DLP projector line introduced by Runco at CEDIA is the VX-3000, which replaces the RS-900. Three models will be available—VX-3000i ($9000, internal processor), VX-3000d ($12,000, DHD 3 external processor), and VX-3000d Ultra ($20,000, DHD 3, five lens options, can use CineWide with AutoScope anamorphic system). The color wheel in these projectors has been designed specifically for reproducing D65 white, and calibration reduces the light output much less than most projectors.
Runco LightStyle
Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009, 12:55 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
Among the many new products introduced by Runco at CEDIA is a new entry-level line of DLP projectors, dubbed LightStyle. Three models comprise the line—the LS-3 ($5000) and LS-5 ($7000) are single-chip, 1080p, while the LS-7 ($15,500) is a 3-chip 720p. The sleek design looks more like a Planar projector, which is not surprising since Planar bought Runco in 2007.
Runco Q-750
Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009, 12:53 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
One of the big buzzes at this year's show is LED illumination in front projectors, and Runco is in the thick of it with the Q-750, marketed under the QuantumColor moniker. This projector uses Luminus PhlatLight LEDs and recalibrates the color every time it's turned on, which guarantees no color shift over the life of the projector. Speaking of color, it can reproduce a gamut 135 percent larger than NTSC, and it comes with several preset gamuts, including Rec.709, SMPTE C, DCI (the digital-cinema standard), sRGB, Adobe RGB, and the native gamut of the LEDs.
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IDT HQV Vida
Posted Fri Sep 11, 2009, 12:50 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
At CES last January, a group of journalists was invited to see a demo of HQV processing after the brand and intellectual property had been bought from Silicon Optix by IDT. Unfortunately, we were sworn to secrecy until the development was farther along. At CEDIA, the embargo has finally been lifted, and I can write about the new HQV Vida processing chip, which was launched at the end of July.
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Wisdom SCS
Posted Thu Sep 10, 2009, 5:53 PM ET
By Scott Wilkinson
This skinny subwoofer, dubbed the Suitcase Subwoofer (SCS) because of its shape, hardly looks like it can go deep, but it does. Even more surprising is the driver compliment, which consists of two 5x7-inch "woofers" at the mouth of what Wisdom calls a complimentary folded horn. Only the horn's port is visible, and it can be configured to exit the cabinet on the front or either side, making placement very flexible. This serves the company's goal of a sub that can be placed where traditional subs can't, such as behind or under furniture. Power is supplied by a 500W amp, and the list price will be around $4000 when it ships in October.
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