Click above for more information Welcome to another issue of rAVe HomeAV Edition! We're back from CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, and today we're bringing you our first post-show issue. We have my review in a column below, as well as a ton of news articles and product announcements. Next month, we'll bring you our brand new CEDIA Expo Awards issue, and the rest of the news from the Expo, which we couldn't cover all in one shot! If you couldn't get to CEDIA this year, or want a refresher of all the great stuff you saw, check out CEDIA Expo OnDemand Powered by rAVe NOW, where we partnered with CEDIA to bring you videos and Tweets right from the show floor. We shot about 300 videos — all of which are short product pitches, just as if you had wandered into a booth and asked a sales guy, What's your newest products, and why should I care?" Each are about a minute to a minute-and-a-half, and you can search by manufacturer. Check it out here: https://www.ravepubs.com/ravenow Did you go to CEDIA Expo this year? Have an opinion? Let me know at gary@ravepubs.com Enjoy the issue! –Gary Kayye, CTS Back to Top Click above for more information A Review of CEDIA Expo
By Gary Kayye, CTS What an awesome show! Over 20,000 people perused the show floor over four days and, considering the down economy, there were a surprisingly high number of new product launches. I was shocked at all the new technology heading into what is supposed to be a slow Fall.
Most impressive? Well, I’ll save that for our all-new rAVe’s Best of CEDIA Expo Awards issue next month, but technologically you couldn’t help but notice a few things:
1. Internet-enabled TV: Every major TV manufacturer has finally found the right formula for connecting TVs to the Internet. Integration with YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, and VUDU were clear trends and will drive an amazing future potential for the HomeAV integrator. Why? Well, it’s going to require some network savvy techs to connect all this stuff, but, best of all, connecting systems to the Internet will allow for network-enabled AV in the HomeAV market to become a reality. Why do we care? Because, network-enabled AV will drive services that we can control and leverage to make more money – services like 24-hour service contracts that are proactive, content management systems and even programming from afar.
2. 3D: It’s not quite mainstream and there are still some competing standards out there, but 3D is a year or two away from big time! I was thoroughly impressed with all the 3D stuff and I can’t wait to put my first 3D TV in my house. Content will drive adoption, so expect to see this in a big way by 2011.
3. GreenAV: Everywhere you looked, there was Green stuff. Some real Green, some not. But, it’s clear that this is more than a trend, it’s going to become an industry-transforming evolution to our market. Building safer, better for the environment AV gear that uses less power is not just going to be a selling-point, but will become the product-norm by end of 2010. Expect to see ENERGY STAR step up their oversight of the HomeAV market – and if they don’t, expect to have another spec-war (a la lumens) on your hands.
4. The One Box: We’re quickly moving toward that ultimate box in the home that will control and manage all content, everywhere. There are tons of individual players out there doing their own thing, but over the next 2-3 years, we will see a FEW manufacturers rise to the top with the ultimate receiver-style set-top box that will serve up all our music, video and games seamlessly throughout the home – and, best of all, it won't be cheap and it will come through the CEDIA channel. Sure, the low-end retailers will count on DirecTV, the cable company or even Microsoft with their Media PC to become that ultimate box, but I envision something way bigger than that – something that's simpler to use and fully configurable to whatever the client’s needs are. When? Well, stay tuned as some of this stuff is being shown privately now – but in reality, likely to be 2011.
Finally, although CEDIA was an awesome show, Atlanta was a disastrous location for the annual event. Atlanta did a fantastic job as the host city – doing what they could to make us all feel welcome; but, quite honestly, it’s a lot like having a show in downtown LA in 1986 – dangerous (that’s why the restaurants downtown closed early, btw) and dirty (trash all over the place). I actually missed Denver while in Atlanta. And, we’re heading back to Atlanta for the 2010 gig, so I guess I need to get over it, huh? Well, at least it’s driving distance for us… Back to Top Click above for more information CEDIA University Offers Year-Round Education Making education an ongoing component of your business is critical to success in the crowded market place. Adding new skills and refining existing ones are essential to keeping employees, and more importantly, customers happy with what you are doing. CEDIA EXPO is a great way to gain education from CEDIA University, but it is not the only option CEDIA provides. With autumn quickly approaching, CEDIA is packing in important education opportunities for those who may not have been able to attend EXPO, or wish to expand on what they learned there.
Whether you’re looking to increase your technical skills or your business training, CEDIA has education opportunities this fall that will suit your unique needs:
• e-Learning: CEDIA University’s e-Learning courses are the easiest, most cost-effective education opportunities available. There are archived instructor-led webinars and on-demand webinars available for purchase on a variety of topics. From the comfort of your home or office, take these courses, earn CEUs, and stay current with the industry.
• EST Basic & Advanced Residential Boot Camps – CEDIA’s popular residential boot camps are being offered in the coming months for half price! These three-day sessions include both classroom instruction and “hands-on” training in a lab that emulates residential new construction, as well as retrofit installation.
o EST Basic Residential Boot Camp: October 19 – 21, Indianapolis, IN
o EST Advanced Residential Boot Camp: October 22 – 24, Indianapolis, IN
• Electronic Systems Business Night Class Packages – CEDIA University is offering a series of courses every Wednesday evening over the course of five weeks. This is a perfect opportunity to gain CEUs outside of working hours. Each week is worth 3 CEUs for a total of 15 CEUs upon completion. All courses will be held at the david, llc group training facility in Westbury, N.Y.
o October 21, Week 1: ESB121 Introduction to Operational Management
o October 28, Week 2: ESB223 Managing People
o November 4, Week 3: ESB222 Developing Business Operating Systems
o November 11, Week 4: ESCR131 Creating Business Connections and ESCR201 Turning Issues into Opportunities
o November 18, Week 5: ESB225 The Business Side of Project Management • CEDIA University on the Road @ Capitol Sales Learning Institute™ – Regional Outreach – Designed with the CEDIA Certified Professional in mind, CEDIA University On the Road and Capitol Sales Learning Institute™ – Regional Outreach event will deliver three days of CEDIA education, product training from top manufacturers via the Capitol Sales Learning Institute,™ and a certification opportunity from the Electronic Systems Professional Alliance (ESPA). The final event of 2009 will take place November 15 – 17, in Tampa, FL.
If you are looking to expand your skills, gain or retain certification, or increase the services you offer to clients, education is the way to achieve those goals. CEDIA University’s full offering of courses is available at www.cedia.org/education. Register for courses today, and make education a priority year-round. Back to Top Upcoming CEDIA University Events e-Learning Webinar: EST202
9/23/209
http://www.cedia.org/elearning
Introduction to Sub Systems
Survival Of The Fittest Webinar
10/6/2009
http://www.cedia.org/survival
Return of the Housing Market – When and How
Installer Level I (Canadian) Review & Exam
10/7/2009
ADI / Lachine, Quebec
EST Basic Residential Boot Camp
10/19/2009 – 10/21/2009
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis, IN
Managing the Business End of Your Business
10/21/2009
ADI – Chicago, IL
ESB Business Night Class Package – Day 1
10/21/2009
Digital Sales Group/david llc – Westbury, NY
ESB121 Introduction To Operational Management
EST Advanced Residential Boot Camp
10/22/2009 – 10/24/2009
CEDIA Training Facility – Indianapolis, IN
ESB Business Night Class Package – Day 2
10/28/2009
Digital Sales Group/david llc – Westbury, NY
ESB223 – Managing People
Back to Top Click above for more information Don't Just Read Our News, Watch it! At CEDIA Expo 09, we debuted a partnership with CEDIA called CEDIA OnDemand Powered by rAVe NOW. What the heck was it? Well, as you read through this issue – our first of what will become three post-CEDIA Expo issues of rAVe HomeAV Edition, you will see that nearly all the product introductions we cover from the show not only have links to the MFG’s website but also have links DIRECTLY to product intro videos we shot on the show floor – we call them rAVe NOW Videos. In fact, we shot almost 300 1-minute rAVe NOW Videos while at the CEDIA Expo. Obviously, with this issue, we’re only covering about 30 or so of them, so if you want to watch everything we shot at CEDIA – and literally it will be like you walked the show floor and got every manufacturer to tell you about their new products – then go to our rAVe NOW site at: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1262&Itemid=206 But, we didn’t stop with videos. While at CEDIA 09, we used Twitter to “Tweet” out our Expo observations all four days. We tweeted more than 300 times about products, technologies and what we saw and heard from the show floor. So, you can go back and read all of those too! They’re also at rAVe NOW: https://www.ravepubs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1262&Itemid=206 Back to Top New Zigbee Spec Available to Download The ZigBee Alliance, a global so-called ecosystem of companies creating wireless solutions for use in energy management, commercial and consumer applications, recently announced the ZigBee RF4CE specification for advanced remote controls is now available for public download. ZigBee RF4CE replaces infrared (IR) with radio frequency (RF) communication in remote controls, allowing non-line-of-sight operation, greater range and longer battery life for consumer electronic (CE) remote controls used with HDTV, home theater equipment, set-top boxes and other audio equipment.
The ZigBee RF4CE wireless platform enables CE manufacturers to create consumer products and features that are unique, secure, low-cost, easy to deploy and interoperable with other ZigBee RF4CE certified products. Freescale Semiconductor and Texas Instruments have ZigBee RF4CE certified platforms. Other platform suppliers are now able to seek platform certification and further broaden the already strong ZigBee supply chain.
Want a copy? Go get it at: http://www.zigbee.org/Products/TechnicalDocumentsDownload/tabid/237/Default.aspx
To watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA click here
Back to Top Click above for more information Digital Projection Partners with Mechdyne for 3D Experience for Home Theaters Digital Projection has paired up with Mechdyne, a visualization solutions company, to develop a turnkey 3D entertainment system for home theaters that you can begin selling to your clients now (as opposed to just 3D-ready TVs or projectors). At the request of Digital Projection, Mechdyne created the Dimension 3D server, a flexible server that plays most types of 3D content already available, and has an advanced application that renders existing 2D DVDs into virtual 3D. The server can be used as an engine to play 3D games, has space for downloading future 3D content and games, and includes a Blu-ray drive that is expected to be compatible with future Blu-ray 3D releases. Numerous games and movies are already included, and integrators and customers will be notified of new content releases in the future.
We got the chance to see this system in action at CEDIA, and we hope you did too, because we were pretty impressed with both the quality, and how much these two companies have thought through the in-home 3D experience, even at this early stage in the game. They weren’t showing original 2D DVDs in the demo, which I’d have been interested to see, but the native 3D stuff looked as good as anything we’ve demo’d.
The packages are customizable, but all include the following: - A TITAN or LIGHTNING 1080p 3D display, suitable for the scale of the home cinema
- The Dimension server
- A military-grade high capacity, high bandwidth 3D media server
- An extreme performance graphics adapter – capable of rendering 1080p gaming and HD content at frame rates up to 120 Hz
- Blu-ray Drive – compatible with future Blu-ray 3D releases and current active stereo 3D movies
- Pre-loaded stereographic viewers, 3D games and 3D demonstration movies
- Active 3D glasses – for the highest quality 3D available
- Infra-red emitters to synchronize the server, projector and 3D glasses
- A pre-programmed iPod touch™ that acts as a touch screen system controller, complete with a simple user interface
The systems are expected to begin shipping within 60 days. Pricing starts at $41,995 list price, not including the projector.
To read the entire press release on our website, go here. Back to Top SpeakerCraft's Nirv Is Bold – But Not Even Close to Shipping SpeakerCraft gave us a detailed tour of their Nirv – home automation and whole house AV system at CEDIA. Although it’s not shipping (and we think probably won’t ship until Q1 or maybe even Q2, 2010), the Cat5-based Nirv allows you to design a whole house system that routes control, audio and video throughout the home (a la Russound) but instead of having a head-end CPU or processor, it’s all decentralized with external modules as you need to add features.
It seemed very cool and it was interesting and garnered both a lot of pre-show and during-show coverage – but there really wasn’t a lot to see, physically. We’ve got to hand it to SpeakerCraft — they had the best marketing of vaporware we saw at the 2010 show. One thing’s for sure — when it does come out, you can bet that this will have a big impact on both Russound and Niles.
To watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA here:
The Launch
The HUB and AMP
The Components Back to Top Parent Company of Sonance Announces New Company TRUFIG Dana Innovations, the parent company of Sonance and iPort, announced at CEDIA 2009 the formation of a new company called TRUFIG, which takes technology supplied by other manufacturers such as a touch panel or light switch and provides a seamless wall or ceiling installation that is flush with the surface – no more protruding components.
They come in three standard colors, but can be custom color matched on-site. Each kit includes the TRUFIG mounting platform, trim components, fascia, and fascia removal tool. They have relationships already with Crestron, Lutron, and a few others, with more AV manufacturers on the way, and future plans to add HVAC and security components.
We saw these at CEDIA and were impressed with the appearance, and honestly, a little surprised no one has thought of this before. At the press conference, we were told list pricing starts at $300 for a single-gang, $400 for a double-gang, and $1000 and up for touch panels, so this is clearly a luxury item, but something all you integrators targeting architects and interior designers need to be thinking about.
To see photos and sign up for more information, go to http://www.trufig.com/
To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on Trufig, go here. Back to Top Sanus Wows rAVe with a Cable? One of the coolest thing we saw at the show was a cable – but not from a cable manufacturer! Huh? Yep, mount manufacturer Sanus introduced an HDMI 1.3b cable as part of their Elements product line that has a 180-degree pivoting head – tell me you haven’t had an application that needed that some time over the past year?!? Everyone’s needed an HDMI cable like that to get just the right angle connectivity.
It’s not on the Sanus website, yet, but when it is, it will be here: http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/elements/
But, we have a video on it so to watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA here. Back to Top Lutron Has Coolest New Lighting Products at CEDIA In one of the only true “green” displays at CEDIA, Lutron actually showed the power savings with different dimmers installed using a wattage and amp meter connected to different lighting types and dimmer styles. It was a great demo. It’s hard to really capture the demo even on camera, but we tried with out rAVe NOW Video coverage here.
Lutron also showed us their new KURBE wireless drape control system here. But, their ultimate crowd-pleasing intro was their Radio RA2 system. Everyone’s familiar with the original Radio RA and it’s basically identical to that with all new panel and controller designs fir a much more modern look. Great job, Lutron! Check out our rAVe NOW Video coverage of the Radio RA2 here.
And, this is the coolest little Radio RA2 controller (called Pico) here.
Back to Top Sherwood's Netboxx — A Hit at CEDIA Sherwood demo’ed their R-904N NetBoxx Internet A/V receiver. This very compact and creatively styled 7.1 channel receiver is equally adept at the playback of both physical disc media and Internet streaming media, without requiring a PC. With HDMI 1.3, Dolby Volume, Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD Master high-resolution audio formats, and seven channels of what Sherwood literally told us what “100-watts of Green digital amplification” (we couldn’t get an exact definition of what made it “green”). Internet-enabled, the NetBoxx streams content from CinemaNow, YouTube, some Interent TV channels, SHOUTcast audio “Internet radio” stations, and the ability to stream personal media and content from Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN, ESPN, Rhapsody and Amazon Video On Demand through the home network from a connected PC or NAS for $650.
It’s supposedly shipping by the end of this month, but it’s not even on Sherwood’s website, yet. But, maybe it will be by the time we publish: http://www.sherwoodusa.com/
To watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA about Sherwood's New Box, click here. Back to Top Da-Lite Shows Joe Kane Screen at CEDIA and More The Joe Kane-designed Affinity Screen from Da-Lite was launched at InfoComm to positive reviews and it took CEDIA attendees through a journey into Joe Kane’s mind-eye. Here’s Affinity in Joe’s own words via rAVe NOW Video we shot at CEDIA.
In addition to the Affinity, Da-Lite showed off their Dual-Format Imager screen – something true home cinema enthusiasts are demanding. Click here to see the video. Back to Top Universal Remote Control Launches iPhone Apps-like Toolbox App Site In a creative — even if copied from Apple — move, Universal Remote Control launched the URC Toolbox, an interactive online marketplace that will further enhance the functionality and programmability of URC remote controls and associated URC products.
The URC Toolbox, now located on the members-only URC Control Room site (www.urccontrolroom.com), enables URC dealers, installers and industry partners to share, buy and sell control modules, templates, graphics and other programming elements they create for URC products. Most modules will be available free of charge, but users can also opt to sell their creations, generating a back-end revenue stream for their businesses in the process. Users can upload, download or purchase modules, or just browse for inspiration.
Developers keep 80 percent of the revenue generated by their contributions to the URC Toolbox. All financial transactions are conducted through PayPal. Pricing is the decision of each developer; URC expects prices for Toolbox apps will range from free-of-charge to $500 or more.
URC itself will offer a variety of hardware and software through the Toolbox, including replacement batteries, charger bases, cables and more. All of URC's MX-6000 control modules will be free to download from the Toolbox, as will podcasts of URC training classes. To see a video rAVe NOW shot at CEDIA Expo on the Toolbox, click here. Back to Top Sony Adds New Affordable Blu-ray Player At CEDIA, Sony introduced the BDP-N460, a new networked Blu-ray player that also streams content from the Bravia Internet Video platform, including movies, TV shows, and music from YouTube, Slacker, and later this fall, Netflix. Notably missing from the press release is Amazon Video on Demand, even though Sony has a streaming partnership with them for their new Bravia XBR10 sets. Priced at $250, it’s Sony’s least-expensive Blu-ray player yet, but in our opinion, not actually a great deal for your clients who are just looking for an inexpensive Blu-ray player to add to a bedroom/kitchen/living room.
For example, it does wireless streaming, but only when used in conjunction with the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge with Dual-Band that helps “ease the connection between the Ethernet-enabled player and a wireless router in either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz radio band for optimal streaming.” Of course, it’s sold separately, and has a list price of about $99.
This might have your clients wondering why they shouldn’t just buy a PS3 (Joe Kane’s Blu-ray player of choice), which has just been refreshed with a new, slimmer profile, at a lower list price of $299. Or they could choose instead, LG’s wireless Blu-ray player, the BD390, which is also wireless, lists for $399, and has some of the best streaming content available in one package that we’ve seen – Netflix, Roxio, CinemaNow, YouTube, and now VUDU, which offers more than 2200 HD movies that stream in 1080p.
Anyway, for your price-sensitive clients who are hung up on Sony’s brand name, it’s available. Here are some more specs: The BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD player delivers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema™ output, decodes the latest advanced audio codecs, and is BD-LIVE™ capable with a broadband internet connection and purchase of external memory. The BDP-N460 can decode the latest advanced audio codecs including 7.1 channel Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio. The model can also output 7.1 channel L-PCM via HDMI after decoding. It supports Deep Color video output and x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology.
It ships in October. You can find more information here. Or, watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the new Blu-ray player here. Back to Top Runco Shows New QuantumColor Series LED Projectors At CEDIA, Runco announced and showed a new series of LED projectors — the QuantumColor Q-750i and Q750d. If you saw all those viral-marketing stickers and buttons at CEDIA Expo that said, "Have you seen the Q?" — they were about this series of projectors.
What makes these projectors unique is their ability to control and customize color preferences with their new Personal Color Equalizer, a six-axis (RGBCYM) color adjustment that the company says works like an audio equalizer, allowing colors to be individually dialed up and dialed down for every video source, AND multiple personal preferences. This basically means you can have a color pre-set for a client who likes really natural, life-like colors, and another set for his kids that are super vivid and saturated, in addition to having different settings for say, a gaming system and a Blu-ray player. It also offers the ability to produce the specified color settings of: DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative), Adobe RGB, sRGB, REC 709, and REC 601.
Because of the large color gamut available on this projector (that could potentially distort images), Runco also developed SmartColor, a "proprietary hue compensation curve and gamut mapping technology that preserves lifelike, accurate flesh tones by increasing color saturation without sacrificing the purity of other colors." We aren't exactly sure how this technology works, but the demo at CEDIA was pretty effective in showing this off, so hopefully you got a chance to see it.
Runco’s QuantumColor Series Q-750i features integrated video processing, and the Q-750d is paired with Runco’s latest DHD controller/processor. The Runco QuantumColor Q-750i will ship in November 2009 with an MSRP of $14,995. The Q-750d will ship a month later with an MSRP of $17,995.
For more information on the Q-750i, go here: http://www.runco.com/q-750i.html
For more information on the Q-750d, go here: http://www.runco.com/q-750d.html
To see the video we shot on the QuantumColor projectors at CEDIA, go here (the video is a little dark, but the audio is good): Back to Top Digital Projection Shows Two New Projectors, Including a New LED Projector Digital Projection International (DPI) announced two new projectors at CEDIA last week in Atlanta. The first is the brand-new M-Vision Cine LED, DPI’s first Lifetime Illumination display. This single-chip DLP projector is ideally meant for home theaters with screens up to 8 feet and controlled ambient light, and DPI says in these situations that this projector delivers the same dynamic range, rich color saturation and vivid contrast as a 3-chip DLP projector.
The M-Vision Cine LED produces up to 600 lumens and brings a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Since there’s no lamp, the life of the lifespan of the display is 60,000+ hours. It has 30 percent horizontal and 120 percent vertical lens shift, multiple lens options with a throw ratio of 1.25 to 3.0:1, or a fixed lens with a .73:1 throw ratio. List price on the M-Vision Cine LED is $17,000. For more information on this projector, click here.
Digital Projection also announced a new 1080p single-chip DLP projector in the M-Vision series, the M-Vision Cine 260. This new projector provides 2000 lumens, and 3000:1 native contrast ratio, and is meant for screens up to 115” and can be used in rooms with some ambient light. The Cine 260 offers 30 percent horizontal and 120 percent vertical lens shift, multiple lens options with a throw ratio ranging from 1.25 to 3.0:1, or a fixed lens with a .73:1 throw ratio.
The Cine 260 lists at $9,000. For more information on the M-Vision series projectors, go here.
See rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the new Cine 260 here. Back to Top Mitsubishi Launches HC3800 to rAVe Reviews One of the big surprises at the show has to be Mitsubishi’s first 1080p, DLP BrilliantColor projector. Although flat-panels and VUDU-ready HDTVs dominated the Mitsubishi booth, tucked away in the corner of their stand was a little theater with an HC3800 hanging from the ceiling. The 25 dBA (the quietest 1080p yet), 1300 lumen DLP from Mitsubishi projector looked as good as any of the $2500 3LCDs we saw at the show – seriously. No, we’re not saying it beats the host of $4000 and $5000 1080p projectors out there from Sony and Epson of even Mitsubishi’s own HC7000 – not even close, but it blows away any other sub-$2000 on the market at $1500. But, as many of those sub-$2000 models are sold on the Internet at $995, Mitsubishi will need to find a creative way to grab customers’ attention with their price premium in this highly-competitive segment.
To see the HC3800 for yourself, go to: http://www.mitsubishi-presentations.com/products/projectors/HC3800.html
To watch rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA here: Back to Top Epson Announces New Pro Cinema Projectors Geared Toward Integrators Epson America announced two native 1080p 3LCD home theater projectors for custom installers – the PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB. The 9100 has a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 1800 lumens, and a list price of $2599. The 9500 UB offers contrast ratio of up to 200,000:1, 1600 lumens, and a list price of under $4000. Both have professional-level color tools including ISF calibration and color isolation.
To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the Pro Cinema 9500 UB, go here.
Epson also added two new home theater projectors – the PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB. The 8100 has 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a brightness of 1800 lumens, and a list price of $1599 (with an additional $100 rebate). The 8500 UB has a contrast ratio of “up to” 200,000:1 with a brightness of 1600 lumens and a list price of under $3000.
Read the whole press release on these new projectors here. To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 UB flagship projector, go here. Back to Top Sony Introduces Two New SXRD Home Theater Projectors Sony introduced the VPL-VW85 at CEDIA, a 1080p SXRD projector with 24p True Cinema technology (for what they say is a true “film-like” performance), with a brightness of 800 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 120,000:1. Designed with the custom-installation market in mind, the VPL-VW85 has motorized lens shift, and a 1.6x motorized zoom with horizontal and vertical adjustment. It also adds 120Hz with black frame insertion technology to improve clarity and resolution for fast-moving images. It offers RS-232C control, two HDMI inputs, component, composite, and a PC input. It also includes access to a dedicated CEDIA certified technical support line for all troubleshooting, and is eligible for Sony’s Advance Exchange program. It’s available in October for about $8000.
Sony also released the VPL-HW15 projector, a 1080p model with essentially the same specs and inputs, except the dynamic contrast ratio is 60,000:1 and the brightness is 1000 ANSI lumens. It retails for $3000.
Read the full press release here Back to Top Sharp Finally Shows Complete Line-up of LED-based LCD TVs – And a Few More Things Sharp’s been touting their LED-based LCD TVs for months, and we finally got to see them all at the CEDIA Expo where they had everything from the smallest to the $4000 65” on display. Their colorimetry was excellent and they were certainly most proud of the fact that they had a unique size advantage in the new 65” size (shipping in October) with this product. Watch the rAVe NOW Video we shot here.
But, they were really pushing the “green” aspect of the LED-based LCD TVs and even claimed their (Sharp’s) are the lowest consuming LCDs in the world – something that will help them from a marketing perspective, if true. Here’s the complete line-up from 32” to 60” on video: Click here
Finally, Sharp debuted their new Aquos-compatible Soundbars, and you can see the video here. Back to Top Sony Adds Super Slim Edge-Lit LED Models to Bravia Line Sony also introduced at CEDIA a new pair of ultra-thin BRAVIA LCD HDTVs with an advanced edge-lit LED backlight and contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1 – the XBR10 LCDs. The new 1080p models are 240Hz, and in order to keep the profile extra slim, do wireless 1080p transmission to a separate media box. This is nice for hanging the display on a wall, but the transmission is up to 30 feet line-of-sight, so don’t count on hiding the media box in a rack somewhere.
The new line is also networked, allowing access to Bravia Internet Widgets, and Sony’s internet video content partners, including Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, and later this fall, Netflix.
At Sony’s CEDIA press conference, they also said the new sets were “greener” with a new presence sensor that detects nearby users and turns the sets off accordingly, as well as a hard off switch that draws zero watts of power when flipped.
The 46” and 52” sets retail for $4500 and $5000 respectively. To read the press release, go here: http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/television/flat_panel_displays/lcd/release/41826.html Or, check out rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the new XBR10's here Back to Top Control4 Debuts OS 2.0 at CEDIA At Control4’s booth at CEDIA, we got a look at their newest operating system, simply called OS 2.0, which is now based on Adobe Flash. This allows integrators the advantages of custom programming, without the difficulty and expense of dealing with a manufacturer’s proprietary coding (you can find decent Adobe Flash programmers on Craigslist, seriously). A Flash-based software development kit (SDK) is now available.
They also now have an App store. You’ll be able to actually sell widgets you design and program (new revenue stream, anyone?) and also buy others’ Apps if you don’t want to go to the trouble of programming everything yourself. As the App store is populated, customization possibilities really open up. You can offer your clients social media integration, such as with Twitter and Facebook, for example. Pricing will be set by each App’s developer, but a Control4 rep in their CEDIA booth told us they expect $5 to be a typical price.
The new 2.0 software has the following improved media support: - Digital Living Network Alliance– With Director 2.0, Control4 has added support for the industry-standard DLNA protocol, allowing Control4® systems to automatically access audio files located on DLNA servers, including network-attached storage devices and Control4® controller hard drives.
- Support for third-party media manager software – Control4 customers can select the media management tool of their choice (e.g, iTunes®, Windows Media Player, MediaMonkey, and others) to manage their media. Via DLNA, updated items will automatically be reflected in Navigator 2.0.
- Improved Media Database – Director 2.0 has an updated media database featuring improved performance, scalability and user features such as song and artist selection.
To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on Control4’s OS 2.0, go here. Back to Top Crestron Shows a Plethora of Products at CEDIA Crestron launched a bunch of products at CEDIA – some improvements of their current line and some totally new. The videos we show on the show floor are literally the best way to show you what they introduced:
The Digital Media Updates: Click here
infiNET-EX: Click here
Crestron’s new ADMS: Click here
Apple Product Integration: Click here
HD Touchpanels: Click here
TPMC-4SM Wall Mount Panel Options: Click here
For their entire line-up of new CEDIA products, go to: http://www.crestron.com/features/cedia_2009_press_room/
Back to Top Wisdom Audio Introduces SCS "Suitcase" Sub at CEDIA Wisdom Audio has introduced a new subwoofer – the Sage Series SCS Suitcase sub. This new powered sub has the same woofer alignment and performance benefits of the Wisdom Audio S90i, but has an unusual size (6 inches wide!) and aspect ratio that allows it to be placed in areas where other subs won’t fit, such as behind a couch or under a riser.
The SCS is scheduled to ship in Q4 2009 with a MSRP of $4,000. Based on the complementary folded horn design of the S90i, the SCS is nicknamed the “Suitcase Sub” because of its outward physical characteristics, as it has a production size of 37” x 22” x 6” The SCS is powered by a 300-watt internal amplifier and is capable of SPLs in excess of 120 dB at 22 Hz. The dual 5” x 7.5” woofer design yields an equivalent active cone area of 12 inches.
The new sub doesn’t appear to be on their website yet, but here is a link to the Sage Series section, where it will presumably be shortly: http://wisdomaudio.com/products_sage-series.php
To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on the suitcase sub, go here
Back to Top Wisdom Audio Releases Updated Sage Series for Use Behind Perforated Projection Screens Wisdom Audio has announced two new in-wall versions of their Sage Series speakers – the L100i and C150i. The new L100i and C150i Sage Series models feature the same line source planar magnetic technology found in the Sage Series L75i and L150i, but are only 50 inches in height. They can be completely hidden behind a wide array of perforated screens, including the popular 2.35:1 aspect ratio screens of suitable width. The L100i incorporates a 50-inch tall planar magnetic line source for mid and high frequencies, accompanied by one woofer array containing eight of Wisdom’s high operating pressure woofers. The C150i incorporates a 50-inch tall planar magnetic line source for mid and high frequencies, accompanied by two woofer arrays, each containing eight of Wisdom’s high operating pressure woofers for a total of sixteen woofers.
As with every Sage model, each speaker is designed to be used with the SC-1 electronic crossover and is biamplified. These new models’ woofer sections are designed to have each eight-woofer array driven by a 500-watt channel of an SA-1 amplifier for maximum impact. Further, because the SC-1 also incorporates Audyssey MultEQ XT technology, any impact the perforated screen may have on the system’s audio playback will be compensated for, delivering sound to the entire listening area that the company says is comparable to or exceeding the performance of the best freestanding speakers.
These also aren’t listed separately on the site yet, but here’s a direct link to the Sage Series speakers: http://wisdomaudio.com/products_sage-series.php
To see rAVe NOW’s Video coverage from CEDIA on these new speakers, go here Back to Top For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HomeAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the high-end HomeAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
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To send me feedback, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe Publications has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top Copyright 2009 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 510 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 376 – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – 919/969-7501. Email: sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe HomeAV Edition contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors.
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