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Welcome to another edition of rAVe! We may tell you all the specs of projectors that we write about, but projector specs are dead, I tell ya. Read my editorial this issue to see why. Yes, we're covering the already well-publicized triumph of Blu-ray over HD DVD this issue, but there is also quite a bit more Blu-ray news in this issue too. Read below!
Editorial
What the heck does the title of this article mean? Well, thanks for asking! Back in the 1980's, just making a projector that worked to blow-up video images on big-screens was a feat in itself. Companies like AquaStar, Advent, Barco and Electrohome (now Christie Digital) were among the pioneers. They each began by either making projectors that showed videos on airplanes, for aerospace applications or for home theater enthusiasts. But, they were all big, bulky, boxy and just plain not bright. But, they worked. Then, one day, along came two more industry pioneers, Andrew Edwards of Extron and Imre Csaszar of Covid, and they invented little small boxes that converted the computer signals of the late 1980's into those that these projectors could display. Called computer-video interfaces, these little boxes converted computer signals from IBM PCs mainframes and Apple IIs into video signals (analog) so that they could be displayed on these boxy, bulky and not bright projectors.
Then, in 1986, a little-known company called Sayett Technologies and a better-known company called Sharp Electronics both introduced innovative displays called LCD Panels. LCD Panels, looking like giant 35mm slides on steroids, were connected to computers via an Extron or Covid cables or conversion boxes, and placed on top of OHPs (overhead projectors) and projected light on a wall or screen. This resulting image, albeit low-resolution by today's standards, were bright and readable — but black and white! Then came LCD projectors. Pioneered by market-leaders nView and InFocus, LCD projectors debuted in 1988 and shipped in 1989. These were all-in-one versions of LCD Panels and OHPs together in one box. These full-color (well, 64,000 color) projection devices allowed IBM PCs and virtually any other computer signal around at the time to be connected and projected on a screen at the full resolution of the original computer signal. Averaging greater than 23 pounds, they were not small, not too bright (by today's standards) and not too easy to use — but worked well and were easier to manufacturer than its predecessor — the CRT projector. By 1990, there were 18 LCD projector manufacturers all marketing products that averaged 18 pounds, were 300-400 ANSI lumens, displayed 640×480 native resolution graphics and were louder than the average HVAC system in a room. But, they DROVE the ProAV industry and ProAV economy. InfoComm started the Projection Shoot-Out, a venue where you could go to one room and see EVERY projector manufactured in the world side-by-side, and the battle of the projector specs began. As Chairman of the Projector Shoot-Out from 1992 to 1999, it was hilarious to watch the specs-man-ship of these LCD projector manufacturers and their marketing departments (who wrote the specs). In the Shoot-Out, we posted signs next to each and every projector on display — signs that explained the projector's key specifications like weight, light output (ANSI lumens), resolution and price. And, these specs mattered. Perform badly in the side-by-side venue of the InfoComm Projection Shoot-Out, and die. Just ask anyone who worked for AmPro in 1995 or Polaroid in 1999. Although I empathize with the plight of the projector manufacturers way back then when the Shoot-Out was a huge influence on purchasing decisions by dealers, I am still amused by the tactics some took during set-up of the events. For example, in 1995, we implemented a rule that didn't allow for changes to their signage after three days prior to the event. Why? Well, up to that point, manufacturers would literally wait until the signs of their competitive products were placed out to change the price of their projectors or even their own ANSI lumens specs. We even had cases of signage theft that eventually led to not placing out the signs until the morning of the event. Back then, and even up until 18 months ago, a few specific specs SOLD projectors: ANSI Lumens: During the 1990's, the average light output of a portable projector rose from 500 ANSI lumens to over 2500 ANSI lumens. Now, 3000 and above are normal specs on many portable lines. Weight: During the life of the Projection Shoot-Out we went from having one weight category to having seven — everything from Large-Venue (hell-a-tious-ly heavy projectors) to ultra-light projectors weighing less than 3 pounds. Contrast Ratio: The average contrast ratio of an LCD Projector in 1999 was 120:1. Now, we see specs of over 20,000:1 regularly. Price: They're all cheap now. Anyone who complains about the price of a projector today has no historical perspective on the market. Check this out: In 1992, General Electric (yep, the same company that owns NBC now) showed a Large Venue Projector that was 600 ANSI lumens for $180,000 — no, that's NOT a misprint). Now, merely 15 years later, you can buy a 3200 ANSI lumens projector for less than $1800! I wonder how the sucker who spent $180 grand feels today (Hey, Charlotte Arena, what do you say?). Resolution: The native resolution a projector can display used to be a big deal. First it was video, then VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, QXGA and the letters keep changing. Now, every manufacturer has projectors that can do it all. So, what's the differentiator now? Service, Service, Service. Who's got it, who doesn't and what can you do to make sure you're selecting a company that will make service #1? Stay tuned as next month, that's what I'll tell you!
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Toshiba Waves White Flag
Then: CES January 2007 Now: All the major news organizations are reporting that Toshiba has officially given up on the high definition DVD format war. Last week, Wal-Mart, Netflix and Best Buy all declared allegiance to Blu-ray and quite quickly afterward, this Tuesday, Toshiba buckled and the format war, at least between HD DVD and Blu-ray is over. The decision is reported to be owing to recent major changes in the market and long-term impact of the format war. Toshiba said HD DVD will continue to get support and service even though they are ceasing development, manufacturing and marketing. For the CNN story, go to http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/02/19/toshiba.hdd/index.html
Report: End of Format War to Make Blu-ray Products Largest IP-Enabled Segment
Soon after the withdrawal of HD DVD, Multimedia Intelligence issued a report that indicates Blu-ray players and recorders will grow into the largest segment of IP-enabled CE products, with sales of almost 50 million units by 2012, if not sooner. That's not counting Blu-ray players embedded in Sony's PS3. Annual shipments of IP-enabled CE devices reached 64 million units in 2007, as reported in the last issue of rAVe HomeAV Edition (http://www.ravehome.com/issues/2008/02/rhvol5iss3/index.html#in4). This prediction of IP-connected Blu-ray product is in the report, "Internet Protocol (IP)-Enabled Consumer Electronics: Are we there yet?," which further analyzes service providers, equipment vendors, content service offerings and technology in the multimedia-networked home. The report also looks at in-home connectivity, including analysis and forecasts of Ethernet, Powerline, coax, and Wi-Fi integrated into consumer electronics. Other forecasts include worldwide subscribers for broadband, VoIP, cable TV, satellite TV, and IPTV. The associated set-top boxes, adoption of network-interfaces by device type, as well as the middleware and interface semiconductors are also included. Device segments include TVs, DVD players and recorders, DMAs, video game consoles, media servers, DVRs and set-top boxes. For more information, go to http://multimediaintelligence.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=1
Blu-ray's Secret Weapons?
While a number of analysts (including our own Gary Kayye) liked Blu-ray over HD DVD for technical reasons, a story in TWICE Magazine may tell part of the story why Blu-ray won over consumers. According to the article, mystery shoppers from J.D. Power and Associates were steered toward Blu-ray by retail salespeople across the U.S. “…that less than one in 10 retail salespeople recommended HD DVD to survey takers posing as shoppers for the syndicated, independent field study.” The shoppers' findings were part of a study done by J.D. Powers along with the Television Retail Insights Report. If any HDTV and components manufacturers are reading this, watch out: 5,000 mystery shoppers are embarking on the same undercover investigations in your market segment over the next year. To read the article, go to http://www.twice.com/article/CA6535155.html?industryid=23099
CABA, Intelligent Buildings Leaders, to Partner with InfoComm 08
CABA, the organization that hosted InfoComm 07's Intelligent Buildings Leadership Forum, will be returning to InfoComm 08 in Las Vegas. “There is increased interest in Green AV and intelligent buildings, and InfoComm is pleased to host CABA and the leaders of the Intelligent Buildings movement, in order to further the discussion on these important issues,” said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., Executive Director, InfoComm International. “It makes sense to discuss what's next in automated controls in the same place you can see a large selection of integrated control solutions on the exhibit floor.” For more on intelligent buildings and CABA, go to http://www.caba.org/index.html
True, Sony Buys Into Sharp LCD Production
Sony will buy a one-third stake of Sharp's $3.5 billion LCD panel plant (world's largest, set to open March 2010.) Sony and Sharp are the world's 2nd- and 3rd-largest LCD TV makers behind Samsung. Sharp's new factory will use 10th-gen glass substrates to yield more panels than earlier-generations, smaller glass substrates and improved production efficiency. The joint venture will have a production capacity of 72,000 units per month. Global LCD TV sales should more than double to 155 million units by 2012, according to the JEITA. Sony aims to sell 10 million units of its Bravia LCD TVs in the current business year to March 31 and runs another LCD joint venture, S-LCD, with Samsung. Sony needed an extra source of large panels and wants to diversify panel sources. Sony is likely to continue the partnership with Samsung as well. Sharp will be able to reduce its share of the huge capital outlays and recoup its investments early, so limiting associated risks. Toshiba and Pioneer already buy LCD panels from Sharp, while Panasonic will spend $2.8 billion to build its own LCD plant. For more information, go to http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200802/08-0226E/index.html
HDTV Pile-up
Pacific Media found that inventories of consumer flat panel TVs rose 68 percent in January over December levels, and distributor sales fell 37 percent. One might expect somewhat of a fallout in January, except the guys at Pacific Media say that January '07 saw an 18 percent INCREASE in unit sales over the previous month and inventories actually declined 7 percent in that period. Pacific Media explains that far more units were ordered than could be sold, and that is probably owing to higher food and energy prices, tighter credit and job uncertainty. The inventory backlog was greatest among the 30-to-34-inch range, in which inventory levels more than tripled in January, in spite of a 55% increase in sales. For more on Pacific Media Associates, go to http://www.pacificmediaassociates.com/index.htm
Sony Introduces Simplified Wireless Multi-Room Audio
Sony introduced what they called a “practical” wireless multi-room audio system that doesn't use IP addresses, WEP keys or pin codes. And the company says this system can transmit up to 164 feet from the main system in the living room to multiple rooms in the home — just by connecting a separate S-AIR Air Station receiver/speaker into a power outlet. There are four BRAVIA models with this capability, each with a five-disc DVD/CD player with upscaling to 1080p via HDMI when connected to a 1080p-capable HDTV. They use Sony's Digital Media Port, which adds controlling, networking, and connectivity for music playback with various optional accessories. There is also an included cradle for iPod players, which connects to the Digital Media Port to wirelessly stream audio through the house using those S-AIR Air Stations. Additional accessories include a Network Walkman player audio cradle, a PC client device and a Bluetooth adapter. Using Digital Cinema Auto Calibration, Sony says the units offer simple multi-channel surround sound setup with the use of an included microphone to automatically adjust speaker frequency, distance and level. The four different models offer various bundles to accommodate different requirements (particularly how many components are needed) and range from only $300 to $500. Sony has been talking about the connected home long before anyone else had products out there and now we may be finally seeing the company's vision. For more information, go to http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/home_audio_video/home_theater/release/33742.html
New Blu-ray Players Still High on Price but Also High on Features
The first new Blu-ray players out of the gate since the Sony win are the BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 models. (Yes, if you are seeing a lot of Sony announcements this issue, it's because of the Open House Show in Las Vegas this week.) The new players support Bonus View (aka Picture-in-Picture) which is provided on some of the new Blu-ray discs. The BDP-S350 model is BD-Live ready with an Ethernet port for an easy firmware update and access to Internet-based interactive content features. The BSP-S550 is Bonus View and BD-Live capable when it ships. Both models also feature an external port for local storage, so users can add optional USB flash-based memory. The BDP-S550 ships with a 1GB storage device, which we are still trying to figure out, but no doubt is some hint of a secret future feature. Sony says the players are compatible with most standard DVDs (GREAT!) and feature 1080p upscaling through HDMI. The models have 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus decoding and bit-stream output, as well as dts-HD High Resolution Audio and Master Audio bit-stream output. The BDP-S550 adds dts-HD High Resolution Audio and dts-HD Master Audio decoding as well as 7.1 channel analog audio output. Pricing is expected to be $400 and $500 and they ship this summer. For more information, go to http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/home_audio_video/blu-ray_disc/release/33695.html
Blu-ray Player: Yours for Just $16,900
Goldmund introduced the company's first Blu-ray player. The Eidos 20 BD, says the company, uses Goldmund technologies such as the "AC-Curator" power supply circuit which improves picture and sound stability and dynamics, and the "Mechanical Grounding" construction which removes from the player mechanism spurious vibrations blurring the video signal and increasing jitter. It also uses the Goldmund "Magnetic Damper," a device lowering the reading errors, a feature that previously was exclusive to Goldmund's “highest end devices.” (Wait, this doesn't qualify as high end?) Goldmund is taking orders now, and the the Eidos 20 DB is priced at $16,900. For more information, go to http://www.goldmund.com/news/2008/02/#blu
Convert Those HD DVDs to Blu-ray! Maybe
Are your customers lamenting their HD DVD investments? One savvy rAVe staffer found this tutorial on how you can convert those HD DVDs to the Blu-ray format. With a whole lot of different software applications, a few pieces of hardware and a lot of patience, this WIRED Magazine wiki will guide you through. Go to http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Convert_Your_HD_DVDs_to_Blu-Ray
Audica Pro Launches MICROplus 4-Ch. Power Amp
Audica Professional will launch in Frankfurt a new MICROplus 4-channel power amplifier, an ultra-compact unit to partner their MICROzone pre/amp/controller. Explains Audica Professional Sales Director, Derek West, “When we first launched MICROseries we really didn't appreciate the size of some installations it would be chosen for, based on audio quality and design, and our only limitation has been amplifier power…” “…Used singly or in multiples, MICROplus resolves this cost effectively and provides a system capable of handling almost any size of applicable installation. With a MICROzone and a MICROplus in our optional 2U rack panel we have pre-amp, controller and a serious and flexible 370W (2 x 25W plus 4 x 80W) amplifier package, with the ability to constantly expand the system by up to 8 x 80W for each additional 2U of rack space.” West continues, “We chose a straight gain design for the MICROplus as we already pre-amp and EQ functions handled by the MICROzone for complete Audica sound systems, but this also gives the advantage that MICROplus can be used for any audio system that needs a high quality, ultra-compact 4-channel power amplifier”. Features include 4-channel limiting and protection and individual channel bar indicators showing output level, clip and fault. The unit has rear-mount level control, phono in/out and screw terminal loudspeaker outputs for each channel. For more information, go to http://www.audicapro.co.uk/
Qsonix and ReadyToPlay Team for Turnkey CD Conversion
Those with large CD collections usually have to convert them one at a time. So Qsonix and ReadyToPlay teamed up to speed and ease the process for Qsonix owners. Better yet, dealers can offer this as an optional service for their customers. Now, say the companies, a large collection can be instantly uploaded to Windows Media Audio and, at the same time, the organized files can be automatically, seamlessly imported to the Qsonix management systems, including the Q110 and Nostalgic Jukebox series which can accommodate up to 3000 CDs in CD quality or as many as 18,000 in compressed mode. For more information, go to http://www.qsonix.com/
New Compact Power Subwoofers From Paradigm
Paradigm says they spent years in R&D to achieve this — a max power output subwoofer in a company form, compact enough for hidden installs. The DSP Series Subwoofers Here is the technical info: each model features a forward-firing driver with a CAP Carbon/Aramid-Fiber Polypropylene cone that combines high stiffness and low mass with excellent internal damping properties to eliminate unwanted resonances and distortion. Computer optimized ceramic/ferrite magnet structures reduce inductive distortion while generating a powerful magnetic field. The advanced suspension design (surround/spider/chassis) promotes extended cone excursion while maintaining appropriate control over cone movement. Computer-optimized heatsinks and proprietary AVS Airflow Ventilation System aid in increased power handling as well as further reducing distortion. Here is the aesthetic info: models are available in Cherry, Rosenut and Black Ash and they have removable grilles with the company's new SVS Slot Ventilation System. For more details, go to http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/subwoofers-dsp-series-1-5-24.paradigm
19 New Storm Speaker Models Shipping From ATON
ATON announced the company is shipping the new Storm Series Speakers, consisting of 19 different ceiling, in-wall, theater and outdoor models. Features, says the company, include pivoting waveguide tweeters, excellent off-axis frequency response, high power handling and custom driver materials. The line features seven ceiling speakers and five in-wall speakers with MSRPs ranging from $139 to $379, five outdoor speakers ranging from $249 to $479 and two LCR Theater Speakers at $379 and $429. For more information, go to http://www.atonhome.com/Storm_Series_Speakers.html
Well, that's it for this edition of rAVe! Thank you for spending time with me as we muse the industry's happenings. To continue getting my newsletter, or to sign up a friend, click the link below. To send me feedback, don't reply to this newsletter – instead, write to me at gkayye@kayye.com or for editorial: Denise Harrison at dharrison@kayye.com A little about me: Gary Kayye, CTS, founder of Kayye Consulting. Gary Kayye, an audiovisual veteran and columnist, began the widely-read KNews, a premier industry newsletter, in the late 1990s, and created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which later became InfoComm IQ. Kayye Consulting is a company that is committed to furthering the interests and success of dealers, manufacturers, and other companies within the professional audiovisual industry. rAVe ProAV Edition was launched in February 2003. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-sponsored by CEDIA, launched in February, 2004. rAVe Rental [and Staging] launched in November 2007. To read more about my background, our staff, and what we do, go to http://www.kayye.com
Copyright 2008 – Kayye Consulting – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact Kayye Consulting, 400 Meadowmont Village Circle, Suite 425 – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – 919/969-7501. Email: dharrison@kayye.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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