It has become a June tradition for the Consumer Electronics Association to plug the long gap between CES International shows with a “line show” event in New York – think smallish consumer electronics trade show. Some exhibitors – such as Sony’s advanced camera division and camera accessories maker Tiffen (with its associated brands) – really treat this as a line show and show their entire line of products for the second half of the year. Others adopt a more limited strategy. CEA is expanding the line shows and associated events that take up a whole week. The exhibits were considerably larger than in years past, but still do not constitute a large show.
Most of the products on display at the New York Line Show – such as toys, iPhone add-ons, audio, and power strips – have little to do with displays, but there are always enough display-related exhibits to make hopping on the New Haven Line for the hour train ride into Manhattan worthwhile, even when the train is packed with Yankee fans going in for an afternoon home game, as it was yesterday.
Stream TV Networks was showing its Ultra-D autostereoscopic system, in which a lenticular film is precisely aligned to an otherwise standard LCD. There are no obvious dead areas between the sweet spots, which is implemented by software, said Finance VP Suby Joseph. There is no head-tracking. Stream does technology development and licensing, and expects to see products embodying its technology next year, said Joseph. They have a formal agreement with contract manufacturer Pegatron to do manufacturing, and Pegatron’s customers include leading branded TV makers, as well as Apple.
Joseph said that licensing agreements will result in TV sets to be labeled with the brand, and something like “powered by Ultra-D.” Serious conversations with leading brands are in progress now.
Joseph said the system reduces brightness by 10% and resolution by 5% to 7%. (I find the second part of that system questionable for a lenticular system, but that’s what he said.) An obvious artifact is strong pixelation. Joseph said this was due to magnification of the pixels by lenticular lenses. It is necessary get about 8 feet away from a TV-sized display for the pixelation to become invisible. However, the 3D display is comfortable to watch, even if the 3D effect is sometimes subtle. The system needs HD source material to be really effective, said Joseph.
Matrix One was introducing a $149 tablet with 7-inch, 800×480 LCD. The device has a capacitive touch screen, runs Android 4.0, weighs 11.1 ounces, and will be on sale by July through major retail and on-line, a Matrix One spokesman said. But also yesterday, on the opposite coast, Google announced its new Nexus 7 tablet at a price of $199, which is likely to make life difficult for other sub-$200 tablet makers.
Westinghouse Digital showed its LED edge-lit, thin, narrow bezel 38.5- and 46-inch TVs, and they have a 36.5-inch in the works, said marketing VP Rey Roque. The existing narrow-bezel 40-inch remains available. MSRP for the 46-inch edge-lit is $699; $499 for the 38.5-inch. The units will shortly be available at Best Buy.
Westinghouse is also introducing a direct-LED (DLED) panel, which is less costly that an edge-lit LED unit thanks to the elimination of the edge-lit unit’s expensive Light Guide Plate. For 39-inch TVs, the cost of the DLED model is $40 less, said Roque. Luminance for both the DLED and edge-lit models is about 250 nits.
Westinghouse buys their LCDs as bare cells, so they can optimize the backlights for each product. Several years ago, modules came with BLUs delivering 500 nits in front of the screen. This was unnecessarily bright, and consumed too much power to meet current Energy Star standards. Luminance is suitable for the products without doing anything special in the optical stack. The DLED model is starting to ship into retail now.
Westinghouse was also showing the ready-for-market version of the 70-inch they showed at CES. The unit is edge-lit and has 120-Hz frame rate and an aluminum cabinet. MSRP is $2,695, but will sell for less.
Surprisingly, Westinghouse also showed a prototype of a 4Kx2K, 55-inch TV intended for consumers. It has a full-array LED backlight. Roque noted that Sony has release a 4Kx2K scaling Blu-ray Disk player. My colleague Pete Putman, who was part of the conversation, noted that there is serious interest in 4Kx2K monitors in media production space. Roque said a 4Kx2K TV will be available by the end of Q1’13.
Lines, lines, everywhere a line
Marking up the diagrams, taking my time
Do this, don’t do that
Gotta run these lines
Full disclosure: I was never a full time installer; I was a sales designer. At best, when deadlines were tight and it was all hands on deck to get a phase done, I strapped on a tool belt and assumed the role of Wire Monkey, Third Class.
Veteran installers are in a class by themselves. Like a farmer, they’re outstanding in their field. And I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside some seasoned, top-notch installers, and benefited greatly from their tutelage. And here are some of the things I’ve learned. These should all be old hat for most readers but if someone learns something new that benefits them and their business then I’ve done a good thing today.
Bring enough cable. Basic Rule: No matter how carefully the sales designer estimates wire length from the scale architectural drawings of the jobsite, he will be wrong. Whether it’s the difference between “as drawn” and “as built” or if the designer just can’t add, it’s always something. Bring more than enough boxes of cable to the jobsite, mark the starting footage, mark where you end off when you’re done, and compare to the original estimate.
Run data lines away from power lines. Separate runs of data cables at least a foot, preferably more from AC power lines. And if they have to cross paths, take a right angle to the power line to minimize the exposure to the AC lines’ magnetic field.
Don’t exceed cable tolerances. Whether it’s the bend radius of the cable, over tightening cable ties, or the temperature ratings, treat your cables well. Most readers, at least in the lower 48 states, will seldom have to worry about temperature ratings, but for Canadians and some AV pros in the Midwest, it matters. One jobsite on which my team and I ran wire was a framed but un-insulated home in the middle of winter. It was -40? C outside, and inside the structure, it was at least 10? C colder. We called it a day and ceased working when the lead installer was pulling Cat5e off the spool and, with a loud CRACK, the line fractured.
Label early; label often. Whether using a Sharpie marker or a label maker someone on the jobsite should be labeling every line as it is run, with its purpose and destination. Use names and codes that are standardized in your company so that even someone who wasn’t there when the lines are run will know what lines are going where and why when the time comes to terminate and connect them.
Take care of your cables and your cables will take care of you.
Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.
In a terrible move for the HomeAV market, indicating that a recovery is still far away, Best Buy has announced they will lay off at least 2,400 people — including at least 600 Geek Squad members. The report, first made public by CNBC last week, says that Best Buy is still moving to become a stronger, better retailer to compete with the online sales surge.
So, why do we care? Well, even though we, the high-end HomeAV market integrators, do jobs much more custom than Best Buy, it indicates a shift has continued in consumer electronics — people feel more comfortable buying stuff online rather than having to see it before they buy it. Sure, we can blame this on the trend known as "showrooming" where people supposedly go to a store and look at the merchandise before they buy it online, but it's not happening to the level places like Best Buy would like you to believe.
The truth is, quality of nearly everything has gone up — and in most cases, higher than the customer level of expectation. Heck, even VIZIO makes good HDTVs now. And, thanks to Apple and the success it's had getting us to buy stuff direct, it's hurting Best Buy and WILL eventually hurt you — the integrator.
Deny it all you want, but you need to plan accordingly. When Apple hits the market with a TV that can play content from ANY Apple-branded device and then even some other third-party devices without any custom integration required — watch out. You will be out of a job unless you prepare for this and plan accordingly.
And did you know that Microsoft (Windows iOS) and Samsung (Android) are doing the same thing? So, not only will you be competing with an Apple-like whole home system (that's just automatically there), but if you're a Microsoft-geek or an iOS hating, Android-loving freak, you'll also be able to do this wireless stuff with nothing but software — just by opening an app.
What are you to do? Go back and read the last four years of issues of rAVe as we've had all sorts of advice for years on this subject. You NEED to be in service-sales — not product sales. Period!
Gary Kayye is the founder of rAVe [Publications]. Reach him at gary@ravepubs.com
Ultra-HD TV systems may be years away from homes, but ITU (International Telecommunication Union — basically, the FCC of Europe) secretary general Hamadoun Touré is already describing UHDTV as "an earth-shaking development in the world of television." A new ITU-R recommendation addresses specs for both 4K and 8K.
While HDTV today has between 1 megapixel and 2 megapixels, the first level of UHDTV picture levels will have the equivalent of about 8 megapixels based on a 3840×2160 image system. The ITU recommendation also deals with an even higher level that has the equivalent of about 32 megapixels using a 7680×4320 image system.
David Wood, chairman of ITU-R Working Party 6C (WP 6C), which developed the draft new recommendation, noted in a statement that "some years will pass before we see these systems in our homes" but that the move towards a standard is "a historic moment."
The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) want to add ultra-HD standards into their next generation for digital broadcasting, ATSC 3.0. The ITU standard would help them and other groups around the world begin to incorporate ultra-HD features into their standards for digital broadcasts.
Boxee and Comcast Strike Deal for Encrypted Basic Cable Channels on Third Party Boxes
Boxee and Comcast have hammered out an agreement that allows third party services like Boxee to access encrypted cable channels via streaming media devices with a new HD transport adapter.
You might recall back in February shortly after Boxee unveiled its $50 live TV tuner, the cable industry, led by Comcast, petitioned the FCC to give the industry the right to encrypt local channels, which would effectively cut off access to broadcast channels via tuners like the Boxee Live TV stick.
Now it seems that Boxee and Comcast have found middle ground by creating a new class of TV gateway server and set-top box, the Ethernet-Digital Transport Adapter (or E-DTA). If approved by the FCC, E-DTA will deliver cable signals over a local network using the DLNA protocol, which allows Boxee services to continue to work even if cable companies move forward with encryption.
The long term goal is to create a licensing path for integrating the DTA technology into third-party devices, a move that would completely eliminate the need for cable operator-supplied set-top boxes.
So Boxee’s products will live to see another day and cable companies like Comcast can move forward with encrypted all-digital solutions that have the potential to open up bandwidth for things like higher speed Internet and decreased hardware and labor costs. All is right with the world.
We are located less than a mile from the University of North Carolina here in Chapel Hill, and we're all Tar Heel fans. But there's this other campus called Duke University that's eight miles away from us and sometimes they do some things worth mentioning, too. We guess. Anyway, Duke researchers recently designed a gigapixel device powerful enough to read a postage stamp from more than half a mile away.
They work with DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense agency that has financed the development of tech successes such as the Internet and autonomous cars. No doubt the U.S. agency has planned better uses than reading postage stamps… a single device placed at a sports stadium or political rally could monitor thousands of people at once — and be able to zoom in at any time on anyone in the crowd.
The team already built and tested a two-and-half-foot-square gigapixel camera (1,000 megapixels) and will now construct a 10,000-megapixel version. They predict future cameras will have higher resolution (as much as 50,000-megapixel photos, using these techniques).
Achieving such ultra-high resolution requires overcoming cost, computational complexity and geometric aberrations. The Duke team created their gigapixel camera by synchronizing nearly 100 individual microcameras (to produce images with lower processing power and fewer problems).
The camera’s aperture is actually only a half-inch wide, with the camera body being made of microprocessors to handle the data and weld it together into a perfect image. With advances in computer technology, Duke researchers think the camera could shrink to the size of a hand-held device.
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Attendees who register before July 13 save 40 percent and those who register before August 20 save 20 percent, attendees also have a chance to win a complimentary suite at the Crown Plaza Hotel by registering before July 13. In addition exhibitors and the #CEDIATweeps Team, CEDIA’s social media ambassadors, have unique codes that attendees may use during registration for free tradeshow access.
Tradeshow Access
CEDIA University Core Courses (a la carte)
Members Only Education Pass
On or before July 13
40% off
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Non-Members — $45
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Non-Members — $71 – $287
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Non-Members — N/A
After July 13
20% off
40% off Members — FREE
Non-Members — $60
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Non-Members — $95 – 383
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Non-Members — N/A
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40% off Members — FREE
Non-Members — $75
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Non-Members — $119 – $479
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CEDIA EXPO will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN September 5-8 (show floor open September 6-8). Register at http://www.cedia.org/expo
Panamax today announced that it is now shipping MR4000, the first product in its new "MR series" of entry-level power management products specifically aimed at the home market. The MR4000 features something that Panamax calls Protect or Disconnect and Automatic Voltage Monitoring (AVM) circuitry, as well as Level 2 noise filtration.
The MR4000 features eight surge-protected outlets — seven rear panel plus a front-panel outlet — in addition to coaxial and LAN pass-through protection ports. Panamax says the MR4000's Level 2 Noise Filtration eliminates common symptoms of contaminated power, including loss of detail, pops, hisses, hums and visual artifacts. For complete power protection, AVM circuitry disconnects the power in unsafe conditions and automatically reconnects it when safe power returns. The unit's 1-RU design can go on a shelf, in a cabinet or in a rack (rack-mount kit sold separately). It lists for $199.
Covid Offers 100-Foot HDMI Cable with Built-in Repeater
Covid is now shipping a 100-foot, plenum-rated HDMI cable with a built-in repeater. The built-in circuitry is located inside the display end of the cable and is powered by the source device. Covid says these cables are 24AWG, support 1080p resolution and are designed with a reinforced head to prevent breakage due to strain.
Available with 10 or 12 outlets, SnapAV's new WattBox power conditioners are rack-mountable or wall-mountable, designed to condition power, cable, satellite and network signals. The 12-outlet version features sequenced power-on, has the capability to handle up to 6,480 joules of energy dissipation and is encased in ceramic components. It has six switched outlets and six un-switched outlets, two Ethernet ports and three noise filter banks. The 10-outlet version features sequenced power-on, capability to handle up to 5,400 joules of energy dissipation and is encased in ceramic components. It has six switched outlets and four un-switched outlets, one Ethernet port, a 12-volt trigger port and three noise filter banks.
Both have an optional remote front panel that provides individual displays for voltage and current, a utility outlet, dual USB charging plus a convenient power button that controls switched outlets back at the power conditioner.
Pakedge Device & Software today announced the launch of its S24H, a 24-port gigabit switch with PoE+ (IEEE 802.3AT). Designed specifically for powering and switching AVB-based network AV products, the S24H delivers up to 25.5 watts-per-port for use with HDMI-over-IP transmitters, multi-radios wireless access points, high-definition IP cameras, home automation PoE+ controllers and other devices that require PoE+ operation and gigabit Ethernet connectivity (it uses a 500-watt power supply).
The S24H provides 25.5 watts of PoE+ power to up to 12 ports or 15.4 watts to all 24 ports simultaneously or a combination thereof. Each port can be individually and remotely power cycled via a variety of devices, including an iPad or iPhone. It also supports serial home automation protocols. The S24H offers high data throughput and enterprise-class reliability.
The Pakedge S24H has four fiber optic ports and can operate as a fiber hub with long-distance cable runs, making it ideal for connecting guest houses, pool houses or additional building on a property that are away from the main home installation.
Although this is designed for high-end home applications, it's perfectly capable of managing ProAV installs using AVB as well.
Sonance Ships Next Generation Invisible Series Speakers
Sonance is now shipping its next generation of invisible speakers, called the Invisible Series. Sonance says any flexible materials of 1/8" (3 millimeters) or less can be applied across the front of the speaker without affecting performance, including wallpaper or plaster.
With four brand new models in the series, the speakers feature an injection molded polypropylene diaphragm, extruded aluminum frame, depth adjustment shims, shallow mounting depth of only 2” (51 millimeters) and optional enclosures that creates a sound containment reduction of up to 20dB. Sonance also says that three of the speakers (IS4, IS4 SST and ISW) offer a sensitivity of 90 dB, which allows them to deliver higher sound pressure levels than before.
Procella Audio just announced today the introduction of a new main and surround channel speaker, the P6V. This two-way L/C/R and surround channel speaker include a 1-inch high frequency compression driver mounted on a constant directivity waveguide, a high-output 6.5 inch woofer and a so-called Procella Identical Voice crossover. Spec'd with a dynamic range playback of 24bit/96KHz program material at reference level, the P6V claims a high output, 6.5-inch woofer driver and a 1-inch compression driver for high frequencies. Procella says it produces THX cinema reference-level playback (105 dB continuous) at listening distances equivalent to the requirements for THX Ultra home cinema speakers, and does so without dynamic compression in the highs. This enables the speaker to be used a main or surround channel speaker in small to medium sized home cinemas and professional audio environments. Its bass extension meets the requirements for the 80 Hz Home THX standard subwoofer crossover point.
The P6V's size (18.5"/470mm high x 11.4"/290mm wide) and depth (4.9"/125mm) make the speaker possible for wall mount placement, either as a surround speaker, main speaker next to a flat-panel display or behind an acoustically transparent screen.
Krell Industries has introduced the new Phantom III stereo preamplifier. The Phantom III is the first Krell preamplifier to include either an optional digital input module or a headphone input. The digital module features AES/EBU, coaxial and optical digital inputs for use with streaming devices or other digital sources and supports up to 24 bit/192kHz LPCM. All digital signals are fed to an ESS Sabre DAC and then sent to Krell's Current Mode, discrete, balanced analog circuitry.
Oversized for a preamplifier, the power supply features a 95 VA transformer and 40,000 µF of capacitance, giving it the ability to respond quickly to musical demands. The large power supply improves noise rejection and renders the Phantom III impervious to all but the most severe AC voltage power fluctuations. A new eco-friendly standby mode reduces power consumption to 2 watts.
Phantom III Preamplifier lists for $5,500. With the Digital Module Option, it's $7,000. All the specs are here: http://krellonline.com/
Sunfire announced this month the introduction of the Sunfire HRSIW8, an in-wall dual-driver 8” subwoofer. It features Sunfire's Stillbass anti-shake technology, which the company says "virtually eliminates mechanical vibration," improving bass definition while helping to contain the bass to the room in which it is mounted. Sunfire says the Stillbass technology, coupled with its High Back-emf designed woofers, helps provide pounding audiophile-grade bass from a subwoofer that retrofits into a standard 16” on-center stud bay.
The HRSIW8 features two custom-designed 8” long-throw woofers using ultra low mass fiberglass cones in a sealed cabinet that measures 12.2”W x 24.7”H x 3.75”D, and only requires a wall cutout of 10.6”W x 23.5”H. A wire channel is provided on the rear of the enclosure to avoid pinching the wire between the enclosure and the back of the drywall inside the opening. Easily removable magnetic grilles and a cutout template for easy installation are provided.
The HRSIW8’s external rack-mount amplifier is an evolution of the Sunfire digital amplifier used in the company’s SDS subwoofer line. Using Sunfire’s Frequency Filtration Design (FFD) for high fidelity bass, the amp delivers 520 watts of power. A wide range of filtering adjustments are included as well as DSP with room equalization and a remote control that provides one-touch access to preset equalizer modes.
The HRSIW8 has an MSRP of $1,700 and features a frequency response of 33Hz-150Hz, maximum output of 106dB, balanced and unbalanced line level inputs, gold plated speaker terminals and adjustable high-pass and low pass filters.
Proficient has debuted a new rock speaker in the form of the R800TT — a single stereo speaker with an 8" woofer and two 1" tweeters. Rated at 8 ohms and spec'd to deliver 90 watts of audio, these speakers are weather-proof, handle frequencies from 65Hz to 20KHz and measure (HxWxD) at 14"x14"x11". They are available in both grey (granite) and sandstone colors and are now shipping.
Krell Industries, a manufacturer of high performance music and home theater systems, has appointed Noyd Communications as its new public relations agency.
To read the complete press release online, click here.
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).
Don’t like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
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.
Copyright 2012 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – 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.