Toshiba also debuted their Cinema Series Pro line of LCDs, in 42 and 47-inch varieties. They’re both 1080p, have 12-bit processing, and an 8ms response time. It sports a RJ-45 connector to connect the TV to a PC to view pictures and apparently get your email. The 42LZ196 will be $3,399 and the 47LZ196 will be $4,599. Both are available this month.
After giving out sales percentages that show Harmony remotes have almost taken over the world, Logitech showed off their newest Harmony remote control, the Harmony 1000. The design is a departure from that of the current models, which are the traditional long and skinny shape. The Harmony 1000 is rectangular, less than 1/2 inch thick, and has a 3.5-inch color touch screen that's very bright - the Logitech folks said they're using a screen originally designed for car GPS navigation systems - and extremely sensative to the touch. They've redesigned the screen layouts, too, making using the new remote even easier than any of their other models - which I wasn't sure was possible. It'll be available for $499 in October. Infrared extenders are $149.
It’s a big deal whenever one of audio’s legendary speaker designer/manufacturers puts out a new speaker. More significant still is when a company like Thiel drops a speaker on us that will cost something less than $1K/ea.
In a 2,000 square foot house filled with HP gear and PCs that was built specifically on the parking lot outside the convention center, Exceptional Innovation demonstrated the company's Life|ware 1.0.2 home control software that's designed to create a fully integrated electronic home based around Media Center PCs. The new Life|ware software builds on Media Center features and, based on direct connection with Life|link Devices-enabled devices, can control things like motorized shades, motorized mounts for plasma or front projection TVs, lighting, and even your oven. You can even schedule things by astronomical time.
On Wednesday I got my first look at Sharp’s XV-Z20000, a 1080p single-chip DLP front projector, albeit in a static demo. The new unit is finished in a sleek, glossy black and peaking around the back revealed two HDMI inputs in addition a DVI/HDCP input,
One piece of semi-disturbing news was confirmed to me yesterday. Although Sony’s PlayStation3 will carry both Ethernet and wireless means of connecting to the Internet, Sony’s standalone BD-PS1 Blu-ray player will not even have an Ethernet connection,
The Pearl SXRD projector was not Sony’s only significant product introduction yesterday. Also shown to reporters and reviewers for the first time was the STR-DA5200ES AV receiver. This product shows that when Sony is big on something it shows up in all its products. That something here is 1080p.
The STR-DA5200ES is one of two new models in
Sony's higher-end ES receiver line. The 7 x 120
watt receiver has auto setup that that runs in just
30 seconds. With top-notch Faroudja DCDi video
processing, it upconverts video sources to
1080p, offers scalable picture-in-picture for
source monitoring, and offers on-the-fly color
correction. The icon-based menu system hails
from PSP. Available in October for $1500.
In a world where manufacturers all too often behave with a depraved indifference toward the muscles of the lower abdomen, Thiel has introduced a speaker that poses no hazard to the delicate. True, Jim Thiel dodged the all-important weight question, but judging from the way he picked it up and casually hefted it, the SCS4 should be just my kind of speaker. It has the same coaxial driver array as the SCS3, uses a challenging (Jim said) first-order crossover, and will ship before year-end for less than $1000. I will try this at home. The Thiel exhibit is using it as the center and surround speakers in a demo system with the floorstanding CS3.7--unveiled nine months ago at CES and previously unheard--serving as front left/right.
Sony had rows of LCD displays set up in their booth, still coming together the day before the show opens. When we passed by, all of them were fired up with images from what appeared to be existing or upcoming Blu-ray releases. Sharp eyed viewers will notice scenes from Stargate SG-1 and Stargete Atlantis. Inquiring minds want to know when these series will be released on Blu-ray. The images looked fabulous, miles better than the drek-vision we see on the Sci-Fi channel and better even than the good DVDs of both series that are now available. Reason enough for fans of both series to line up for a good Blu-ray player.
Stewart Filmscreen announced its new StarGlas rigid rear projection screen with the screen element sandwiched between two layers of safety glass. It's available in both 0.6 and 1.0 gain versions and is said to be durable, easily cleaned, and, according to Stewart's Joachin Rivera (shown here with the screen), ideal for indoor, outdoor, or even exterior wall use (rear projection from inside, viewing from outside).
Panasonic announced a pair of new LCD home theater projectors. The AX100 is a 1280x720 model that sports a dynamic iris, dynamic gamma, Smooth Screen, and a price tag of $2999 (October).
OK- Sony's Pearl is probably the worst kept secret the industry’s seen in years. And yes, I tried to remain a jaded, even cynical reporter during its introduction here at CEDIA 2006- especially since just this morning, several hours before Sony’s press event, a well-informed reader sent me some of the projector’s key specs and even the price!
CEDIA 2006
Site Map / Direct Links
