The Harman Specialty Group's booth was nearly set up for Thursday's official opening when we snapped these photos of the new Revel Ultima2 series. The tallest is the new Salon2 ($22,000/pair), the smaller floor-stander is the new Studio2 ($16,000/pair, not shown, but similarly styled) The others were the Gem2 (not shown) and Voice2 (photo below). The new Ultima2s will roll out gradually, with the Salon and Studio due around the first of the year and the other pieces scheduled in late winter or early spring 2007.
Sharp announced two new widescreen, full-HD 1080p AQUOS sets in new screen sizes, 46-inch (LC-46D62U) and 52-inch (LC-52D62U), produced at Sharp’s new LCD plant, Kameyama No. 2.
LC-52D62U will be available in the U.S. in October for a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $4,799.99. LC-46D62U will be available in the U.S. in October for an MSRP of $3,499.99
Sharp showed a new line of LCDs sporting a new bezel design; piano black with silver. The 42-inch (LC-42D62U), 1080p model has a claimed 6ms response time and a 1300:1 native contrast ratio at a price of $2,499. Also in the line are a 46-inch LC-46D62U ($3,499), and a 52-inch LC-52D62U ($4,799). Both of these larger panels are 4ms. They will have 1080p inputs and will be available in October. The XV-Z20000 projector (we saw at CES 9 months ago) is coming out this month in all its 1080p glory for $11,999.
For those not excited about projectors (see below), Sony unveiled a 52-inch LCD, the KDL-52XBR2. It’s 1080p of course, and sports a 1300:1 “on-screen” contrast ratio. It’s $6,500, but if you don’t like silver, the KDL-52XBR3 is $300 more and has a black bezel. They’ll be available in November. Also, the BDP-S1 Blu-ray player should ship late October.
The equipment rack in the CEDIA Home of Electronic Lifestyles, jointly sponsored by HP and Lifeware provided the heart of a connected home on display across from the convention center. Perhaps putting the rack holding the utility gear for the bathroom would not always be the best choice.
NuVo Technologies showed off the company's new Grand Concerto multiroom audio system. The coolest part of the system is the new control pad that uses an OLED display that the NuVo people say can show up to eight readable character lines. The character height for each line is selectable, and different lines can have different character heights. The NuVo folks say that, in addition to being bright enough to be readable in rooms with lots of sunlight, the control pad display has a 180-degree viewing angle.
To very few people’s surprise, Sony announced a “Baby-Ruby”, as in a baby brother to their 1080p SXRD front projector the VPL-VW100. What was surprising is the price: $4,999, lower than most people were expecting. They also claim it will take the 1080p/24, and display it at 96Hz. The 1080p SXRD chips carry over, this time in a smaller, yet still stylish, case. The model number is VPL-VW50. Oh, and it will be available this month.
CEDIA 2006
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