Home Theater Gear

Panasonic has announced they will begin heavy promotions of the new James Cameron film, Avatar, using the director himself to help. This promotion effort will have a direct tie in to Panasonic's release of advanced 3D capable home theater gear.

Avatar, Cameron's first 3D film is also expected to be the first 3D released for Blu Ray Disc. Panasonic is going to do a 3D tour later this fall showing 2 things most people have never seen before; their 103 inch plasma HDTV and 3D video from a Blu Ray.

Director Cameron used Panasonic plasma displays for production monitors during Avatar's creation and stated he believes that 3D is how we will experience media in the near future. He also indicated he was excited to co-promote the new 3D film with them.

That will bring a whole, new dimension to your home theater, and give you yet another upgrade to convince your wife that you really need.

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Sony just announced they are having a limited time sale on refurbished 52” BRAVIA® LCD HDTV (KDL52XBR6. This is Sony's top of the line 52" LCD TV and they are giving a $600 discount until the end of the month.

It is 120Hz and has a 10 bit LCD panel with a 10 bit video processor. They will probably show its replacement at CEDIA  next month, but it is a good price on a great TV now.

Go to Sonystyle to see more about the LCD savings.

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Parasound adds itself to the list of companies not exhibiting at CEDIA in Atlanta this year. Citing the economy and product availability, they indicated they would exhibit at the CES in Las Vegas Jan of 2010.

Parasound stated they wanted to be able to give a firm answer to the dealers' overriding question "When are you going to ship the new HDP-70 and C 3 processors and the new HDR-77 receiver?" Since they are not in a position to answer that, they felt it would be best to postpone an appearance, as the rest of the line is fundamentally unchanged.

Some news on the new products though, there will be Dolby Volume and Dolby PLIIz. In addition, the receiver is taller, 4 rack spaces, rather than the original 3. Why? Because they ahve changed form a digital poower amp section to a real, high current class A/B amp section. They also anticipate having a Halo Blu-Ray player to show at CES. 

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Transformers 2 will be released on BluRay October 20th. As an added bonus the 2-disc sets will include a feature known as augmented reality. You've seen this before, when you watch a football game on TV. It's how they get the yellow first down line, and end zone sponsor logos. The Europeans use it for their football broadcasts too, as a way to include sponsor logos and make them look like they are supposed to be there.

How will it work for the Transformers 2 (Offically Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen) Blu Ray Disc, and will we see it on other releases in the near future?

Sadly, the augmented reality feature is for the packaging only. It's not going to add any ability for selecting cool features or 3D functionality within the movie playback itself. You can hold up the package to a light source though, and see a hologram of king transformer, Optimus Prime.

According to a report in Video Business there will be several promotional tie ins to the Transformers 2 release, as we've come to expect with most big budget blockbusters these days. Some of them though, will you save money on the Blu Ray. For example, Papa John's Pizza will give you a $3 discount on the disc with a pizza purchase. That's a great combo, pizza and a night home at the movies.

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Axonix, manufacturer of the high end media Media Max line of media servers has introduced new software, their new MediaLoader 2 and NetPlay 2 - V7.12 Software  

According to their latest press release,
they have just introduced

"The MediaLoader 2. It is a completely new media loader of movies and music that
includes a new fluid, full screen, 3 Dimensional Interface (3DI) with rotating Cover
Art carousal, on-screen metadata editing keyboard and broader Blu-ray Cover Art database.

NetPlay 2 adds to MediaMax more than a dozen new online services including:


Movies and Videos: NetFlixT, HuluT, YouTubeT, MTVT

Music: PandoraT, Last.fmT, ShoutcastT

Photos: PicasaT, FlickrT"

Integrating stored content with web and network based based content is the direction of the future, and other companies are now or will soon be doing the same thing. Vudu and Request both give viewers the ability to watch content from YouTube on their TVs, and the Vudu allows Flikr and pandora. The Vudu is a download terminal only and does not allow you to rip your own CDs or DVDs, or import content from your computer. Request allows users to import content from Amazon.com into their library, and listen to Finetune streaming content through the system.

The attraction to all these systems is the same simple GUI for all media sources, and the ability to easily transport media around the home. They also have the advantage of being able to easily integrate with high end control systems such as Crestron and AMX, so complete media control can be integrated with other functions on a simple to use touch panel or remote control.

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Starting this Thursday, August 20th, Mitsubishi is offering consumer money back rebates on it's line of DLP rear projection TVs. These make prices on them even more attractive. As the price of plasma and LCD TVs creeps lower, Mitsubishi is betting that the rebates will help stimulate sales. Hey, it worked for the auto industry. Maybe Mits should offer generous trade in allowances on CRT sets.

The cash back rebates are as follows:

WD60737, WD65737 - $100

WD73737, WD82737, WD65837 - $200

WD73837, WD82837 - $300

Mitsubishi's 82" set is the largest rear projection TV you can buy, so if you want a large screen in your home theater, but can't use a two piece projection system, Mitsubishi has your TV. Of course, the TV supports 3D, ready for the day that content actually arrives in your living room. See your dealer or custom installer for more info. The rebates end on September 7th, 2009.

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Pioneer had a well deserved reputation for making great plasma TVs. After all Pioneer was the first manufacturer to bring to market a high definition plasma, back in 1997. The introduction of their Kuro line cemented the name Pioneer as the Go To brand for high end displays in the mind of many consumers. It was part of Pioneer's marketing strategy to move upmarket and deemphasize the less profitable lower end A/V products. As other manufacturers jumped all over themselves to win the so called “race to zero”, Pioneer was using their premium KURO plasma TVs to lift them to profitability; except for one thing. It didn't work.

The TVs were fantastic, delivering beautiful, lifelike images from their screens, and the Kuro brand had started to take hold in upper end consumer's minds. However, a combination of the softening world economy and the increased quality of Pioneer's lower end competitors (mostly in the LCD space) rendered the Kuro marketing plan not viable. As LCD TVs got better and cheaper, demand for the premium Pioneer displays fell to the point where Pioneer could no longer sell enough volume to make the venture profitable.

Pioneer's first strategy was to discontinue plasma panel production and outsource the glass to others, most notably Panasonic. In the end though, this strategy proved short lived, and never really got off the ground before Pioneer pulled the plug on Plasma altogether.

What will Pioneer do now that they won't be selling one of the high end's leading displays? According to a recent report in the journal TWICE, Pioneer has released their marketing strategy for moving forward in a world without plasma. Sure, plasma will be in the world, just not in Pioneer's. After March of next year they will be out of the TV business entirely.

Will Pioneer resort to a similar strategy to other manufacturer's, selling basic A/V electronics and something they've been doing for years, car audio gear? Not really. According to their recent statements, Pioneer will still try to stand out as premium purveyors of audio / video gear, leveraging their relationships with THX and London's Air Studios to stand out from the crowd. CEDIA attendees should notice the difference in Pioneers message. For one thing, we'lll not be treated to the wall of plasma displays with images of red roses on a black background eliciting “oohhs” and “ahhs”  ifrom show goers.

To grab consumer's minds Pioneer is kicking off a new ad campaign to remind shoppers about the advances in audio video Pioneer has made or contributed to over the past few decades. Pioneer will also backtrack on  the contracting  distribution strategy it had implemented during recent years, broadening their distribution channels and adding dealers.

Can Pioneer make the transition to a non-TV company, when so much of their focus has been on premium video throughout the last few years? That remains to be seen, although it seems foolish to bet against them.

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Universal Electronics Inc. (not to be confused with Universal Remote, although many have), makers of the well regarded Nevo remote controls, announced they will be introducing a new line of remote controls, the Custom Series.

Models include the Nevo C2 and Nevo C3. The new remotes  will be formally introduced at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Atlanta. They will also be introducing a new 433 MHz remote extender at The Show. The new remotes are reported at lower price points that the existing Nevo remotes. In addition, the C3 looks to be a finalist for the a Resi, the award given by custom installation trade mag Residential Systems.

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If you think an LCD TV with a built in Blu Ray Disc player is a good idea, Sharp agrees with you. In fact they think it is such a good idea they announced today they would be selling an incredible 13 new models of LCD TVs with built in Blu Ray players. Not only that, but they're taking your sentiments one better, by including Blu Ray recorders, rather than just players.

As you may have guessed, from the sheer number of intros, the new Sharp sets come in a variety of sizes, from a kitchen sized 26” set, to a home theater / family room oriented 52” unit. In between the LCD size train stops at 32”, 40” and 46” sizes, just about guaranteeing a size for any occasion, except the home theater that needs a real, large screen display.

The new DX2 TVs offer several improvements on the only 7 month old DX series of LCDs from Sharp. On sets 40” and above, Sharp is including its High-Picture-Quality Master Engine, for improved image quality. In addition, the new TVs are sporting Internet connectivity that are rapidly becoming de rigueur on new TVs to facilitate content and software downloads.

If you're looking for technology such as LED backlighting, you'll have to look elsewhere, as Sharp is eschewing such advancements in favor of proven CCF backlights. In keeping with the green movement that's so pervasive around the globe these days, the sets are energy efficient. The 46” units only draw 267 watts, and the 40” sets only 235. In standby mode, power consumption for both drops to an infinitesimal 100 milliwatts.  

Perhaps the biggest news is on the Blu Ray recording front though. They recorders built into these new TVs are Sharp's 7X models, giving faithful reproduction of the full HD from the original broadcast. In 7x mode the recording time is approximately 15 hrs on a single BD-RE/-R: 25 GB disc.

One would assume at least some of the models are 120Hz units, but Sharp did not reveal such info in their announcement.  

The models in the announcement will be released in Japan on September 10th. The U.S. Versions should be on display at the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta at about the same time.

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Do TV retailers do things to sell their LCD TVs on the showroom floor that make problems associated with the sets worse? One of the most reported problems with LCD TVs, especially the less expensive models, is poor black level and gray scale performance. Tremendous strides have been made in this area in the past few years, with technologies such as dynamic LED back lighting enabling the TV's back lights to be dimmed or shut off entirely when the image on screen warrants it.

Many lower end sets do not have such leading edge technology however. Although even the least expensive LCD TVs of today look better than their predecessors, a report published by ZDNet suggests that some retailers adjust the ambient light in their stores to improve the TV's perceived image quality.
 
How do they do this? Simple, they increase the ambient light in the TV sales area, or in some cases, fail to dim it. That makes the relatively poor black level and gray scale performance of less quality TV's less noticable. In some cases the ambient light level exhibited in the store's display area was many times that of your living room at home.

While retailers have been playing tricks with sets for decades in an effort to achieve higher sales figures, this has mostly involved maxing out the contrast settings on the TVs they wanted to sell to give the set's greater “pop” when compared to others on the showroom floor. Now TVs have the opposite problem. While CRT sets had excellent black levels but limited light output, most LCD TVs have fairly robust light output. It is the darker end of the spectrum where they fall flat.

Just be aware of this trick when you're shopping for a set. Few retailers show their display units after calibration, and many big box stores, such as Costco or Sam's Club, have no one on staff that can perform such an adjustment. If they could do so, you'd have to get them to dim the lights first, so the calibration could be performed in an environment similar to the room in which you'd actually be watching your TV at home.

Just know that these problems exist when shopping for your next LCD (or plasma) TV.

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Speakercraft's Proficient Audio division has announced the new M-80 surround receiver, first shown atr last year's CEDIA Expo in Denver, will ship about the time we head for this year's CEDIA show in Atlanta. The M-80, priced at $1,250, has a full complement of features and a stylish, heavy duty, machined aluminum faceplate to distinguish it form the mass market competition. Proficient describes the new receiver as follows:

The M80 is one of only a few receivers-and probably the only one in its price range-designed specifically to meet the needs of custom installers. This state-of-the-art receiver includes all technologies necessary for accurate reproduction of Blu-ray Discs, video games and other advanced media. It features DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD lossless audio, four HDMI inputs, and Faroudja DCDi Cinema video processing. Seven 130-watt high-current Class AB amplifiers deliver superb audio quality and a high damping factor, for precise control of any speaker.

If you've been looking for a new receiver in the 1k dollar price range and want something from the standard Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, Sony fare, maybe the profisient is a receiver to take a look at.

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Gefen, known for making high quality digital audio and video switching and transceiver equipment, has announced they will be showing their new surround sound audio processor at the upcoming Atlanta CEDIA Expo.

Made for connecting to a TV or cable box to decode the digital surround, Gefen's processor includes a single HDMI and single (S/PDIF coax or Toslink) digital audio input. It mirrors those for outputs, enabling the HDMI to be routed on to a display device. 

It includes built-in 20w RMS amplifiers and RCA audio outputs for connecting external amplification and powered subwoofers. The unit supports 5.1 channels for both the powered and line level outputs. It has an RS-232 port for serial control.

Their feature set for the new processor includes:

• Splits one HDMI input source to 2 mirrored HDMI outputs with HDCP pass-through
• Extracts digital audio from an HDMI or S/PDIF source to 5.1 channels of analog and digital audio
• Outputs digital audio to S/PDIF and TOSLINK connectors at up to 5.1 channels
• Outputs analog audio at 5.1 channels of Surround Sound on L/R RCA jacks
• Outputs amplified analog audio at 20 Watts per channel RMS on external speaker terminals
• LCD display and IR remote control make operations friendly
• HDMI compliant; HDCP pass-through

 

Gefen is listing the retail price for these to be $899. While the unit is probably of the same high quality as other Gefen products, it seeks to fill a small, niche market; deriving surround sound by simply plugging in the surround from a cable box or built-in TV tuner. It will be competing against A/V receivers boasting many times the power, number of inputs, and a more robust feature set. The recveivers will include things such as acoustic room correction and video switching /  transcoding at the same price point.

The Gefen's internal amplifiers do not deliver much power, but would be well matched to a small set of high quality, efficency speakers. At only 14"W x 2.8"h x 6.7"d, the unit is small enough to mount behind a flat panel on an tilt or articulating wall mount. It would also fit nicely in a small cabinet, along with a cable box and Blu-Ray player. Simply run your surround speaker wires to the TV location, plug in the digital audio cables, anbd you're off to the races, or maybe watching them, in full surround sound. If you're looking for something simple and of high quality, this may fit the bill.

Gefen also promises to show several more new products at CEDIA next month. Stay tuned.

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It appears that home theater video manufacturer Runco will be back at the CEDIA Expo next month after all. Not only that, but they will be debuting over 10 new video products, and running a full slate of training sessions to boot.

Runco had previously indicated they would not have a booth at the CEDIA Expo, and would use those resources to help dealers, and implement a trade in program to help consumers buy new projectors.

CEDIA wouldn't have been the same without them. If you'll be at CEDIA, you can visit Runco at Booth 3069, or the training rooms in C-301 and C-302.

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If there's one knock against Crestron systems is that you have had to be a technical wizard to program one. Sure, they have unparalleled capabilities, but until recently, the question hasn't been "What can it do?", it's been "What can you afford to make it do?" Crestron made a breakthrough a few years back with the introduction of their Adagio line and a simpler programming interface; SystemBuilder. It was more value oriented, and an integrator didn't have to have a full on Crestron programmer on staff in order to get their customer's systems up and running.

Now, with the Prodigy, Crestron is aiming to change that even more with the introduction of their Prodigy system. The Prodigy is entirely plug and play, and configured with an easy, check box / radio button interface. In short, with Crestron's Prodigy, even companies that have no programmers on staff at all can feel comfortable installing a Crestron system.

What Crestron is really trying to do here is play in the market currently occupied by Control 4, while still retaining their advanced system capabilities. The Prodigy system gives a user a whole house audio system and needs no special wiring, programming, or expensive custom installation. Based on the ZigBee 802.15.4 wireless mesh network technology, homeowners can have color touch screen controllers throughout their home without running a lick of wire.

One note here: Although the Prodigy system is relatively inexpensive, the lighting controllers are really inexpensive, at $131 per dimmer. That is a fantastic value for a wireless dimmers that are part of a comprehensive control solution.

On a related note, the PLX-2 remote control is an absolute bargain as well, and the system's multi zone audio preamp/amplifier combo, the  PAMP-4X100 looks to be a great value too, retailing for only $920. That includes six source inputs and 4 powered zones of audio output, and is expandable to 12 zones by adding two addition PAMP-4X100s. The PLT-4 4" color wall mounted touch screen is another high value component, hitting integrators shelves at the unheard of price for a 4" color touch screen of only $670.

The Proidigy can be the basis for a full on home automation and control system encompassing lighting control, HVAC, and audio /  video. The Prodigy's main processor is the PMC2, replete with Ethernet connectivity, 2ea RS-232 ports, 2ea relay outputs, 2ea control sensing inputs, and 5 IR outputs that can support dual emitters, allowing the control of 10 pieces of IR controllable gear. The price ofr all this is only $700, sans configuration and set up (Crestron insists there is no "programming").

One of the coolest features is the PLX-2 remote control, that includes full 2-way feedback from an iPOD, lighting controls, security system or audio system. Unlike all other remotes of this ilk, this one is extremely affordable, at only $170 retail, before configuration. It does need the aforementioned PMC-2 control processor to operate.

Crestron is bringing its' considerable engineering and marketing resources to bear on an affordable home automation and music system that virtually any compentent custom installation company can install. That will let many more people enjoy the benefits of such a system without choking on the high prices these systems can command, especially in existing homes where retrofitting wiring can be cost prohibitive.

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ABC TV and Netflix Inc. have agreed to allow the DVD rental by mail pioneer to include ABC TV programs as part of it's online streaming video offerings. What ABC programming will Netflix customers be able to stream? Beginning this fall past episodes of ABC's hits such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, Legend of the Seeker, and Gray's Anatomy will be available.

To find out more about what Netflix can do for your home theater, check them out here. They have a free trial.

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