Home Theater Gear

Sanus Systems is introducing a new low profile (only 2in), quiet, motorized flat panel TV mount. The motorization enables you to easily change the angle of the TV from your remote.

From Sanus:

"The VLMF109 Full-Motion Motorized Mount supports 37 to 56 inch flat-panel TVs
weighing up to 110 lbs. and offers full-motion movement with an included IR
remote control. With just the touch of a button, users can change the viewing angle
of their TVs by extending the mount up to 9 inches from the wall and swiveling it
up to 120 degrees. When the mount is fully retracted, it sits just 2 inches from the
wall—an incredible feat for a motorized mount, which usually requires more depth
for its motor.

The lateral shift feature allows the
user to slide the TV left or right on the wall plate during installation so the TV is
positioned appropriately on the wall. The mount is also RS-232 compatible for
integration with home automation systems. The open wall plate design allows plenty
of space for routing cables through the wall and accommodates both 16-inch and
24-inch wall studs for flexibility in placement. The automatic setup feature detects
the location of the wall and programs a stop-limit to ensure the TV won’t bump into
the wall when the mount is swiveled."

It should be available by the time you read this.

Posted by 1touch at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Juniper Networks has released its top 10 wireless predictions for 2010:

Top Ten Wireless Predictions for 2010
Please see below for a full list of the top ten wireless predictions, with each prediction explained in more detail in the free report available to download from the Juniper Research website.

1. Mobile data traffic explosion to strain 3G Networks, spur data pricing overhaul
2. Mobile ecosystem starts to go green
3. Mobile heads for the cloud
4. New category of smartbooks to emerge
5. Apps stores all round
6. Mobile social networking to integrate with other applications including M-Commerce
7. NFC phones appear in the shops
8. At least 10 LTE networks to be launched into service
9. Smartphones to get augmented reality makeover
10. Christmas kindle sales expected to herald the rise of the connected embedded consumer devices

In addition, they note that the almost 34 million iPhones that have been sold to date look to put an increasing strain on the nation's 3G network (maybe AT&T needs to get a better map??) and that operators may use this as a way to charge premium rates for certain services.

Do think they'll count the Crestron mobile app as one of those?

 

Posted by 1touch at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

JVC introduced new wireless speakers, a powered subwoofer, and a new sound bar today. It is just the thing if you can't or don't want to run new wires in a family room, bedroom, or den, but are looking for a surround sound system. 

From JVC:

"JVC today introduced a pair of soundbar home theater systems, offering consumers a home theater sound solution to meet a range of budgets and needs. Among the two new systems is the world’s first dual wireless soundbar system that features a wireless subwoofer and wireless surround speakers. The other is highlighted by a super-slim soundbar and a thin, wall-mountable amplifier.

JVC’s new dual wireless soundbar system is the TH-BA3, a 280-watt, 5.1-channel surround sound system that includes a sound bar, wireless subwoofer and wireless rear speaker kit comprised of wireless left and right surround speakers and a wireless receiver. The sound bar contains four speakers – one each for the left and right main channels and two for the center channel. Also built into the sound bar is the power amplifier, surround decoding, system controls and the transmitter for the wireless surround speakers. It offers one analog and two optical digital inputs and decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby ProLogic II surround signals.

The new JVC TH-BS7 system is designed to match the slimmest of flat panel HDTVs. It includes a sliver of a soundbar that measures just 1.4 inches (36mm) tall, an even slimmer wall-mountable amplifier/control unit and a wireless subwoofer.

The 180-watt, 4.1-channel TH-BS7 owes its slim design to JVC’s own Direct Drive speaker technology that uses a unique voice coil design and strong neodymium magnets to deliver outstanding sound quality and a broad soundfield from a super-slim speaker. The design allows the TH-BS7’s soundbar to boast a frequency range of 200 - 20,000 Hz that falls to just 200 – 10,000 Hz at 360 degrees off-axis. The soundbar features four JVC Direct Drive speakers – left and right main channels and left and right surround channels – each driven by 20 watts. The two surround channels are processed using JVC’s Front Surround technology to provide a surround sound effect without the need for rear speakers.

Complementing the slim design of the soundbar is the system’s amplifier/control unit. It measures just 1.2 inches deep and can be wall mounted. It decodes Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II, and offers one analog and three optical digital inputs. The system’s wireless subwoofer features a six-inch woofer powered by a 100-watt amplifier.

Pricing and availability:

"

Posted by 1touch at 06:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Critics Choice Video is having a Holiday sale. You can get some pretty great savings on a number of popular and hard to find titles.
Save up to 60% when you buy a complete TV series collection!
Save up to 65% on great Blu-ray titles!
DVD Classics for $0.99!
Check them out!

Posted by 1touch at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

HDMI – The letters are enough to send many installers straight to the medicine cabinet. Why? Well, HDMI has allowed for unprecedented audio and video quality in consumer electronics products, but it has also created a plethora of headaches for the technicians who get to install all this wonderful gear and make it work more or less seamlessly. From the 10 – 15 second switching intervals to the “Where the hell is my video?” phone calls at 9:00pm on a Friday, HDMI has generated more than its share of headaches for those in the trenches.

Surprisingly, the origin of many HDMI problems is man made, and also labeled with a 4 letter acronym starting with an “H”; HDCP. Yes, most of the problems with HDMI are of our own making. Unlike good, old analog video, consumer electronics devices connected with HDMI must actually communicate with each other to ensure that each is authorized to either send or receive HD content. If there is any glitch in the works, you'll get nothing. Actually to clarify, you may get a white or black screen, but Monday Night Football on ESPN or Star Trek on Blu-Ray, no way.

While that may be great for protecting the content, it is tough for installers to explain to their clients why this stuff just flat fails to work sometimes. Many clients have a hard time believing that something could be purposely engineered not to work perfectly every time. The truth is that, not only is HDMI far more sensitive to cabling, especially at longer distances, but sometimes different pieces of gear just didn't want to play nicely together.

To be fair, these problems occur far less frequently now than they did a couple of years ago, when they were an almost weekly occurrence. Typically, there would be much finger pointing by the manufacturers of the equipment involved, and eventually the problems would be solved by a firmware update or an equipment change.

Another problem with HDMI that have some customers shaking their heads is the inability of some equipment with HDMI to support an unlimited number of devices. “What do you mean I can't connect this Comcast cable box to more than one TV?” Having to explain to a customer that each source has tokens that must be authorized by the display or they'll get no video can be an exercise in frustration.

Some devices will support upwards of 30 connections, while others, only 1. The trick is that you don't know until you either analyze the unit, or connect it and see. If you are centrally locating your source pieces and distributing them throughout your home or office, you may have a situation where you could easily have more TVs or other display devices than your sources have tokens.

Sure, you say, but I don't have a 6,000 sq ft home with 7 different TVs. You may not, but some far simpler combinations have caused problems, such as connecting your cable box to your A/V receiver and then connecting your A/V receiver to your TV. There have been cases where the cable box counts this as two devices connected to it, and it only has one authorized token, so it gets mad, and shuts down the video.

Now we have the latest HDMI variation, HDMI 1.4. Wasn't 1.3a good enough? Maybe so but 1.4 is here now and we have to be ready for it and the problems that may come with it. Surely, there have to some good things that will  come from HDMI 1.4, don't there? Yes, HDMI 1.4 has some very attractive, new features, although much of them will not be implemented immediately.

HDMI 1.4 feature set -

HDMI Ethernet channel
Audio return channel
4k and 2k pixel resolution support
3D support
More color spaces

and yes there will be new connectors, including mini HDMI connectors for mobile devices.

The new HDMI features will enable a host of new functionality such as device to device content distribution and Internet connection sharing. Much as some devices like HD TiVOs can share content  now with other Ethernet connected HD TiVOs, in the future many different devices will be able to do this, and it will happen over the single HDMI cable plugged into the back. They will even be able to share a single Internet connection. No more boxes full of different cables laying behind the rack.

For years some people have been saying the 3D will be the next big thing in home theater, and HDMI 1.4 is ready for that too, supporting no fewer than 7 different 3D structures. Whether or not 3D is ever the “killer app” for home theater remains to be seen, but it will doubtlessly see some serious support from the gaming community.

While 1080p is the hot resolution now, in the future it will seem as quaint as 480p does today. 4K (4,096 x 2,160) may not be right around the corner for home use, but it is coming, and at least we won't have to see yet another HDMI variation to support it.

Hopefully we'll get to enjoy all that HDMI 1.4 has to offer without the problems that plagued earlier versions. Each passing year has brought us significant progress in this area, to the point where many custom installers happily install HDMI with almost no thought as to their past headaches. As manufacturers improve things, people understand the intricacies of HDMI, and new HDMI repeaters successfully deal with the distance issue, the future looks bright indeed.

Posted by 1touch at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have a projector for your home theater, one day the bulb will go out. It doesn't mean your projector is a piece of crap (although there have been cases where a firmware problem has caused premature bulb failure), it is just the nature of the beast. Typically projector bulbs last from 2,000 to 4,000 hours.

The thing many people forget about when they buy their projectors is that a replacement bulb is no cheap fix. Projector bulbs cost an average of $300 - $500. If you factor that price along with their propensity to fail the day of your Superbowl party or monthly movie night extravaganza, you can see how many people get a bit up in arms over the whole thing.

It's human nature to try and get the best deal for everything, but shopping for projector bulbs based purely on price can be  big no-no. Many of the inexpensive bulbs are cheap, Chinese imports , or only include the bulb, not the entire assembly you need to make an easy replacement.

To make matters worse, trying to save money by sourcing a cheap bulb often results in not only premature bulb failure, but very often damage to your projector. If that happens, the only cure is a trip to the factory for repair often lasting 2 - 6 weeks, and involving considerable expense.

Yes, the correct, factory replace projector lamp assembly can be expensive, but in most cases, it is money well spent. Even if you only spent $1,000 for your projector, and it is tough to spend 40% of that for a new lamp, bite the bullet and do it or you could easily buy buying more than just a new bulb.It's not crying wolf, projector manufacturers are reporting a near epidemic of service issues related to consumers trying to go the cheap bulb replacement route. Once again, think twice, or it could be your projector's warranty that goes out next time.

Posted by 1touch at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What do Danica Patrick and CEDIA both have in common? They'll both be at Indy in 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately for Patrick fans, she'll be there in May, and the CEDIA Expo returns there in September. Danica probably will not be in attendance.

Posted by 1touch at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's no secret that home theater projectors using LED illumination technology will be the wave of the future. The benefits of LED projectors are primarily that they use far less energy than a traditional UHP or Xenon lamped projector, and that the bulb (illuminator) life is around 40,000 - 50,000 hours, instead of 2,000 - 4,000 hours. When a projector lamp costs on the order of $500, that's a welcome change indeed.

Home theater projector manufacturers are closing in on this technology with reckless abandon. Several were shown at the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, and now one of these, the Runco Q-750i is now shipping.

"BEAVERTON, Ore. --(Business Wire)-- Dec 02, 2009 In September, Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR), a worldwide leader in specialty display solutions, unveiled its Runco QuantumColor™ Q-750i and Q-750d lampless LED projectors to Runco’s worldwide dealer network. Dealers have responded very positively and have placed orders for hundreds of demonstration projectors for their showrooms in the first few weeks after announcement.

“The QuantumColor projectors mark a new era in video projection for the industry and for Runco. Lampless LED is the future of video projection and Runco, through its innovation, is the leader in this category,” stated Planar CEO Gerry Perkel. “The QuantumColor projectors have it all – no lamp to replace, never-before-seen colors, high reliability, and low power consumption. The industry response is strong and our dealers have shown incredible support for the product by booking orders in record numbers, making the ‘Q’ the best-selling demo product in Runco history.”

Traditional home theater projectors utilize a lamp for illumination, which are expensive to replace, cause downtime and only last about 2,000 hours. Collaborating for more than a year with Texas Instrument’s® DLP™ business to create the technology for Runco’s LED platform, Runco has engineered its QuantumColor products to eliminate all moving parts in the engine, including the mechanical iris and color wheel. Runco’s InfiniLight™ also boasts a 70-percent reduction in power consumption, a mercury-free illumination system, and InstantOn™, which eliminates the need to put the projector in standby mode. These breakthroughs combine to create an energy-efficient solution with high reliability.

Beyond light-source innovation, Runco QuantumColor projectors produce the largest color gamut ever available in front projection; achieving and exceeding the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard for the first time in home theater front projection. The QuantumColor projectors offer Runco’s Personal Color Equalizer™ (PCE), which enables owners to create color settings from the largest pallet ever available and to project images exactly to their preferences. Runco delivers flawless REC 709 Hollywood cinematic standard, Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) standards, and even the vast Adobe RGB color space. Runco PCE, which works just like an audio equalizer, allows each color (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) to be dialed up or down to exactly match an owner’s specific taste – a capability never before available.

To ensure color adjustment doesn’t spoil overall image integrity, Runco created its Runco SmartColor™ (RSC) technology to maintain image realism and accuracy. RSC is a proprietary hue-compensation curve with gamut mapping, which maintains the integrity and true-to-life representation of flesh tones. Without this intelligence, flesh tones can look oversaturated, which results in people who look unnatural or sunburned. The flexibility of this incredible customizable image has been met with overwhelming positive response in the custom home theater market who have been using the same adjustment technique with high-end audio for years.

“Runco has been innovating and changing projection technology for years,” noted Joel Silver, founder and president of the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF™). “An LED lampless light source is clearly the next step in front projection, and Runco’s innovation in color gamut and customization puts its QuantumColor projectors well ahead of the pack.”

In addition to debuting its QuantumColor projectors to the entire custom installation industry at CEDIA EXPO 2009 in September, Runco demonstrated the Q-750 to media at its headquarters in early November and at sponsored events in New York, Los Angles, Minneapolis, Denver, and Portland.

Runco’s QuantumColor Series Q-750i features integrated video processing, and the Q-750d is paired with Runco’s latest DHD controller/processor. Both the Runco QuantumColor Q-750i, with an MSRP of $14,995, and the Q-750d, with an MSRP of $17,995, are now shipping. "

Digital Projection also has an LED home theater projector in this price range. In a few years LED illumination will become the norm in the upper end of the market, and prices on UHP bulbed units will drop even further.

Posted by 1touch at 07:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)