Some CEDIA EXPO 2004 Best Bets From J.B. Stanton

8-Sep-04

Acoustic Innovations: Booth 350 Acoustic Innovations unveils a new business category -- Room Solutions -- a suite of customized programs & products for dealers focused on selling and marketing profitable Theater Interiors and Seating Solutions. Acoustic Innovations' ingenious Home Theater Selling Station is a unique 3-chair kiosk designed to close more seating orders by demonstrating to customerís cinema seating technical issues, styles and features. New Keep it Simple Solutions (KISS) software provides instant design, layout, pricing & presentations for Acoustic Innovations products, beginning with the new KISS for Seating module for custom seating solutions. Acoustic Innovations' new Refundable Design Deposit Program increases dealers' close rate for theaters by generating high-impact client proposals, including photorealistic 3D renderings, with only a small refundable deposit for all but the most custom projects. Also introduced: 2 new theater designs to the company's wildly successful line of Showcase Theater Interiors; & 2 new seating models, the EuroTech & Largo. All Room Solutions & more, including red margaritas, can be explored at Acoustic Innovations' new booth (partly purchased on eBay, a story in itself).Boston Acoustics: Booth 630Boston Acoustics introduces a new line of Custom Electronics products & a variety of high performance, home entertainment audio solutions. Included are the remarkable 7-channel 2-zone AVR 7120 Surround Sound Receiver, Boston's first in this category; & new P4 High Performance Theater Speakers that deliver impressive audio in compact chassis perfectly complementing plasma & LCD TVs, & traditional screens. P4 speakers include Models P460 ($1,000 each), P450 ($800 each), P442 ($600 each), P430 ($400 each); & the flagship P400 High Performance Slim Theater Speaker ($1,500 each) that uniquely delivers powerful left-, center- & right-channel sound from a single slim chassis. The new Avidea 770 Integrated Home Theater System ($3,999) eliminates component system frustrations by combining an intelligent surround sound Control Center, a progressive-scan DVD player, exclusive UniView video technology, AM/FM tuning, 6 new satellite speakers, a powered subwoofer/amplifier, a touch-screen universal remote, and patented, easy-connect speaker cables. The Avidea 610 ($1,199) provides a fully integrated movie-&-music home entertainment system more affordably priced. Boston Acoustics also introduces the Bravo II Speaker ($250 each), whose compact, multi-purpose, high performance design fits almost anywhere; a new line of Custom Electronics products designed to meet installers' needs; the tabletop MicroSystem CD/AM/FM Stereo Radio; a Receptor Radio HD; the Vri-Sub85 In-Ceiling Subwoofer; the LCi220 In-Wall Local Control Amplifier, ideal for connecting to & mounting flush be-hind flat-panel TVs; 4 new bookshelf-size CR Speakers; & much more. Of course, all Boston speakers deliver The Boston Sound, famed for its exceptional accuracy. Faroudja: Booth SR 17 RCA Dome Faroudja Labs introduces two powerful new HD digital video processors, and a new high-resolution DILA Projector Package combining a Faroudja processor with a projector ""Theater Optimized"" by Faroudja for top performance & easy installation. The DVP1080 HD Digital Video Processor features new circuitry that supports high bandwidth High Definition processing, converting HD signals from 1080i to 1920 x 1080p for maximum image quality, making it ideal for the latest high-performance digital display devices. The DVP1510 HD Digital Video Processor features High Definition cross-conversion, an audiophile sound stage & a new circuit board with HDCP compatibility. An internal DVD drive delivers superior images with digital displays by maintaining a pure digital connection from source to the display. The DILA1080p HD Theater Optimized Digital Projector Package features a new 3-chip design with a 1.78:1 (16:9) aspect ratio, 1920 x 1080 resolution & 2000:1 contrast. The projector is optimized for all Faroudja processors, one of which is part of each package.Logitech Harmony Remote: Booth 328 Logitech Harmony introduces the new Harmony 676 Remote Control ($229), featuring special navigation keys for use with any Personal Video Recorder. It includes 3 inter-changeable faceplates for matching a dÈcor or just having fun. Harmony's ground-breaking approach eliminates the need to program complex commands, while offering the most comprehensive command codes for fast, simple set-up and support for any infrared-control device in the world. Meda Systems, Inc.: Booth 2056Meda Systems introduces new music servers & a major new version of the advanced DEOS Digital Entertainment Operating System that powers its innovative Br·vo Music Servers (also at CEDIA) that create fully integrated whole-house digital music systems that can play & synchronize multiple audio sources in multiple analog, digital or IP-based zones, for multiple users. DEOS, Version 2 is more powerful, feature rich, easier to install & free of charge to existing Br·vo owners. New Meda products include the 16-zone Br·vo 16 Music Server; & Br·vado 1 & Br·vado 4 Music Servers, compact versions of Br·vo designed for small spaces, including structured wiring enclosures, while providing most Br·vo core features. Meda also welcomes major new members to its Expert Exchange Program, including Rip-Digital, a mass CD ripping service; and Universal Remote Control & Logitech Harmony, leaders in remote control technology.NAD: Booth 314 NAD showcases 2 new lifestyle components, the L73 and L53 DVD/Receivers ($999 and $599, respectively). Offering the high performance associated with full-size NAD separates in elegant, compact titanium chassis, both models feature progressive-scan DVD players, built-in amplification and AM/FM tuners. The L73 provides a complete 5.1 audio solution with a 45 (x5)-watt amplifier, Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound decoding, and a DVD-Audio compatible DVD player. The L53 features a 50 (x2)-watt amplifier for areas limiting a full surround set-up. Using SRS 3D circuitry, it delivers today's high-impact movie soundtracks using only 2 speakers. The NetCap Network Receiver ($499) brings an owner's music, pictures & movies from networked PCs to a home entertainment system. It plays all popular music (MP3, WMA), image (JPEG, Kodak) and movie formats (M-PEG, 4/DIVX) via a hard-wired Ethernet connection, or 802.11G wireless access. NAD's Version 2 Operating System is incorporated into the new T 773 ($1,799), T 763 ($1,399) and T 753 ($999) A/V Receivers, and the T 163 A/V Tuner Pre-amp Processor ($1,499), adding Dolby Digital Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, and significantly more operating & set-up features.Phoenix Gold: Booth 1002 Carver, a division of Phoenix Gold International Inc., introduces its new Plasma Home Theater Surround Speaker System, intended to complement plasma & other flat-panel displays. Providing audiophile quality sound at an affordable cost, the system includes 16- and 24-inch low-profile, video-shielded satellite speakers, matching video-shielded center channel speakers, and the compact SW-150P Subwoofer. The low-profile speakers are housed in extruded aluminum enclosures with a bead-blasted finish and anodized natural aluminum color. The speakers easily mount on the wall surrounding any flat-panel TV. The satellite speakers may be table mounted with optional bases. Each center speaker includes a discrete, sculpted rubber base. An optional 45-inch-high floor-standing model is designed for use as a front or rear satellite speaker. PSB Speakers: Booth 314 PSB Speakers continues to expand its CustomSound Series, offering superb performance for in-wall solutions with the CW800E In-Wall ($2,250 each), an enclosed speaker with exceptional bass response; the CW383 In-Wall ($1,000 each), an 8-inch, 3-way design; and 2 unique 8-inch coaxial models, the CW180R and CW180S In-Ceiling Speakers ($750 each). The CWS8 Subwoofer ($799 each) is a dual 8-inch entry designed to couple with the rack-mount CWA-1 Power Amplifier ($799). Also introduced: a new in-cabinet solution, the CHS60 ($1,999) high-power speaker with Platinum T6 performance; and 2 new powered subwoofers -- the SubSonic8 ($1,099) and SubSonic9 ($1,599) -- with two 10-inch woofers in a dual opposing woofer design. Complementing the exterior design of the Platinum Series, the SubSonic9 delivers 400 watts continuous output, while the SubSonic8 delivers 325 watts.Snell Acoustics: Booth 650Snell Acoustics introduces 3 new THX Ultra 2 Certified speakers, extending its THX offerings. The AMC 2000THX ($2,000 each) offers ultimate performance in a hidden-solution speaker, the XA 60THX ($1,700 each) is a tower monitor for audio enthusiasts, and the XA 55THX ($1,300 each) is a center-channel speaker for use with any Snell THX Ultra 2 speaker. The AMC 725 ($750 each) is tuned to Snell's new Series 7 Speakers, assuring perfect timbre matching when mixing in-walls with Series 7 towers & mini-monitors. The SPA200 Amplifier ($600) is a 19-inch rack-mountable model to match Snell's passive AMC Sub10 and AMC Sub88 In-Wall Subwoofers, which deliver 200 watts at 4 ohms. Theta Digital: Booth 855Theta introduces a new Digital Video Interface (DVI) Card for its ultra-versatile Compli Multi-Format DVD Player, the Superior 2 Card for its superb Casablanca III Music & Cinema Controller, & the Xtreme D-2 Software Upgrade, also for Casablanca III. The DVI Card's signal outputs at 480p & is NTSC & PAL compatible. It allows the Compli to interface with DVI or HDMI inputs on the newest plasma, LCD & DLP displays for superior image quality. Suggested price for Compli with DVI: $5,900. The Superior 2 Card, with innovative dither processing, offers a new level of sonic refinement revealing further subtleties in music & voice, and creating a more 3-dimensional soundstage. Suggested price: $2,500. The Xtreme D-2 Upgrade raises the audio processing of Theta's Xtreme DAC Card for the open-architecture Casablanca III to new levels of purity and depth. The Upgrade is downloadable and cost free. For more information, please visit www.cedia.org.

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