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I find it telling that the hottest gadget I see everywhere at CEDIA Expo is one that’s not even on formal display. You have to hand it to Apple. Their (newly less expensive) iPhone is definitely the must-have gadget of the year for many folks out there. Our own Audrey Gray has one and she let me play so I could see what all the fuss is about. There’s no denying its cool factor, that’s for sure. I guess I just didn’t expect to see one everywhere I went at the Expo. I’ll just have to keep my boring Verizon LG phone tucked in my pocket for fear of ridicule and finger pointing.
Here’s a roundup of some of the things I saw and and heard during day two of CEDIA Expo 2007:
NetStreams
Celebrating their fifth anniversary, NetStreams had a few new goodies it was proud to introduce. Most notable was a new product called CinemaLinX which they claim delivers IP-based “multi-room home theater” – a new product category to which they’re staking claim. The CinemaLinx works with any A/V receiver and allows you to stream your home theater’s multi-channel audio source(s) to other speakers in your home, including 5.1 setups that may exist in a bedroom or game room. They also pointed out that Sonance and Triad have joined Polk Audio in offering IP-addressable loudspeakers that will work with their StreamNet communication protocol.
Niveus Media
Based on the Microsoft’s Media Center Extender platform, Niveus showed off their new Niveus Media Extender, which should become available in Q4 of this year. The big news here is that Niveus can now accomodate four CableCard tuners in one Media Center PC allowing for a greater number of simultaneous recording streams. More details are expected towards the end of this month.
Panasonic
I’ve always liked Panasonic’s LCD front projectors and in keeping with tradition, Panasonic has chosen CEDIA Expo to unveil their latest 720p and 1080p machines. The one everyone is keen to hear about is their new PT-AE2000, successor to the sensational PT-AE1000. The 2000 features a 16,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,500 lumens brightness, three HDMI 1.3 inputs and a quiet 22db noise rating in Economy Mode. List price on the PT-AE2000 is $5,999 and it should be available by October.
Sanyo
Not to be outdone, Sanyo held a press conference to show off their new 1080p front projector, the PLV-Z2000. Successor to the Z5, the Z2000 boasts a 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,200 lumens brightness, two HDMI 1.3 inputs and a stunningly quiet 19db noise rating in Economy Mode. The unit also features a motorized door in front to keep the lens concealed and dust-free when not in use. The price for this unit is a mouth-watering $2,995 and it too will be available in October.
Planar
After reviewing their impressive PD7150 earlier this year, I was eager to see what else Planar’s new home theater division would cook up. Showing off a host of installer-friendly 1080p LCD flat panels and a trio of new front projectors, Planar is definitely a company to keep an eye on. Their flat panels range in size from 37 to 52 inches and their new projectors are all 1080p DLP machines. Particularly impressive was their new PD8150 which features a 15,000:1 contrast ratio and Dynamic Black technology for deep blacks and brighter whites. A prototype three-chip DLP was also shown but they were mum on further details. I guess we’ll have to see what CES brings.
Definitive Technology
I finally had a chance to listen to DefTech’s new Mythos ST SuperTowers. Although the background noise of a trade show is hardly an ideal listening environment, I was mightily impressed with what I heard. In addition, the Mythos ST is an extremely sharp-looking speaker with clean lines and a tidy footprint.
Sonance
Sonance showed us a number of new in-wall speaker lines including the Architecture Series, the Visual Performance Series and the Cinema Series. However, by far the most interesting thing in their booth was a set of hand-made ceramic speakers made by partner company Nac Sound. What set these apart is their incredibly unique design, looking more like works of modern art than a pair of loudspeakers. These “style statement” speakers are expected to become available in early 2008 and should be available in a number of form factors.
Polk Audio
In addition to showing off a bunch of new speakers and updates to their existing lines, their most interesting announcement was the slick new i-Sonic Entertainment System 2. At first glance, what looks like another overpriced clock radio is actually an impressive-sounding HD Radio with an integrated iPod dock and new “iTunes Tagging” technology. Here’s how it works. When you hear a song on the radio you like, simply hit the “TAG” button on the front of the radio to capture that song’s metadata. When you connect your iPod, the “tagged” songs get sent to the iPod as a playlist. So the next time you synch your iPod with iTunes on your PC, you’ll see those songs listed for further preview and/or purchase. There have been so many times I’ve wished I could get more information about a song I’m hearing on the radio and this sounds like the perfect solution; I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more about iTunes Tagging in the months ahead as it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve seen at the show thus far.
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