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I went into CES this year figuring that show would be a waste of time.
Last year represented a huge shift in tone, I felt, from previous years
when custom integration-centric brands found their way into the cozy
South Hall lower level and the big CE, IT, and auto-media giants stayed
out of the way in the Central and North Halls. Last year, I discovered
that many of my “CEDIA” friends were relocating to the Hilton Suites or
the high-end audio rooms of the Venetian. Whereas last year came as a
shock and a scheduling nightmare, this year I anticipated the layout
correctly and actually made CES work for me.
Instead of getting caught up in the hype of media day, I skipped that
cattle call altogether (my daughter’s second birthday was much more
important). Instead, I had to read the CNN ticker to learn about
Panasonic’s 150-inch plasma (yes, I saw it and it’s beautiful), and I’m
sure there were other vaporware announcements I missed. However, what I
was able to accomplish was learning more about products I saw or missed
at CEDIA EXPO in Denver (and at EHX in Long Beach). What this review
provides, as a result, is not so much what the mass media would cover,
but the stuff that most interests professional integrators. It is by no
means comprehensive and only represents a fraction of what I saw at the
show. For more product coverage, check out the upcoming February issue
of Residential Systems.
• Next Gen Home Experience. If
you’ve seen one Life-ware home you’ve seen them all. Not necessarily.
The benefit of having toured every demo home Exceptional Innovation has built is that I have been able to dig deeper into the technology a
little more each time. At CES, I was less concerned with the theme of
the home (scenes from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s) and more focused on
the new products. In fact, because it was my first stop of the entire
show, I didn’t even have to grind my teeth through “Colonial
Williamsburg of the Future” as I like to call the live-actor shtick
featured in every Next-Gen Home (sports mascots, clowns, and
“historical re-enactors scare the hell out of me).
Three things jumped out at me during this particular walk-through. One
is that I never realized EI’s Life-point 12.1-inch touch panel features
a “live” outer frame with five points of touch that can be programmed
for different functions. The other was a new product from HP, called
the MediaSmart Server. (Model EX475). At an MSRP of $749.99, this
product is a very low profile and secure storage device that can be
used for home network backup or as an access device for a home VPN set
up. It features two terabytes of storage total, and I can emphasize
enough, how compact and sleek HP has made this product. The third
product that caught my eye was HP’s 47-inch MediaSmart TV (Model
SL4778N, MSRP: $2,399.99). What’s notable about this plasma is that it
has a Media Center Extender built inside. The only wires coming into
the display were an ethernet cable and a power cord, yet all of the
home’s media content was easily accessible on the screen via remote
control.
• Meridian’s F80 Radio. It made
its U.S. debut at the 2007 CEDIA EXPO in September but CES afforded me
my first listen to this amazing little design gem from Meridian and
Ferrari…. yes, that Ferrari. This is not hype: I could not believe the
sound I was hearing was coming from a little table-top audio device. It
was jaw-dropping.
Even with hints of Art Deco in its pure elliptical outline, the F80
remains distinctly modern, both in its styling and in its engineering.
It represents a radical redefinition of the whole concept of a compact,
transportable audio and DVD system.
Under the stylish hood, you will find an AM/FM tuner with built-in
antenna for local radio reception and dual connections for external
antennae to ensure the best reception wherever you are. The F80, which
retails for $2,995 and is currently shipping, is also an incredibly
capable CD player, with more than a strong hint of Meridian’s top
“hi-fi reference” products inside. And the product also plays DVD-Video
discs, providing complete entertainment from one compact unit.
As you would expect with Ferrari on board, there’s a beautiful engine
inside -- in this case an audio engine comprising three power amps,
effortlessly delivering more than 80 watts to the two front speakers
and integral rear subwoofer. By comparison, the average transistor
radio outputs less than five watts. The loudspeakers themselves are
special full-range designs – custom-made for this product – with
powerful neodymium magnets and hi-tech cones fashioned from magnesium
and aluminum alloy.
Advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) ensures a wonderfully full,
rich sound with an impressively wide stereo stage. This DSP technology
also allows the user to fine-tune the output of the F80 depending on
where it is positioned in the room.
• Thiel Audio’s THIELnet System. The
traditional loudspeaker manufacturer out of Lexington, Kentucky, has
entered into the multi-zone digital audio distribution category with
this new technology.
The THIELnet system is a complete home entertainment solution that
includes a digital audio distribution processor, full-range, powered
IP-addressable loudspeakers and subwoofer, and powered IP-addressable
monoblock amplifier modules to accommodate traditional non-THIELnet
loudspeakers. The system will be packaged to create either
multi-channel surround or traditional two-channel systems that require
only a source component to be fully functional.
Essentially, each THIELnet component is assigned its own IP address by
the dB1 distribution processor. The dB1 (which is Dolby Digital
compliant) outputs audio signals digitally instead of using standard
speaker terminals. The unit has both analog and digital audio inputs,
and a network switch output that resides on the user’s home network.
The consumer can plug each of their THIELnet powered speakers and/or
dS1 digital speaker modules either directly into the dB1 or anywhere
they wish on the home network to set u their audio system. The THIELnet
digital speakers and speaker modules are each powered by an
audiophile-grade monoblock amplifier to further preserve and simplify
connectivity.
• Paradigm’s Anthem Room Correction System (Model ARC-1).
Continuing the theme of improving audio efficiency, the effect of this
new technology created my favorite audio demo of CES. ARC-1, an add-on
to any existing Anthem Statement D1 or D2 processor, compensates for
acoustic problem areas in a room by automatically configuring each
speaker’s tonal balance for optimized sound. No exaggeration, this may
have been the best multi-channel demo I’ve ever heard at a trade show.
ARC-1 is based on equalizer filter requirements created during the
Athena Acoustic Research Project performed by Canada’s National
Research Council (NRC). The goal of this study was to determine the
correct in-room “target response” and then develop a system to adjust
each speaker to achieve this in any given listening room. Based on this
analysis and research, and with the computing power already in place
courtesy of the Statement processors’ twin-DSP engine design, Paradigm
and Anthem’s design team created the Anthem Room Correction system to
identify those characteristics and enable the Statement processor to
make the necessary adjustments to achieve the desired in-room acoustic
result.
Features of the Anthem Room Correction technology include an intuitive
set-up wizard for new users, choice of auto or user mode, an interface
that displays measurements for advanced users, Infinite Impulse
Response Filters to prevent delay that would affect lip-sync and video
game play, and PC backup.
• Boston Acoustics’ Horizon Tabletop Radios.
Granted, these products are slated for retail sales more than the
custom channel, but finally a product to give Bose’s glorified clock
radio a run for its money. For the ultimate in placement flexibility,
the compact Horizon Solo and Horizon Solo XT both feature a rotating
control panel that lets users position them either horizontally or
vertically. The Horizon Duo Stereo AM/FM Radio is listed for $149.99
(SRP) and the Horizon Duo-I Stereo iPod dock with AM/FM Radio is
$199.99 (SRP). Boston’s P.O.P. (Personal Options Plan) colors are
available for all models. These little guys sounded very rich,
considering their size and functionality, and the industrial design was
truly innovative.
•ADA’s New Look. Utilizing
half-inch glass as a medium for light and control, Audio Design
Associates components have taken on a bold new look. With a simple
touch of a button, the user can select from a wide range of colors that
light the frame of the glass plate, making the product as beautiful to
look at, as it is to listen to.
This new design was shown for the first time at CES on the company’s
PTM-8150 Multi-Channel Power Amplifier, PF-2502 Two-Channel
Ultra-Hi-Current Power Amplifier as well as a completely redesigned
Cinema Renaissance Mach III tube-based surround sound controller that
has an MSRP of $100,000.
SIM2’s HDR Prototype. LCD panel backlit with LED local dimming
technology seems to be the next video display trend. The technology is
more efficient, creates enhanced contrast, and better brightness.
During a special press conference during CES, SIM2, the Italian video
display manufacturer, and Dolby revealed their prototype display
project incorporating Dolby’s high dynamic range (HDR) technologies.
The new prototype display will feature Dolby HDR technologies
incorporated into SIM2’s unique industrial concept. Dolby’s HDR
technologies leverage LEDs with local dimming to provide dramatically
enhanced contrast combined with crisp brightness to deliver picture
quality that virtually matches real-world visual perception of depth,
detail, and color.
What I noticed most about the application of this new technology is how
much wasted light there is in current LCD displays. This inefficiency
is most evident when a scene goes to black. On the current LCD panel,
“black” is actually gray, whereas, the localized LED application
actually shuts of the backlight in these spots, creating actual black.
The positive effect (technically it’s negative) that this can have on
contrast ratio should be obvious. SIM2 and Dolby are on schedule to
unveil their prototype display in Q108.
That's it for now. Stay tuned for me in the magazine.
