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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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The annual Consumer Electronics Show showcases the latest consumer technology with over 110 participating countries occupying 1.6 million net square feet of exhibition space. Be prepared to be awed by the latest and coolest tech toys and gadgets from over 2,500 exhibitors and get a sneak peek into the future of connected home entertainment. Check out the links below for a complete A/V coverage of the tradeshow!
Do check back this space as we bring you more updates to come courtesy of our CNET correspondent live from ground zero.
Television
The next wave of flat-panel HDTVs with 1080p native resolution is here!
Home audio Networking and wireless connectivity goes mainstream with new boom boxes.
Home video
Sony- and Toshiba-led camps uncloak their latest silver platter spinners.
CES 2006's TV preview CES 2005 brought lots of new terms into the already-confusing HDTV landscape, and this year we expect to hear at least a couple more. For every time somebody printed 1080p in 2005, we expect 1080p-ready to appear this year. So let's get specific.
Late in 2005, we finally got a chance to review the newfangled 1080p rear-projection HDTVs, and we ended up liking one best. That said, even the winner of our shootout, Sony's KDF-E60XBR1, couldn't accept 1080p sources; the only model that could was HP's MD6580n. While 1080p sources are very scarce today, we'll be seeing more of them in years to come, so future-conscious HDTV shoppers have rightly been concerned that none of the current HDTVs can accept these sources. That's why we expect manufacturers of 1080p and even lower-resolution HDTVs to announce some new level of future-readiness in their 2006 sets--maybe True 1080p or 1080p-ready or, in one company's case, PlayStation 3-ready--to denote that they can indeed handle 1080p sources.
CES 2006 will also see the introduction of more flat-panel HDTVs with 1080p native resolution, including plasmas--Panasonic introduced 50- and 65-inch versions at CEATEC Japan last October--and more LCDs sized 37 inches and up, in the same vein as the Westinghouse LVM-37W1.
Cheaper plasmas, less projection
Ever since 42-inch plasmas broke the US$2,000 barrier, it's been difficult for manufacturers to sell many 42-inch rear-projection HDTVs. After all, who would want a bulky projection set if a sleek flat-panel costs around the same amount? In 2005, we saw plasmas encroach upon the territory of 50-inch projection sets, and next year, 50-inch RPTVs will be threatened even further. Just this holiday season we saw prices of US$2,500 for a 50-inch Vizio P50HDM; although a great price, it's still US$500 to US$1,000 more than you'd pay for a "bargain" 50-inch DLP or LCD-based projection HDTV. In 2006, the prices of 50-inch plasmas will fall even further, and we'll see inklings of these plasma price drops--spurred, as usual, by Panasonic--at CES.
Cheaper LCDs at plasma sizes
Vizio P50HDM.
In 2005, numerous flat-panel LCDs at 40 and 42 inches hit the market at prices from US$4,000 to US$5,000--significantly more than what you'd expect to pay for a 42-inch plasma. In 2006, that gap will narrow considerably, thanks to plummeting large-screen LCD prices; we expect to see 40- and 42-inch LCDs for less than US$2,500 by the holiday season of 2006. They'll still cost more than plasma, but people who are concerned about plasma's reliability will likely choose LCD instead.
Next-generation flat-panel tech
Last year, a few companies--most notably Samsung--showed new LCD backlight technologies such as FFL and LED, but the products didn't hit the market as promised. In 2006, we expect these step-up LCDs to be trotted out again and to finally be available in stores to people willing to pay the premium. Of course, in an HDTV landscape so confusing that people can't tell a plasma from an LCD, we think that marketing a new backlight technology for LCD will be pretty difficult.
At CES 2005, we also saw a demonstration of the new flat-panel technology designed by Toshiba and Canon called SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display). The companies later claimed to have products available for sale by 2006, so we expect them both to announce products that'll be in stores by the holiday season next year. Initial SEDs will be extremely expensive compared to similarly sized plasma and LCD flat-panel HDTVs.
LG announced nine new flat-panel plasmas at CES, from 42 inches all the way up to 71 inches (although a 71-incher was actually unveiled at CES 2005). New models include a trio of 42-inch panels, but the most interesting sets comprise the four models with built-in DVRs, capable of storing as much as 15 hours of HD content or 60 hours of standard def. The flagship 60-inch 60PB2DR and the 50-inch 50PB2DR each offers a pair of ATSC tuners as well as Digital Cable Ready CableCard compatibility, enabling viewers to watch one show while recording another without having to hook up an external cable box. Unfortunately, these plasmas still don't have the ability to record one cable show while you watch a second--that functionality is still restricted to cable boxes. All of the DVR-equipped models use TV Guide's historically unreliable program guide, which should be improved somewhat by the time the sets hit the market in the third quarter of 2006.
In what the company calls an industry first, the LG AN110DP projector mounts almost flush against the back wall of a home theater, for an unobtrusive and novel alternative to standard projector ceiling mounts. Measuring just 3.5 inches thick, the projector utilizes a specially developed lens with lens shift (plus or minus 125 percent) for use in tricky installations and a two-dimensional prism structure said to provide better picture uniformity. Unlike many home-theater projectors that use a 1,280 x 720 DLP chip that exactly matches the resolution of 720p HDTV, the AN110 uses a 1,280 x 768 DLP chip. Pricing and availability were not announced at the company's press conference, and a spokesman characterized the projector as more of a concept product than a solid member of LG's lineup.
Credit: David Katzmaier, CNET.com
LG's high-def digital video recorders: HD, LCD, and DVR
Spearheading LG's announcement of 20 new LCD TVs were three DVR-enabled sets: The 47LB1DRA, 42LB1DRA, and 42LB1DR. While all three sets include a digital video recorder capable of storing 66 standard TV hours (15 in HDTV) and a TV Guide Onscreen EPG, LG put plenty more meat on the LG 47LB1DRA's bones. An extra ATSC tuner will allow viewers to watch and record separate HD broadcasts simultaneously, and the 1080p native resolution is the highest available today, promising all of the detail of 1080i high-def sources. The company didn't announce pricing at its press conference, but the LG 47LB1DRA will be available in the third quarter of 2006.
As if laying claim to producing the world's largest (and most expensive, natch) LCD TV, the 65-inch LC-65D90U, wasn't enough to brag about, Sharp has decided to bolster its vaunted Aquos LCD line with another heavy hitter: The 57-inch LC-57D90U. While measuring in at 8 inches less than the mammoth LC-6590U, Sharp is promising to make some significant strides in other areas of the LC-57D90U's performance while keeping the best of 65-incher's feature set--particularly the 1080p native resolution. With a quicker response time (less than 4ms), a wider viewing angle (176 degrees), and a higher contrast ratio (1,500:1) than any other commercially available Sharp LCD TV, the LC-57D90U has the potential to become the attention-stealing kid brother of the Aquos line. True contrast-ratio aficionados, however, may want to hold out for Sharp's recently announced broadcast professional LCD monitor, which boasts a slightly more impressive 1,000,000:1 ratio. Expect to see the LC-57D90U on US sales floors in March for US$16,000.
Philips is continuing to develop the Ambilight technology in its plasma and LCD lines. For the uninitiated, the Ambilight system employs a series of backlights installed at the sides of the screen, shining either constant colors (warm white, green, and so forth) or colors that dynamically correspond to the ones being displayed onscreen. The third generation of this technology includes top and bottom backlights in addition to the side-shiners, and it will be rolled out starting with the 50-inch 50PF9731D. If our reviews of previous Ambilight sets such as the Philips 42PF9830A are any indication, the technology could use some improvement from a picky, home-theater point of view. As for non-Ambilight functions, the 50PF9731D promises to include the more well-received Pixel Plus 3HD technology as well as scads of connectivity options, including HDMI, USB, a memory card slot, and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack. To be released in US in July at US$4,000, the 50PF9731D could easily leave you tickled pink--depending on which Ambilight setting you choose.
CES 2006's home audio preview Following 2005's Consumer Electronics Show, we declared the home-theater offerings disappointing. As we gear up for CES 2006, the home audio front looks to be a case of déjà vu all over again. The high-end market will see plenty of drool-inducing speakers, preamp/processors, amplifiers, and hand-tooled turntables that cost as much as a BMW.
iPod lifestyle comes home
The high-end market will see plenty of drool-inducing speakers, preamp/processors, amplifiers, and hand-tooled turntables that cost as much as a BMW. But the overwhelming majority of mainstream home audio and home-theater products will be cheaper, more affordable, and more full-featured versions of what we've seen in 2005. That's not a bad thing--you'll get more and better products for your home audio dollar than ever before--just don't expect a deluge of groundbreaking or radical departures from the current generation of home audio.
Denon's iPod-friendly S-301.
iPod everything
Ironically, Apple doesn't have a direct presence at CES. Nevertheless, the white wonder will be a palpable presence throughout Las Vegas. Everyone wants a piece of the iPod action. Look for enhanced iPod compatibility to be touted on everything from speakers, home-theater systems, and A/V receivers--and that's not counting the deluge of portable audio iPod accessories that will no doubt flood the show. And don't be surprised to see plenty of audio products that ape the iconic white color and rounded edges--even if they're not explicitly iPod compatible. Of course, whatever iPod-related products are a hit at CES, look for them to be upstaged by whatever Steve Jobs announces the following week at Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Focus on lifestyle design
Yamaha YSP-800: single-speaker surround system.
The skyrocketing popularity of HDTV has as much to do with the sleek appearance of wall-mountable flat-panel plasma and LCD screens as it does with the improved high-resolution picture quality--the new sets just look much more futuristic than the bulky TV tubes we grew up with. Home audio products have been looking to ride the coattails of that success. Well-received 2005 products such as the Yamaha YSP-800 (a single-unit "virtual surround" speaker), the Sony DAV-X1 (a two-speaker all-in-one home-theater system), and the JVC TH-C6 (an affordable 5.1 surround system with stylish tallboy speakers) all have one thing in common: They're designed to look just as good as they sound. And with retailers and manufacturers targeting female consumers more than ever before, expect the focus on so-called lifestyle audio products to intensify. That means more wireless speakers and components that look less black and boxy (think Xbox 360). In short, we're looking for more home audio gear that will be just as at home in the pages of Dwell magazine as they are in Sound & Vision.
Radio: Sirius, XM, and HD
Polk Audio's upcoming I-Sonic offers both XM and HD Radio.
With the number of satellite radios expected to swell to more than 50 million in the next five years, look for Sirius and XM to continue to diversify and enhance their offerings at CES 2006. Both will emphasize exclusive programming deals--most notably, Howard Stern's uncensored Sirius show, which will be kicking off on Sirius by mid-January--and it will be interesting to see how they build on the successes of 2005. Product-wise, XM seems to be in the lead. The introduction of the company's Connect and Play architecture in 2005 has unleashed a growing number of home audio devices that are XM ready. Plenty of A/V receivers, home-theater-in-a-box systems, and even small tabletop radios and shelf systems from a variety of major manufacturers (including Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer) need only a US$50 plug-and-play accessory and, of course, an XM subscription to pull dozens of commercial-free stations from the sky. Meanwhile, Sirius will likely expand its nascent line of portable digital music devices such as the S50 that split the difference between the Apple iPod and the XM2go players.
Back on Earth, radio is going digital as well. HD Radio made a splash at CES 2005, but compatible home-based products are only now beginning to trickle onto the market. Look for HD Radio as a standard feature on more products, from car radios to A/V receivers, at CES 2006. HD Radio already has one major advantage over satellite: Just like AM and FM, you need only a compatible receiver to listen, not a satellite-style paid subscription. The HD Radio industry is gearing up for a big year, highlighting the rollout of real-time traffic updates and "multicast" stations that broadcast exclusive content not available on analog airwaves. (Some stations will even be commercial-free for an indefinite time.) Those are exactly the sort of features that the service will need to eventually supplant AM and FM on your dial.
DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD
Barring some sort of 11th-hour compromise, 2006 will be the year that HD-DVD and Blu-ray go to battle to determine which format becomes the high-def successor to current-generation DVDs. On the audio front, though, things are more alike than different. Both next-gen disc formats will support the next iteration of surround formats from Dolby and DTS. And despite the jockeying for bragging rights from both companies, both surround formats have quite a lot in common, right down to their names: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD (formerly known as DTS++). Each uses the additional space provided by the higher data capacities of HD-DVD and Blu-ray for lossless coding, delivering eight or more discrete channels of 24-bit/96kHz audio. The result should be a soundtrack that makes today's admittedly great-sounding DVDs play like a tinny MP3 file by comparison--at least to discerning listeners. Those growing weary of planned obsolescence and forced upgrade cycles can rest easy, though; HD-DVD and Blu-ray media are expected to include legacy audio tracks (or downmixes), so you'll be able to hear a surround track on your standard, current-gen Dolby Digital or DTS-compatible receiver.
Built-in networking and HDMI go mainstream
Robust HDMI options--for less than US$800.
Building a digital media receiver into an A/V receiver isn't new. The Kenwood VRS-N8100 and the Onkyo TX-NR901, for instance, both include built-in networking functions so that they can stream MP3s from your home PC. But as home networking starts to become as focused on entertainment as it is on data, look for networking features to become standard on more midlevel home audio products.
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) was the bleeding-edge connection at last year's CES, and it's been showing up in a trickle of A/V products released this fall. But the digital jack--which can pass multichannel audio and high-definition video over the same single cable--has been poorly implemented in some early products, often preventing its potential and convenience from being fully realized. Look for HDMI to begin appearing in more midprice receivers and HTIBs at CES 2006 that follow the lead of the US$800 JVC RX-D702B, which delivers multiple HDMI inputs and full upconversion from analog A/V sources to a single HDMI output--meaning there's only one wire you'll need to snake to your HDTV.
To date, wireless speakers have been anything but, requiring plenty of cables to alternate amplifiers and power sources. But Australia's Avega Systems aims to change that with the company's Oyster Networked Speaker system. The speakers, which will be available in familiar stereo and 5.1 surround configurations, include built-in wireless 802.11 networking, amplifiers, and surround decoders. As a result, you can stream MP3s from a networked PC directly to the speakers themselves. And while you'll need a wireless encoder attached to home-theater gear--DVD players, A/V receivers, and the like--the speakers themselves should need only a nearby AC power source. The idea is a long overdue marriage of a consumer-electronics problem to a computer-networking solution. We just hope that Avega delivers on its promise of plug-and-play installation and audiophile-grade sound. Pricing wasn't announced, but Avega is looking to ship its Oyster system in March 2006.
Finally, a surround-sound product for those who live alone and aren't ashamed of their isolation. The PowerPlay Pro-Media Chair (from Empower Technologies) takes an off-the-shelf Logitech Z-5500 5.1-channel speaker system and integrates it into a reasonably comfortable leather chair. The surround system for one aims to create a perfect sweet spot: the rear-channel surrounds are built into the headrest, while the front-channel speakers are outboard mounted from the armrests. The subwoofer is strapped to the bottom of the seat and flanked by a bass shaker. The center-channel speaker, meanwhile, is front and center, pointed straight at the crotch of the chair's occupant--a design choice that we somehow suspect will thrill at least as many users as it annoys. The plug-and-play system includes two digital and four analog inputs, enabling easy hookup to any virtually any A/V device, including a DVD player, a video game system, or a PC. The Pro-Media Chair is available now in the US for US$1,000. Yes, that's a US$700 premium above the price of the speakers--but it looks a lot better than duct-taping the Logitechs to your easy chair.
The KIT100 Instant Theatre is one of our favorite compact all-in-one 2.1 virtual sound home-theater systems. But even the best two-speaker system can't fully re-create the effect of a true surround system, so Britain's KEF Audio has expanded the Instant Theatre line with a full-on 5.1 system. Features-wise, there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the KIT200--it's just a standard home-theater-in-a-box, with a single-disc CD/DVD player, five tiny satellite speakers, and a 10-inch subwoofer. But the design is to die for; this black beauty is one of the slickest systems we've seen to date. The head unit retains the KIT100's tiny size (about the same as a hardcover book), while the five svelte speakers each utilize three of KEF's Uni-Q drivers, with the tweeters situated in the center of the woofers. Moreover, the speakers are wall-mountable, and optional shelf and floor stands let you customize the KIT200 to your room's individual needs. The KIT200 hits U.S. shores sometime in the first quarter of 2006. Pricing wasn't officially announced, but considering the system goes for £1,500 in the UK, where it's been available since November, it needs to go for far less than its current dollar equivalent (about US$2,600). For a system that doesn't offer extras such as the HDMI upscaling or iPod compatibility found on the US$1,600 Denon S-301, that's just too much.
One of Philips' more intriguing announcements at this year's CES is an inexpensive, virtual surround home-theater-in-a-box system that features HDMI connectivity. The sleekly styled HTS6500 has only two speakers, but Philips says its SonoWave Surround Sound System delivers "powerful multichannel surround" via the system's full six-channel amplifier. If you have an HDTV with HDMI, the HTS6500 will upscale DVD video to what we like to call faux HD resolution. There's also USB access, which means you'll be able to connect your MP3 player directly to the system. Like some of Philips's recent DVD players, the system will feature compatibility with just about any disc format you can throw at it: DVD, DVD+/-R and +/-RW, (S)VCD, SACD, MPEG-4, DivX Ultra, CD-R/RW, MP3, MP3-CD, and JPEG. Due in May 2006, the HTS6500 will carry a list price of US$399.
Before the show, Philips also unveiled a sleek, higher-end, all-in-one home-theater system, the HTS9800W. Like the HTS6500, this model also incorporates HDMI digital high-definition audio and video upscaling to HD resolution. But it's a true surround system that features slim, wall-mountable front speakers and wireless rear speakers, not to mention incorporating Dolby Digital EX and multichannel SACD. Also due in May 2006, the HTS9800 will retail for US$899.
While the halls of CES are populated by dozens of companies and manufacturers you've never heard of, it's always interesting to remember the companies that just can't be bothered to make the trek to Vegas. Consider Onkyo: The folks there dropped us a note to remind us that the company has once again opted to skip the madness (we're jealous, really) of the Las Vegas Convention Center and its satellite venues. But they did mention that we should stay tuned for "important new product announcements during the first half of 2006".
If Onkyo were at the show, the company would no doubt be highlighting its recently released DVD mini system, the CS-V720S. The diminutive stereo system plays just about any type of optical disc you can think of: CDs, DVDs, SACDs, DVD-Audio, MP3/WMA CDs, and JPEG photo discs. And with the addition of two optional accessories, it gets even more versatile: Connect the Onkyo DS-A1 for enhanced iPod playback (you'll be able to control your iPod with the V720's remote, for instance), and add a Connect and Play Antenna to pull in XM satellite radio (as well as the built-in AM/FM tuner). The CS-V720S has been available since December for US$400. That's about twice the price of the last batch of DVD shelf systems we checked out, but the Onkyo has them beat hands-down in terms of features.
If your chair just isn't loud enough, one of these two seats might be for you. The Pyramat PM220 Sound Rocker and LumiSource's Boom Chair 3.0 are two gaming chairs with built-in speakers for precision rocking. The PM220 Sound Rocker has a 5.5-inch subwoofer inside, while the Boom Chair 3.0 has a 4-inch subwoofer and two pairs of vibrating motors to let gamers feel every shot, punch, and explosion. Unfortunately, neither chair has legs; they're just seats that you put on the floor and sit on. Both chairs ship in early January. The Sound Rocker costs US$99, while the Boom Chair 3.0 costs between US$99 and US$130, depending on the materials and other options.
CES 2006's home video preview Forget Danny Gans, Celine Dion, or Tony n' Tina's Wedding at the Rio. The biggest headline act in Las Vegas this January is going to be Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD, live at CES 2006. While on the surface, this battle of competing next-generation DVD formats looks more like a comical farce, with Team Toshiba (HD-DVD) facing off against Team Sony (Blu-ray) in a war that they know consumers don't care who wins, these guys aren't messing around.
Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD
The slogan might as well be: "Two formats go into the ring, only one comes out." Tragically, after a period of several months where a consumer-friendly truce seemed close to being brokered, the deathmatch mentality has once again prevailed.
In the scary-but-true department, we actually wrote about the whole next-gen DVD duke-out almost a year to the week in a column entitled "HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray: Who cares?" and nothing's really changed since then. At last year's CES, we were treated to early looks at an HD-DVD player and Blu-ray player/recorders, the latter of which is currently available in Japan, and we expect more of the same this year, though hopefully we won't have to look at them through glass cases.
If you read last year's coverage, you know Toshiba promised to have an HD-DVD deck on store shelves right about now--just in time for the holidays so that early adopters could take their cracks at it for US$1,000 a pop. Alas, we now hear HD-DVD's date with destiny has been pushed back a few months as Toshiba targets an early spring launch, and Blu-ray seems headed for its North American debut not long thereafter. The big question is whether Sony will get Blu-ray into the PlayStation 3 and manage to keep the price for its heavily anticipated new console at less than US$500.
Rumor has it the company will be showing the PlayStation 3 at CES, but odds are it will be under glass like it was at E3 2005, in a look-but-can't-touch situation. The other related question is whether the PlayStation 3, even if it does have Blu-ray, will be able to output 1080p-resolution signals. Sony claims it will, but we have our doubts.
Everybody knows that neither next-gen high-def DVD format will become relevant until prices for the players drop into more reasonable territory (say, less than US$200), which is why it's so important for Sony to get the jump with the PS3. The formats' potential to become high-def DVD recorders is the more interesting, but digital-rights issues are sure to bog down the transition to a snail's pace that should have us waiting till CES 2007 for a more final answer to this already-disastrous format war.
DVD recorders and DVRs
While the main spotlight will certainly shine upon on HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the real action will as always be in the evolution of existing products. These include a steady stream of new DVD recorders and HD DVRs to be sold by cable and satellite providers, which have now switched over to MPEG-4 for their video compression technology. We'll report on the MPEG-4 successors to the DirecTV HD TiVo and the Dish Network-DVR 942 high-def DVRs, and we'll hopefully get a look at the fruits of the Comcast-TiVo deal, signed last year with the promise of product in 2006. And personally, We are eager to find out about the Scientific Atlantic MCP-100, an HD DVR that has a built-in DVD burner. Though nothing's been announced, We're praying Time Warner in New York will eventually carry this potential successor to the current Explorer 8300HD.
We'll also be keeping an eye on the next-generation of CableCard--part of the Interactive Digital Cable Ready certification program--that allows for two-way communications between your CableCard HD tuner and your cable company. One of the problems with the current generation of CableCard is that it's a one-way device--it can accept downstream signals but can't send anything upstream, so you can't interact with the cable company's content. As a result, you can't get video-on-demand services or even most pay-per-view programming. CableCard2 will first be seen in TVs, but it will also find its way into DVRs, DVD recorders, and even Windows Media Center PCs. Progress on the iDCR program has been slow, but we expect at least prototype units to be on display at the show.
Lastly, I'm eager to see what manufacturers are doing in the portable DVD space, where there's plenty of room for innovation and price drops. Coby slipped a supercompact and cheap portable DVD player under the radar at least year's show, and we've already seen companies such as Philips previewing a similar product that looks like portable CD player with a built-in screen in its lid.
HP trumpeted the release of its new Pavilion Media Center TV m7300 series PC this morning. A desktop media center, the M7300 series is HP's foray into the new world of certified media PCs. Featuring different models, some m7300-series systems will conform with Intel's new Viiv program, and others will come with AMD chips (although not with AMD's new Live branding, announced by AMD this morning and set to debut in the latter half of 2006). Other specs include a TV tuner card, up to 2GB of DDR or DDR2 memory, and up to a 500GB hard drive.
We're all for giving customers choices, but the CPU agnosticism makes us wonder if being Viiv certified really makes a media PC all that special. You can find out for yourself later this month when the m7300-series systems hit HP's US direct sales Web site and the various retailers. Prices start at US$770.
At the show, InFocus is showing off a sleek, new line of affordable DLP projectors that it expects to launch early this year. The Play Big IN72, IN74, and IN76 will all share the same curvaceous, glossy black chassis but offer differing resolutions. The entry-level IN72 will offer wide-screen DVD resolution (480p) and carry a street price of a little more than US$1,000, while the IN74 adds Wide PAL for countries that support it. The high-end IN76 delivers HD resolution (720p) and carries a street price of around US$2,000. All three models offer HDMI and DVI connectivity along with the standard component-video connection. Aside from the eye-catching design, the real news here is that the prices of DLP front projectors are quickly falling in line with those of entry-level HD LCD projectors, which have traditionally been much less expensive but can't achieve the same black-level performance as DLP projectors. Consider this: Not too long ago, you couldn't get a 720p (HD) DLP projector for less than US$5,000.
Anyone can take an old PC and a handful of hard drives, stick them in a closet, and call it a media server. But if you have the kind of disposable income that Kaleidescape owners have (which is to say, a lot), somehow that doesn't seem very fulfilling.
For the past few years, Kaleidescape has built a small but impressive market for its ultra-high-end media servers, designed to remove as much of the hassle of archiving your DVD collection as possible. Unlike Media Center systems with photo, music, and DVR capabilities, these systems only store DVD content for playback through a home theater, although music support is expected later in 2006.
By adding plug-and play hard drives, you can store an unlimited number of DVD rips in a Kaleidescape system, and the user interface and the back end are a closed proprietary system, which the company says keeps users from copying DVD files once they're on the server. The company has had an ongoing feud with the DVD Copy Control Association over the licensing of CSS technology, but Kaleidescape continues to claim it is acting within the terms of its license.
Some of the hefty cost for one of these systems goes toward the personalized service users get. For almost every commercially released DVD, the company provides custom metadata, from grouping films by genre to noting the DVD chapter that starts the film, so that you can jump right into the movie, bypassing the DVD menu. Just drop a disc into the drive, and the system goes online to grab the related metadata from Kaleidescape's servers.
All these features don't come cheap. Celebrity clients such as George Lucas might not balk at the US$20,000 starting price for a basic 1.5TB Kaleidescape Server, with extra 500GB drives going for around US$800, but it's more than a little out of range for most home-theater enthusiasts.
The Scientific-Atlanta MCP-100 may not look all that sexy on the outside, but if you're a cable subscriber, this set-top box should give you reason to salivate. That's because the MCP-100 is an HD DVR that also has a built-in DVD burner. We heard about this one long before the show started, but Scientific-Atlanta is officially taking the wraps off of it here, saying that the MCP-100 "combines all the great features of Scientific-Atlanta's Explorer 8300 platform, multituner DVR optional high-definition DVR DOCSIS (DSG), and Multi-Room DVR capability with a new built-in DVD player and burner. This product is initially targeted at cable operators (MSOs) and enables subscribers to archive DVR content to writeable DVDs. This progressive, set-top device combines a dual-tuner DVR [with] access to DVR programming from any room in the home (via a multi-room server), delivers HD programming, plays commercial DVDs, and enables consumers to record their own DVDs from the DVR for both standard- and high-definition content. The DVR with DVD supports Multi-Room DVR enabling viewers in three other rooms in the home to simultaneously access content stored on the DVR hard drive and even view the same program, time-shifted at different points in the show".
Of course, while the whole idea of easily making hard copies of your HD recording (down-converted to DVD resolution) certainly sounds enticing, the movie and TV studios are not so enthused about it, so the big question remains when cable operators will actually adopt this killer product--and whether they plan on charging you extra to make those hard copies. Currently, the folks at Time Warner Cable bill me US$18 a month to use my Explorer 8300. For that price, I think they should throw in a little DVD burning, don't you?
Hot on the heels of Toshiba's HD-DVD player announcement, the Blu-ray camp showed off its hardware. The most fully detailed unit--at least until Sony's event later today--is the Pioneer BDP-HD1, available in May for US$1,800. The player features 1080i/1080p upconversion and home-networking capabilities, along with the standard Blu-ray features--namely, the ability to play the 50GB discs. It includes analog standard-def outputs, but the Blu-ray group is still discussing whether to allow high-def output over analog. This extremely expensive player stands in stark contrast to the US$499 HD-DVD player announced by Toshiba, giving the HD-DVD camp something to brag about, at least for now.
LG also announced a Blu-ray player at its press conference, and its PowerPoint slide also mentioned "1080i/1080p upconversion". To utilize the Pioneer and LG players' 1080p output, a high-definition television needs to have 1080p input capability--a rarity in today's HDTVs, but something we expect to become more commonplace in 2006 models. LG didn't announce pricing and mentioned an availability time frame of "spring" in the press conference Q&A session, accompanied by a chuckle and an admonishment that a couple of issues still impede Blu-ray's availability.
Sharp will also be also showing a Blu-ray player at its booth, but details are still vague: No pricing, and availability in the "summer of this year". Philips, for its part, chimed in with a "competitively priced" player, and its spokesperson seemed optimistic that the Blu-ray group would approve the passing of HD resolutions via an analog output--but we'll believe that when we see it. Again, we expect to hear about Sony's Blu-ray player at its press conference at the end of the day.
The first hardware volley in the next-generation DVD format war, a.k.a. HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray, was fired at the CES show by HD-DVD developer Toshiba. The company announced a pair of HD-DVD players to ship in March: The HD-A1 (US$499) and the HD-XA1 (US$799). While hardly "affordable" compared to standard DVD players, these prices are significantly lower than expected and less than those of any of the Blu-ray players announced at the show so far. Combined with earlier availability (Blu-ray supposedly ships in June), they could make HD-DVD a more compelling option for big spenders who immediately want the latest in next-generation home video playback. Speaking of home video, HD-DVD has fewer major studio backers than Blu-ray and so will launch with fewer titles available for purchase. More details on HD-DVD launch titles are expected to be revealed at an event this evening, but regardless of how much software HD-DVD promises, we expect most early adopters to choose Blu-ray thanks to its wider support.
The nitty gritty of the two Toshiba players should be familiar to anybody who's followed the next-gen format fracas. The units support a variety of video codecs, including MPEG-2 as well as MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1. The more expensive HD-XA1 has a couple of cosmetic enhancements (a motorized drawer!), a backlit remote, and a selection of three different user interfaces, as well as some improvements to construction. It also has a pair of USB ports "for convenient connection of gaming controllers", according to the press release (no further details were provided). Interestingly, both players--and all forthcoming HD-DVD players--will output only high-definition resolutions via copy-protected HDMI outputs, so people whose HDTVs don't have HDMI or DVI/HDCP inputs won't be able to enjoy the improved image quality of HD-DVD. According to Pioneer and Philips, the competing Blu-ray players may still enable high-def output via analog outputs, but we're skeptical about that. If Blu-ray did allow HD resolutions via analog, it would have one more major advantage over the less expensive HD-DVD players.
As expected, Panasonic announced that it will be bringing its 65-inch 1080p plasma HDTV--currently a Japan-only model--to the North American market in 2006. When it hits US stores this summer, the TH-65PX600U will be Panasonic's flagship plasma panel, boasting full 1,920 x 1,080p high-definition resolution, integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners, Digital Cable Ready CableCARD slot, HDMI and PC-style VGA inputs, and the TV Guide On-Screen electronic programming guide. Pricing was not disclosed, but it's worth noting that the Japan version of the 65-incher costs about US$10,000 there.
The PX600U series will also feature 50-inch (TH-50PX600U, 1,366 x 768 resolution) and 42-inch (TH-42PX600U, 1024x768) models, available in the spring for US$4,200 and US$3,200, respectively. The step-down PX60U series loses the CableCARD slot and PC inputs, but each model is a bit more easy on the wallet: The 50-inch TH-50PX60U will go for US$3,700, the 42-inch TH-42PX60U for US$2,700, and the 37-inch TH-37PX60U for US$2,200. Bargain hunters will appreciate the continued presence of an entry-level EDTV plasma (TH-42PD60U, 852 x 480) for US$2,000. Furthermore, all seven of the sets in the 2006 Panasonic line feature integrated HD and NTSC tuners, HDMI inputs, and HDAVI control (which enables unified control between compatible Panasonic products connected via the HDMI cable, so you can--for instance--control multiple, compatible Panasonic A/V products from a single remote. And all of the plasmas (except for the entry-level EDTV model) include an SD slot as well.
The 2006 Panasonic plasma line-up looks to be a worthy successor to the mega-popular current generation of panels. But with large-screen 1080p LCDs looking to become ever more affordable in 2006, we hope to see a companion series of more modestly priced "barebones" industrial models as well.
1080p native resolution promises to deliver every detail of 1080i, the highest-resolution HDTV format, but until now it was available in only DLP and LCoS rear-projection HDTVs and flat-panel LCD HDTVs. Now 1080p is coming to plasma. Pioneer will be among the first to put the pixel-rich panels in stores, and its first 1080p plasma is also the smallest announced at CES. (Panasonic also announced a 65-incher, and larger concept pieces were on display from Samsung and LG.)
The 50-inch Pioneer Elite Pro-FHD1 has more than double the number of pixels--1,920 x 1,080--found on previous 50-inch plasmas, which offer either 1,280 x 768 or 1,366 x 768 resolution. Pioneer mentioned a number of enhancements, but the most important is simply smaller pixels: The panel's pixels are 35 percent smaller than those of its predecessors.
Uniquely, the Pro-FHD1 will not be equipped with any sort of tuning capability--it's simply a monitor and doesn't have the external media center found on current models. Pioneer's rep explained that tuners were omitted from the first-generation version as a cost-cutting measure and also to reduce interference that may result from having RF circuitry inside the panel itself. Like most of the 1080p-capable displays we saw at the show and unlike most on the market now, the Pro-FHD1 will be able to accept 1080p formats via its HDMI inputs.
We saw a demo of the Pro-FHD1 in Pioneer's booth, where the panel was connected via HDMI to the company's Blu-ray player running a mixture of 1080p and 1080i native demo material. The 1080p images of Chicken Little looked stunningly detailed from a viewing distance of about 1m, and it certainly seemed to deliver on the promise of the higher resolution. We'll have an opportunity to evaluate the panel in-depth once Pioneer ships a working sample. The Pro-FHD1 will be available in June for US$8,000, roughly twice as much as the company's current-generation 50-inch plasma.
DLP HDTV heavy-hitter Samsung announced four new big-screen rear-projection units earlier today and, in terms of potential image-quality improvement, the coolest is the HL-S5679W. This 56-inch single-chip 1080p-resolution DLP uses an entirely new light engine that ditches the tried-and-true color wheel/lamp system for a trio of LEDs. The result is elimination of the rainbow effect that causes some viewers of DLP TVs to see brief trails of color in certain circumstances. The LED light source also has other benefits, according to Samsung, including the ability to let the TV display a wider color gamut; longer life before needing replacement (20,000 hours vs. 3,000 to 6,000 hours for a typical DLP bulb); and much shorter time to turn on--7 seconds--than typical bulb-based HDTVs.
We spoke to Samsung's rep about the new TV, and he informed us that the company would only be producing a 56-inch model this year. He had no information about pricing on replacement LED light sources, but we assume they'll cost more than today's US$300-to-US$500 bulbs--but then again, 20,000 hours is a really long time. He also claimed that the new engine can produce brighter images than the current lamps--a surprise to us, since we'd heard that LED-powered front projectors, for example, were dimmer than their bulb-powered counterparts.
We were also surprised, especially given the price difference between standard flat-panel LCDs and their new LED-backlit equivalents, that the price tag for HL-S5679W isn't terribly exorbitant at US$4,199 list (available in April).
Aside from its LED light engine, the HL-S5679W shares a similar feature set with the company's 2006 seventh-generation 1080p DLPs announced at the show. The 50-inch HL-S5087W (US$2,899 list), the 56-inch HL-S5678W (US$3,199), and the 61-inch HL-S687W (US$3,599) will all be available in April. Major features include dual 1080p-compatible HDMI inputs and CableCard. They also feature a Game Mode said to provide enhanced response time and improved dark-area performance, but we'll take those claims with a big grain of salt. We expect to hear about more DLP models from Samsung soon, to replace the company's 2005 rear-projection lineup.
You've heard of the slider phone. Now there's the slider TV. That's the idea behind the TAV-32FL2, a concept product that Sony is showing in its booth. While you're watching TV or a DVD, you leave the 32-inch Bravia LCD TV in the up position. But when you're just playing a CD, you can slide the speaker up to cover the screen. Though Sony reps were calling it a concept product, they did claim that the TAV-32FL2 would hit stores before the end of the year, although pricing was unavailable. They also said the product features virtual surround and that Sony will potentially sell different-colored speaker grilles to match your room's decor. This one is clearly targeted toward bedrooms or small living rooms.
Regardless of how beautiful they are, rear-projection TVs still have a self-image problem when they stand next to flat-panel plasmas. Sony aims to address the width disparity with a 55-inch SXRD-based model that has "a slim cabinet that is 30 percent thinner than the previous 50-inch SXRD model". Applying a bit of math to the spec sheet of said 50-incher, the KDS-R50XBR1, we learn that the SX(ier)RD measures 13.2 inches deep. That doesn't really out-flat a like-size plasma such as the 4.25-inch-thick Hitachi 55HDS52, but it's a start.
We were stonewalled when we pressed Sony's reps for more information, such as a model number, pricing, availability, or confirmation that the 55-incher would even see the light of day this year. The most we learned was that the set's light engine was completely redesigned to improve uniformity and brightness over past slim-cabinet HDTVs--the RCA HD61THW263 comes to mind--and that it would feature a pair of 1080p-compatible HDMI inputs. We expect to learn more at Sony's annual February line show, and given the excellent reviews received by first-generation SXRDs such as the 60-inch KDS-R60XBR1, we'd place money on the fact that the second generation will indeed pinch a few inches.
Westinghouse's new LVM-42W2 is one of the first LCD monitors larger than 40 inches to support full 1080p high-def resolution. Its estimated US$2,799 price tag is stunningly low for such a large LCD--let alone one with full 1080p resolution--and means that LCD is finally becoming price competitive with like-size plasma panels. And with some of the new 1080p video sources such as Blu-ray players slated to hit in 2006 and beyond, having the best-of-the-best HD resolution will finally begin to have more of a practical application than its current, more theoretical.
Credit: Will Greenwald, CNET.com
Westinghouse LTV-40W1HDC: Big-screen TV with built-in DVD
One of Westinghouse's new televisions, the LTV-40W1HDC, is a 40-inch high-definition LCD TV with a built-in DVD player. This is hardly the first high-def flat-panel/DVD player combo we've seen, but it is the biggest. Even its little brother, the LTV-32W1HDC, has a 32-inch screen that dwarfs most flat-panel/DVD player combos. The LTV-40W1HDC will cost US$2,299, and the 32-inch model will cost US$1,499. The televisions will be available later this year.
Today ViewSonic debuted a series of budget projectors ranging in price from US$899 to US$1,499 for basic home and business projector needs.
Geared toward home users, the Cine1000 features a DLP engine and a 16:9 aspect ratio for a widescreen home-theater experience. Weighing a light 4kg, the Cine1000's brightness rating is only 1,000 lumens, though that should be sufficient for home viewing.
With DLP engines, the 4.9-pound PJ458D and the 3.6kg PJ766D will suit home or basic business needs. Both feature XGA resolutions of 1,024 x 768, 2,000:1 contrast ratios, and the ability to support HDTV signals. The 2,000-lumen PJ458D will cost US$999, and the 2,500-lumen PJ766D will cost US$1,499.
And in the ultraportable category, ViewSonic is offering the 2.2kg PJ452 and the 2.8kg PJ656. Both LCD projectors offer 1,024 x 768 XGA resolution. The PJ452 features 1,500 lumens of brightness and a 300:1 contrast ratio and will be available for US$899, while the PJ656 provides 2,100 lumens of brightness and a 400:1 contrast ratio for US$1,199.
All projectors will be available at the end of January.
Like Buffalo's new TeraStation Home Server, the LinkStation external hard drive has had a Mediabolic makeover, making the LinkStation Home Server DLNA compliant. Mediabolic's NAS Media Server software allows the NAS drive to serve up a variety of audio and video content to other DLNA-compliant digital media servers on the network. The drive is Windows compatible and includes a built-in USB print server for sharing a network printer, a file server for file sharing, and an FTP server for remote file sharing. The drives come in two capacities--300GB (US$399) and 400GB (US$549)--and should be available at the end of January.
Buffalo has taken its impressive TeraStation and turned it into a home server by rolling in Mediabolic's media server software. Built to conform to the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) guidelines, the Buffalo TeraStation Home Server is designed to seamlessly distribute multimedia files, such as those for music or video, to other DLNA-conforming products, such as digital media adapters. Like the original TeraStation we loved so much, the TeraStation Home Server is compatible with both Windows and Macs, is capable of several RAID modes, and can be a print server as well. With four USB 2.0 ports and a 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port, it's fast and can be easily expanded. And owners of the first-generation TeraStation need not despair--a firmware download will be available from Buffalo's site. Three capacities are available: 1.6TB (US$1,799), 1TB (US$999), and 0.6TB (US$799).
Buffalo's LinkTheater Mini is attempting to set itself apart from the rest of the PC-to-TV media conduits by being among the first to fall in line with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) guidelines. The result should please the format-finicky, as the LinkTheater Mini promises a wide compatibility list; MPEG-2, JPEG, MP3, BMP, PNG, LPCM WMV, AVI, GIF, and WMA. Buffalo promises clean and consistent media playback with the use of its PC media server software. We'll be sure to grab this Buffalo by the horns and take it for a ride when it's released this month for US$100.
It didn't take long for 1080p resolution to become the holy grail for videophiles, but that highest of high-definition has remained more a theoretical, future-proof goal than an everyday convenience. Why? Even if you own one of the handful of HDTVs available to date that can display 1080p and accept a 1080p signal, it's been nearly impossible to find a 1080p video source. Enter the Denon DVD-5910CI. It's an updated version of 2005's DVD-5910, the US$3,500 player that, with the ability to play DVD-Audio and SACD discs and upscale DVD video to 720p and 1080i resolutions, was already top dog in the world of enthusiast video. The DVD-5910CI adds the latest video-processing technology from Silicon Optix and DVDO to enable DVD playback via its HDMI output at resolutions as high as 1080p. So, is having your DVDs upscaled to 1080p worth the DVD-5910CI's US$3,800 asking price? It's certainly a hard sale with HD-DVD and Blu-ray players--which promise to offer content in native (not upconverted) high-definition--finally on the horizon, but for those who aren't willing to wait out the impending deathmatch between those two next-gen formats, the Denon DVD-5910CI may well be the ultimate DVD player. Happily, anyone who currently owns a DVD-5910 needn't experience a wicked case of buyer's remorse: Denon will upgrade 5910 owners to the 5910CI for a mere US$300--the exact price difference between the two models.
With a full-speed Internet connection coming into your home, do you really need an old-fashioned cable or satellite TV receiver? For now you do, but the startup ITVN has technology that could someday make TV broadcast obsolete.
The ITVN box is simplicity itself. Like the Akimbo device, it's an Internet appliance that plugs into your broadband connection on one end and your TV or A/V system on the other. From the Net, the device streams video, which is then displayed on your TV.
While the technology concept is simple, getting the content onto the service is the challenge, and it's what spells either success or failure for this technology. ITVN is having success right now with adult content--for US$29.95 per month in the US you can get 200 channels of various subgenres of grown-up entertainment. For US$59.95 per month you can view the exact movie you want, from ITVN's library of 30,000 flicks. (ITVN founder David Koenig reminded me that since the Internet is not technically a broadcast medium, he is free of most of the censorship laws that affect standard TV.)
The company's first sports offering is a lacrosse channel, and it also will stream all the old movies that are in the public domain. A deal with a major movie distributor, so that his box can show the same type of content you can get on HBO or at a video store, will be announced soon, Koenig says.
Ultimately, the cable and satellite companies will have to react to this emerging threat. They have the content deals and the audience, which gives them leverage. Still, companies such as ITVN might be tasty acquisition candidates.
As reported on GameSpot, the Xbox 360 will finally get an HD-DVD drive, in the form of an external peripheral. There's no word on pricing for the drive, but since HD-DVD players are slated to cost at least US$500 at release, the Xbox 360's drive will probably have a hefty price tag. The drive is expected later this year.
Sony's most ambitious foray into the world of living-room computers was the Vaio XL1 Digital Living System. Designed as a two-part, rack-style media hub with a dual-core Vaio PC and a matching 200-disc DVD changer, the XL1 was a great idea for movie and music buffs with large catalogs of media, but it fell victim to some design flaws, including an underpowered CPU and inadequate RAM and hard drive space.
The uses for a system like this are obvious for home-theater setups. You could load up 200 CDs and set them to rip overnight, giving you an instant MP3 collection. Or 200 DVDs could go into the changer, and you could use the Windows Media Center interface to navigate through them using a Media Center remote.
Sony has revamped many of the components and dubbed the new system the XL2. The CPU is now an Intel Pentium D 920, while the RAM has doubled from 512MB to 1GB. Two 160GB hard drives in a RAID 0 setup give you more space for recording TV programs and ripping CDs.
Like the XL1, the XL2 is intended for home-theater use, and its primary display connection is HDMI. You won't find S-Video or DVI connections, although you can use an HDMI-to-DVI adapter to connect to a standard LCD monitor.
While the XL2's updated specs fix many of the issues we had with the ambitious but underperforming XL1, during its CES press conference, Sony hinted at the next model in the series, the XL3, which could include a high-capacity Blu-ray drive later in 2006.
At CES, D-Link showcased a couple of storage products so new they don't even have names yet. Both are part of the MediaLounge family of digital entertainment devices. The NSE-1701 is a gigabit storage enclosure that lets you install two 3.5-inch SATA hard drives of your choice. The enclosure comes fanless, as the chassis is made of heat-dispelling aluminum, though buyers can opt for the fan if they like. The drives can be arranged in a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array and the resulting drive is a UPnP A/V server. The enclosure should be available sometime in Q1, likely for less than US$150.
The other product, the MediaLoung NSE-2151 is a sub-US$150 NAS unit with audio outs for connecting directly to a speaker system. Though the drive lacks an LCD on the case, D-link will provide an HTML interface for sorting through your music. The NSE-2151 will also emerge during Q1.
Whether you call them network media devices or digital audio receivers, such devices--which let you stream your digital music from your PC to your home theater or audio system over a home network--have become something of a commodity over the past few years. Despite the availability of a wider variety of increasingly affordable models, however, we've been hard-pressed to find many that actually work well. One of the best-performing models of 2005 (after a few key firmware upgrades) was the D-Link DSM-320. Now D-Link has created an audio-only little brother in the same MediaLounge series: The DSM-120.
Instead of hooking up to your TV, the DSM-120 stands upright and has a small screen that allows you to navigate your music collection. It covers all the bases for a network digital audio device: Universal Plug and Play support makes for easy setup, and PlaysForSure compatibility means it can stream copy-protected WMA files purchased from (non-iTunes) online music stores, and it will pull standard MP3 and WAV files from a networked PC as well. The DSM-120 can also stream online radio stations straight off the Web--no PC required. Furthermore, the DSM-120 sports some impressive features we haven't yet seen on competing products. Its 802.11g wireless won't slow down your wireless network like products using the older 802.11b standard do (though the 120 will still work just fine on an 802.11b network). A built-in USB port lets you play music straight off of a connected USB thumbdrive or hard disk. Most impressively, however, is an empty 2.5-inch hard disk bay; do-it-yourselfers can drop in their own hard disk preloaded with tunes, negating the need for connecting to a networked PC. The DSM-120 is currently available for $230--though with no built-in iPod support, we think the price should be closer to US$150.
Klipsch cites NPD figures ranking the company as "the No. 1 brand ranking position in the subwoofer category." We're not quite sure what that means, but we can vouch for the fact that the company has produced some great subs in the past. Not content to cruise on its reputation, Klipsch has introduced six new subwoofers in its Reference speaker series. The two flagship models, the RT-12d and RT-10d, employ a unique, wedge-shape design: the triangular shape allows for placement in a corner, with the one active driver facing forward while the two passive radiators face their respective parallel walls. A top-mounted control panel offers three equalization modes and five user-selectable presets (including a midnight mode), and Klipsch's Adaptive Room Correction autocalibration system customizes the sub's sound for individual rooms. There's even an IR input for remote control. Both triangular subs are available in a cherry or black wood-veneer finish. The RT-12d (US$2,000) utilizes three 12-inch drivers and packs an 800W RMS amp, while the RT-10d (US$1,600) uses 10-inchers and delivers 700W.
The other new subwoofers in Klipsch's Reference line utilize a more conventional square/cube design and front-firing woofers. The RSW-10d (US$1,200) sports a 10-inch woofer and the same control panel, equalization modes, and IR input found on its triangular cousins. Rounding out the line are the RW-12d (12-inch woofer, US$700), RW-10d (10-inch woofer, US$500), and the only model without the top-side control panel and equalization modes: the entry-level RPW-10 (10-inch woofer, US$350).
Klipsch has refreshed its entire Reference Series speaker line from the ground up. The fourth-generation product line includes a total of 20 new speakers: Five floor-standing models, three bookshelf speakers, three surround models, three center channels, and six powered subwoofers. Klipsch eschews bundling, instead selling its speakers "à la carte," letting its base audience of knowledgeable audio enthusiasts cobble together custom stereo and surround configurations. Virtually all of the new models employ Cerametallic aluminum drivers and titanium tweeters mated to Klipsch's trademark Tractrix horns, and the models decrease in size, price, and features within each respective product line. All the new models are slated to be available by the end of January 2006, with the exception of the subwoofers, which should hit in March. Like most of Klipsch's product line, the Reference Series speakers will be available through established audio dealers and home integrators--don't bother looking for them online.
Highlights are as follows, boiled down from Klipsch's press release:
Floor-standing speakers: The RF-83 (US$2,500 per pair) and RF-63 (US$1,800 per pair) will be available in either a cherry or black real wood veneer finish. Both feature three main drivers (8-inch woofers on the RF-83, 6.5-inchers on the RF-63). The RF-82 (US$1,000 per pair), RF-62 (US$800 per pair) and RF-52 (US$600 per pair) feature only two woofers. All of the new Reference towers utilize a "taller, narrower, and deeper" design that Klipsch touts as more modern (read: It will look swanky next to your new flat-panel TV).
Center-channel speakers: The center speaker handles nearly all the dialogue in a surround-sound configuration, and Klipsch has three new models to handle the job. The RC-64 (US$900) sports four 6.5-inch woofers and biwire inputs, and it's available in cherry or black real wood veneer finish. The smaller RC-62 (US$450) and RC-52 (US$300) utilize only two woofers.
Bookshelf speakers: Far smaller than the floor-standing towers, bookshelf models can be employed in smaller spaces, either as primary or surround speakers. The RB-81 (US$700 a pair) features a single 8-inch woofer and front-firing port; rear-firing ports, by contrast, would preclude placement in tight-fitting cabinets. The RB-61 (US$450 each pair) trades down for a 6.5-inch woofer but also includes the front-firing port, while the RB-51 (US$350 a pair) utilizes a 5.25-inch woofer.
Surround speakers: Klipsch's three new WDST (Wide Dispersion Surround Technology) speakers are intended for use as side- and back-surround speakers in a 5.1-, 6.1-, or 7.1-surround setup. They utilize a unique triangular design with each face of the wedge incorporating a woofer and horn tweeter. The result, according to Klipsch, is a 180-degree hemisphere of sound that more fully envelopes the listener. The RS-62 (US$1,000 a pair) uses dual 6.5-inch woofers, while the smaller RS-52 (US$700 per pair) employs dual 5.25-inch woofers. The more diminutive RS-42 (US$450 a pair) uses 4-inchers.
So you're having a party. Every party needs good tunes, but your entire music library lives on your PC. Do you (a) crank up the volume on your PC to 11, even though the sound is tinny and there's no bass to speak of or (b) spend hours burning CDs to pop into your home stereo with the sweet speakers? The answer is neither. Linksys's new WMB54GS Wireless-G Music Bridge lets you wirelessly stream audio files from your PC to your stereo or other speaker system, regardless of which music service you like to use. It's like a virtual sound card for your home. We didn't get to test it out, but it looks nifty. And for a suggested price of $99, it won't break the bank, especially if you like a constant soundtrack for your life. Linksys expects to ship the WMB54GS Wireless-G Music Bridge by the end of January.
In a delightful change of pace from the home audio industry's push for an (insert outlandish number here).1 home-theater system, many of the top manufacturers are adopting a "less is more" ethic, producing simpler sound systems that simulate 5.1 surround sound with as few as 2 speakers--case in point: Sharp's SD-SP10. Sharp aims to outshrink the 2.1 competition with 1-bit digital amplifier technology. The result: Sharp is promising a product that's two-thirds the size of analog amps, while running at half the power and one-fifth the temperature. Sound good? Find out for yourself in April when it hits US stores for US$350.
Credit: David Rudden, CNET.com
Sharp's Micro Audio Systems: big sound from a small box
Sharp's latest microsystems, the XL-UH260 and XL-UH240, have a cornucopia of functions and format capabilities, including CD playback, AM/FM radio, and the ability to play connected MP3 devices via USB. Something has us worried, though: Sharp is touting its original lighting function, which shines LEDs based on a song's beat. Yes, that's exactly the sort of pointless "added value" that's more distracting than beneficial, but--seeing as how CNET reviewers cover audio products while inside sensory deprivation tanks--you can be assured of fair and balanced coverage of these products when they release. The 180-watt XL-UH240 comes out in March for US$150, and the 240-watt XL-UH260 will come tumbling after in April at US$170.
BenQ has revealed three new wide-screen LCD televisions that boast some impressive features. The VL3231, the VL3731, and the high-end PL4271 are, respectively, 32-, 37-, and 42-inch televisions. All three models feature BenQ's Senseye technology, which BenQ claims reduces visual noise and accurately renders each individual pixel. According to BenQ, all three televisions have viewing angles of at least 170 degrees and response times of 8 milliseconds. The VL3231 and VL3731 sport contrast ratios of 800:1, while the PL4271 has a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. The VL3231, the VL3731, and the PL4271 will cost US$1,299, US$1,799, and US$2,999 respectively. The PL4271 ships in February, and the VL3231 and VL3731 ship later this spring.
JVC pioneered LCoS projection display technology, which it calls HD-ILA in rear-projection form, and its 2006 lineup includes three each of 1080p-native-resolution and 720p-resolution HDTVs. The company redesigned the optical engine in the 1080p sets to include a new dynamic auto iris that's said to dynamically respond to what's onscreen, thus improving reproduction of dark scenes--typically the most challenging for any display. The auto-iris feature worked well in the company's 2005 models, so we're anxious to see how it has improved this version. One thing that remains the same, however, is that none of the new JVC LCoS sets can accept 1080p sources via HDMI.
The 1080p lineup includes the 56-inch HD-56FN97 (US$3,499 street), the 61-inch HD-61FN97 (US$3,799), and the 70-inch HD-70FN97 (US$5,499). These prices are a few hundred dollars less than those of the 2005 models, and all three sets will hit stores in July. The new 720p sets will be available as early as March and include the 52-inch HD-52G787 (US$2,799), the 56-inch HD-56G787 (US$3,199), and the HD-61G787 (US$3,499).
The ongoing rollout of 1080p native-resolution displays--you know, the ones that should be able to deliver every detail of the highest-resolution HDTV format, 1080i--has finally come to home-theater projectors, and one of the first to be available is the Optoma HD81 (US$10,000, due in June or July). This two-piece projector/processor system employs a new Texas Instruments 1080p chipset that supposedly delivers better color than the 2005 version, but notably, the chip is still wobulated.
The press release on Optoma's new top-of-the-line projector also boasts of an improved contrast ratio of 6,000:1, along with a new color wheel, 10-bit color processing, a Gennum VXP scalar, and a galaxy of adjustments that include five-step brightness control and a "studio grade" color-management system. The company is also touting the projector's quieter operation. As a two-piece system, the HD81 houses all of the input connectors in a separate processor box that connects to the projector via a digital cable that can be as much as 30m long. Among the processor's many connections are a trio of HDMI inputs that are, according to the company's rep, compatible with 1080p sources.
Texas Instruments' press release, for its part, mentioned a number of other front-projector manufacturers that would be producing 1080p DLP-based projectors this year, including Marantz, Projectiondesign, Runco, Sharp, and Sim2.
Vizio, purveyor of the high-value P50HDM plasma and the L32 LCD TV, announced a pair of aggressively priced flat-panel HDTVs at CES, each equipped with ATSC tuners that allow them to receive over-the-air HDTV via an antenna. Notably, the inclusion of the tuners allows Vizio to market the sets as "HDTVs" instead of lowly "HDTV monitors," even if most buyers won't hook up the antenna.
The 42-inch plasma of the pair, model P42HDTV, has a 1,024 x 768 native resolution, HDMI and VGA inputs, and a QAM tuner to receive unscrambled HD channels via cable on some systems (but lacks CableCard). Its claim to fame is a rock-bottom list price of US$1,799, and it'll hit stores--we assume Costco and Vizio's Web site at first--in February. The company also added an ATSC and a QAM tuner to its formerly tuner-free L32, calling the new model, unsurprisingly, the L32HDTV. It'll be available in March for US$999.
To get your media content from the computer to the living room entertainment center generally involves either lugging a computer in to connect directly, or using some kind of media extender.
These devices connect via your home network to the computer storing your photos, music, and videos, and provide easy output via standard A/V jacks. They usually include some kind of user interface for navigating the content on your computer.
The Thunderbridge Media Extender from GAT offers standard media-extender connections that offer the ability to stream many kinds of audio and video, plus it offers media card slots for plugging SD and compact flash cards directly from your digital camera or other portable device. It will also up-convert your video to 720p or 1080i, for HD compatible output. Dressed up in a small, stylish black or silver case, it would fit into the living room better than some more blocky extenders we've seen.
But if the idea of having a media extender box eating up even a little valuable shelf space by your TV is too much to handle, Digitrex, the new US arm of Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Jiangkui Group, is introducing a line of three LCD TVs with media extenders built in.
The Digitrex JFN-4650W is a 46-inch HD LCD display that carries the Microsoft Plays for Sure seal and connects wirelessly through your home network to any Windows PC with the Windows Media Connect client or Windows Media Center Edition. It's also available in 40-inch and 32-inch versions. Digitrex say it's the first-ever wireless HD LCD with Plays for Sure certification, and as we haven't heard of any others, we're inclined to believe them.
Gigabytes of storage are such a commodity now that it's not enough to just make a big hard drive; you have to add features. Iomega, a long time player in the storage arena, has run with this concept and embedded multimedia playing capabilities into its mobile ScreenPlay Multimedia Drive. It's a veritable jukebox for music, photos, and videos, and the content can be outputted to virtually any television or A/V system. The face of the slim, silver drive houses a number of buttons for navigating through content and the drive comes with a remote control for couch surfing. The drive lacks an LCD so all the navigation takes place on your TV. A USB 2.0 port allows you to connect it to your PC, where it operates as a standard external hard drive: You can drag and drop files directly from your PC to the ScreenPlay. It has both S-Video and composite video outputs and compatible video formats include MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4. It's compatible with Windows systems and Mac OS X or higher. The 60GB ScreenPlay is shipping now for a suggested price of US$219.95.
IPTV is everywhere at CES 2006, whether as a replacement for traditional broadcasting or as a way to get your video media around the home--or around the world. In 2005, one of our favorite devices in this category was the Slingbox. But as cool as the Slingbox is, it's a very bachelor-oriented device: It can stream to only one PC client at a time. That's where Monsoon Multimedia's HAVA device may have an edge. It offers a similar model to the Slingbox, encoding your TV signals and digitally streaming them to a PC or a mobile device. But instead of being limited to just one PC (as the Slingbox is), the HAVA is designed as a "multicast" device for viewing on multiple clients throughout the home. (Sending video to Internet-connected PCs and devices elsewhere on the Net is still restricted to one client, however.) Monsoon is claiming that its device bests Slingbox in other ways, such as its built-in 802.11a/b/g wireless and the ability to record streams on PCs for later DVD burning. The HAVA is intended as an OEM device, so it should appear under multiple third-party brands when it becomes available later in 2006. The target price tag is US$250 to US$300.
Niveus has been producing high-end Media Center machines for several years, and they're almost as well known for their steep price tags as their inventive designs. The nearly US$6,000 Niveus Denali, for example, is designed to be a totally silent PC, housed in a fanless case that acts as a giant 78-pound heat sink.
The newest Denali system has Intel's Viiv tag, marking it as one of the new breed of entertainment PCs to finally make good on the promise of home-theater/PC convergence.
Always on the cutting edge of home-theater PC innovation, the company now offers a Media Center-compatible, 200-disc DVD changer--the only one outside of the Sony Vaio XL1/XL2 that we've seen. One difference is that the Niveus setup, dubbed the Ice Vault 200, allows you to daisy-chain several changers together, for up to a 1,000-DVD capacity.
At CES, Niveus is showing off a new way to use the multidisc changers: Streaming DVD content between the changers and a remote home-theater setup, via a small network extender box. The network component is still a little ways out, but it means users will eventually be able to stick their bulky multidisc changers in the closet, while keeping their Niveus systems in the home-theater rack.
A separate, but even more exciting development is a new PC CableCard standard for connecting a cable television signal to a DVR-enabled PC, without going through an analog TV tuner. CableCards, slim PCMCIA-style cards that were intended to replace bulky cable TV boxes, have never really caught on in televisions (or with cable companies, for that matter), but they're a natural match for home-theater computers.
CableCard-compatible PCs, like the preproduction system Niveus showed us, should start showing up in fall 2006, but many questions remain about digital rights management and the availability of standard cable services, such as on-demand content. When these issues get ironed out, CableCard should be a huge boost for the PC-based DVR.
I'm confused. First, I read over at Engadget that TiVo cancelled its press conference in favor of a streamlined "talking points" presentation that recaps some of the company's recent expanded service offerings (integration of Yahoo services and plans for PSP and iPod versions of TiVo To Go)--essentially, no big news. Then, less than four hours later, details of a swanky new TiVo Series 3 box appear, complete with photos. Engadget lists a LiveJournal blog that can also be found under the URL tivolovers.com as the source, and clicking through, the details are juicy indeed: a CableCard HD TiVo that seems to have every conceivable bell and whistle one could wish for. But as Thursday night was drawing to a close, there was no official word from TiVo on its Web site.
While the information presented (and the photos, certainly) have a ring of truth to them, it's worth looking at this news with a skeptical eye. After all, TiVo announced at CES 2005 that it was planning a dual-CableCard HD model for 2006. But is this the final version of that fabled über-TiVo, or merely a possible prototype of what TiVo may be planning?
Denon has consistently produced A/V receivers that sit at or near the top of CNET's top products list, but the company's better models often command a considerable price premium. That's why Denon's new receiver is particularly newsworthy: The AVR-2807 is priced at an affordable US$1,100, but it's slated to deliver the same sort of HDMI switching and 480p upconversion of analog video sources found on higher-priced Denon models such as the US$2,000 AVR-4306.
In addition to the HDMI niceties, the AVR-2807 is jam-packed with the sort of features we've come to expect from Denon, including 110W of power per channel, an enhanced version of the Audyssey MultEQ XT auto setup/calibration and support for the addition of any XM Connect-and-Play antenna module for integrated satellite radio reception. Also, Denon is pledging that the AVR-2807 will be able to pass 1080p high-def signals via HDMI, meaning it's as future-proof as one can expect in the current HD era. And while the AVR-2807 lacks the direct iPod/MP3 connector found on its more expensive sibling, the AVR-4306, the AVR-2807 will be compatible with a new iPod dock that Denon is planning to release later in 2006. When paired with the AVR-2807, the dock is expected to provide audio, photo, and video playback control via the 2807's remote (by contrast, the 4306 can't display iPod-based video).
So why all the excitement over the AVR-2807? Consider Denon's US$1,300 AVR-3806. It's a great receiver, but the somewhat half-baked HDMI capabilities--analog video sources and the onscreen display are limited to 480i resolution via the HDMI output--limits usefulness on many HDTVs and monitors. For US$200 less, the AVR-2807 looks to deliver a lot more for the home-theater enthusiast. The AVR-2807 is scheduled to be available in March 2006, in black or silver.
On the home-theater front, Samsung usually makes the most news at CES with its announcements of new TVs, but it also trotted out some notable home-theater systems and a couple of new A/V receivers. Its 750W HT-AS710 A/V receiver, which will carry a list price of US$450 when it's released in March, is intriguing in that it offers HDMI switching and USB connectivity and is XM satellite radio-ready. There's also a more basic HT-AS610 (US$250, April). Both have sleek, black casings that are designed to be matched with Samsung's 2006 DVD players, including the HDMI-equipped DVD-HD860, DVD-HD960, and DVD-HD1080. The entry-level DVD-HD860 (US$99) will arrive first in March, followed by the DVD-HD960 (US$179) in April and the DVD-HD1080 (US$249) in May. The high-end model offers support for DVD Audio and SACD multichannel audio formats via its HDMI output, as well as video upscaling to "true HD 1080p progressive output," according to Samsung. That US$250 price point is noteworthy for a DVD player with the DVD-HD1080's feature set, but we don't think the 1080p output is a big deal, since it's very difficult to discern 1080i from 1080p output, especially when the video source is being upscaled from 480p in the first place.
Interestingly--and perhaps confusingly--Samsung is going to offer a couple of its new home-theater-in-a-box systems in both HDMI and non-HDMI versions. The HT-Q100 is a two-speaker virtual-surround system that will list for US$499 with the HDMI/HD upscaling option and US$50 less without it. The HT-XQ100, its new, full-blown 5.1-channel system, will list for US$449 with HDMI, but the non-HDMI price will be US$50 less. Those models will be available in April, while Samsung's line-topping HT-XQ120, which includes a slim tower speaker, will hit stores in July (US$1,199). If you're confused by all the model numbers, you're not alone: In a dyslexic move, Samsung PR reps called the HT-XQ100 the HT-QX100 in their press release.
Harman Kardon's no stranger to the A/V receiver game; the company has been putting out high-quality stuff for years now, making Harman Kardon a workhorse for many a home theater setup. With its newest A/V receiver, the 7.2-Channel AVR 740, HK's looking to extend its empire a little further from your TV. The AVR 740 is compatibile with the Bridge, HK's iPod dock, which makes use of the universe's top-selling music player is a snap. Another new gun has been added to the audio artillery, however, in the form of XM satellite radio. As with the iPod, an external accessory is necessary (an antenna module, in this case), but if you're shelling out US$3,499 when the AVR 740 hits store shelves in February, I doubt money's a factor.
Floor-standing speakers: The RF-83 (US$2,500 per pair) and RF-63 (US$1,800 per pair) will be available in either a cherry or black real wood veneer finish. Both feature three main drivers (8-inch woofers on the RF-83, 6.5-inchers on the RF-63). The RF-82 (US$1,000 per pair), RF-62 (US$800 per pair) and RF-52 (US$600 per pair) feature only two woofers. All of the new Reference towers utilize a "taller, narrower, and deeper" design that Klipsch touts as more modern (read: It will look swanky next to your new flat-panel TV).
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