CEDIA Day 1: News and Notes

I'm not sure of the reason, but whatever it is, it seems that people are always looking for the ultimate product release at these trade events every year.

I think there are plenty of products for dealers to get excited about this year, and thankfully they range in scope, cost and application to collectively fill a lot of needs for installers.

It's assumed that it costs a lot of money to own a two-piece projection system. In reality the investment isn't really any greater than a flat-panel television and there are companies like Elite Screens and Epson that are at the forefront of making projection video systems in the home affordable.

In Elite's booth the company is showing its dual-screen Osprey product, which combines a remote controllable 1.78:1 screen and a 2.35:1 screen within a single housing to allow installers to offer a simple way of watching widescreen and anamorphic video content.

Another product from the Calif.-based company that I think lends itself perfectly to multipurpose great room/media room applications is its Raptor Module screen. This product is a retrofittable automated screen that sits on the floor in a wooden housing and when activated it rises up into position for home theater viewing. Elite offers it in an unfinished wood to allow it to be stained to match the rest of the home's wood trim and it's available in several sizes.

Epson is one of the largest projector manufacturers in the world and at this year's CEDIA show the company rolled out a completely redesigned product line with a couple of new product additions.

Highlighting the company's newly introduced products are the Pro Cinema 9350, which replaces the 9100 and the Pro Cinema 9700, which replaces the 9500. Adding to its product line the company also introduced the Pro Cinema 31000 and the Pro Cinema 61000. These products employ the company's Reflective 3LCD technology, which the company compared to LCoS (Sony SXRD and JVC D-ILA), and certification from the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) and THX for installer-friendly calibration.

I was impressed with the stunning picture quality the $3,100 Pro Cinema 9700UB delivered. Epson says this unit has a contrast ratio as high as 200,000:1 and a Lumens rating as high as 1,600:1. It also like the higher end 31000 and 61000 models, carries ISF and THX certification.

On the audio side of things companies like Integra, Bryston, RBH, Definitive Technology and Wisdom Audio are showing some cool new products, but the most fun I had came in the Adam Audio booth.

Diversifying from its background of pro audio (recording studios), the German company Adam Audio is showing three major additions to its product portfolio in its booth.

Starting with the compact Artist Series 3, 5 and 6 products, Adam says these active desktop and small home theater speakers are more consumer friendly than the products its previously shown that have migrated from the world of pro audio into the home environment.

During my time in the booth I listened to the Artist Series 3, which will carry an MSRP of approximately $1,000 per pair. This speaker is a compact two-way speaker that combines its X-ART ribbon tweeter with a traditional cone driver. Listening to some Velvet Revolver and Red Hot Chili Peppers on my iPhone I found the speakers to throw a nice wide soundstage and a solid image.

Adam is also showing its versatile Grand Theater components, which it says allows installers to install quality speakers in an environment that has false walls. The speakers feature adjustable tweeter sections, which can be removed from their housing and repositioned to coincide with vertical or horizontal alignment.

The company has also introduced its first in-wall products, which it is calling its Architectural Component series. The AC5, AC7 and AC77 feature the same adjustable tweeter option as the Grand Theater components, and like the Grand Theater Component speakers, they are also housed in a sealed box design.