Following the legal battles involving RealDVD and Kaleidescape, Envive has re-launched its media servers to avoid the legal fray.

During CEDIA Expo 2009 the maker of TheaterStation media servers launched its Multi-Zone Digital Media Management System and TSClient Mini.

Envive CEO Chris Bortner — even though “I’m not a lawyer” — says he dashed many legal concerns from CE pros during CEDIA Expo by explaining the differences between TheaterStation and Kaleidescape.

“The difference between us and Kaleidescape is that our system is open,” Bortner says, referring to the fact that the Envive product does not require (or allow) DVDs to be copied directly onto the server. Instead, the device can accept content that is stored on other devices in the home, including PCs and NAS drives.

“Envive doesn’t enable the playing or copying of access- or copy-protected media out of the box,” Bortner says.

He adds that Envive’s TheaterStation is “about…

Many of us only spent a few days in Atlanta for CEDIA Expo 2009. It was the first time the show has been in Atlanta since 1997.

What did you think?

It was my first trip to Atlanta, and I entered with some preconceived notions that were mostly negative. I mean, CEDIA went out of its way to let people know security would be ramped up during the show. It’s not difficult to read between the lines.

But I liked Atlanta. It’s a cool city with nice people.

Whether or not it’s a good host city for CEDIA Expo 2009, well, that's a different story.

Pros

• It’s a big city with plenty of restaurants
• Security was everywhere
• Friendly people
• The aquarium and Coca Cola factory give attendees a reason to bring their family along

Cons

• Cab rides were expensive. I’m from Boston where cab rates are ridiculous,…

Crestron's nearly 10,000-square-foot booth at CEDIA Expo 2009, as you might expect, house the latest in control, automation and Web-based technologies.

What you wouldn't expect, however, is that the demo of Crestron's Procise line in the company's sound room was one of the best system demos at the show.

The Procise line includes the PSPHD Processor, PROAMP Amplifier, ADMS Server and ADC-200BR Blu-ray Disc Changer.

Crestron walked attendees through some of the system's features, which include:

• Interoperability with its control products
• Web-based streaming of content and metadata information
• Audyssey EQ
• Uncompressed audio processing
• RAID backup

Crestron then used a clip from "Iron Man" to prove it's capable of offering solutions outside its core line that are as good as those that come from traditional home theater manufacturers.

The sound room itself was also pretty impressive, engineered with acoustical treatments and supported by a nice array of screen, projector, and speaker products.

The Procise line, and the affirmation it provided with its…

LED TVs certainly had a strong presence at CEDIA Expo 2009 in Atlanta.

Manufacturers are embracing LED TVs because they use a lot less energy and are much thinner than normal LCD TVs, providing consumers with a more energy-efficient display that also can be aesthetically pleasing.

You couldn't get away from LED TVs in Sharp's booth even if you tried, while LG's booth also had LED TVs throughout.

There were no OLED TVs on display at the show. A Sony spokesperson attributed its lack of OLED TVs to the fact that Sony had nothing new to show, while others manufacturers speculated OLED might never take off.

While the following is only a taste of what was on display, we round up LED TVs from the following companies:

• LG
• Samsung
• Sony
• Sharp
• Toshiba

Click here to view 7 LED TVs at CEDIA Expo 2009.

CE Pro's Jason Knott stops by Sencore's booth and talks video calibration and processing with Sencore and their partners.


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A new LED TV line was the centerpiece of Sharp’s CEDIA Expo 2009 booth.

And why not? “Eventually, we’ll probably be all-LED,” said spokesperson Melissa Non.

Sharp’s Aquos LED LCD TV Series, which began shipping in August, flanked a waterfall at the entrance of the booth. Attendees could take a closer look at the 32-, 40-, 46- and 52-inch models.

Demoing its LED technology, Sharp showed a stripped down TV with the “UltraBrilliant Full Array LED backlight” exposed. It was part of an emphasis on energy efficiency.

Sharp says its LED approach provides uniform brightness and color purity with higher luminance per watt so less power is needed. It adds that the series is mercury-free and exceeds the EPA’s Energy Star criteria for power consumption by up to 67 percent and has a long lifespan of 100,000 hours.

There was a lot of buzz about the

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Russ Maynard, owner of Cinetouch, talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about their software product that eliminates the programming of AMX, and allows same day deployment of a whole house control system.

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The CEDIA Learning Labs, which started as a gleam in the eye of CEDIA Education Council head Mike Creeden of M+R Digital Innovations, celebrated their one-year anniversary with some pomp and ceremony.

CEDIA leaders and sponsors gathered for some cookies and congratulations outside the lab rooms at CEDIA Expo 2009 in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The four hands-on training labs are a venue for dealers and their technicians to “get their hands dirty” performing some actual installation tasks while being educated at the same time. The labs were sponsored by ADI, which pulled together a myriad of manufacturers to help fulfill the vision.

The four labs were:

• Cable, Connectors and Testing
• Video Display Technologies and Calibration
• Computers
• Audio and Component Installation

Tom Polson, president of ADI, said that the distributor was committed to the bringing hands-on education to CEDIA. “I can promise you that we will continue to be here,” he said.

Creeden said the need for the Learning Labs is…

Terry Bush, President of XFTP/Trilithic, talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about their Field Technical Products and Testing Equipment product lines.


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Somfy System's Business Development Manager, Steve Iommi, talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about how Somfy motors and motorized window treatments integrate as a part of an energy management solution in a home automation system


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Chris Bortner, CEO of Envive talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about Envive's TheaterStation product line and the new TheaterStation client.


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