Recently Filed: Listing of Stories - Cedia Expo 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

ADI’s Customer Celebration Rocks CEDIA Expo 2009

MELVILLE, N.Y. — ADI joined together with many industry-leading vendors to host a special event to thank customers for their continuous support at CEDIA Expo 2009.

ADI also sponsored the CEDIA Learning Labs to provide attendees with hands-on experiences with the latest technology.

More than 1,300 dealers were invited to ADI's fourth annual customer celebration, held at the Opera Atlanta Event Center. Built in the 1920's, the Opera Atlanta Event Center retains the unique historical character and stunning architectural details of that period.

The event was sponsored by more than 20 leading manufacturers including Key Digital, Pioneer, Proficient, Russound, Honeywell, Peerless, Universal Remote Control, JVC, Monster and Sharp. Customers and vendors enjoyed an evening of first-class catering and entertainment by the popular band Soul Asylum, who captivated the audience with their alternative rock hits.

The CEDIA Learning Labs sponsored by ADI included four separate full-featured rooms equipped with the latest technology…

Posted by CE Pro Editors on 10/12 at 12:21 PM
Press Releases, Distributors, CEDIA, (0) Comments, Permalink

Friday, September 25, 2009

Envive Adds TheaterStation Multi-Zone Media Management

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.

Posted by Tom LeBlanc on 09/25 at 09:50 AM
News, Digital Rights, Legal, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink

Friday, September 18, 2009

Atlanta as CEDIA Expo Host: Love it or Hate it?

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…

Posted by Tom LeBlanc on 09/18 at 08:38 AM
Blogs, CEDIA, (18) Comments, Permalink

Thursday, September 17, 2009

11 Networked Components at CEDIA Expo 2009

If your electronics don’t stream content directly to your living room, they’re just plain lazy.

TV, Blu-ray player, receiver and media server manufacturers are pairing up with content providers to cut out the middleman — that being the consumer who actually has to go to a store to get movies or music.

Manufacturers at CEDIA Expo 2009 announced partnerships with Netflix and Vudu, showing off the fruits of their collaborations.

Vudu had a huge presence in LG's booth. LG kicked off the show by announcing that it's BD390 Wireless Network Blu-ray Player now has Vudu access.

Vudu, along with Netflix, YouTube and Yahoo Widgets, can also be streamed via LG’s line of Broadband TVs. The following components represent just a sample of the digital streaming products at CEDIA…

Posted by Tom LeBlanc on 09/17 at 06:19 AM
News, Product News, Slideshow, Displays, Receivers, Blu-ray, Digital Media, (3) Comments, Permalink

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Crestron’s Procise Demo Creates Buzz at CEDIA Expo

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.

…

Posted by Robert Archer on 09/16 at 01:03 PM
Blogs, Home Theater, CEDIA, (1) Comments, Permalink

7 LED TVs at CEDIA Expo 2009

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.

Posted by Steve Crowe on 09/16 at 08:34 AM
News, Product News, Slideshow, Displays, CEDIA, (5) Comments, Permalink

Video: Sencore 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.

View larger video here

Posted by CE Pro Editors on 09/16 at 07:49 AM
News, Video, Video Processors, Video Sources, CEDIA, (1) Comments, Permalink

Inside Sharp’s CEDIA Expo 2009 Booth

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…

Posted by Tom LeBlanc on 09/16 at 05:41 AM
News, Product News, Slideshow, Displays, Blu-ray, (0) Comments, Permalink

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Video: Lutron at CEDIA Expo 2009

View larger video here

Posted by CE Pro Editors on 09/15 at 01:32 PM
Video, Lighting, CEDIA, (0) Comments, Permalink

Video: CineTouch at CEDIA Expo 2009

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.