All Products Filed in Digital Media

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Before it entered the market a few years ago the Berkeley, Calif.-based video manufacturer Wolf Cinema wanted to examine some of the most common problems that affect the quality of home cinema in order to better serve its dealers' ability to meet their clients needs.

What Wolf found was that many projectors didn't have proper ventilation and that many consumers didn't care for the aesthetics of having a projector with an external lens. What the company did in turn was to develop a full line of products that incorporates provisions for proper cooling and a unique approach to anamorphic aspect ratios. Building upon that foundation Wolf Cinema recently updated its product line through the introduction of two new flagship products: The REF-700 and the REF-1000. These new products are powered by Cermax Xenon arc lamps, three-chip DLP light engines, and the Central California company offers a choice of six of its VariScope lens solutions.

The projectors can be used for 3D and traditional 2D, and to ensure the products produce smooth looking and vivid 3D graphics the projectors incorporate triple-flash 3D imaging technologies. The projectors also incorporate IR and RS-232 options, nearfield IR emitters, and Wolf ships the projectors with four pairs of 3D glasses.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Throughout the commercial and residential A/V industries, if there's one common thread that electronics professionals share, it is a disdain for the HDMI format.

The Bromfield, Colo.-based manufacturer AVocation Systems can't do anything about the market perception of HDMI, but it can provide its authorized dealer base with a new range of solutions that can ease the pain of working with the HDMI protocol. AVocation Systems' new Mountain Series 8x8 HDMI Matrix Switch (HX-0808H) is the first of several new products the company plans on releasing on in 2012.

AVocation Systems says the 8x8 Matrix Switch distributes as many as eight sources to eight displays and its built-in EDID/Key managment features are designed to eliminate latency between inputs and its switching functions. The company adds the unit is HDMI 1.4 compatible so it supports advanced technologies like 4K video and 3D, and it also provides 12-bit Deep Color with resolutions up to 1080p at 60Hz (225MHz). In addition, it includes control options for IP, RS-232, USB and IR, as well as provisions for rack mounting to allow installers to utilize the product in a number of varying A/V environments.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Italian video manufacturer SIM2 has always approached the high-performance video market a little differently than its competition. Some of the ways the company has gone about things a little differently include its emphasis on industrial design and its use of proprietary light engine designs.

SIM2's latest product, the NERO 3D projector incorporates many of the company's recent flagship technology developments in a package that brings the price of ownership down tens of thousands of dollars. The NERO features Texas Instruments' (TI) single-chip DLP technologies along with SIM2's ALPHAPATH light engine design and high-quality optical glass lenses to provide homeowners with a high-performance video solution.

The unit also incorporates active 3D technologies, SIM2's PureMovie, PureMotion and PureMotion 3D 120Hz video processing technologies, a choice of inputs, and a choice of custom installation calibration options. In addition, the Italian manufacturer says the unit is capable of producing brightness levels up to 2,000 lumens to facilitate its installation in great room/media room environments.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Whether its competition wants to admit it or not, Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) is a market leader in the specialty consumer electronics category.

Recently the British company reaffirmed its position as a market leader when it introduced its third headphone product: the P3. B&W offers the compact P3 in a choice of black or white, and the headphones incorporate features such as custom-made, lightweight acoustic fabric covering the headphones' ear pads and speaker diaphragm terminals that have been positioned in a manner to ensure airflow. B&W says this positioning results in a more linear response from the headphones and less distortion. When this design attribute is combined with B&W's use of neodymium magnets and driver dampening techniques, the P3s are said to produce a high quality music listening experience.

B&W ships the iPod, iPhone and iPad friendly P3 headphones with a hard carrying case and a choice of cables that support the headphones' use with a variety of non-Apple smart phones and other personal electronic devices.

Monday, May 07, 2012

For years people have been able to download their favorite songs as ringtones, but unless a homeowner owned an exotic electronics system they were never able to treat their home's doorbell answering system with the same level of customization.

The security manufacturer Swann is now providing homeowners with the ability to customize their doorbells with the same level of fun and uniqueness that phone owners enjoy with downloadable ringtones. Swann's new MP3 Doorbell is a wireless doorbell that plays music when a visitor presses a home's doorbell button. Swann says the solution is able to transmit a wireless audio signal up to 165 feet, and it is able to play music stored on SD cards that range up to 32GBs in size. In addition, the company also offers USB connections to allow homeowners the ability to play music stored on their computers.

Other options bundled into the MP3 Doorbell include the ability to use the doorbell as a speaker, as well as a portable audio player. The speaker incorporates built-in controls and Swann packages the solution with music editing software to allow installers or homeowners to manage their music.

Thursday, May 03, 2012

From the consumer perspective one of the great things about being a home theater enthusiast is the rapid cycle of product and technology development. Besides the obvious improvements in quality and performance with these technology cycle changes, another benefit that consumers almost certainly enjoy is that prices typically fall with the introduction of each new product release.

Yamaha's latest product introductions are symbolic of the improvement in performance and quality, and the lowering of product costs. The company's two new receivers: The RX-V573 and RX-V473 provide budget minded home theater enthusiasts with a choice of full-featured products that combine the latest in network DLNA friendly technologies; state-of-the-art home theater surround sound processing and compatibility with Apple's popular array of iOS devices. The RX-V573 incorporates 7.1 channels of amplification, while the RX-V473 offers 5.1 channels of amplification, and both products employ Yamaha's proprietary YPAO system calibration options.

Both products also incorporate provisions to accept future technologies such as 4K video, as well as niche technologies such as 3D and Audio Return Channels (ARC). In addition, the receivers are engineered to be energy efficient through the inclusion of Yamaha's ECO Mode that can reduce the receivers' power consumption by as much as 20 percent.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Shure is one of the most well known manufacturers in both consumer and professional audio. In the world of consumer audio the company is respected in analog circles for its line of phono cartridges, and in the world of pro audio Shure products like the sm57 dynamic microphone is arguably the most popular microphone ever made.

Another product category that Shure is respected in is headphones and the company's latest product, the SRH1440 Professional Open Back headphone is engineered to provide home and professional recording engineers, and audiophiles with an affordable headphone solution. The SRH1440 headphone is specified to provide a frequency response of 15Hz to 27kHz and a sensitivity rating of 101dB. Internally Shure employs a set of 40mm dynamic drivers that feature neodymium magnets, and the company builds in an array of comfort options that includes an adjustable headband and replaceable ear pads.

Shure ships the headphones with a fitted carrying case, extra cables and ear pads, and a 1/4-inch adapter for professional monitoring applications.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Apple's impact on the world of music has been so great that it redefined on how music is listened to, consumed and now it's impacting how music is being made.

Beyond that massive scope of influence, the Cupertino, California-based company is also impacting the consumer audio market. The audio manufacturer Griffin Technology has introduced its new Twenty amplifier that combines a Class D amplifier with Apple AirPlay friendliness to provide homeowners with a simple way to stream their iTunes content to traditional passive loudspeakers. The Twenty incorporates a 20-watt Class D amp, digital inputs, a subwoofer output with a set crossover point of 80Hz in a device that can be easily hidden behind a speaker or placed on top of a speaker.

The Twenty has provisions to power a stereo pair of speakers and it's designed to work with an AirPort Express to provide instant Apple AirPlay iOS compatibility. When used with apps such as Pandora, Spotify or any other music service app that resides on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, consumers can have a choice of music services to listen to in combination with their iTunes content.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Unless someone is biased to the point where they are wed to one particular technology or format, 2012 is a great time to be a music fan.

Antelope Audio's latest product release is engineered to cater to the diversity of music fans that don't care if their music is digitally based or recorded and released via an analog format such as vinyl. The Santa Monica, California company's new Rubicon Atomic AD/DA Preamplifier is an audio solution that integrates the latest digital audio technologies and state-of-the-art analog audio technologies to provide music lovers with a preamp that is equally adept at handling digital and analog audio. Headlining the list of included technologies in the Rubicon preamp is the inclusion of a Rubidium atomic clock that is claimed to be 100,000 more stable than a traditional crystal oscillator. Antelope says the combination of a Rubidium atomic clock with its 64-bit based clocking technologies help the preamp and its built-in DAC to achieve an unprecedented level of jitter management. Augmenting the versatility of its digital capabilities are DLNA compatibility and 384kHz USB streaming that enable users to enjoy networked digital audio connectivity.

The Rubicon's analog capabilities are driven by a transformer-based, low-noise, discrete JFET phono preamp that provide a quiet and efficient means of audio reproduction. Antelope says the unit offers one set of RCA phono inputs, three RCA analog inputs, one RCA HiZ input, and one combo balanced input with 1/4-inch and XLR options. The unit's digital inputs include two S/PDIF, two TOSLINK, one AES/EBU, one word clock input and one Ethernet port. It's outputs include one set of balanced XLR, one set of RCA, and two de-jittered S/SPDIF outputs.

Monday, April 16, 2012

When the HDMI format was first introduced into the consumer electronics market several years ago it was a solution designed to transmit digital data over short lengths.

Collectively since the format's introduction however, manufacturers have worked diligently to improve the capabilities of the technology, including its ability to transmit high resolution, data intensive signals over long distances. Validating the work the cabling industry has put into the development of the HDMI format Metra Home Theater has recently rolled out its new 8-meter HDMI cable that carries DPL certification.

To achieve DPL Labs certification the cable must pass tests such as the eye pattern mask margin and inter-pair skew test, as well as tests for jitter, bandwidth, impedance, noise, five-volt reliability and current. Metra says the cable is able to pass a 1080p signal and 24-bit color depths to provide electronics professionals with a cabling product that can be used for installations that involved rack-mounted electronics and projectors.

Friday, April 13, 2012

The New York-based company URC has one of the most loyal dealer bases in the entire world of custom installation and the company annually ranks among the best in terms of product reliability, dealer support and overall quality.

With its entry into the whole-house audio category the company is venturing into a new market that's outside of its core control expertise. Through the launch of products like its new SNP-1 Networked Media Player the company is proving it can deliver products that rival its control solutions. The SNP-1 is a device that electronics professionals can use to stream audio from websites such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius XM and other Internet radio sites, and it can be combined with the company's PSX-2 iPod dock, as well as traditional legacy sources to provide clients with a complete and diverse whole-house audio solution.

The SNP-1 joins a growing list of URC whole-house audio components, and like those other components the SNP-1 can be controlled via a choice of URC two-way network devices, including the TRC-780 remote control, the TKP-2000 in-wall touchscreen and the TKP -100 in-wall keypad.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Depending on the quality of this summer's annual Hollywood blockbusters 3D will either continue to be an important entertainment option for consumers or it could be relegated to niche status.

No matter what happens with 3D this summer products like Optoma's HD33 HD 3D projector can provide homeowners with an affordable solution that drives their 2D and 3D home theater activities. The competitively priced projector is rated to deliver a brightness rating as high as 1800 ANSI lumens, and through the inclusion of the company's PureMotion3D and PureDepth technologies, consumers can view smooth 3D images and clear images that maximize the projector's brightness capabilities.

Optoma also incorporates its new 3D RF active 3D communications technologies to ensure a higher level of reliability that doesn't require line of sight connectivity. The company says the projector works with side-by-side 3D video and top-and-bottom 3D video, and it includes two HDMI 1.4a ports to support the connections of cable and satellite boxes, Blu-ray disc players, gaming consoles and streaming media players. In addition, it also supports VGA, component, composite, RS-232 communication and 12-volt trigger connections.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Today's A/V receivers now, more than ever serve as the hub of a modern home entertainment system because of all the features they offer. The newly announced TX-NR717 and TX-NR818 A/V receivers from Onkyo incorporate the latest audio surround sound formats, as well as provisions for video processing, networked entertainment, Apple compatibility and whole-house A/V options.

The TX-NR818 incorporates features such as Audyssey's MultEQ XT32 audio calibration technologies, as well as Onkyo's Dual Core Video Engine that runs a combination of an HQV Vida 1900 video processor with Marvel's Qdeo processor to upscale low resolution content and HD content to higher quality levels. Both receivers are THX Select 2 certified and both incorporate Onkyo's WRAT amplification technologies that are designed to minimize distortion.

Onkyo adds that both setup through an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a quick setup menu that overlays the GUI, and with multiple HDMI inputs and networking provisions, homeowners can pull media from their home network or stream Internet radio stations such as Spotify and AUPEO.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

As an industry there aren't many products the public ranks lower cable services. For an idea of how lowly the cable industry's standing is in the public eye, it's value arguably rivals the service from the airline industry, which is at a near historically terrible level.

Custom installers can't help the airlines win back the public, but it can ease some of the service issues associated with cable TV service through the use of TiVo's recently revamped product line. TiVo's newly announced TiVo Premiere DVR is the company's latest product and it offers homeowners an affordable solution that records 65 percent more HD content than the company's previous generation model.

TiVo says the product is capable of recording 75 hours of HD content and it incorporates the company's respected user interface. In addition to the new Premiere DVR, TiVo has also announced a new subscription rate of $14.99 per month, and the company has also introduced a new multi-service discount rate of $12.99 per month.

Monday, March 26, 2012

A couple of years ago when the 3D video format was making its reemergence into the world of consumer video the products that supported the format were expensive.

Since that time the buzz for the format has leveled off and like most things in consumer electronics, it's growth has pushed 3D gear price points down to levels that allow more consumers to buy into the world of 3D video. ATEN's new VS482 Dual View HDMI switch provides electronics professionals with a device that can handle as many as four 3D sources and it can distribute these sources to multiple 3D displays which is now a more affordable scenario for installers to propose to clients.

The VS482 works with the latest HDMI format protocols such as 3D, Deep Color and the Audio Return Channel, as well as high resolution display formats like WUXGA (1920x1200) to provide installers with a component that can handle a variety of tasks. ATEN says the unit is designed to setup easily through the use of its onscreen display (OSD) and with its choice of convenience features that include a front panel display that allows for source selection, as well as RS-232 control options to enable its integration into a third-party control system, it can be placed in an equipment rack or it can be used as a standard A/V device within a home theater system.