CEDIA 2009

Among the many LED-illuminated front projectors expected at CEDIA is the Kroma from Projectiondesign. A preliminary spec sheet for this single-chip DLP design claims a peak light output of about 600 lumens, a contrast ratio of up to 7500:1, and a lifespan of over 50,000 hours. Also, there's no need for a color wheel since the red, green, and blue LEDs are activated sequentially, and much faster than any color wheel's filters can move in and out of position, which means fewer—if any—so-called "rainbow artifacts." Pricing and availability were not disclosed prior to the show.

I hadn't heard of the Quantum before the show. This is Projectiondesign's "entry level" projector, which should be shipping next month for roughly $11,750, depending on the selected lens. It's small but mighty with a 220W UHP lamp and high-quality optics.

When I profiled the <A href="http:// blog.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-gear/revel_in_luxury/">Revel Ultima2</A> speaker line in my Ultimate Gear blog, there was no matching subwoofer. No longer&#151;CEDIA will witness the introduction of the Ultima Rythm2 powered sub. With 2400W RMS (5400W peak) to power its 18-inch, dual-voice-coil driver, this thing should shake the foundation with vanishing low distortion ad no dynamic compression. I don't know the price yet, but if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Among the many new products introduced by Runco at CEDIA is a new entry-level line of DLP projectors, dubbed LightStyle. Three models comprise the line&#151;the LS-3 ($5000) and LS-5 ($7000) are single-chip, 1080p, while the LS-7 ($15,500) is a 3-chip 720p. The sleek design looks more like a Planar projector, which is not surprising since Planar bought Runco in 2007.