Audio Video News

<IMG SRC="/images/newsart/he2002.infocus.jpg" WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=63 BORDER=0 ALIGN=LEFT>A great demo can be a thing of beauty&mdash;and InFocus, NAD, and PSB put together one of the best we've ever seen here at HE 2002. They started with a great concept: $10,000 can purchase a complete home theater package that can give anybody all the magic of a true cinema showcase. The system starts with InFocus' new $5000 ScreenPlay 110 DLP projector, which is optimized for DVD with a dual-mode TI DLP chip capable of both 16 X 9 and 4 X 3 projection. The unit incorporates Faroudja DCDI processing and a six-element four-speed color wheel. It will accept high definition inputs (though downscales them to 480p), has component inputs, and is NTSC, PAL, and SECAM compatible. The system included NAD's 80Wpc multichannel 761 A/V Receiver and T531 DVD player ($1500). PSB contributed a pair of Image 5T loudspeakers ($799/pair), an Image 9C center channel speaker ($399/each), a pair of Image 10S ($649/pair), and an Image SubSonic 6 powered subwoofer ($649/each). Add a Dalite grayscale screen and you'll "have enough left over from $10,000 for a nice meal," as the presenter put it.

Widescreen Digital Light Processing displays are dropping in price, thanks in no small way to companies like Samsung Electronics. On May 31, Samsung announced two new high-definition rear-projection DLP screens that should get the attention of movie fans everywhere.

Want the best big picture available for under a quarter million? Madrigal lays claim to that title with its new MP-D1.

Got a hankering for a pair of weatherproof outdoor speakers? Polk Audio is giving them away.

Used equipment junkies take note: eBay will bring its popular roving university to New York City for the Home Entertainment 2002 Show (HES 2002), May 30&ndash;June 2, 2002. Since its inception, eBay University has instructed thousands of eBay users on the ins and outs of buying and selling on eBay. The special seminar from eBay at HE 2002 will provide specific tips for attendees on buying and selling consumer electronic products.

Taiwanese and Chinese electronics makers hope to save billions in royalty fees by developing proprietary optical disc formats for the Chinese region, according to reports from Taipei in late May.

Home Entertainment 2002 is set to open to the public as planned, May 31–June 2, 2002, at the Hilton New York & Towers Hotel in New York City. Show attendees will be treated to numerous free educational seminars and musical performances from a dozen popular jazz, classical, and contemporary recording artists.