CES 2010

RBH Sound showed its new high performance Signature Series speakers, dubbed the 8300-SE and the reference version, the 8300-SE/R. The 8300-SE features three 8-inch aluminum cone subwoofers, two 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers and 1-inch soft dome tweeter. The 8300-SE/R, shown in the photo has upgraded 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers with a phase plug, a liquid-cooled Scanspeak silk dome tweeter and a modified crossover network resulting in increased power handling capacity. The 8300 speakers can be bi-amped or bi-wired.

You may not have heard of Analog Devices, Inc. because the company makes integrated circuits and other components, not consumer products. But ADI is big into video. I saw a demo of a video-transmission system based on JPEG2000, the same compression technology used in digital cinema. Dubbed HDAnywhere, the system can be used to send video over any wired or wireless medium very efficiently. The demo included two TVs displaying the same content—one was receiving conventional HDMI over fiber-optic cable while the other got its signal wirelessly using UWB (ultra wideband) over a distance of 50 feet. There was a slight delay in the wireless image, but they were nearly identical otherwise. Hitachi is shipping a TV with an outboard input/processor box that uses HDAnywhere via UWB, which I'll take a close look at when I get over the Hitachi booth.

Unlike WirelessHD, which I wrote about yesterday, Amimon's WHDI (Wireless HD Interface) is now included in several TVs, but they are only available in Japan. Sony's Bravia Wireless Link module and Belkin's FlyWire also use WHDI and are available in the US. WHDI uses the 5GHz band to transmit up to 1080p/60 with second-generation chips over a distance of up to 30 meters through walls with a latency of less than 1ms. Amimon's hotel suite has 10 streams going at once across three rooms in addition to WiFi in the same 5GHz band with impressive results. Pictured are two WHDI receiver modules—a major reduction is size from the suitcase-sized box I saw a couple of years ago. Members of the WHDI Consortium include LG, Sharp, Sony, Hitachi, and Samsung.

British audio manufacturer Cambridge Audio has unveiled its new Azur 640R Version 2 7.1-channel AV receiver and the Azur 640BD Blu-ray player at CES 2009.

You may not know the NXT name, but it's possible you've heard their flat panel speakers, which are found in products ranging from automobiles, LCD televisions and portable PC speakers. NXT is a manufacturer that licenses their unique flat panel speaker designs to various companies and at this year's CES they showed the Q-AV System, an adjustable LCR speaker that adjusts from 37 to 52-inches in width to accommodate plasma or LCD televisions of various sizes. The LCR system shown in the photo has three full range drivers and was accompanied by a subwoofer and flat panel rear speakers. No price was available.

In conjunction with showing their 60th anniversary legacy products, McIntosh is introducing the new MX-150 AV controller featuring Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, HDMI 1.3 capability Room Perfect auto-EQ functionality. The Room Perfect system was developed by Steinway-Lyngdorf, a Danish company that also manufactures high-end audio components. I've used the Room Perfect room equalization system in my listening room with excellent sonic results. The MX-150 also includes software for additional set-up and equalization functions to fine tune it for each installation.

ZeeVee started delivering product in the fall of 08, so they are hardly a household name yet. What they offer is a solution for integrating your computer, not just your files, to a remote TV or even your home theater. The ZeeVee interface offers a simple scroll and click interface with icons for key internet sites where you can watch TV programs such as Hulu.com, CBS, Fox, CNN etc. Like many other networking systems, you can access the media files on your computer. However, ZeeVee goes a step further and does something I have not seen yet. Your entire desktop is now on a TV in another part of your house, so not only can you browse the internet you can open you applications and launch into Word, Photoshop, or whatever. The basic unit is not exactly cheap at $499 though it includes an RF remote & transmitter that sits at your computer. A RF keyboard is on the way to complete the integration (Price-TBA). Currently, it is only PC compatible but the Mac firmware upgrade should be available in late Q1.