Audio Video News

Several manufacturers will be demonstrating state-of-the-art home-theater products at HI-FI '98, some of which have never been seen by the public before. From now until Show time, we'll be running several announcements each week to give you a taste of what to expect. Here's the first assortment:

Faroudja
Faroudja will have the RP4800 rear-projection TV on display. According to the company, they have designed the new HDTV-capable RP4800 to deliver the highest level of video performance now attainable in rear-projection television. It takes full advantage of all analog, digital, and HDTV formats, and it can be easily integrated into any home-theater installation.

Features include a built-in Faroudja line doubler for "filmlike" picture quality, 7" CRTs to generate a dramatic 48"-wide viewing area, high scan-rate capability, and a high-performance screen tailored for the 16:9 aspect ratio. Advanced video-processing capabilities are said to ensure compatibility with any of the proposed HDTV signal formats, as well as data-grade resolution with all computer systems. Both NTSC and PAL broadcast standards are accommodated.

Revel Corporation
Revel Corporation will be hosting three suites at HI-FI '98. In one suite, the company will demonstrate its new surround speaker system (the Ultima Voice center-channel and Ultima Embrace surrounds) along with the Ultima Gem main L/R speakers and SUB-15/LE 1 subwoofer system, using Mark Levinson and Proceed electronics. The video in this suite will be 720p HDTV by Joe Kane and the Imaging Science Foundation.

The second suite will house a demonstration of Revel's new Salon speaker in a two-channel configuration using Mark Levinson electronics. This new full-range, floorstanding speaker utilizes proprietary transducer technology and will retail for $15,500/pair in their most expensive finishes. Reception for the Revel demonstrations will be in the third suite, Room 860.

Sony Electronics
Sony will display its "standard-setting" Trinitron technology, enhanced for the DTV age in four new FD (Flat Display) Trinitron televisions. Boasting a dramatically different picture tube that is vertically and horizontally flat, Sony's new FD Trinitron TVs produce minimal glare and virtually no image distortion. The tube includes a new high-precision electron gun that delivers sharper, more accurate pictures, and a new, larger deflection yoke improves corner-to-corner focus.

Atlantic Technology
Atlantic Technology's demonstrations will feature the System 370, a six-piece, THX-certified speaker array said to produce "a cinematic experience surpassed only by a few movie theaters." Atlantic Technology's designers started with the System 350 and incorporated advances made during the development of the award-winning, top-of-the-line System 450 THX.

The flagship System 450 THX will also be on display, along with the entry-level System 270. Although the System 370 is more cost-effective than the System 450 THX, it incorporates premium components, composite-graphite cones for the woofers and midrange drivers, silk-dome tweeters with neodymium magnets, substantial cabinetry, and other features that combine to deliver "accurate and dynamic musical performance."

Its constituent parts include the 371 LR left and right front speakers, the 353 C low-profile center-channel speaker, a pair of 374 SR surround speakers, and a 372 PBM subwoofer with a built-in 275W power amplifier for the 15" driver. The System 370 is available for a suggested retail system price of $3996.