New Products -- May 2003 Page 2

Zenith weaverForget the digital set-top TV tuner-why not get everything you need for digital TV in one package? Zenith's C34W37 TV is a 34-inch widescreen direct-view set with a built-in HDTV tuner. You can also feed it external high-def signals by plugging them into its DVI or component-video inputs. It has a built-in line doubler with 2:3 pulldown processing, and its screen surface is virtually flat. For analog TV, dual NTSC tuners let you watch programs side by side or with an inset picture. Weight is 188 pounds. A backlit universal remote control is supplied. Price: $1,999. www.zenith.com, 847-391-7000 irock pettitteWord on the street is that you could use a portable CD player. The irock BLiNG not only plays CDs but also CD-Rs and CD-RWs with MP3 files. Two-minute skip protection ensures you won't miss a beat even when you're on the run, and a three-line backlit LCD displays song titles and elapsed time for tracks with ID3 tags. No disc handy? You can always listen to the radio through the BLiNG's FM tuner, and control is easy even when you're jogging thanks to the wired remote. Six equalizer presets-such as Rock, Jazz, and Classical-adjust the sound to your taste. The BLiNG measures 5 1/8 x 5 7/8 x 1 1/8 inches and weighs 8 ounces. A battery charger is built in, and a single charging is said to last up to 15 hours. Price: $100. www.myirock.com, 847-202-1900 Peerless MussinaRemember your old rolling TV table? Great for tube TVs, but plasma sets need something like the Solid-Point Articulating Swivel Mount from Peerless to move around. The swivel mount extends 30 1/2 inches but folds neatly behind the set when up against the wall, adding only 4 inches to the depth. Three pivot points on the arm allow you to swivel the mounted set up to 180° and tilt it 10° forward or 5° back. A side-to-side adjustment feature is said to keep the screen level however you twist it. The adapter plate is sold separately, and plates are available for sets with screens from 32 to 50 inches. Price: $475; adapter plate, $109. www.peerlessindustries.com, 800-865-2112 Boston Acoustics ClemensIf you need to fill a big home theater space with sound, check out Boston Acoustics' BT Series speakers, which are designed for high-output, custom home theaters. Each model in the series-the BT1 and BT2 speakers and the BT1200 subwoofer-has die-cast "finger pulls" and scratch-preventing pads to ease installation into custom-built cabinetry. The BT2 (shown) has a 1-inch aluminum-dome tweeter, a 4 1/2-inch midrange, and two 8-inch woofers for a rated bandwidth of 60 Hz to 20 kHz. Dimensions are 17 1/2 x 10 x 13 inches. The BT1 has the same drivers but only one woofer, while the 500-watt BT1200 sub has an 8-inch driver rated down to 20 Hz. The mid/tweeter array on the BT1 and BT2 rotates 90° for more flexible placement. Prices: BT1, $1,000 each; BT2, $1,800 each; BT1200, $1,400. www.bostonacoustics.com, 978-538-5000 Acoustic Specialties ruthFlat-screen computer monitors are all the rage-why not pair yours with speakers to match? Acoustic Specialties' 5.1MS multimedia system uses NXT flat-panel technology in its five satellite speakers. Each speaker is 1 1/2 inches thick and has a rated bandwidth of 200 Hz to 20 kHz. With the 8-inch driver in the bass module, system bandwidth extends down to 35 Hz. The satellites connect to the 8 x 15 x 16-inch bass module, which has a full set of controls on its front panel and inputs for optical and coaxial digital audio and multichannel analog audio around back. Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel soundtracks are decoded onboard, and the built-in amplifier pumps out 320 watts of total power. Each satellite comes with a tabletop stand and wall-mounting hardware, and a remote control is supplied. Price: $400. www.acousticspecialties.net, 952-545-6122 Tributaries RiveraIn a custom-installed system, anything that lets you string less cable can help. Tributaries' DataSound Combo Wire combines Cat-5 data cable with four-conductor speaker wire, letting installers string a single cable for both applications. The speaker wire has a 65-strand count in each conductor, and the data cable is said to handle frequencies up to 350 MHz and bit rates up to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). The side-by-side two-jacket design keeps the cable flexible while allowing the two sides to be separated at either end. The wire is available in 500-foot spools with either white or pink-yes, pink-insulation. Price: $500. www.tributariescable.com, 800-521-1596 Creative KarsayLike everyone else, you've had a hankering for some tunes when you're typing away at the computer, but what if you don't have a CD handy? When you've got Creative's Prodikeys keyboard, music is just a keystroke away. Combining a standard PC keyboard with 37 touch-sensitive music keys, the Prodikeys can simulate 128 different instruments. The supplied software has a learning mode for rookies as well as programs for creating customized performances for you P. Diddys out there. You can save music in WAV, MIDI, or MP3 format, and a Sound Blaster audio card is included. Price: $100. www.creative.com, 408-428-6600 Fosgate HitchcockGoing retro doesn't mean you have to miss out on today's technology, at least not when you have Fosgate Audionics' FAP V1 vacuum-tube surround sound processor. Said to be the only tube processor equipped with Dolby Pro Logic II processing (which was invented by Jim Fosgate), the FAP V1 takes an analog stereo input signal and provides a multichannel output for surround sound playback. There are eight stereo inputs, a record loop, plus a multichannel analog input. The multichannel output includes two additional channels so you can accommodate 6.1 or 7.1-channel sound. In keeping with the retro theme, the front-panel controls are simple knobs and switches, including a control for center-channel width and a bass blend. The Bubinga wood paneling and polished anodized-aluminum faceplate are sure to turn heads in your listening room. The processor measures 19 7/8 x 10 1/4 x 15 1/8 inches. Price: $12,995. www.fosgateaudionics.com, 866-777-7282 Panasonic AcevedoDVD recorders inch ever closer to the mainstream with Panasonic's DMR-E50. The fourth-generation recorder can burn video programs to both DVD-R and DVD-RAM discs. DVD-Rs play in most DVD players, while DVD-RAM discs give you editing features and an instant-replay function, plus the ability to simultaneously play from and record to the same disc. No need to worry about recording over something accidentally-the deck will automatically find blank space on the disc. Also helping you time-shift are VCR Plus+ and a full-function remote control. A progressive-scan video output shows the DMR-E50 has got game as a player, too. Price: $600. www.panasonic.com, 800-211-7262 Toshiba OsunaGet to know the name LCoS, for liquid crystal on silicon, because you may be hearing a lot more about this latest TV display technology (see page 94). Toshiba's first rear-projection LCoS set, the 57-inch 57HLX82, displays images at a native resolution of 1080p (progressive)-a higher spec than any other high-definition set. All input signals are upconverted to 1080p, and the set has component-video and DVI (Digital Visual Interface) inputs for high-def signals. There are no front-panel buttons. Instead, you can either use the remote control or activate a small onscreen touchpad by tapping the bottom corner of the display. The built-in 40-watt audio system has bottom-mounted woofers and screen-height tweeters for more realistic reproduction of dialogue, though it also has space below the screen for the center speaker of a home theater system. The cabinet is a relatively shallow 18 inches deep. Price: $9,000. www.toshiba.com/tacp, 800-631-3811

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