Audio Video News

Perpetually on the cutting edge of technology, Meridian Audio Limited plans to make a big push with its new "G Series" home theater components at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. The Huntingdon, UK- and Atlanta, GA-based company also plans to ratchet up its support for the DVD-Audio format.

Meridian's primary focus will be on the G Series. Compatible with both analog and digital systems (such as Meridian's DSP7000 loudspeaker array), the versatile G Series includes a receiver, power amplifiers, the surround processor, and four optical disc players, two of which handle DVD-Audio/Video. G Series components are distinguished by their new styling, in pearly silver or traditional Meridian black, in metal with black glass accents. A sophisticated "soft key" front panel lets users reassign functions according to context, via a special setup application, or directly from the front panel.

Showing at the CES for the first time, G Series gear has already won praise from the Consumer Electronics Association, which bestowed a 2004 Innovations Design and Engineering Award on the G68 Surround Processor.

Given since 1989, the Innovations Awards are endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). The G68 is a modular, upgradeable THX Ultra2-certified component serving as a digital-and-analog A/V surround preamp-processor with RDS/RDBS tuner. It is also one of the first Dolby Pro Logic IIx processors on the market, and provides a variety of multichannel inputs including two 6-channel digital inputs, which accept Meridian MHR Smart Link signals from compatible Meridian disc players.

The G68 upsamples these digital inputs, offering an improvement in sound quality from movie and music multichannel recordings. Flexible video configurations can include broadcast-grade switching incorporating multiple S- and component-video inputs and outputs. A proprietary Meridian DSP room-correction system can counteract room resonances, dramatically improving stereo and surround imaging. The G68 is available now, priced from $6,995 to $8,995 depending on configuration.

Meridian will also display the latest iterations in its highly regarded DSP7000 and DSP8000 active loudspeakers, which need only a digital connection to the source component and raw electricity from wall outlets to comprise a complete system.

Other pre-CES Meridian news includes an announcement of a new video interface card for the acclaimed 800 DVD player, centerpiece of the company's flagship 800 Series components. The card plugs into the card frame in the 800 player and adds HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) digital audio/video interfacing, as well as progressive video with Faroudja DCDi de-interlacing.

The VE12 is HDMI Phase 1 compliant, and provides a wide selection of compression-free high-definition video formats, including 480i, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. Also supported are two channels of PCM digital audio or bitstream formats corresponding to all the audio formats available for DVD-Video, including Dolby Digital and DTS.

Video processing on the card allows scaling and aspect ratio adjustment, including automatic sensing of disc flags. The digital image is pixel-mapped to the display and includes native-rate scaling, in which a dialogue occurs between the card and the display, enabling the card to deliver a signal that is specific to the display system in use, for the ultimate in digital video performance without artifacts. Content is protected by means of the HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) system developed for DVI by the Intel Corporation.

The VE12 card also offers broadcast-quality progressive component analog video outputs on three BNC connectors, with up to 480p maximum resolution. The outputs incorporate Faroudja DCDi technology, which provides per-pixel motion-adaptive de-interlacing to allow highest quality, artifact-free component video performance without the need for an external line doubler. To be available in March 2004, the VE12 will sell for $1295 and can be installed in any 800 player.

Meridian will have a big display in the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth 17220.