CEDIA 2013

GOBUDi brought the company’s “Out of Sight Bracket” to CEDIA for the first time. At a tiny corner booth that I almost missed, I found this clever little bracket that makes it extremely easy to mount an Apple TV or Apple AirPort Express in a hidden location without resorting to using awkward straps or double-stick tape on the back of the Apple device. The $19.99 bracket includes two strips of industrial strength adhesive tape on the back that securely hold the bracket in place on the back of a flat-panel or other conveniently out-of-the-way spot. The AirPort Express or Apple TV simply snaps in place in the bracket. All you need to do to remove the Apple box is gently unsnap it from the bracket. The Out of Sight Bracket is available now in black or white versions.

CEDIA was packed with plenty of pricey options for transmitting audio over the air, but at least one company was showing wireless gear at a down-to-earth price. Monoprice’s Wireless Speaker Transmitter ($88.11) is a transmitter/receiver system that sends CD-quality audio over the 2.4 GHz band at distances up to 98 feet. And since were talking Monoprice here, a no-frills cables/accessories e-tailer that places a premium on value over marketing, I will also note the system’s product number: 10601.

Cambridge Audio has been dinking around with Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) drivers for a couple of years in its pint-sized Minx speakers, but now it's bringing BMR into the spotlight with a new line of full-size speakers built for conventional home theater and stereo applications.

The Canton DM 50 sound pad (yes, we love the name too) is just about wide enough for the pedestal of a large flat panel TV. While the driver complement remained something of a mystery due to the nondetachable grille, it does have two 3.5-inch woofers firing out of the bottom. Dolby Digital and DTS decoding are present. Total power is 200 watts, Class D. Like any respectable bar nowadays, it also has Bluetooth. Price $599.

As part of its annual market research report, The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) asked systems integrators (a.k.a. custom AV installers) how they see the demand for 4K/Ultra HD TV sales shaping up over the next 12 months. Survey participants said they expect the new high-resolution sets to account for only 11 percent of their TV sales, suggesting the need for content to catch up. Is an Ultra HD TV in the cards for you?

Control4 debuted several new additions to the audio/video distribution portion of the company’s well-regarded automation system. Principally was the new 8x8 HDMI matrix switch with built-in HDBaseT technology for sending uncompressed 1080p video and high-resolution, multi-channel audio up to 300-feet over a single Category rated cable. The system can also transmit Ethernet, IR and serial commands over a single cable, making it a perfect application for a retrofit. The new 8x8 matrix features 8 HDMI inputs, 8 stereo analog audio outputs, 8 HDBaseT RJ45 connections, 2 HDMI outputs for local connection, and 8 Ethernet inputs for each zone.