Audio Video News

Niles
The kids finally came through this year and gave you a brand-new, wall-mounted plasma instead of another tie with dancing Santas. Life would be perfect if you didn't have to stare at a couple of nonaesthetically pleasing loudspeakers on either side of your new toy. Niles' new DS6500AT in-ceiling loudspeaker is just the ticket. The DS speaker line features a pivoting driver system that lets you pivot the woofer up to 15 degrees and the tweeter up to 17 degrees in any direction. This action ensures that the speaker can accurately direct the sound where it needs to go. The DS6500AT has a rated power handling of up to 200 watts and uses a carbon and glass fiber woofer with a 1-inch aluminum tweeter. The speaker will only set you back $625.
Niles Audio
(305) 238-4373
www.nilesaudio.com

HDTV is permanently on the map with its own annual high-level convention. This year's inaugural event, HDTV Forum: Enabling HDTV from the Factory to the Home, took place in Marina del Rey, California, in mid-November, and drew attendees from a wide range of related industries. Sponsored by international research firms DisplaySearch and Insight Media, and by the Consumer Electronics Association, the sold-out event included over 40 presentations and panel discussions, covering the creation and distribution of HDTV content, all TV display and electronics technologies, experiences and challenges in online and retail channels, and market forecasts.

CRT projector beater? Peter Putman gets to light up the <A HREF="/videoprojectors/1003yamaha">Yamaha DPX-1000 DLP projector</A> to see what the latest HD2 chipped designs can do. "It presents a mixed bag of operating features and performance that succeeds well in some ways, not so well in others," comments PP.

Having earlier stubbed its toe in the personal computer market, <A HREF="http://www.gateway.com">Gateway</A> is on a consumer electronics roll. Around this time last year the company <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/news/11423/index.html">announced</A> its entry into the CE market with a sub-$3000 plasma TV. Then at the CEDIA Expo last month, <A HREF="http://www.guidetohometheater.com/news/11633/index.html">Gateway announced</A> the KAS-303 "1000W", 6.1-channel home theater system with a progressive scan DVD player, attractively priced at $999.

TERK
Think Sirius Satellite Radio is the grandest thing ever? Are you vexed that, not being a truck driver, you really don't get your money's worth for the Sirius satellite tuner in your car? Want to transfer this technology to your home theater? Then look for TERK's new SIR6, an outdoor satellite radio antenna that's designed especially for satellite radio reception in the home. Both compact and weatherproof, this satellite antenna comes with a detached cable for easy cable routing. The SIR6 also comes with a universal mounting bracket, which makes it easy to decide where to place the antenna: on a wall, the roof, or a mast or satellite dish. Music anywhere, all the time, can be yours for $80.
TERK Technologies
(631) 543-1900
www.terk.com

The demand for HDTV is growing faster than that for broadband services. One result is that more satellites may soon be converted for <A HREF="http://www.directv.com">DirecTV</A> high-definition broadcasting.

John J. Gannon checks out the <A HREF="/surroundsoundpreampprocessors/1003integra">Integra Research RDC-7 Preamplifier-Processor</A> and opines, "I'm happy to report that Integra Research has actually delivered."