One highlight of LG’s CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020 booth is the GX 3.1 soundbar, a model that the company rolled out in July to accompany its GX Gallery Series TVs such as the 65-inch 65GXPUA that Sound & Vision recently reviewed.
Welcome to the age of virtual trade exhibitions. CEDIA Expo 2020 officially got underway on Tuesday as it has every year since for the past 30 years but unlike past events the only thing you needed to attend was an internet connection and your device of choice. More than 100 “exhibitors” introduced new products, including a healthy selection of audio/video and home entertainment products. Here’s a sampling.
Samsung is using CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020 to show off its growing portfolio of custom installation-centric display solutions. Included in this group are The Premiere 4K ultra short throw laser projectors, The Wall MicroLED displays, The Terrace, and the lifestyle-oriented The Frame TVs. Samsung’s full lineup was covered in a press conference on Tuesday and is now being exhibited virtually in the company’s virtual booth.
Back in 2019 at in-person (not virtual) CEDIA, we reported on Epson’s new LS500 Laser Projection TV. It’s taken a while, but that model is officially available as of today.
The centerpiece of Monitor Audio’s packed CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020 booth is its new Bronze speaker lineup, which we had previously reported on in early July. These handsome speakers, now in their sixth generation, have been designed to deliver dynamic, attention-grabbing performance, and feature an 8-ohm nominal impedance to allow pairing with a wide range of A/V receivers and electronics.
At CEDIA 2019, we reported on the PWM2, a 36-inch-long, 3.5-inch deep on-wall offering from Canada’s PSB Speakers. That model has now been joined by the PWM1 and PWM3. At 28 and 48 inches long, respectively, PSB’s slim, new on-walls provide a wider range of options to mate speakers with flat-panel TVs in a design-conscious home theater.
Sony Electronics has announced a trio of native 4K (4096 x 2160) SXRD projectors aimed at the consumer and custom installation channels. The new models are the VPL-VW715ES, VPL-VW915ES, and flagship VPL-GTZ380.
At the last CEDIA Expo in September 2019, JVC announced a firmware update for its native 4K D-ILA projectors that delivered true frame adaptive HDR tone mapping to the lineup. For CEDIA Expo Virtual 2020, the company’s key announcement is an improved version of that Frame Adapt HDR feature called Theater Optimizer. The firmware also includes a few other tweaks and new features and will be available as a free firmware update in November 2020 for the following models: DLA-NX5, DLA-NX7, DLA-NX9, DLA-RS1000, DLA-RS2000, and DLA-RS3000.