Tom Norton

CES 2011
Mellow Yellow
Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2010  |  Published: Jan 07, 2010

Sharp's big announcement, apart from listing of their new models, was Quad Pixel Technology. Instead of the usual red, green, and blue sub-pixels that make up each pixel in the LCD image, Sharp adds a fourth, yellow-filtered sub-pixel. This is said to increase the number of colors up to 1 trillion. But who's counting?

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CES 2011
Samsung Steps Up
Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2010  |  Published: Jan 07, 2010

If I tried to list all the new Samsung HDTVs launched at the show I'd go blind, so with deference to those who say I already am, and in the interests of my being still able to review a few of them later this year, I'll hit the highlights. With a full, new lineup of HDTVs (LED sidelit LCDs, conventional CCFL—fluorescent—backlit LCDs, and plasmas), new BD players with faster claimed booting and loading times, and three complete BD audio systems, Samsung is ready for the 2010 retail wars.

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CEDIA 2009
Martin Logan
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
Martin Logan was featuring its flagship electrostatic speakers, but also in attendance was this small, stand/bookshelf design that incorporates An AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeter--a technology developed by Oscar Heil in the 1970s and made popular, briefly, in a series of speakers from ESS. The demo was brief, but the sound very promising. The speakers will be available in February 2010, with models at $400 and $600 and a pair of floorstanders also are in the works. Here they were used with a pair of the currently available Dynamo 700 subwoofers (wireless, $695 each--there's also a larger $995 Dynamo 1000))
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CEDIA 2009
Monitor Audio Silver RX
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
Monitor Audio announced the new SIlver RX series of loudspeakers, incorporating features developed for the company's more upscale Platinum and Gold lines (the Platinums are reviewed in the October 2009 issue of Home Theater). The Silver RX line includes seven models, from the small Silver RS 1 bookshelf ($675/pair) to the large floorstanding RX 8 ($1750/pair).
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CEDIA 2009
Shifty Optoma
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
Optoma decided to forgo its usual huge demo booth this year (there was a lot of that going around) for a more modest setup, but its new HD8600 projector kept up the excitement quotient. It offers full lens shift and three interchangeable lenses, both of them firsts for the company's projectors. It also incorporates TI's latest DarkChip3 DMD, DynamicBlack, Pixelwork's DNX MotionEngine technology, a claime4d output of 1600 ANSI Lumens, and ISFccc calibration features. The projector comes with the standard zoom lens as part of its $7499 price. Prices were not yet settled for the long and short throw zoom lens options.
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CEDIA 2009
Special K2
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
JBL's K2 loudspeakers, shown here in a conventional 2-channel setup on the show floor, is also a key part of JBL's latest Synthesis home theater system. But they can be had alone, if you prefer, for $30,000/pair.
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CEDIA 2009
Kaleidescape Mini
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
The new, smaller Kaleidescape Mini System can hold up to 225 DVDs or 2500 CDs with expanded optional storage (75 and 825 respectively with the standard storage that comes with the unit. $7995 with standard storage.
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CEDIA 2009
The Biggest Torus
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
From Bryston in the Great White North comes the Torus RM100 BAL, a power line conditioner designed to not only totally isolate your system from garbage and spikes on the AC power line, but to provide higher instantaneous peak current, acting as a very low impedance current source, to juice-hungry components such as large power amps. This monster, with its humongous toroidal transformer, is MUCH bigger than the picture suggests (27"x 20.5" x 10.5", 220 lbs). $8500.
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CEDIA 2009
The Biggest Torus II
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
Here's the business end of the Torus RM 100BAL discussed above.
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CEDIA 2009
Digital Projection LED
Tom Norton  |  Sep 14, 2009
From Digital Projection we get the M-Vision Cine LED. This single chip DLP projector, if you're following the drift here, uses LED illumination to replace the projection lamp. As with the other digital projectors we saw at the show, from Runco, Projectiondesign, and SIM2, it's not a torch, is rated at a modest 600 lumens. Includes dynamic black for a rated peak contrast ration of 10,000:1 (2,000:1 native), and is best used on screens no wider than 8 feet. The screen it was used with at the show was 5.5' wide Stewart with a gain of 1.3. Or that's what a Digital Projection rep said. It did look a bit larger than that.
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