Tom Norton

Samsung's new SP-A800 1080p projector, (under $10,000, available Q4 2007), was being demonstrated by video expert Joe Kane, who was heavily involved with Samsung in its development. It exhibited technically flawless color, crisp but natural detail across the entire screen, outstanding optics (I didn't sit close enough to judge for color fringing, but Joe said that superior optics to eliminate this aberration were a key element in the design), and excellent brightness on a 10-foot screen (a new Stewart Studiotek 130) screen using that company's new, fine-trained screen finish optimized for 1080p projection. It also has an iris with Light, Middle, Deep, and Auto settings (no word on how or how well the Auto iris function works, and Joe used the Middle and Light settings for the demo).

Definitive Technology has a new Mythos 10 ($899) center channel speaker to match the company's current Mythos ST ($1799 each). The Mythos 10 was on static display, but the Mythos STs were being played as a left and right 2-channel stereo pair, driven by a rack full of Theta electronics. The system sounded superb.

I didn't get in to see the new 1080p Marantz VP-15S1 today. The wait was too long, but I'll have a better chance tomorrow. In the meantime, the projector is available either au natural or with an optional anamorphic lens. The PJ itself is half the price of Marantz' VP-11S1 flagship ($20,000), which remains in the line.

The new 70" Sony SXRD—that is, <I>Bravia</I> SXRD, was producing a great picture previewing the upcoming (late October) Blu-ray release of <I>Spider-Man 3</I>. For details on the display see the entry below.