Samsung OLED TV CES 2012

  The 55-inch OLED TVs from Samsung (shown here) and LG stole the show for me. (Yes, there were a lot of 4K flat panels as well, but without 4K content, they are not all that important except for passive-glasses 3D.) This is the first new TV technology to become a real commercial product in many years, and it beats LCD and plasma in every way. Both manufacturers claim to have solved OLED's longevity problem, but only time will tell if they actually have.
No pricing was announced—nor was a model number in Samsung's case—but I've heard rumors from $5000 to $10,000. If it's closer to $5000, that will be a home run right out of the gate; if it's more like $10,000, these TVs will be a niche product until the next generation brings the price down. by scott wilkinson

Episode 300 Series ES-300SNDBAR Soundbar

 I've spent quite a bit of time with a number of soundbars recently and, while I've come away from each encounter with a newfound appreciation for the simple multi-channel speaker, I've yet to find one that manages to be equally pleasing for both music and movies. I take that back, I've yet to find an affordable soundbar that does it for me on both fronts - until now.


Episode Loudspeakers is a newer player in the space, offering everything from subwoofers to outdoor loudspeakers. Their latest offerings are two new soundbars in what Episode calls their 300 Series. The larger of the two, the ES-300-SNDBAR-40-BLK (ES-300-40) reviewed here, retails for $599.95. If $600 is a bit steep, the smaller soundbar in the 300 Series retails for $499.95.

The ES-300-40 is essentially an LCR in a single slender chassis. Encased in the gloss-black chassis are four three-inch bass/midrange drivers complimented by four three-inch passive radiators. High frequencies are handled via three three-quarter-inch silk dome tweeters. The drivers are spaced symmetrically across the ES-300-40's entire 40-inch width. As for its other dimensions, the ES-300-40 is four-and-a-half inches tall by nearly three inches deep and tips the scales at a respectable 11 pounds. Because the ES-300-40 is essentially three discrete loudspeakers in a single chassis, there are three sets of gold-plated pushpin binding posts to connect the ES-300-40 to your amplifier or AV receiver. This means, of course, that there is no built-in or internal amplifier or sound processor of any kind, which is a good thing in my opinion, for it usually means the manufacturer was focused on getting one thing right - the speakers themselves.

As for the speakers, they have a reported frequency response of 105Hz to 22kHz, so not exactly a bass head's dream, but then again, few soundbars are. The ES-300-40 has a sensitivity rating of 88dB, making it ideal for a wide range of electronics and amplifiers. Episode lists the ES-300-40 recommended power requirement at around 90 watts RMS, though it can handle up to 225 watts in short bursts. Needless to say, those of you with AV receivers or mid-fi separates will be just fine.
T
he ES-300-40 into my bedroom system was a breeze. I connected via three separate runs of bare 16-gauge speaker cable. I augmented the ES-300-40's lower frequencies with another Episode speaker, their newest compact subwoofer, the CUB8. Episode does make suitable rear-channel speakers, but since this was to be a review of the ES-300-40 itself, I chose to run my bedroom home theater sans rear channels for the duration of this review. Out of the box, the ES-300-40 is a performer, possessing excellent coherence across all three of its channels and surprising separation in two-channel listening. Believe it or not, there was actually a soundstage present when playing back two-channel source material, one that had solid depth and width, which exceeded the physical dimensions of the ES-300-40 itself. The ES-300-40's overall sonic character was ever so slightly lean of neutral, though it was more apparent during two-channel demos than in multi-channel ones.by andrew robinson

For movies, the ES-300-40 simply excited the senses and showcased what is possible in a soundbar when the attention is placed on the loudspeakers themselves versus trying to figure out an all-in-one solution. What I mean by this is, the ES-300-40 sounds larger and more refined that either its physical size or makeup would lead you to believe. Vocals are clear and crisp with real presence and authority. Bombastic sound effects and dynamic beats are rendered faithfully and at levels you'd swear weren't possible from a soundbar - hell, I've heard budget and mid-fi bookshelf speakers that couldn't hold a candle to much of what I heard from the ES-300-40. True, the ES-300-40 does require a subwoofer to pull off the illusion of three full-range loudspeakers but, given the ES-300-40's asking price and that of the CUB8 subwoofer I used for this demo, the two made for one heck of a compelling combo and did so for under $1,000 retail.   

Electronic Business 4K Video And 24 Bit Audio

There are some industry executives, trusted engineers and even respected physicians who believe that there are realistic limits to how much audio and video resolution that we can physically enjoy. This age-old argument dates back to many of the format wars. Was a Compact Disc better than vinyl? Is a DVD-Video disc "good enough" as compared to a movie in 1080p video and 7.1 channels of HD surround-sound audio? Generally, the answer is that the new technology has been better and nearly every AV enthusiast has eventually jumped in when the time was right to buy new discs, new players, new components. This cycle of exciting new products literally has driven the consumer electronics industry for an entire generation from the VHS vs. Beta format war in the early 1980s to Blu-Monday in 2008 when Blu-ray won out over HD DVD.

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Now, with 4K video (more than four times better than 1080p) and 24-bit audio available via download, even if from boutique firms like HDTracks.com, some are starting to ask what could possibly come next after these technologies.

For music, selling songs in HD is almost the opposite of the direction that the music business has taken since Napster changed the landscape. HD music files are copy-protected. Their large size makes them hard to steal. Music lovers and audio enthusiasts are willing to pay more for music that sounds notably better, and 24-bit delivers that in spades. New plug-ins help get 24-bit audio into Apple devices, which is a big leap forward. HD music on Blu-ray is almost impossible to find outside of innovative labels like AIX Records and 2L Records and, respectfully, their music isn't mainstream in its content, as it is little off the beaten path creatively. If you will indulge me in my belief that we will be able to access our favorite new- and back-catalog audio in 24-bit 96 kHz resolutions in the next few years via some sort of download, this represents a huge upgrade in audio, which finally offers a meaningful improvement over the long-in-the-tooth Compact Disc format.

1080p video is pretty good, but there is a new format that is many times higher in resolution, called 4K. The players that you would expect (think: Sony, JVC, Apple and other smaller players) are working out how to get 4K content onto a Blu-ray disc and/or how to "stream" this HD format without causing a 405 Freeway-style backup on the Internet. Rumors are gaining strength that there are some pretty slick solutions about to be shown at the January 2011 Consumer Electronics Show that could change the game. For many people, four times the resolution of video isn't enough to run out and buy a new HDTV, but for many of us who want the best in video, 4K (or Quad 4HD, as it will likely be called) is a reason to make an upgrade. The resolution, color fidelity and overall WOW-factor are just too much to resist. Literally, you are getting almost every ounce of the theatrical experience right in your home. Yes, you need a new projector or HDTV, but you might not need much more than that (same cables, preamps, Blu-ray players). I'd pop for a new projector to get 400 percent better performance. I bet there are millions more that would also, as even upconverted 1080p content from TV or other legacy sources would look killer. We saw some of this at JVC's demo at the recent CEDIA 2011 tradeshow in Indianapolis with their demo of their "Faux K" projectors, as Andrew Robinson calls them.

So, if we are looking into the future and we can have 24-bit 96 kHz audio and 400 percent improved HD video, where do we go from here? Some of the people I am talking to are saying "nowhere," as we are getting close to reaching the limit of how much resolution and refinement the human body can appreciate. One example given is the flop of 3D. Blame the glasses. Blame the lack of standards. Blame the lame content. I suggest the fact that millions upon millions of people simply do not have the vision to be able to enjoy 3D the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Moreover, some people can see 3D, but it makes them physically uncomfortable or ill (I am in this camp), much like car sickness. Today's 3D is an example of trying to push a format too far for the human body to react to it in a favorable way.

On an audio level, the Compact Disc at 16-bit 44.1 MHz leaves a lot to be desired when compared to master analog tape or digital masters of recordings. 24-bit 96 kHz audio is a very close facsimile of the master tape and can create an audio experience with billions upon billions more bits that resolve sound in ways that, through today's beryllium tweeters and powerful woofers, sound many times more like the live event or the master tape.

So Where Do We Go Next?
Since 2008, the consumer electronics business, for the first time in 25 years, hasn't had the hot product. Apple has that today with the iPad. Kids without jobs who live at home do not live without an iPad. It's a killer toy and tons of entertainment in a slick form factor that anyone can operate. With the housing market in the toilet during this economic correction, there are fewer reasons to wire your home with all of the latest home automation and home theater tricks if the only metric that our lovely "bailed out" banks care to value a home on is "per-square-foot" pricing influenced by the closest foreclosure or tear-down in your neighborhood. What new technologies will get people to spend money irrationally with that "gotta-have-it" enthusiasm that Apple still inspires but the home theater business doesn't as much any more?

6K Video
This is more like IMAX. While the jump to 4K will take a while, there is one more frontier in video before we get to the limit of the human eye and some suggest that is 6K. Don't expect a jump from 1080p right to 6K, but it's looming out there. I'd say it could be a topic of discussion five to seven years from now.

OLED Video
Organic LED HDTVs were shown by Sony in (very expensive) small format sets a few years back. The promise of OLED HDTVs was that you could have an eco-friendly, paper-thin (literally) HDTV that would be 4K resolution but could be hung on the wall like wallpaper. This takes the form factor to a whole new level.

NXT-like Super-Thin Speakers
Remember NXT speakers? These guys made "wafer-thin" speakers that were used for car headliners, computer speakers and other cool installations. If HDTVs get paper-thin, who wouldn't like to be the company to sell the speakers that sound great but are also like wallpaper? Doing a 10.2 surround system could be as easy as hanging new wallpaper. Gone would be big speakers that take up floor space. In come 50.1 percent of all humans to the marketplace, as women would love non-intrusive speakers like this. Getting super-thin speakers to beat traditional transducers has been no small feat, but if video got there first, look for tons of money to be invested back into this endeavor.

Holograms
We saw an amazing hologram of an Apple iPhone at last year's CES show, which looked so real that you wanted to pick it up. "Go ahead and try," said the guy at the booth. It wasn't real.

Now imagine a movie that can bring you to Pandora or on stage with Spinal Tap or right onto the fairway with Al Czervik at Bushwood Country Club. 3D seems pretty silly if you can make images appear in a purpose-built theater room that is designed to bring a fully immersive experience to the viewer. Hollywood needs something radical like this, as the theatrical business is dying on the vine. 3D didn't stick for them and streaming is making it less and less compelling to go to the big theater. If your $200,000,000 blockbuster film presented itself in a theater that perhaps didn't even have a screen - now we are talking something that everyone would have to see. They might need to own it at home when it became available. Don't get me started about the possibilities of video conferencing, gaming

In coming back from fantasy land, it's important to envision what the future may hold, as the world looks to the consumer electronics business to show everyone the next killer toy or technology. Sadly, we are more about selling commodities in warehouse stores, thus turning today's best technology into commoditized, soulless products with no profit margin. That's not what specialty audio/video is about. We can do better, and I think we will in years to come. 4K and 24-bit audio will blow you away in the coming years. Seriously, these are killer new technologies, but we are going to need something really special to get to the next level.There are some amazing ideas being kicked around and some of them will become reality down the road.by jerry del colliano

DENON AVP-A1HDCI(A) 12 Channel A/V Home Theater PreAmp

for our Flagship Receivers AVR-5308CI & AVP-A1HDCI bringing these already incredible products the following feature enhancements:

• Audyssey MultEQ XT32 (including Audyssey Pro)
• Audyssey DSX Surround Processing
• Dolby PLIIz Surround Processing
• 3D Video Pass-through via HDMI

  the ultimate home theater experience, Denon presents the ultimate A/V surround sound and video processor – the AVP-A1HDCI(A). With features and capabilities simply not found on any other controller, the AVP-A1HDCI(A) sets the standard for both audio and video processing ability, along with state-of-the-art next-generation digital media connectivity with built-in Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) that lets you access music and photo files as well as Internet radio stations An adapter lets you stream your favorite songs and videos from your iPod. Built with uncompromising attention to detail, the AVP-A1HDCI(A) is equipped with an astonishing six individual power transformers to ensure the ultimate audio and video fidelity, eliminating interference between the various audio and video processing sections. Featuring unparalleled audio connectivity, the AVP-A1HDCI(A) is equipped with 12 high definition video inputs (6 HDMI v1.3a /6 component) and an additional 16 standard definition inputs, with deinterlacing, upscaling and conversion to HDMI outputs via the Silicon Optix HQV Realta reference video processor. This latest "A" version now includes Audyssey Dynamic Volume, and is also Sirius Radio Ready.source Denon

Emotiva New X-REF Series

Finally – a perfect line of loudspeakers designed for the home theater and stereo aficionado. The Emotiva X-Ref Series, designed in cooperation with renowned loudspeaker designer Vance Dickason, represents the culmination of years of research into optimized loudspeaker design. With the X-Ref Series, you are getting advanced design, premium features, quality construction, and (most important of all) superb sound. All of the members of the X-Ref Series share the same basic features, including our exclusive, low-resonance, 1", silk dome tweeter for crystal clear highs, our proprietary blended-pulp cone mid/woofers for smooth midrange and bass performance, and our sophisticated multi-pole asymmetrical crossover to ensure a seamless transition between elements. A critically braced MDF enclosure, covered with our furniture-grade, 6-layer, black satin lacquer finish, and an attractive removable grill all complete the picture. Emotiva X-Ref Series loudspeakers are built with high-quality parts and all are voiced to work in perfect conjunction in virtually any combination. If you choose to add a subwoofer (or a pair of them), the X-Ref Series of loudspeakers are also impeccably complemented by our X-Ref DSP Powered Subwoofers.

The Emotiva X-Ref Series of loudspeakers were designed to deliver premium performance and superior sound at a reasonable price. All members of the X-Ref Series are voiced to work perfectly together and share similar features, including: Exclusive, low-resonance, 1", silk dome tweeter for crystal clear highs Specially designed, long throw cone mid/woofers with proprietary blended-pulp cones, die-cast frames, butyl rubber surrounds, flat progressive-rate spiders, vented, copper-capped pole pieces, and aluminum shorting rings to ensure smooth low-distortion midrange and extended bass performance Sophisticated multi-pole asymmetrical crossoverensures a seamless transition between drivers and flawless performance in the critical midrange area Premium parts, including low distortion air core inductors, precision metallized film capacitors, and oxygen-free copper wire are used throughout for minimum distortion and coloration - even at high listening levels Optimized voicing. All Emotiva X-Ref models have been carefully voiced to not only sound superb as separate speakers, but to match perfectly and blend seamlessly with each other in any combination for both stereo and multi-channel configurations. If you decide to add one or more subwoofers, the X-Ref DSP Powered Subwoofers have also been optimized to work flawlessly with the X-Ref Series of loudspeakers. Critically braced MDF enclosure for minimum coloration, so all you hear is the music Furniture-grade, 6-layer, black satin lacquer finish that fits well with any room decor and is fingerprint-resistant Removable grills for driver protection and pleasing appearance Additional features on select models include: Ported design for extended low-frequency response Integral decorative bases, which add visual appeal and improve stability and include detachable carpet spikes for soft surfaces Nested Array™ driver arrangement for enhanced off-axis frequency response and minimal lobing Separate terminals for bi-amping or bi-wiring

Optoma Debuts HD8300 and HD3300 1080p 3D Home Theater Projectors : Audio Impact

Optoma Debuts HD8300 and HD3300 1080p 3D Home Theater Projectors : Audio Impact