Cedia Roundup 2008: A few thoughts about Cedia and what impressed me the most! (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Well, another CEDIA has come and gone and as our staff and I
head back home it seems that all of us are feeling a little more
empty about this year's show than usual.

The state of the economy could truly be seen throughout the show
this year. Firstly, attendance was slightly down due to the fact that
many companies opted to send less of their representatives to Denver
this year. Secondly, it seemed there were slightly less vendors this
year. If anything positive can be said about the state of the economy
it would be the fact that companies are driving down their prices at an
incredible pace and finding new ways to manufacture their products for
the budget conscious consumer. I'll give you an example of what I mean
in just a moment.

The reason all of us feel a little empty about this year's show is
based on the fact that there really wasn't any "WOW!" factor. In
past years there was always some new "buzz" in the technology
world that made our trip to Cedia a memorable one. This year, it
was painfully obvious that for now, technology has peaked and
instead of moving forward, it has sort of moved sideways. With
1080p now being an industry standard for the consumer market for
the past few years, there haven't been any major improvements in
the resolution front. Instead, manufacturers have now added
an ethernet connection to their displays that allow informational
"widgets" to be downloaded to their screens, giving the viewer
instant access to weather, a stock ticker, and YouTube videos.
Additionally, "true2way" is being incorporated in many of these
displays eliminating the need for a set top cable box. I must admit,
I think these are terrific additions for anyone buying any new display
that incorporates these features.

seems to me that until this technology really catches on in the home
market (and we hope it does) that there isn't going to be much
product available from the studios. I do have to say that the technology
looks very good and there seems to be a race to include it in many new displays.

So, I suppose at this point you probably would like to know what
impressed me the most this year at Cedia.

Well, I am proud to announce that I am in the market for my first front
projector, which is very fortunate for me and everyone else as
they have moved to the forefront of home theaters thanks to
plummeting prices. I think consumers are going to be absolutely
amazed at how inexpensive top quality front projectors have become
over the past two years thanks to Sony and JVC turning the industry
inside out with their pricing.

and center channels that drive audio down towards the listening area.
The projector sits in a cradle up and behind the seating area. The
cradle houses two surround speakers that effectively bounce sound
off of the walls.

But there is more....

Included is a generously sized subwoofer with a 150 watt amplifier
that shares an additional 100 watts across the remaining 5 channels.
Also included in the package is a tabletop console that houses a DVD
player and a universal remote control that is pre-programmed to control
every aspect of the home theater package including the motorized
screen.

Still want more?

Included is a ceiling track system that is color coded to hide and
carry all the included wiring across the room (yes, included wiring).
There are also mounting brackets included to hang your front screen.

Though I would consider this to be an entry level system for anyone
looking to get into front projection, I was extremely impressed by
its overall performance in both video and audio. The Epson Powerlite
3LCD high definition multimedia projector with 1080p resolution
provided razor sharp detail to the images it produced. The audio was
equally impressive -- not surprisingly, since it was manufactured
through Atlantic Technologies which spent the last year tweaking and
perfecting this unit's audio performance. Quite frankly, I think that
even the most discerning listener would be quite impressed with the
performance of the included audio system.

it is priced at an amazing suggested retail price of $6,999 for the
1080p system, and $4,999 for the 720p version.

Here is a recap of everything that comes with the above packages:


* Choice of Epson PowerLite® 3LCD (three-chip) high definition multimedia
projector with either true 1080p native resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels)
or a more affordably priced 720p option.
* Unique 100-inch motorized screen that quietly lowers and retracts within
the unique front channel ceiling mounted speaker system
* Audio/video controller with integrated upconverting DVD player
* Newly engineered Atlantic Technology speaker system and a proprietary
150-watt subwoofer containing all 5.1 channels of amplification
* Universal remote that controls the entire system including the
motorized screen
* All necessary mounting brackets
* Every audio, video and power cable needed to complete the installation
while maximizing performance (including HDMI)
* Unique wire management track system that hides all of the included
cables from the site of users

You really owe it to yourself to check out the demo at Epson's Ensemble HD website

Another product that left an imprint upon me was the "just announced"
Panasonic AE3000 front projector that improves upon the AE2000 model
with its new Frame Creation technology which interjects additional frames in
both 60Hz and 24Hz. In addition, the projector features a lens that
zooms picture in and out for 2.35:1, 16:9 or 4:3 content. Lastly, the
projector boasts a 60,000:1 dynamic contrast.

We had the opportunity to spend time with Panasonic in their private
demo room to view the image quality of this projector alongside the
AE2000, and all of us agreed that there was a noticeable amount of
picture detail gained with the AE3000. In fact, I was so impressed
with this projector that I have decided it will be the one I choose to
purchase as part of my first front projection driven home theater.

To further drive my point home about how upside down the projector
market has become, this top-of-the-line projector is retailing for $3,499.
It's absolutely insane that quality front projection has dropped below the
$5k bar.

Panasonic will be providing us with a sample of the AE3000 in the next
few weeks so watch for a review.

I invite all of you to spend some time looking through our coverage
of this year's Cedia show. You can Click Here to view the many videopodcasts
we did over the past week.

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks for the report Ron. That Panasonic projector sounds nice. I've always wanted a front projector system at home, but it is logistically impossible at the moment and will have to wait until the next time we move. The good thing about that is that these projectors continue to improve and drop in price.

 

[Citizen87645]

I was somewhat expecting an announcement about a new 720p projector from Panasonic, but it looks like they will be holding on to the 200u for at least another year? Did you get a sense of whether they would continue offering 720p?

 

[Parker Clack]

Cameron:

They had the 200u displaying a Wii console and it did well for the fact that it was setting back away from the screen about 12 feet with a lot of bright lights shining down the area it was set up. They were more interested in showing us the AE3000 but it wasn't hooked up. I was impressed with the 200u but they did not give us any information on it or if this was going to be the model for 2008-2009 year. My thought was that this will probably be their last 720p projector and they will focus more on the 1080p line for the future.

Parker

 

[Gerald LaFrance]

Hi, Glad to see 3D is making a showing at Cedia this Year. I have Hi Hopes for 3D heck I even made a lil 3D theater in my Computer Room. just a 45" screen with some of the 3D titles they have available in Field Sequential Format.

I have a question about Journey to the Center of the Earth, Was it in Field Sequential Format?? Do they Plan on releasing this in FS DVD format anytime soon??

I saw Both Beowulf and Journey to the Center of the Earth at the Local Real D theater. Looking forward to more 3D releases. The Only way this is going to catch on Software, we Need Software as the Harware is in Place Now.

Can you tell I am a 3D NuT I even Game in 3D Mostly Flight Simulators. Been a Big fan since 92 and my Trip to Disney!! Captain Eo 3D, Muppets 4D.. The Best 3D I ever saw was Movie Making by Alfred Hitchcock they had a few minutes Segemnt of The Birds. It was so Real, Birds Appeared Flying around everywhere I was Ducking but it was Funny and Looked Real..


Here is a List of ALL the movies that Could be Released:


http://www.3dmovielist.com/list.html

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Gerald,

My knowledge in FS DVD is limited.

I can tell you that the glasses used were not the cardboard
crap that so many people are used to. These were heavyweight
professional glasses that Mitsubishi was using.

 

[Gerald LaFrance]

Hi Ronald,

I reread the Article it appears "Soon" is about as good a responce as I will Probally get. I know they have been releasing some Anaglyph Titles, Hanna Montanna being One. They even released it on Blu Ray in 3D.

Is that the Only 3D they had at CEDIA this year the 3D HDTVs?? Any News on 3D Blu ray Player that does FS??



Are these the Glasses that they had at the Show:

DDD USA Inc*::*3-D Plasma & DLP® Products*::*3-D Wireless Glasses


Those are the Only Glasses that I am aware of for the 3D HDTV's??
Any More News will be good so I can pass this info to the Other 3d Enthusiasts..