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Viewpoint: Connected Home
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Blu-ray is Worth
Fighting For
By Jason Bovberg
I’ve watched the next-generation DVD format war unfold with great
interest. The conflict—which amounted to a couple years of hostile
sniping and maneuvering—had many of us on the edge of our seats. From
the lowly tape-based VHS format, through the unwieldy laser disc,
through the promising but limited DVD, we had been inching ever closer
to that Holy Grail: absolutely film-like resolution and presentation of
movies in the home. Both Blu-ray and HD DVD promised to achieve that
goal.
I sided with HD DVD, believing that its common-sense name and Microsoft
allegiance would carry the day. Plus, I got the player for an incredible
bargain, along with a bunch of free movies. It was an easy way to dive
into high-definition DVD, to see if it was a big deal at all. Boy, did I
love it! On my 1080p plasma, the imagery was breathtaking. For the first
time, I was watching resolution equal to that of film—in the comfort
of my living room—and I was hooked.
Then, abruptly, HD DVD failed. more>>
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The Audio Authority AVAtrix is a 6x6 HD Cat 5 matrix that’s
easy to install, easy to control, and easy to integrate with home
automation and distributed audio systems. It offers premium HD component
video, plus digital and analog audio; expandable up to 36 zones. Visit
www.audioauthority.com
for details
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Top Story: Residential AV
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Media Distribution Expands To
Multiple Platforms Following CEDIA Expo 2008
By Rebecca Day
When MusicGiants hired IPTV veteran Thomas Wendt as chief technology
officer last summer, it was clear where the future of online content was
headed for the custom-electronics industry. At CEDIA Expo 2008, the
company tacked an exclamation point on its video direction with several
announcements including the new HD MediaStore application for music and
video on the Windows Vista platform.
Now branded HDGiants in an effort to bring music and video under one
brand, the online content provider will supply high-resolution music and
videos to an array of Vista-based home-theater media servers via its
proprietary content delivery platform.
more>>
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Connecting our customers with the right mount for any project,
anywhere, Premier Mounts is
one of the world’s leading providers of innovative mounting solutions
for A/V technology. To see our newest mounts, including our incredible
103" Suspension Mount that holds the world’s largest TV.
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Installation News
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"Better Than
Blu" Digital Home Theater System
 Italy’s SIM2, whose striking,
high-performance HD home-theater projectors are known worldwide for
their pristine video and dramatic cabinet designs, is partnering with
U.S. firm Entertainment Experience to create the first “Better than
Blu” solution for high-end home theater installations. SIM2 and
Entertainment Experience, which heretofore focused on unique
digital-media products for the commercial cinema, education, and
high-tech display market spaces, announce that they will begin offering
a hardware/software content solution—including pre-loaded, fully
licensed motion picture content—that delivers better-than-HD digital
video performance to home buffs. more>>
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New Products
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JBL Offers New Control
Contractor 40 Series Premium In-Ceiling Specialty
Loudspeakers
The Control Contractor 40 Series adds five premium
models to JBL’s industry-leading lineup of in-ceiling loudspeakers. At
PLASA08 in London, JBL Professional is extending its category-leading
Control Contractor Series loudspeakers to an even wider variety of
applications with the new Control Contractor 40 Series premium
in-ceiling specialty loudspeakers. Several of the models incorporate
JBL’s breakthrough conical Radiation Boundary Integrator (RBI)
technology, providing exceptionally broad and consistent pattern control
with superior sonic performance. more>>
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Fine Art Conceals Home Theater,
Loudspeakers
VisionArt Galleries announced a new integrated audio/video concealment
system to CEDIA Expo 2008 attendees: VisionArt Audio Solutions by Triad
Speakers. VisionArt Audio Solutions by Triad Speakers offers dynamic,
high-fidelity sound, and can eliminate the need for additional in-wall
speakers; all the while concealing the television behind a retracting,
fine art canvas. The company recognizes that one of the biggest
challenges facing consumer electronics-design professionals is how to
incorporate large-format televisions without compromising aesthetics.
more>>
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HDMI Distribution/Extension
over CAT-5 Cables
Ease, convenience, and high-quality signal delivery
combine to make the new Gefen 1:5 Splitter for HDMI-over-Cat-5 a key
solution for integrators today. The rackmountable unit performs two
functions, allowing any HDMI source signal to be split and delivered to
five displays simultaneously. It can also extend four displays up to
150ft. over Cat-5 cables. At this distance, 1080p full HD is delivered
instantly using the standard cabling; resolutions up to 1080i can be
extended even further to 300ft. Users can also connect five displays
locally using standard HDMI cables, or extend just one, two, three or
four displays as needed. more>>
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