Big Picture Big Sound

True High Definiton is Here, Home Theater is Everywhere and the Battle for HD Disc of the Future Begins

This year's CES broke attendance records (over 150,000 attendees, according to the CEA) and reinforced the reality that the lines between home theater and home computers (and even cell phones) are being blurred more with each passing day. In addition to the entire Las Vegas Convention Center, the show spilled over to the Sands, the Hilton and the Alexis Park hotel, with offsite events at many other venues. Big Picture Big Sound was there to cover it and we're sharing our show highlights with readers in a 7-part report that focuses on home theater, but includes a few other interesting tidbits that may be of interest to our readers.

Big news on the home theater front is that there is likely to be no compromise on the Blu-Ray Disc vs. HD-DVD format battle front. Manufacturers in both camps were showing hardware in various states of completion, but it looks like HD-DVD will come to market first (early Spring), and with very attractive pricing. HD-DVD players from Toshiba and RCA start at $499, or about half of the expected price of the least expensive first generation Blu-Ray Disc Player announced. Most studios are still hedging their bets with some statement of support for both formats for the time being.

Meanwhile, on the audio front, DTS and Dolby have each announced and demonstrated ultra-high quality lossless multi-channel audio formats that will work well with either BD or HD-DVD, and are included as format options within the specifications for both high definition disc formats.

2006 was definitely the "year of 1080p" with numerous flat panels (LCD and plasma), rear projection units and front projectors now (or soon to be) supporting the full resolution of High Definition TV at 1920x1080 pixels. Sony even went one step further, announcing a new 4K digital SXRD projector with 4 times the resolution of HDTV, intended for use in professional theaters.

Our CES 2006 show report includes:

• Part 1 - CES Unveiled - this press-only event featured the latest news from DIVX and cable giants Time Warner and Comcast, plus news on Verizon's entry into the television market, Cyberhome's new HD-compatible portable media player and new products from eMagin and Kaleidescape.


• Part 2 covers a host of new products from Sony, including their new portable Book Reader, a Blu-Ray Disc player and a 4K projector, HD-DVD players from RCA and Toshiba, a new lossless multi-channel audio format from DTS (DTS-HD Master Audio) and SlingMedia's plans to bring your home entertainment system to your mobile phone.


• Part 3 includes details on new products from Polk Audio and Samsung, including Samsung's upcoming XM radio/mp3 portable player, the Helix, as well as new DLP and LCD TVs that are illuminated by LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs, for longer life and brighter more accurate colors. In this segment we also listen to Dolby's new "TrueHD" multi-channel audio format, and a 5.1-channel surround sound option for XM Satellite Radio.


• In Part 4 we take a look at a ground-breaking new Mega-Contrast LCD panel from Sharp that features a claimed contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 as well as a dual-view LCD screen that shows different images when viewed from either the left or right side of the screen. Coverage continues with a 1080p plasma HDTV from Pioneer, the Pro-FHD1, Pioneer's Blu-Ray disc player the BDP-HD1, and their new HDD/DVD recorder the DVR-640 that records on every format blank DVD and supports DIVX file playback.


• Part 5 takes us over to the home-theater-heavy South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center where we review the latest from Denon, Marantz, Energy, Athena and Mirage, plus an unusual speaker technology from Induction Dynamics and the first-ever THX-approved sheetrock.


• In Part 6, we continue on our journey through the South Hall, checking out Vidikron's Model 90 projector with Cinewide with Autoscope that features ultra-wide aspect ratios beyond the standard 16:9 HD format. We also look at new products from Monster Cable, including their new home theater remotes and a comprehensive home networking integration system planned for introduction later this year. HP makes some noise with a new 1080p DLP rear projector that uses R/G/B LED illumination to eliminate the need for a color wheel and Sanyo introduces an affordable High Definition camcorder, the xacti HD1. We wrap up this segment with news from loudpseaker manufacturer NHT who is now entering the electronics market with a new preamp/processor and multi-channel amplifier and resurrecting a classic line of loudspeakers with enhanced fit and finish.


• We conclude our CES show coverage with Part 7, featuring highlights from the high-end audio portion of CES at the Alexis Park hotel. This segment includes coverage of McIntosh, Conrad-Johnson, Arcam, Joseph audio, Von Schweikert Audio, and a unique liquid-cooled tube amplifier from Von Gaylord Audio.

All in all, a very exciting event, with plenty of good news for audiophiles, videophiles and home theater buffs. As always, stay tuned to Big Picture Big Sound to keep up with the latest home theater news and show reports.