News / Media

This Anthem’s a major hit, as the LTX 300v LCoS projector delivers true colors and easy setup.

Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/review_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/

October 18, 2010 by Arlen Schweiger

If you heard rumbling last summer, it may have been the collective applause from loyal fans of sister brands Anthem and Paradigm. In July 2009, the Canadian manufacturer announced its first front projectors, the LTX 300 and LTX 500, under the Anthem logo, thereby creating a one-stop theater shop: Paradigm surround-sound speakers, Anthem amplification and processing, and Anthem projection. Anthem has since added a Blu-ray player and A/V receivers.

The first thing to note from the LTX 300v projector, updated earlier this year, is that the unit will undoubtedly generate comparisons to acclaimed projectors from JVC, from which it has been rebadged. The projectors use Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) light engine technology. (JVC’s is known as D-ILA.) And in this case, such comparison is a good thing, as JVC’s images are among the best, especially for the value bucks.

Second, it takes very little time to install the LTX 300v. I dove right in without leafing through the manual. Using the remote to operate the motorized lens, it took less than five minutes to scale, shift and focus the image on my 92-inch Elite Screens EZ-Frame display. You can do this with or without an image on the screen, as the latter option gives you a green laser-like grid and frame to match to your screen, and you can use the remote’s up/down arrows until the word “focus” comes into clearest view.

Then calibrate till you’re cross-eyed. Working through the menu brings the usual video adjustments such as basic sharpness, contrast and brightness, as well videophile tweaks like gamma correction and individual color management, which can both be saved for up to three presets. The included remote makes life very easy, and even features a button to back-light itself, which comes in handy when the theater lights are down….

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a href="http://www.electronichouse.com/article/review_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/" target="_blank">http://www.electronichouse.com/article/review_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/</a></strong></p>

Samsung Smart TV, Apps Built for Your TV

Discover a new dimension in TV with Samsung Smart TVs and the Samsung Apps platform. Samsung Apps are a growing collection of web-connected apps specifically built for your TV that connects you to your favorite digital content like videos, sports, games, social networking and much more.

With web-connected apps on your Samsung Smart TV, you can stream movies from Netflix or Blockbuster, TV shows from Hulu, videos from YouTube, Next Level sports information from ESPN, music from Pandora and view updates on your Facebook or Twitter accounts. It’s the apps that matter to you, now available on your TV.

Movie and Music Apps
Movie apps like Vudu and Netflix take “on demand” content to a whole new level. These apps let you download and or stream content in real-time from movie and TV libraries with thousands of options. Miss your favorite Thursday night TV show? With Hulu Plus™ you can watch recently aired TV shows from networks like ABC, Fox, and NBC—on your own time. And, music lovers can appreciate streaming music on their TVs as well as personalize their own TV radio “station” with the app from Pandora.

Real-time Gaming, Twitter and News
Looking for real-time interaction? Why not let your TV screen double as a virtual playground for games like Texas Hold’em and QuizzMaster. Or download popular entertainment and useful informational apps like AccuWeather, USA Today or Google Maps. And, if you really want to connect, Samsung’s suite of TV apps also include popular social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter.

Connect Your TV to the Internet
To start using the Samsung Apps platform on your Samsung TV you must first connect your TV to the internet, which is an easier process than it may sound. You can do this wirelessly with a wireless adapter like the LinkStick or by using an Ethernet cable. With Samsung’s web-connected TV apps, TV becomes more than just something to watch—it becomes an interactive entertainment system.

Adding Apps to Your TV
The first thing you should do is check out the Samsung App Store. This is where you can learn how to register your Samsung TV, Blu-ray player or Home Theater component, and activate your account. After that downloading an app is as easy as going to the Samsung Apps menu on your TV, selecting the app you want to purchase (there are a number of free apps), and clicking “Buy now”. You can purchase as many apps as you want at once and new apps are adding to our catalog on a weekly basis so be sure to check back often.

Samsung introduces prescription glasses for 3D TVs

Samsung has announced that it will soon offer 3D glasses customized for users who typically wear corrective lenses. The company is working with optometrists to build 3G glasses with prescription lenses, eliminating the need to wear two pairs or frames or contacts.

The prescription glasses will be available with a one-week wait for custom manufacturing. The company has yet to disclose pricing, but the prescription offerings will likely command a premium price well above typical 3D glasses.

Style and Performance Rain or Shine!

Climate Outdoor Speakers may be custom engineered for a demanding weather-proof environment, however, they also offer Monitor Audio’s signature sound found in their hi-fi loudspeaker designs that music lovers and professional listeners will appreciate!

• ABR Auxiliary Bass Radiators
• Magnetically attached end caps
• 180º rotational bracket. 15 degree angled wedge for additional versatility
• Anchor point for security chain attachment
• Adapts to single-gang junction box
• Textured black and white paintable finishes

Crestron automation app on Android-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab during CEDIA Expo.

Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sling_founder_brings_android_to_home_control/cedia

September 22, 2010 | by Julie Jacobson

Over the past three years, Apple and its iOS have completely disrupted the home automation business, bringing affordable, multipurpose machines to an industry built on higher-priced, single-purpose touchscreens.At CEDIA Expo 2010, the big event for custom electronics professionals, home systems integrators will be scouring the show floor for new iOS controls apps; iPad mounts, docks and smart sleeves; competitive products that stack up to the iPad in terms of price, performance and aesthetics; and business models for this enigmatic platform.And, quietly, the relatively new Android platform from Google will make its mark on the home-control industry.

Sling Founder Brings Android to Automation
For the past 18 months, Blake Krikorian, founder of Sling Media, has been working on an Android-centric home-control interface as part of an extensive home remodel project, he told CE Pro in an exclusive interview.Specifically, Krikorian has developed an Android app for Crestron, the home control system that powers his own house. Codenamed R2, the solution will be demonstrated at the Crestron booth at CEDIA Expo.

Already the Krikorian household has numerous iPads and iPod touches for remote control of lights, shades, security, audio/video, thermostats and other Crestron-enabled smart systems.But that’s not enough for the perpetual tinkerer and problem solver who always wants more – like the ability to watch the San Francisco Giants while traveling, which was the genesis of the Slingbox.

For example, he says, “I just wanted the iPad to let me bypass the slide-to-unlock bar so I could immediately control things with one button. Apple doesn’t give you the flexibility to do that.”

An Open Platform
Krikorian thinks the iPad and iPhone are “fantastic mass market products,” but the locked-down iOS limits their use as home-control devices. Ideally, a home-automation screen should always be at the ready – in “supervisory” mode, as we say – so it can respond automatically to various triggers such as the press of a doorbell or the tripping of security sensor. In either case, you might want the screen to light up automatically with images from one or multiple surveillance cameras. You can do that with an Android device. “If someone rings the doorbell, I want all of these displays to pop up,” Krikorian says. “I couldn’t do that unless I had an app running in the background all the time.” Which you can do with Android…

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a href="http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sling_founder_brings_android_to_home_control/cedia" target="_blank">http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sling_founder_brings_android_to_home_control/cedia</a></strong></p>

Could be another sign that a Verizon iPhone is coming

Click here to view the full article

http://www.dealerscope.com/article/apple-ipad-sold-verizon-stores-verizon-iphone-could-next/1

Apple announced that Verizon will begin selling the iPad later this month, in the latest sign that the exclusive relationship between Apple and AT&T may be coming to an end. The iPad will come to Verizon stores on October 28th.

As production of the iPad has caught up with demand, Apple has made it available to more retailers including Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. However, making it available to AT&T’s rival Verizon, is surprising given the history between Apple and AT&T. AT&T has been the exclusive network provider for both the iPad and iPhone since the devices respective releases…

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a href="http://www.dealerscope.com/article/apple-ipad-sold-verizon-stores-verizon-iphone-could-next/1" target="_blank">http://www.dealerscope.com/article/apple-ipad-sold-verizon-stores-verizon-iphone-could-next/1</a></strong></p>

Crestron Press Release September 23, 2010

Crestron Debuts Sonnex™ Technology with Digital 24X8 Multi-Room Audio System and Audio Expander

Crestron introduces its new digital 24X8 multi-room audio system with built-in Sonnex™ audio transport technology. Blending high-performance digital audio processing, full-matrix switching and high-powered amplification into a single component, Crestron Sonnex redefines audio distribution for the digital age. This revolutionary audio transport technology transmits 64 channels of uncompressed 24-bit HD audio across a single shielded CAT5 cable. Representing a new generation of multi-room audio distribution, Sonnex delivers improved performance and significantly reduces hardware and software cabling.

With all-in-one, high efficiency hardware design and an exclusive single-wire digital bus, Sonnex technology dramatically advances performance, output, efficiency and ease of installation. It also substantially reduces the hardware and cabling requirements of traditional systems; all that is needed is a single shielded twisted pair wire, home run to the master system in the rack. Gone are the days of purchasing separate amps, preamps, switchers and the extensive cabling required to connect them. As many as eight expansion units can be installed far from the main rack, supporting distribution of 24 sources to 72 zones. Sonnex drives 200 watts at 4 ohms per channel, delivering nearly 30,000 watts of total power and creating an unforgettable high-definition listening experiences in every room.

“With full matrix switching, HD audio processing and high-powered amplification integrated into a single component, Sonnex is a complete solution for multi-room, digital audio distribution,” explains Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “Fewer cable runs, easy-to-pull shielded CAT5 and fewer connection points saves installers lots of time and expense.”

The Sonnex multi-room audio distribution system draws incredibly low power for even more savings. Its energy efficient, cool-running design conserves rack space by eliminating the need for empty space between components.

For optimal sound quality in each zone, acoustics are easily customized and adjusted from room to room and outdoors. Custom speaker profiles and 5-band EQ presets provide each zone with the best sound based on its natural acoustic qualities. From any touchpanel or remote, you can choose a “Classical” mix in the library, “Jazz” in the kitchen and “Rock” on the patio.

From the front panel or the menu-driven software tools, installer-friendly configuration of a multi-room HD audio system is fast and easy.

Click here to view the full article

http://www.macworld.com/article/153753/2010/08/padtab.html

If you’re looking for another way to hang your iPad prominently on the wall, the newly announced PadTab might be worth a look. It works on any flat surface, and lets you easily mount and remove your iPad.

The kit includes one PadTab mount that sticks to the back of your iPad. You also get two wall tabs that bond to a wall or fridge. No tools are necessary for the installation. Unlike the recently released Wallport, which has an aluminum frame, the PadTab is literally a hanger for the iPad, so you don’t see the mount. The wall tabs themselves are clear so they’re relatively inconspicuous if your iPad isn’t mounted there…

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/153753/2010/08/padtab.html" target="_blank">http://www.macworld.com/article/153753/2010/08/padtab.html</a></strong></p>

September 01, 2010 | by Julie Jacobson

Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/elan_g_gets_a_sleek_handheld_remote/

Elan delivers first handheld remote control, the new Elan G HR2. The remote is a first for Elan Home Systems, which has always wanted to offer one, but never managed to do it.

“Every time we started looking at a remote control over the years, we were close, but then someone came out with something cheaper and fancier,” says chief technology officer Bob Farinelli. “We thought, maybe it it’s not our space. And maybe that was our mistake. Now remote control companies are coming into our space.”

The HR2 is a two-way WiFi (802.11g) remote with IR control as well. A 2.4-inch OLED screen provides feedback from security, lighting and climate controls, plus metadata from supported A/V devices.

Like the rest of the products in the new Elan G line, which Elan president Paul Starkey calls “the biggest product introduction ever,” the remote is programmed using Elan’s Configurator software. The user interface mimics that of the other G displays including touchscreens, OLED touchpads and iPhone/iPad apps…

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a href="http://www.electronichouse.com/article/elan_g_gets_a_sleek_handheld_remote/" target="_blank">http://www.electronichouse.com/article/elan_g_gets_a_sleek_handheld_remote/</a></strong></p>

Click here to view the full article

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/electronic-delivery/dolby-brings-51-netflix-streaming-20853

By : Chris Tribbey Posted: 14 Oct 2010

Starting Oct. 18 Netflix subscribers using the PlayStation 3 will be able to stream content with 5.1 Dolby surround sound, with more devices able to do surround sound in the future, Netflix said.

“One of the areas we’re most excited about is the online delivery channel,” said John Griffin, director of connected devices for Dolby. “There’s a lot of room for improved sound for streaming, and this is the start. Over time we expect a broader range of devices to handle this.”

A firmware update that will include 5.1 Netflix streaming support is expected this weekend, he said.

“Netflix is committed to delivering an unparalleled experience to its members who watch TV shows and movies streamed instantly over the Internet,” said Greg Peters, Netflix VP of product development. “Netflix required an audio solution that could efficiently deliver an outstanding surround-sound experience for a wide range of consumer devices. Dolby Digital Plus proved to be the best solution to meet our needs and the needs of our device partners.”

Click here to view the full article

<strong><a 

href=”http://www.homemediamagazine.com/electronic-delivery/dolby-brings-51-netflix-streaming-20853”

target=”_blank”>http://www.homemediamagazine.com/electronic-delivery/dolby-brings-51-netflix-streaming-20853

Founded by Samsung, Sony, LG and others, HDBaseT looks to replace the HDMI standard while offering more bandwidth.

Click here to view the full article

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/goodbye-hdmi-hello-hdbaset/

LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Valens Semiconductor have been secretly conspiring to kill HDMI. And today they set their plans into motion, introducing a brand new audiovisual standard, HDBaseT. While that name may sound confusing, before you slap your head, this will not likely introduce a new kind of cable to your house.

Past A/V standards from industry groups have introduced a plethora of connectors (S-Video, HDMI, DisplayPort for example), so that makes this release all the more unusual. Instead of a new connector, it is based on the Cat 5e/6 network cables, commonly referred to as “ethernet cables”.

It supports cable lengths up to 328 feet. The cable can pass HD and 3-D video signals, as well as data through an integrated 100MBit Ethernet connection. That data feed should allow for new internet-connected TV services, such as Google TV which delivers advertising-funded services to TV sets….

The standard will begin its rollout later this year. The majority of its volume will hit in 2011. Check out the comparison table below:




Click here to view the full article

<strong><a 

href=”http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/goodbye-hdmi-hello-hdbaset/”

target=”_blank”>http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/goodbye-hdmi-hello-hdbaset/