The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show has come and gone, and those of us here at SoundVision were eagerly anticipating some of the major new products announcements that are bound to lay the groundwork for the year to come in the home entertainment industry. If this year’s show was any indication, 2010 will be the breakout year for 3D TV, with new 3D-capable models on the way from nearly every TV manufacturer, including our favorites Panasonic and Samsung. It’s also clear that Internet-connected TVs are quickly becoming the standard, echoing our belief that the time for enterprise-grade home networks is now.
Panasonic pushed the plasma TV size barrier a few years ago with the introduction of a 103-inch 1080p plasma HDTV, and they’re pushing the envelope once again with a new 152-inch 3D 4K2K ultra-high definition plasma display at this year’s CES. (Thanks to our friends over at SlashGear for the image of the plasma on display at Panasonic’s CES booth.) This new mega TV features a resolution of 4,096 x 2,160 pixels, or a resolution more than twice as higher as your ordinary 1080p HDTV. As expected, the picture quality on this beast of a TV is reported to be stunning. No word on pricing yet.
Just when you thought Samsung’s line of ultra-thin, LED edge-lit LCD HDTVs couldn’t get any thinner, they did. The new 9000-series of Samsung LED LCD TVs made their debut at this year’s CES, and like many of the other new displays introduced this year, include 3D processing capability when paired with a 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc player. Like Samsung’s other HDTV products, the 9000-series includes built-in WiFi to access online content, such as YouTube streaming and Netflix video-on-demand. Check out Engadget’s hands-on post for the skinny on this amazing new ultra-thin TV.It’s clear that the real star of this year’s CES was 3D, and we’ll definitely be seeing and learning more about this emerging technology as the year progresses. Stay tuned!
Wrapping Up CES 2010
New Music Channels Coming to DirecTV in February
Fresh off the heels of last month’s news about a new TiVo HD DVR for DirecTV, we have even more news affecting SoundVision customers who receive their television programming from the satellite broadcaster.
Effective Tuesday, February 9, DirecTV will be replacing the XM Satellite Radio music channels currently in the 800s channel range with a new, commercial-free music service from SonicTap. The music channel lineup will remain largely unchanged, so your favorite music formats will remain on the channels that you are already used to finding them on. In addition, DirecTV will be adding 19 new unique music channels to the lineup with the change to SonicTap. You can get the full details on the new channels and a revised listing on the DirecTV website.
As always, if you need any assistance or have questions about the change as it relates to your SoundVision system, feel free to call our office at (415) 456-7000.
TiVo Coming Back to DirecTV in 2010
Here’s an early present for TiVo fans with DirecTV! We’ve learned through our friends at Engadget HD and Multichannel News that a new DirecTV TiVo HD DVR will debut sometime in the spring of 2010. You can definitely expect some more details to emerge at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in a few weeks, along with other news about the various DVRs in TiVo’s lineup. Our longtime clients with DirecTV might remember that the satellite provider’s original high definition-capable DVR was powered by TiVo, but the functionality of these devices today are severely limited as they are unable to tune in most of the HD programming now available through DirecTV.The new DirecTV TiVo HD DVR is rumored to include access to all of the great add-on features that cable subscribers with TiVo HD DVRs enjoy, like Blockbuster and Netflix streaming video on demand, YouTube, podcasts, Amazon Video on Demand and much more.We’ll have more information about the new DirecTV TiVo HD DVR as we get it. Also, look forward to our coverage of the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in the coming weeks!Original Article: New DirecTV TiVo HD Due in the Spring of 2010 (Engadget HD)
CEPro Announces 2009 Top Products List
This week’s frigid temperatures around the Bay Area were reminder enough that the holiday season is upon us, and 2010 is just around the corner! We’re seeing lots of “products of the year” lists being published this time of year, but of particular interest to us here at SoundVision was the 2009 Top Products List published by the editors at CEPro Magazine.The editors included several Blu-ray Disc players in this year’s list of top products, including models from Sony, Pioneer and LG. With the format war of 2007 and 2008 behind us, Blu-ray really grew as the preferred way to watch movies at home in 2009. Prices on these players continue to fall, giving customers even more reason to include them as part of their new home theater or media system. Most new Blu-ray players also include Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections to your home’s broadband network, unleashing a myriad of online content such as BD-Live enhancements, Netflix video on demand, photo sharing, YouTube and more.On the remote control side, CEPro gave top honors to Universal Remote Control’s (URC) MX-980 remote, which we’re frequently recommending to customers over similar URC remote models. The MX-980 improves on the MX-900 and MX-900i by including a rich, full-color LCD screen with radio frequency technology, allowing you to operate equipment in a separate location or behind closed cabinet doors. The MX-980′s charging cradle and rechargeable batteries is another significant benefit over the MX-900 series.For more information about all the products featured in CEPro’s list of the Top Products of 2009, head over to the CEPro website.
SoundVision Wins Four NARI Remmie Awards
Fresh off the heels of our two Best Practice Awards wins at the 2009 CE Pro 100 Integrators Summit, SoundVision was awarded four Remmie Awards from the Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). We swept both the Home Theater Under $150,000 and Home Theater Over $150,000 categories, taking home the first and second place awards in each.”We’re thrilled to back up our CE Pro Best Practice Awards wins with four Remmie Awards for achievement in home theater design and installation,” said SoundVision President Scott Sullivan. “Thanks to the NARI Remmies committee for recognizing our work again this year.”The awards were handed out during the Bay Area NARI’s annual awards and leadership dinner at the Marines Memorial Club in downtown San Francisco, and recognized professionals around the remodeling industry including general construction, architecture, interior design and more.2009 marks the third straight year where SoundVision captured the top prize in the Remmies’ Home Theater category. In 2008, SoundVision took home the first place award in both the Home Theater and Green Home categories for our work on the Zero Energy Home in Tiburon.
Fall 2009 HD Living Magazine – Now Available!
The Fall 2009 issue of HD Living magazine has been mailed out to select Marin County households and SoundVision customers. Did you not receive one in your mailbox? Not to worry, simply read it online! This month’s issue features some great new content, including an update profile all about SoundVision and the lowdown on a fantastic project we recently completed in the Marin County community of Sleepy Hollow. Articles featuring SoundVision are also available to download from the Media Coverage page on the new SoundVision website.If you’re new to HD Living, the magazine is not just about what’s happening in the home electronics industry, but is about the greater high definition lifestyle. Articles in the Fall 2009 issue include:
- Football Seating: If it’s fall, it must be football season! Is your home theater ready for some football? HD Living shares some great ideas for finding the perfect spot – and comfort – for game time.
- Whistler Wonderland: Learn all about this fantastic winter vacation destination and the host of the skiing and snowboarding events in next year’s 2010 Olympic Winter Games
- Haute Vegan: Eating vegan is a growing trend in culinary circles. HD Living takes you to some of New York City’s rapidly growing vegan restaurants.
All this and much more is available in the Fall 2009 issue of HD Living magazine. Check it out today!