Wrapping Up CES 2010

scott — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:11:12 +0000

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!

CEPro Announces 2009 Top Products List

scott — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:03:20 +0000

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.

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Wrapping Up CES 2010

CEPro Announces 2009 Top Products List