Home Theater Previews

Optoma H78DC3

At just $3999 Optoma Technology, Inc.'s H78DC3 sets a new pricing standard for a front projector featuring Texas Instruments' advanced 12-degree DarkChip3 DLP technology, delivering 800 lumens brightness and an 4000:1 contrast ratio. Native resolution is 1280x720p. The DarkChip3 achieves higher brightness and deeper black levels by "filling in" the area where the digital micromirrors connect to their hinges, and reducing the dead space around the micromirrors for increased “fill factor” to yield smoother, more film-like images. Further refinements include a light absorbent chip backing, and a proprietary 5x, 8-segment DVE (dark video enhancement) color wheel with additional
dark segments for "near dither-free deep levels of black," according to the manufacturer. In  addition to enhancing blacks, this color wheel implementation is said to deliver improved color processing, minimal color separation artifacts (rainbows), and vibrant bright scene performance. Inputs include DVI with HDCP, component video/RGBHV via BNC connectors, S-video and
composite video. Lamp life is estimated at 3000 hours. The H78DC3 is available now and comes with a two-year warranty and is backed by Optoma's "zero dead pixel" policy.
Price: $3999.
www.optomausa.com

RBH Sound WM-24

Flat-panel displays are today’s must-have technology, but they are an incomplete experience without quality loudspeakers. Enter RBH Sound and its new on-wall WM-24, designed from the ground up as the perfect flat-panel companion. The latest in the company’s “Compact Theater” (CT) series, the WM-24 features two 4" dual-active and two 4" dual-passive aluminum woofers, flanking a 1" silk-dome tweeter. A tweeter protection circuit is said to preserve “exceptional detail and sonic accuracy” without the danger of damaging the tweeter. The WM-24 can be used horizontally as a center channel or vertically as a front left/right or surround unit. The brushed aluminum loudspeaker measures 24"x7.125"x3.75", stands 4" off the wall, and comes with removable black or silver cloth grilles. Sold individually, each WM-24 kit includes grilles and wall-mount brackets.
Price: $449/ea.
www.rbhsound.com

Ultralink/XLO HDMI Repeater

The “last mile” transmission limit is a problem for home-entertainment systems, just as it is for broadband networks. In mid-June, Ontario, California-based Ultralink/XLO Products Inc. introduced a clever solution—the HDMI Repeater. No bigger than a personal pager, the Repeater can retrieve, equalize, amplify, and transmit HDMI/DVI signals more than 27 meters (90'). The Repeater derives its power from the HDMI/DVI source component and therefore needs no external power supply. It can handle every video standard from 480i to 1080p/60fps easily and without signal loss, doubling the potential source-to-display distance, according to the manufacturer.
Price: $250.
www.ultralinkproducts.com

Sima Products GoDVD! CT-200

The advent of DVD recorders offers videophiles an unprecedented opportunity to transfer their videotapes to optical discs, conserving storage space and insuring that their recordings will be watchable in a format certain to survive the demise of analog tape. With this in mind, Sima Products of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, has announced its GoDVD! CT-200, a video transfer interface that supports analog-to-analog copying of VHS tapes to DVD, as well as enabling legal analog “backup copies” of commercially produced DVDs through the analog inputs on a DVD recorder. The CT-200 features RCA audio, composite-video and S-video inputs and outputs, and has a host of
video-signal-processing options, including automatic video level adjustment, sync-pulse regeneration, noise reduction, color enhancement, and white-and-black-level boost to improve DVD copies made from low-quality tape originals. It also allows two-way conversion of NTSC and PAL
material. DVD backup mode converts 5.1 surround sound to two-channel stereo, but the video quality is said to be close to the original.
Price: $170.
www.simacorp.com

Sony Grand WEGA 3-LCD HDTVs

In late June, Sony announced shipment of its latest 3-LCD Grand WEGA high-def TVs. The four new models, ranging from 42" to 60", are all large-format widescreen rear-projection sets with a three-chip light engine at their core. The three chips are on continuously, a technique claimed to eliminate color breakup and the rainbow effects that sometimes mar the performance of DLP products. Specs include 1280x720 or 1366x768 resolution enhanced by Sony’s “Cinema Black Pro” technology, a process said to result in brighter whites and better contrast in dark scenes. Sleek form factor yields cabinet depths of only 14"–16" and much larger screens relative to chassis size. Sony says that the 42" KDF-E42A10 will fit in a space formerly used for a 36" set. Other models include the 50" KDF-E50A10, the 55" KDF-E55A20, and the 60" KDF-E60A20.
Prices: $2300–$3500.
www.sonystyle.com

Syntax Olevia LT42HVi

Industry observers have long predicted that high-definition LCD televisions would eventually match prices with plasma displays. Syntax Groups Corporation has made good on that promise, delivering the Olevia LT42HVi at $3700 suggested retail. A widescreen 42" DTV with inboard ATSC tuner, twin NTSC tuners, and HDMI/HDCP digital input, the LT42HVi boasts 1366x768 resolution, 8ms response time, 178 degree viewing angle, and 1200:1 contrast ratio. Among LCD’s advantages are longer projected lifespan, immunity to burn-in, and lighter chassis weight. Performance features include deinterlacing up to 1080i, 3-2 pulldown, and “super in-plane switching,” a technique claimed to minimize image distortion  while improving color saturation and focus over a wide viewing angle. Unique to the set is its “iDEA” (innovative digitally enhanced architecture) circuitry, said to improve dynamic brightness, black level, contrast, and detail.
Price: $3700.
www.syntaxgroups.com

Nikada Flat-Panel TVs

Newcomer Nikada has marketed five high-definition flat-panel televisions. The company’s three LCD sets come in 26", 32", and 37" sizes; its two plasma units measure 42" and 50" diagonally. All are claimed to offer “wide viewing angles, bright color, vivid contrast, sharp pictures, and smooth-motion video.” Nikada flat panels are available with brushed-aluminum or silver-toned satin-finish enclosures, and all can be pedestal- or wall-mounted. Nikada’s flagship is the 50" PD1501, an HDTV with 16:9 aspect ratio, 1366x768 pixel count, 720p/1080i compatibility, auto-detection of DTV signals, and stereo audio decoding. Other video enhancements include “Cinema Mode”—a 3-2 pulldown technique for smooth motion video from film originals. Inputs include RF, composite video, stereo audio, S-video, component video, and DVI/HDCP. The $3900 40" PD1422 is identically configured.
Price: $6450. www.NIKADA.com. U.S. Distributor: www.sedonline.com.

Audience adeptResponse Power Conditioner

Audience LLC of Escondido, California, is now offering the adeptResponse “High Resolution Master Power Conditioner,” said to provide state-of-the-art AC power filtering for both audio and video equipment, without the dynamic limitations inherent in other designs. Built-in capabilities include “power protection, RF filtration, and partial power factor correction,” in addition to individual filters and electrical isolation for each outlet. The design avoids series inductors or metal-oxide varistors (MOVs) because of what Audience calls their “distortion-inducing” characteristics. Hardware highlights include a heavy-duty magnetic circuit breaker used as a power switch, a ground loop isolation transformer for hum reduction with satellite or cable TV, and an Audience powerChord with a 20-amp Neutrik Powercon connector. The 12-outlet adeptResponse has a ten-year warranty, measures 5" x 19" x 9" (HWD), and comes in silver or black.

Legacy Point One Subwoofer

Shake the earth with elegance. Legacy’s Point One sub is a compact powerhouse capable of 750 watts from an internal Class D amplifier. Measuring approximately 27" x 18" x 18" (HWD), it weighs in at a hefty 95 pounds. A rear-firing 15" driver with dual voice coil and spun-aluminum cone energizes your room, aided by a downward-firing 15" passive radiator. Features include level and crossover control (18dB/octave, variable 40Hz–150Hz), a phase control (0–180 degrees), and a “blend” control for use with speaker-level inputs. Line-level inputs include a stereo pair and one LFE jack.
Price: $2499–$2748, depending on finish.
www.legacy-audio.com

Meridian’s G68J

If you want the ultimate in sound, don’t loop video signals through your surround proces-sors, says Meridian Audio. The U.K. company’s new G68J, a THX Ultra2 Certified digital-and-analog A/V preamp-processor, is optimized for single-room applications. The G68J lacks video-input switching and video processing—functions that Meridian prefers to include in the companion G98 video player. Meridian claims the G68J can also improve room acoustics via its digital signal processing (DSP) room-correction system, said to counteract room resonances, eliminate “muddiness,” and deliver “outstanding real-world sound” by “dramatically improving stereo and surround imaging.” The G68J supports THX, Dolby Digital, DTS, Ambisonics, MPEG audio, and Meridian’s Trifield family of music-surround environments. Analog balanced outputs are among the available options.
Price: $6500. www.meridian-audio.com