Once a small show, primarily for custom installers of various disciplines, home automation, security and communications, CEDIA’s (Consumer Electronics Design and Installation Association) annual EXPO has become one of the largest and most important trade shows for the home theater market. Touting its largest attendance ever, the show featured products and demonstrations from large to medium-sized A/V manufacturers. The biggest emphasis seemed to be on HDTV products, especially the small, portable-sized DLP projectors, A/V receivers, CD recorders and progressive scan DVD players. Almost every new digital product now incorporates a 24-bit/96K DAC (digital audio converter). By next year we’ll all be saying, "18-bit, what’s that?" With the newest processor chips integrating Dolby Digital and DTS algorithms, all but the least expensive A/V receivers offer both decoding methods. THX announced a few THX Ultra licensees that have integrated THX Surround EX enhancements into some new digital processors, such as the Lexicon MC-1, JBL Synthesis SDP3 and Onkyo RDC-1. Adding Surround EX capabilities to A/V processors allows the playback of DVD encoded with a (matrixed) center surround channel for a more dramatic and localized surround effect. (Yes, this does mean you need an additional speaker and amplification.) Breaking it down by category here are just some of the products you’ll be able to find later this year and early in 2000 at your local retailer. |
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