Posts with tag features
If you'll recall, Integra surprised at last year's CEDIA by trotting out its DHS-8.8 HD DVD player; this year, the company has quietly (silently, in fact) released its plainly styled DBS-6.9 Blu-ray deck. While the design may not suit your fancy, it's far from being the ugliest BD player at the Expo, and reportedly, the Profile 1.1 unit will retail for a buck under $600 whenever it decides to ship. We can already tell you're uninterested based on the price alone, but feel free to peruse the gallery at Engadget HD if you're hungry for pics.
How would you change Acer's Aspire One?

Panasonic holds live tru2way demonstration on TH-50PZ80Q plasma
They said they were going to do it, and do it they did. While Samsung's tru2way "demonstration" was barely more than a hack job used to show off what the technology was about, Panasonic demoed the real deal at its CEDIA booth. The 50-inch TH-50PZ80Q plasma contained a real CableCARD (yes, we checked) and was receiving a live signal from Comcast. Denver is just one of a few markets where tru2way is theoretically ready to rock, and according to a Panny rep, the set we saw today is a production unit that will ship sometime "later this year." The idea here is to provide buyers with the ability to insert any CableCARD from any carrier (if you move, for example) into an HDTV, thus eliminating the cable company's stranglehold (best known as a "carrier-issued set-top-box") on you. The demo we saw went over very well -- everything was responsive and image quality was excellent. See for yourself in the gallery at Engadget HD.
JVC demonstrates prototype wireless HDMI box, plans to launch in Q1 2009

Belkin's FlyWire hands-on at CEDIA
Belkin has been dangling its FlyWire wireless HD box for, what, ever now? Thankfully, it seems that all the kinks have been worked out, and the October ship date should actually stick. A few tidbits we learned while hanging out at the outfit's CEDIA booth: first, we confirmed that the technology within the device is AMIMON's, so we're guessing it's WHDI. Secondly, we heard that the retail price of the top-end AV69003 may scoot up to $1,499 when it's finally released. We know, that's a lot of coin to make your components cord-free, but the demonstration showing off Blu-ray streaming through thin air was nothing short of astounding. No hiccups, no jaggies, no hints whatsoever that there wasn't a direct HDMI connection. Check the box (and the receiver) out in the flesh over at Engadget HD.
TiVo HD XL DVR hands-on at CEDIA
Well, what can we say? Here we have a TiVo HD with a subtle "XL" logo there on the bottom left, a more capacious hard drive and a Series 3 remote. That being the case, at least the one parked at CEDIA was outstandingly shiny -- seriously, check it out over at Engadget HD.
Sony's WiFi-enabled VAIO CP1 hands-on

Sharp's AQUOS BD-HP50U / BD-HP21U Blu-ray players eyes-on

Sony's high-end SCD-XA5400ES SACD player eyes-on at CEDIA
A $1,500 SACD player? In 2008? Long after the never-very-popular format peaked? Thanks, Sony -- we can only imagine how lopsided the gallery visit-to-purchase ratio will be on this one.
Panasonic's DMP-BD35 / DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players hands-on
Sharp wasn't the only company showcasing a new duo of Blu-ray players at CEDIA, as Panasonic decided to whip up a couple as well just for kicks. The DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 were made official during IFA, but not until now has Panny shown them off to the wide-eyed public. As with the aforementioned Sharp duo, this pair is also hard to distinguish from one another at first glance. Unfortunately, neither are really worth sweating, but you can have a look over at Engadget HD if you just refuse to believe that.
Sony's VAIO JS, LV and RT all-in-one desktops hands-on
Rather than taking the circular approach, Sony's choosing more traditional design models to follow with its latest trio of all-in-one PCs. As you can see in the gallery over at Engadget HD, the larger of the two were actually mounted up on swing-arms in the outfit's CEDIA booth, essentially acting as monitors for watching TV / playing PS3. The small guy didn't do a whole lot for us, but the two hung up on the wall were pretty svelte. See for yourself, won't you?
Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player
Sony's latest high-end Blu-ray player was sitting pretty at the outfit's CEDIA booth, so we did exactly what you figured we would -- stop by and snap some pictures. Though the unit wasn't exactly compact, the build quality seemed sufficient and the design was suitably simple. As you very well know by now, the gallery is over at Engadget HD.
Hands-on with Toshiba's SRT REGZA HDTVs (and other old crap)
Man, what a toll the loss of HD DVD has taken on Toshiba. Judging by the vast expanse of floor space at Tosh's booth not covered with people (seriously, look for anyone in the gallery below) and the inclusion of CES-announced DVD / VHS recorders (yes, really) as premiere products, we'd say the outfit is still hurting from the outcome of the format war. In all honesty, we felt kind of sad sashaying through its installation while reading slogans like "See everything in HD (even the non-HD stuff)." We even viewed the Super Resolution Technology demonstration with an open mind, and while there's certainly a mild difference with SRT, these sets hardly make SD signals into high-def. Grab a tissue and wander through the gallery at Engadget HD.
Hands-on / a look within Pioneer's Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player
Pioneer didn't bring a whole lot of firepower to this year's CEDIA (though it did toss in 16 new speaker models), but the star of its show was definitely the über-expensive Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player. Thankfully, the company had a couple of units setup for photographing, one of which was dissected within a glass case. Needless to say, we snapped images from each, giving you a rare look at what makes this thing worth $2,199. As with most of its Elite components (HDTVs notwithstanding), this unit was also on the chunky side, but it's still a beauty in our eyes. The gallery awaits your attention.
Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype
Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma wasn't exactly front and center like we had imagined, but it was there garnering stares nonetheless. Donning a glossy white finish and displaying nothing but floral arrangements, the set looked pretty good (though not great) in terms of visual quality. The design, however, was simply stunning. And just as promised, we did include the obligatory iPhone comparison, though you'll have to account for the Belkin skin when drawing your conclusions. Give it a peek in the gallery below.






























