Alexandre Beaudoin Bonotto Blog's: 8 Best Home Entertainment Products from the CEDIA Expo 2017

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

8 Best Home Entertainment Products from the CEDIA Expo 2017

Every year right after Labor Day, the Consumer Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) holds its annual Expo. As one of the premiere trade shows for the home systems industry, the CEDIA Expo serves as a launching pad for innovative new products and systems for the smart home. Many of these introductions focus on home entertainment, and Electronic House’s resident A/V guru Bob Archer scoured the CEDIA Expo show floor last week for the best in A/V. Here are a few of his favorites:

Bluesound Pulse Flex Powered Loudspeaker

In an increasingly competitive market Bluesound has distinguished itself as a unique whole-house audio brand. Bluesound announced at CEDIA a Dolby decoding option for its Pulse Flex loudspeaker when it’s used in tandem with the company’s Pulse Soundbar. Now it’s possible to create home theater systems with Dolby audio processing without having to pull wires. Additionally, the speakers can be used as part of a whole-house audio distribution through Bluesound’s BluOS platform.

KEF REFERENCE 1

When it comes to the combination of performance and industrial design few companies rival KEF. The company’s REFERENCE 1 bookshelf loudspeaker is a perfect example of this combination. The speaker can be used in stereo systems as well as theater systems in conjunction with the company’s REFERENCE in-wall models (and others) to create true high-performance systems. The REFERENCE 1 utilizes a 5-inch Uni-Q array, along a 6.5-inch alloy cone bass driver. The 8-ohm, 85dB sensitive three-way, bass-reflex design produces a frequency response of 45Hz to 35kHz.

Origin Acoustics DEEP Subwoofers

Origin Acoustics created a huge buzz before the show even began with the introduction of its Dot mounting brackets, acoustical design services, B&O/Origin outdoor speakers and Valet Alexa-enabled whole-house audio products. Combining a contemporary industrial design and cutting-edge features, including a companion app that offers EQ adjustments, auto EQ, frequency and level controls, the DEEP subs provide everything needed for low frequency reinforcement of a sound system. The subwoofers are offered in eight, 10 and 12 woofer sizes, with matching 300-, 600- and 1,000-watt amps.

Pro Audio Technology SCRS-25im Speaker

Southern Calif.-based Pro Audio Technology helped popularize the idea of utilizing commercial audio technologies for home theater applications. The company’s new SCRS-25im speaker can be used for on-wall and in-wall installations to provide high SPL, low distortion dynamic multichannel playback of movie and music soundtracks.

Triad One Streaming Amplifier

Unlike many amplifiers, the Triad One streaming amplifier is designed to be seen. The single-zone amp is rated to produce 100 watts of power, and it supports digital audio up to 24-bit/192kHz. It can be used to power local soundbars and speakers in any type of room environment. It includes IR outputs to control devices such as TVs. The amp also includes analog and digital inputs, and through a Control4 home automation system, the amp enables the streaming of Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, TIDAL and TuneIn.

Dish AirTV

There may be no greater piece of evidence of a shifting video market than the falling ratings for the NFL. Representing a solution for the cord-cutting crowd, Dish’s AirTV player utilizes an Android operating system, and brings together free over-the-air (OTA) broadcast content, along with the Sling TV, Netflix and YouTube streaming services under a single, unified interface. Dish points out that its AirTV also offers content within the Google Play Store and Control4 integration.

Elite PrimeVision DarkStar UST eFinity Screen

The DarkStar UST eFinity from Elite PrimeVision employs a multilayer optical microstructure to filter approximately 95 percent of overhead light. The screen’s .5-gain and 180-degree viewing angle provides homeowners with a sharp image that maintains a high amount of contrast in rooms with lots of ambient light. Elite trims the screen out with a 9mm bezel. The DarkStar pairs just about perfectly with short-throw projectors from companies like Sony and Epson to make a killer large-screen solution at sizes starting at 120 inches (16:9).

Sony VPL-VW285ES Projector

The UltraHD market is opening up and Sony is responding by launching its new VPL-VW285ES projector. Priced at less than $5,000, the VPL-VW285ES delivers a 4096×2160 resolution, as well as brightness levels up to 1,500 lumens, and compatibility with HDR. Sony also points out the projector provides HDCP2.2 copyright protection compatibility, and a lamp life rating of 6,000 hours.