CES @005

CES 2005

In all the years I have attended the CES in Las Vegas, I can only remember one other time that it rained. This year not only did it rain, but it snowed too. Granted, there was no accumulation, but during the heavy rain, there were big, heavy snowflakes mixed in, and hitting the ground. If nothing else, it got everyone’s attention, and made for interesting conversation throughout the day. You know it rained substantially, when you see the river of water, draining off the streets, through parking lots, and going wherever gravity steers it to go. If you’ve ever seen the torrents of water run behind the Imperial Palace, you know what I am talking about.

Besides the rain and snow, there were two new things in Las Vegas this year. There is a new hotel that is almost finished: Wynn Las Vegas Resort. This is Steve Wynn’s new, flagship hotel that is uniquely designed and visually appealing. Wynn Las Vegas (formerly known as Le Reve), the new megaresort being built by Steve Wynn, the mastermind behind Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island, and others.

Wynn Las Vegas Resort

Approximately 2,700 Rooms
_ 111,000 square-foot casino
_ 18 restaurants
_ 18 hole golf-course
_ Art gallery featuring masterworks by Picasso, Van Gogh, and others
_ Full-service Ferrari & Maserati dealership
_ 150 foot man made mountain featuring a 5-story waterfall cascading into a lake
_ 2,000-seat, domed showroom with a stage in the round
_ New production show designed by Franco Dragone, the creator of "Mystere," "O," and Celine Dion's new show at Caesars Palace.
_ Estimated total cost (including land acquisition, construction, and company development): $2.6 Billion
_ Opening Date: April 28, 2005

The Las Vegas Monorail

The Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail is the newest attraction on the famous Las Vegas skyline. Gliding above traffic at speeds reaching 50 miles per hour, it covers the four mile route in approximately 14 minutes for as little as $3.00! I purchased a 10 trip ticket for $ 20 and went back and forth to and from the Convention Center.

The Show:

HiDef DVD

As always, there were some cool things to be seen, heard, and experienced at the Consumer Electronic Show for 2005. Some of the things that I saw, heard and experienced are detailed below.
Perhaps the biggest news at the show was the unveiling of DVD technology that gives true high definition playback and enjoyment. There are two competing camps: Blue Ray lead by Sony and Panasonic, and HD-DVD, led by Toshiba. This has been talked about and even shown in prototype form in years past, but this year, it was shown by many manufacturers with many models in all price ranges. The technology that drives this product category is a different laser which allows more storage on the silver disc. Current DVD players use the Red Ray Laser for DVDs, and is limited to 6 GB on a disc. The Blue Ray laser will allow 15-25GB on a single layer disc, and a whopping 30-50 GB on a dual layer disc ! This will allow more information to be stored on the disc, and more information will allow more video and audio information to be stored, and played back. Currently, DVDs have a resolution of 480 progressive lines. The new HiDef DVDs will have a resolution of 1980 x 1020 lines. In other words, a whole lot better. By the way, there is sure to be a format war similar to Beta and VHS. The movie houses will be producing and releasing the newer DVDs as time goes on. Does this mean you will buy another DVD of the same movie ? No. unless you went the stunning resolution that the new discs and players will provide.

3-chip LCD vs DLP

Epson has a video products division that has some interesting products, one of which is their LCD front and rear projection televisions. In the EPSON booth they had an interesting display showing three of their RPTVs next to three DLP RPTVs from other manufacturers. On all six of these TVs, there was video material that showed some black and white patterns, some non-moving pictures, and some motion videos. The black and white patterns exhibited red, green, and blue motion artifacts on the DLP sets. The 3 chip LCD sets did not show these anomalies. The Static pictures displayed the fabulous color in those pictures, and the motion shots showed the accuracy to which the LCD sets reacted. This side-by-side display showed the differences between the two technologies. It confirmed my personal preference to LCD over DLP.

iPods

There is little doubt about the success of Apple’s iPod. People are wearing and playing them everywhere. Most of the time people are wearing headsets, headphones, or ear pods to listen to their personal music. But if you want to listen your music in your room, or spread your music into your space, you need to plug your iPod into something.
For your single room listening, you can attach your iPod into a speaker system and charging base. There were many manufacturers displaying these docking station devices, including Bose and Sony. But what if you want to interface your iTunes into your whole house audio system ? The iDock at the Sonance booth was the coolest piece of technology that I saw for the custom residential market. This dock is an in-wall device that allows you to place your iPod inside. You would then make your music choices, then go to your keypad, or audio receiver, select the correct input, and play all your iTunes on any and all rooms of your wired house. The iDock is retro-fittable and will cost about $ 500.

HD-Radio

With all things going HiDef, there is a new technology that will be coming soon to a radio near you. It is called HD-Radio, and it may revive the radio business. As newer playback sources have evolved over the years, the radio has not. But now there is a technology licensed by Ibiquity that is being adopted by radio stations and radio manufacturers. This technology allows the broadcasters to send out a digital signal along with the analog one they send out now. If your radio receiver has the new technology it will automatically switch to the digital feed. When this happens you will notice the clarity, of signal with no background noise, hums, or static. The dynamic range of sound is also increased. It makes AM sound like FM, and FM sound like CD. The demonstration that I heard was in a noisy area, and it was immediately perceptible. So imagine how good it would sound in a car. Like all new technology, there will be a gradual migration. At this writing there were 400 stations licensed, with 200 of those broadcasting . The people at Ibiquity say that in the not too distant future, over 2500 radio stations will adopt this technology, with the major markets first, and other markets later.

ADA has new HD FM tuner and Media Music Server

One of the most cutting edge, high quality, multi-room audio companies is Audio Design Associates. They showed an HD-Radio tuner that integrates into a residential audio system. This tuner has many of the same cool features that satellite radio has, and the high quality sound that comes with it. ADA also showed its new Music Server that is a hard drive, but the front end (user interface) is based on the iTunes software that you might find on your computer. This allowed the storage, and manipulation of your music, playlists, and CD burning activity that has become part of everyday life.

BA debuts its own line of Electronics

Speaker manufacturer Boston Acoustics showed its new line of electronics, which include an AV 7.1 channel receiver, a separate processor and 7 channel amplifier, and a 5.1 channel AV receiver. They also showed a bedside radio (The Receptor) that included an HD-Radio.

Voom !

There are three satellite providers: DirecTV, Dish Network and Voom. Of the three, Voom is the only one that broadcasts in HiDef. Sure there is HiDef material on the others, but in very limited quantities. (no matter what they tell you.) Voom is all HD all the time. With over 35 channels of true High Definition Video, all you need is their dish and their box. There are 2 packages of programming one for $50/mo. , and a premium package for $90/mo.

Flat TV is now BIG

The one thing that I left this CES with, was that flat TV is getting big. Really BIG. Sharp showed their 65” Aquos LCD TV. Over at Samsung they showed a 70” Plasma TV. At LG, they showed the “largest production model TV” at 71”. At Fujitsu, they showed a prototype 80” plasma TV (it was like looking out a window), and back at the Samsung booth, there were lots of people checking out what they called “the world’s largest TV”---a plasma display with 102” diagonal. It was like looking at (4) 50” plasma TVs stacked two wide, by two high. This was truly awesome!

Sony, the one and only

The Sony booth is more like a small village and is always big and exciting. This year they wanted to show how integrated their products are to your lifestyle. After waiting in a line outside the booth, the attendees were sent in to a large room with about 200 seats, and saw a LARGE, clear, and bright image on a video screen. This image was a garage door. While waiting, we noticed that this image changed a bit, and the soundtrack of birds were singing and chirping while the sun was rising. The garage door opened, and out drove a red 1965 Mustang convertible. Then the presentation started and showed the neat new products that Sony was showing. This included the new MP3 player, the new PDA/Phone with camera, and video, etc. and ended showing home entertainment which included the new Qualia RPTV, and a really cool device called TV Everywhere. This is a wireless TV, meaning the image and sound are beamed to the screen from a box that get connected (with wires) to your cable or satellite box, and to the internet. Then you can walk around (within 50 feet of the base unit) and enjoy streaming video from your video sources, as well as surf the internet with the built-in browser. The best part is this: if you wanted to watch your video while on your road trip or vacation, you could access your DVDs or home network via the internet and view your movie on your wireless display, wherever you are, anywhere in the world.

Music in your Shower

While cruising the aisles in the Convention Center, I came across a booth that had a make believe shower. The shower had no visible speakers, but there was music coming out of somewhere. The company is called Induction Dynamics, and they make a product, that when attached to a surface (glass, wood, sheetrock, etc.) make the entire surface a speaker driver, and produces sound. Granted, it is not as full range or as good as a regular speaker, but it is a very cool idea. There are two small (2” x 2 _” round) metal transducers that get attached to the surface, and then connected to a couple of speaker wires that would be run during the prewire. This is a great problem solver for people who want music in the bath, but do not want to see speakers, or do not have any space for speakers.

Do we need this?

At Microsoft, the booth was big as usual, and crammed with all sorts of kiosks that showed the many segments to which the software giant is involved. My attention was grabbed by a demonstration of a home appliance that looked like now, but came from the future. It was an oven that was a refrigerator. And it was smart. This device would allow you to put in your ingredients from your current refrigerator in the morning, and keep them cold until it was cooking time. Then it would defrost (if necessary), then cook your meal so that it is ready when you get home. The old timer clock setting interface is now a cool GUI with icons, colors and graphics to make it easier to operate.
So, that is most of what I saw, and heard at this year’s CES. I did not, and could not see everything, but did enjoy the good stuff, the crazy stuff and all the hubbub that is Las Vegas. As always, I will be looking forward to attending next year’s CES, to see and learn about the latest and greatest in consumer electronics.




		CES 2005 In all the years I have attended the CES in Las Vegas, I can only remember one other time that it rained. This year not only did it rain, but it snowed too. Granted, there was no accumulation, but during the heavy rain, there were big, heavy snowflakes mixed in, and hitting the ground. If nothing else, it got everyone’s attention, and made for interesting conversation throughout the day. You know it rained substantially, when you see the river of water, draining off the streets, through parking lots, and going wherever gravity steers it to go. If you’ve ever seen the torrents of water run behind the Imperial Palace, you know what I am talking about. Besides the rain and snow, there were two new things in Las Vegas this year. There is a new hotel that is almost finished: Wynn Las Vegas Resort. This is Steve Wynn’s new, flagship hotel that is uniquely designed and visually appealing. Wynn Las Vegas (formerly known as Le Reve), the new megaresort being built by Steve Wynn, the mastermind behind Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island, and others. Wynn Las Vegas Resort Approximately 2,700 Rooms _ 111,000 square-foot casino _ 18 restaurants _ 18 hole golf-course _ Art gallery featuring masterworks by Picasso, Van Gogh, and others _ Full-service Ferrari & Maserati dealership _ 150 foot man made mountain featuring a 5-story waterfall cascading into a lake _ 2,000-seat, domed showroom with a stage in the round _ New production show designed by Franco Dragone, the creator of "Mystere," "O," and Celine Dion's new show at Caesars Palace. _ Estimated total cost (including land acquisition, construction, and company development): $2.6 Billion _ Opening Date: April 28, 2005 The Las Vegas Monorail The Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail is the newest attraction on the famous Las Vegas skyline. Gliding above traffic at speeds reaching 50 miles per hour, it covers the four mile route in approximately 14 minutes for as little as $3.00! I purchased a 10 trip ticket for $ 20 and went back and forth to and from the Convention Center. The Show: HiDef DVD As always, there were some cool things to be seen, heard, and experienced at the Consumer Electronic Show for 2005. Some of the things that I saw, heard and experienced are detailed below. Perhaps the biggest news at the show was the unveiling of DVD technology that gives true high definition playback and enjoyment. There are two competing camps: Blue Ray lead by Sony and Panasonic, and HD-DVD, led by Toshiba. This has been talked about and even shown in prototype form in years past, but this year, it was shown by many manufacturers with many models in all price ranges. The technology that drives this product category is a different laser which allows more storage on the silver disc. Current DVD players use the Red Ray Laser for DVDs, and is limited to 6 GB on a disc. The Blue Ray laser will allow 15-25GB on a single layer disc, and a whopping 30-50 GB on a dual layer disc ! This will allow more information to be stored on the disc, and more information will allow more video and audio information to be stored, and played back. Currently, DVDs have a resolution of 480 progressive lines. The new HiDef DVDs will have a resolution of 1980 x 1020 lines. In other words, a whole lot better. By the way, there is sure to be a format war similar to Beta and VHS. The movie houses will be producing and releasing the newer DVDs as time goes on. Does this mean you will buy another DVD of the same movie ? No. unless you went the stunning resolution that the new discs and players will provide. 3-chip LCD vs DLP Epson has a video products division that has some interesting products, one of which is their LCD front and rear projection televisions. In the EPSON booth they had an interesting display showing three of their RPTVs next to three DLP RPTVs from other manufacturers. On all six of these TVs, there was video material that showed some black and white patterns, some non-moving pictures, and some motion videos. The black and white patterns exhibited red, green, and blue motion artifacts on the DLP sets. The 3 chip LCD sets did not show these anomalies. The Static pictures displayed the fabulous color in those pictures, and the motion shots showed the accuracy to which the LCD sets reacted. This side-by-side display showed the differences between the two technologies. It confirmed my personal preference to LCD over DLP. iPods There is little doubt about the success of Apple’s iPod. People are wearing and playing them everywhere. Most of the time people are wearing headsets, headphones, or ear pods to listen to their personal music. But if you want to listen your music in your room, or spread your music into your space, you need to plug your iPod into something. For your single room listening, you can attach your iPod into a speaker system and charging base. There were many manufacturers displaying these docking station devices, including Bose and Sony. But what if you want to interface your iTunes into your whole house audio system ? The iDock at the Sonance booth was the coolest piece of technology that I saw for the custom residential market. This dock is an in-wall device that allows you to place your iPod inside. You would then make your music choices, then go to your keypad, or audio receiver, select the correct input, and play all your iTunes on any and all rooms of your wired house. The iDock is retro-fittable and will cost about $ 500. HD-Radio With all things going HiDef, there is a new technology that will be coming soon to a radio near you. It is called HD-Radio, and it may revive the radio business. As newer playback sources have evolved over the years, the radio has not. But now there is a technology licensed by Ibiquity that is being adopted by radio stations and radio manufacturers. This technology allows the broadcasters to send out a digital signal along with the analog one they send out now. If your radio receiver has the new technology it will automatically switch to the digital feed. When this happens you will notice the clarity, of signal with no background noise, hums, or static. The dynamic range of sound is also increased. It makes AM sound like FM, and FM sound like CD. The demonstration that I heard was in a noisy area, and it was immediately perceptible. So imagine how good it would sound in a car. Like all new technology, there will be a gradual migration. At this writing there were 400 stations licensed, with 200 of those broadcasting . The people at Ibiquity say that in the not too distant future, over 2500 radio stations will adopt this technology, with the major markets first, and other markets later. ADA has new HD FM tuner and Media Music Server One of the most cutting edge, high quality, multi-room audio companies is Audio Design Associates. They showed an HD-Radio tuner that integrates into a residential audio system. This tuner has many of the same cool features that satellite radio has, and the high quality sound that comes with it. ADA also showed its new Music Server that is a hard drive, but the front end (user interface) is based on the iTunes software that you might find on your computer. This allowed the storage, and manipulation of your music, playlists, and CD burning activity that has become part of everyday life. BA debuts its own line of Electronics Speaker manufacturer Boston Acoustics showed its new line of electronics, which include an AV 7.1 channel receiver, a separate processor and 7 channel amplifier, and a 5.1 channel AV receiver. They also showed a bedside radio (The Receptor) that included an HD-Radio. Voom ! There are three satellite providers: DirecTV, Dish Network and Voom. Of the three, Voom is the only one that broadcasts in HiDef. Sure there is HiDef material on the others, but in very limited quantities. (no matter what they tell you.) Voom is all HD all the time. With over 35 channels of true High Definition Video, all you need is their dish and their box. There are 2 packages of programming one for $50/mo. , and a premium package for $90/mo. Flat TV is now BIG The one thing that I left this CES with, was that flat TV is getting big. Really BIG. Sharp showed their 65” Aquos LCD TV. Over at Samsung they showed a 70” Plasma TV. At LG, they showed the “largest production model TV” at 71”. At Fujitsu, they showed a prototype 80” plasma TV (it was like looking out a window), and back at the Samsung booth, there were lots of people checking out what they called “the world’s largest TV”---a plasma display with 102” diagonal. It was like looking at (4) 50” plasma TVs stacked two wide, by two high. This was truly awesome! Sony, the one and only The Sony booth is more like a small village and is always big and exciting. This year they wanted to show how integrated their products are to your lifestyle. After waiting in a line outside the booth, the attendees were sent in to a large room with about 200 seats, and saw a LARGE, clear, and bright image on a video screen. This image was a garage door. While waiting, we noticed that this image changed a bit, and the soundtrack of birds were singing and chirping while the sun was rising. The garage door opened, and out drove a red 1965 Mustang convertible. Then the presentation started and showed the neat new products that Sony was showing. This included the new MP3 player, the new PDA/Phone with camera, and video, etc. and ended showing home entertainment which included the new Qualia RPTV, and a really cool device called TV Everywhere. This is a wireless TV, meaning the image and sound are beamed to the screen from a box that get connected (with wires) to your cable or satellite box, and to the internet. Then you can walk around (within 50 feet of the base unit) and enjoy streaming video from your video sources, as well as surf the internet with the built-in browser. The best part is this: if you wanted to watch your video while on your road trip or vacation, you could access your DVDs or home network via the internet and view your movie on your wireless display, wherever you are, anywhere in the world. Music in your Shower While cruising the aisles in the Convention Center, I came across a booth that had a make believe shower. The shower had no visible speakers, but there was music coming out of somewhere. The company is called Induction Dynamics, and they make a product, that when attached to a surface (glass, wood, sheetrock, etc.) make the entire surface a speaker driver, and produces sound. Granted, it is not as full range or as good as a regular speaker, but it is a very cool idea. There are two small (2” x 2 _” round) metal transducers that get attached to the surface, and then connected to a couple of speaker wires that would be run during the prewire. This is a great problem solver for people who want music in the bath, but do not want to see speakers, or do not have any space for speakers. Do we need this? At Microsoft, the booth was big as usual, and crammed with all sorts of kiosks that showed the many segments to which the software giant is involved. My attention was grabbed by a demonstration of a home appliance that looked like now, but came from the future. It was an oven that was a refrigerator. And it was smart. This device would allow you to put in your ingredients from your current refrigerator in the morning, and keep them cold until it was cooking time. Then it would defrost (if necessary), then cook your meal so that it is ready when you get home. The old timer clock setting interface is now a cool GUI with icons, colors and graphics to make it easier to operate. So, that is most of what I saw, and heard at this year’s CES. I did not, and could not see everything, but did enjoy the good stuff, the crazy stuff and all the hubbub that is Las Vegas. As always, I will be looking forward to attending next year’s CES, to see and learn about the latest and greatest in consumer electronics.