Denon
Four AVRs that support Dolby True HD and DTS HD (AVR-5308CI, 4308CI, 3808CI (
Buy Now $1450), and 2808CI). Very impressive receivers. Saw the only Dolby Blu Ray player on the planet send an undecoded DTS HD stream to the Denon 4308 and have the decoding done on the 4308. The 5308CI goes for MSRP $5200 will be available in the Fall and the 2808CI goes for $1200 and is available now.
Yamaha
Saw the 11.2 channel RX-Z11. It goes for $5000. Has the typical Yamaha look and feel and will be available in November. Has a web interface for setup and control. Mac users this should work with your computers as well. You'll be able to control any zone with a web browser. Saw an Air Surround demo that was quite impressive. Of course the room was controlled so your mileage may very. Yamaha's lowest cost receiver that supports Dolby True HD and DTS HD decoding is the
RX-V1800 which has an MSRP of $1300. We have it at our store for $1175 (
Buy Now)
Oppo Digital (Upconverting DVD players)
I spoke with the people at Oppo and learned a bit more about the company. They are very customer focused. They read forum posts at
AVS Forums and respond. Their goal is to provide the best product at the best price. There will be new product announcements coming towards the end of the year.
Dish Network
They will have an IPTV launch in Q4. Their partners will be Major Movie Studios and Cinema Now. They are looking at HD and hope to have something soon but made no commitments. They may include older TV series as part of the service. On the Push side (where they download content to your hard drive on DVRs) they may have HD content by Q4. Not home theater related but they will be offering Dish Skins that you can put on your Satellite Dish. They have all NFL teams and many college. I believe they have other sports too.
Crestron
Very cool custom solutions! None of the stuff I saw was for the do it yourselfer. They had a very nice (and expensive) audio server that that has touchscreen controls with integrated room control. If I had the money, this is how I would go.
Kaleidescape
They will support HD DVD and Blu Ray as soon it is legal to do so.
Terra Outdoor Speakers
Had one of the coolest demos. They setup their speakers in ice baths and poured watter on them. The speakers kept working. They had some designes thet were built to blend in with your backyard. Only available through custom installers and they come with a lifetime warranty.
Harman Kardon
Saw the DMC 1000, which support independent, simultaneous playback of up to four audio streams. The first time a CD is loaded, its contents are automatically added to the DMC 1000’s 160GB hard-drive library at 8x-speed while simultaneously playing the CD. It can play back music, video or still images from an ipod using a dock that is not included. Available in November for $2999. Also saw the Project Everest Speakers up close and in person. They were smaller than I thought they'd be. Roughly measuring 3 feet wide by 4 feet high and two feet deep.
TI DLP
Saw very cool 3D demo on a RP DLP TV. They showed about 3 minutes of the original Star Wars, some NASCAR, and Meet The Robinsons. It was some of the best 3D I have ever seen. All current Samsung DLP TVs support this technology and so does the 833 version of the Mitsubishi DLP. Today you need a computer to watch 3D but in the future DVD players will also support this technology. The active glasses go for about $50. Also saw the Darkchip 4 with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. Very impressed with my brief look at it.
Pioneer
Saw the Kuro Plasma and their Blu Ray Player in a demo. If my next TV is going to be a plasma it will be one of these babies. Kuro means deep blacks. I also saw the new Pioneer Blu Ray Player (BDP-95FD) and their flagship AVR SC-09TX which will be available this winter for $7000. The SC-09TX is a beast! I am considering the Blu Ray Player but its a bit on the spendy side at $1000 US.
Marantz
What can I say? They have a $2000 upconverting DVD player and a $6000 50 inch 720p Plasma. Please help me understand.
