Well it’s time for the annual CEDIA Expo and once again it’s being held here in Denver.  I actually had a chance to get on the show floor a little early this year to help a couple of manufacturers setup their booths. In doing that I was able to get a sneak preview of a couple of interesting technologies and products that are coming out.  I’ll definitely be reporting on everything of interest over the next couple of days, in the meantime here is a quick preview on a couple of technologies I’ll be looking at and what we might expect.

Blu-ray – still the topic of major discussion even though HD-DVD is out of the picture.   McIntosh has announced it’s new player (due later this year) and several other manufactures have 2nd or even 3rd generation players announced for the show.   I suspect we’ll see a bunch of inexpensive players by Christmas and probably some expensive, high-performance models too.

OLED and SED – these are new display technologies that will change the flat panel industry from thin to very, very thin. This will be an interesting market segment to follow.

Projection – now that the initial wave(s) of 1080p players have reached the market we’re going to see a bunch of high-end projectors hit the market.  So far, the buzz is about Meridian, Wolf, Christie, JVC and, of course, 8250’s personal favorite,  projectiondesign with their new avielo product line.

Whole house distribution – a lot of new products are recently out or coming out which do various forms of HDMI distribution throughout the house as well as some innovative audio products as well

Media servers – another growing market segment is media serving. Obviously 8250 Theaterworks is interesting in Sooloos and their new product offerings as well as Kaleidescape.

If anyone out there is interested in any other technologies, manufacturers or products, let me know and I’ll be sure to check it out and report back.

Earlier this year McIntosh introduced its new MC2301 monoblock tube amplifier. Jim Ludoviconi, the senior dealer support manager for McIntosh, sent the following press release to dealers:

“The new McIntosh MC2301 monoblock tube amplifier hails the fusion of our Unity Coupled and Quad-
Differential circuit topologies. From the inception of McIntosh Labs, Unity Coupling stands as one of the
premiere tube topologies ever conceived, making possible revolutionary power bandwidth and low distortion. Quad-Differential circuitry, a recent McIntosh innovation, cancels nearly all induced noise and circuit-borne nonlinearities resulting in the lowest noise levels ever achieved in a tube amplifier. With 300 Watts available at 8, 4 or 2 ohms, the MC2301 provides power enough to drive even the most demanding loudspeakers. From the demands of massed chorale to full-on rock and roll the, MC2301 delivers the most extraordinarily lifelike and dynamic performance ever heard from a McIntosh tube amplifier.

The appearance of the MC2301 bespeaks pure McIntosh power. A fast-responding wattmeter with L.E.D. illumination glows blue behind a premium ½” glass frontpanel. A pair of hand-machined, anodized handles and polished stainless steel chassis completes the package.”

8250 Theaterworks recently brought a pair of these in-house for demo and the results are excellent; music has a tremendous sense of open space while still providing intimate details and texture. If you’re considering a new 2-channel system, or looking to upgrade your current system, the new MC2301 is definitely worth considering and a “must demo” product.