LG Electronics launched a new 77-inch OLED display with a stunning image…and a price point to match. Unveiled for the first time at CEDIA, it was not only an impressive product, it was equally impressive that LG chose CEDIA 16 for its unveiling – a sign of real commitment to the channel for a premium product such as the LG Signature OLED TV OLED77G6P.
Products
B&K is Back…Well, Sort Of
One-time darling of many independent audio dealers and integrators, B&K Components, Ltd. had disappeared from view back in 2010. In fact, Strata-gee (then the Alert) broke the news about its impending demise just after the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta in October 2010. The bank was in the process of taking over the company and amplifier manufacturer Amplifier Technologies, Inc. (ATI) swooped in to purchase the remaining assets of the defunct company.
Now, the brand is back under new ownership – an ownership with all-new ideas to building a new company under the B&K banner. And who are these guys? Well, for starters, they’re Canadian, eh?
See more on the radical transformation of this brand… [Read more…] about B&K is Back…Well, Sort Of
Panasonic Going Global With…Wait for It…OLED TV
Is Panasonic Back in the Consumer TV Business?
Panasonic Corp., in a sharp departure from its previous TV strategy, launched an OLED TV in Europe last fall, using panels procured from LG. At the IFA 2016 show in Berlin that just wrapped up this week, Panasonic announced that they would start making their OLED TVs available in other markets, starting next year.
This is a big announcement.
See more on this new player in the OLED game… [Read more…] about Panasonic Going Global With…Wait for It…OLED TV
Auro Technologies’ StormAudio to Launch at CEDIA16
Auro Technologies Launches Hardware Brand to Support all Advanced Surround Formats
The creator of one of the top three advanced immersive movie surround sound formats, Auro Technologies (Auro3D), is launching a new venture called StormAudio to market a high-end, high-performance line of processors and amplifiers that supports all of the advanced surround formats – including its competitors Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The launch will officially kick off at this month’s CEDIA16 show in Dallas, TX from September 15-September 17 in booth #6628.
See more on this StormAudio and its products… [Read more…] about Auro Technologies’ StormAudio to Launch at CEDIA16
iPhone 7: The Best iPhone Ever?
Company Touts Incremental Upgrades of Mainstay Product
Apple, Inc. announced today the eagerly awaited iPhone 7, the next iteration of their biggest selling product. Already, the press leading up to the announcement – along with the blogs of several prominent Apple watchers – were suggesting this might be the year to skip. For those who were anticipating an incremental upgrade, well, ironically, you weren’t disappointed.
Still, Apple CEO Tim Cook declared to the crowd assembled at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium that it is the best iPhone they have ever made. He even sounded moderately enthusiastic saying so.
See more on this updated product, that is critical to Apple’s success… [Read more…] about iPhone 7: The Best iPhone Ever?
Russound Says Time to Hop on the 70-Volt Boat
As we recently told you, Russound has announced that it would be launching a line of 70-volt products designed to facilitate integrators’ entry into the commercial market. Now the company has released more details on just what their 70-volt offerings will include – and it appears to be a solid first step into the more commercial business.
See more on the new Russound 70-volt commercial line… [Read more…] about Russound Says Time to Hop on the 70-Volt Boat
Factory Tour: James Loudspeaker, The Inside Story
Factory Tour Shows James Loudspeaker To Be More Than You Realized
In our work lives, we all try to project the most positive image of ourselves. Sometimes the only way to really get to known someone is to visit them in their home. Here, you can find a lot of clues to their true selves.
So it is with companies as well. Polished marketing and great looking products can give you an impression of a large, professional, smoothly-running operation. But, as we can attest from direct experience, that simply is not always the case.
And sometimes, as in the case of James Loudspeaker, you get surprised.
See James Loudspeaker in a whole new light… [Read more…] about Factory Tour: James Loudspeaker, The Inside Story
CEDIA Announces Finalists for ‘Best New Product’
Did CEDIA Get It Right?
CEDIA, the trade association for residential custom integration specialists, announced this week the finalists in the contest to find the Best New Products. The organization will announce the winner at its upcoming EXPO on September 15 at 3:00PM in the CEDIA booth #4710.
See the winners and tell us what you think… [Read more…] about CEDIA Announces Finalists for ‘Best New Product’
With BluOS, is Lenbrook the Apple of High-End Distributed AV?
Company Expands BluOS into NAD Line, Expanding Its Options
Back in the Fall of 2013, we told you about the birth of a new brand called Bluesound – a new networkable, high-quality wired and wireless multiroom music system. Almost simultaneously, and in response to the obvious success of Sonos we suspect, new systems from Bose, D&M Holdings (HEOS), and Lenbrook were all introduced. But Lenbook officials maintained that their system had an advantage over most of the other systems – they had created their own operating system called BluOS.
And now BluOS is expanding in very interesting ways… [Read more…] about With BluOS, is Lenbrook the Apple of High-End Distributed AV?
Russound to Get Serious about Commercial at CEDIA
Company Will Premiere a New 70-Volt Line of Commercial Products
They’ve been hinting about it for months, now Russound makes it official, they will launch an all-new line of 70-volt products targeted for the light commercial market at the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Dallas in September. Although the company had no specific model/feature information for the press at this time, the news is noteworthy nonetheless as the company is clearly expanding into more commercial-appropriate products this year.
