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C.I.S. - Charlotte NC's #1 Polk Audio Speaker Dealer!

The Wireless Surround F/X speaker from Polk Audio offers a versatile alternative to traditional rear speakers.

While companies such as Micromega raised eyebrows on the electronics side of wireless audio at CES 2010, several companies were making sweet music to the ears of those who want to reduce cable clutter of a surround-sound system.

Polk Audio was one of those, as the company used an engaging demonstration of an “August Rush” Blu-ray in conjunction with Polk’s sound system comprising one of its SurroundBar units for the front channels and its new Wireless Surround F/X for those surround effects. I took a seat on the couch of Polk’s Venetian Hotel demo room to hear it for myself.

The Blu-ray clip was a scene filled with street noises whirring from everywhere, making great use of all channels in the system. Director of sales Dan Wakefield had a good time noting the looks on visitors’ faces as they began looking around for what presumably was a set of wall- or ceiling-mounted rear speakers.

To everyone’s surprise, they would be directed to look down at the floor, behind the couch that served as the listening sweet spot. That’s where the compact Wireless Surround F/X speaker sat unassumingly. About the size of a small dipole surround speaker, the Polk product features four 2.5-inch full-range drivers and a 5.25-inch woofer, powered by a small multichannel DSP amplifier.

I knew where the unit was placed, but my ears were just as pleasantly fooled while I lounged during “August Rush.” As Wakefield promised, the surround effects seem to arrive from about head level as well as from both left and right despite coming out of a single box. Between the soundbar and the wireless speaker, the combination proved quite effective at filling the room with surround sound.

A three-position DSP control helps optimize the audio image for floor, table and shelf applications, Polk says, opening versatile placement options for installers and homeowners. Look for Wireless Surround F/X in Q2 of this year for $399.

by Arlen Schweiger

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/polk_provides_surround_effects_wirelessly/C92

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte and Asheville NC’s Source For Your Custom Home Electronics and Automation Needs!

LG and Panasonic are trying to revive plasma displays.

CRT TVs. Laserdisc. VHS. Beta. CED (bet you have to look that one up).

All of these once represented a state-of-the-art technology, but have since made their way to that big home theater in the sky.

Many consumers think plasma displays also are dead, or are on their way out. But plasmas shouldn’t be relegated to the book-ends of the display market just yet, at least not as far as LG Electronics and Panasonic are concerned.

LG is releasing eight new plasmas, including its INFINIA line. Trying to kick the stereotype that plasmas are thick and heavy, the INFINIA series includes a 60-inch model that’s only 2-inches thick and only 95 pounds. These models will feature:

-LG NetCast for access to Internet streaming media like YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, and more
-“Wireless Media Hub” design that allows components, such as Blu-ray players, to be connected to a hub that wirelessly transmits the signal up to 90 feet
-THX certification
-Light-sensing automatic calibration
Panasonic will release more than 20 models, including four 3D-capable TVs that range from 50-65 inches. The 3D sets, which won both “Best In Television” and “Best In Show” at CES 2010, will include one pair of 3D glasses. Other features include THX certification, NeoPDP picture enhancements, and Viera Cast network streaming.

Plasma won’t take back the middle of the flat-panel TV market, but it will look to continue to be the meat of many high-end display lines and an important part of the push for 3D in the home.

by Stephen Hopkins

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/are_plasma_tvs_still_alive/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Theater, Audio and Video Services, Home Automation in North Carolina and South Carolina