All Products Filed in Wire and Cable

Monday, August 23, 2010

Pioneer Electronics has earned respect for its line of mainstream consumer electronics products that balance, cost, performance and value.

The company's Elite line of Blu-ray disc players have been cited as some of the best products on the market and now with the latest generation of Pioneer Elite Blu-ray players hitting the market, the company has built upon the performance of the players by adding Web streaming and wireless connectivity.

Pioneer Elite's mid-level BDP-31FD incorporates the company's PQLS jitter reduction technology for use with a companion Pioneer Elite receiver, as well as other installer-friendly features such as RS-232 for third-party control system integration, iPod Touch/iPhone control apps, BD-Live support, and the ability to stream Web-based content from media sites like Netflix.com and Youtube.com.

Installers can set up the Web-enabled BDP-31FD by connecting a traditional Ethernet cable to its Ethernet port, or in a retrofit situation, employ Pioneer's optional wireless AS-WL100 USB wireless adapter, which provides installers with the ability to integrate the player's Web functions with a homeowner's existing wireless network.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Within the world of custom electronics the mere reference of the manufacturer VIZIO usually elicits a variety of opinions.

There is however no disputing the company's popularity. The Calif.-based company is one of the most popular manufacturers in the entire world of consumer electronics.

On Aug. 20 the company announced that its Xtreme VIZIO Technology (XVT) TruLED LED LCD televisions have started to ship. The line of products includes a range of five screen sizes: 32 inch, 37 inch, 42 inch, 47 inch and 55 inch, and they incorporate the company's Smart Dimming LED dimming technology, dual-band 802.11n wireless Internet connectivity, VIZIO's Web apps, and multiple HDMI inputs.

In addition, all of the TVs offer VIZIO's Smooth Motion video processing, IR/Bluetooth remote controls that include QWERTY keyboards and full backlit LED lighting for improved contrast ratios.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

With new housing starts still lagging and the economy continuing to splutter along, installers are now moving into the retrofit market.

Middleton, Wisc.-based Intelix's new DIGI-HD-COAX A/V extender enables custom installers to walk into an existing home and distribute high-definition video signals over a single coax cable.

The solution works with a home's existing RG-59 and RG-6 cables and the company says it can transmit 1080p video up to 300 feet and 1080i up to 675 feet. In addition, the transmission solution also includes signal amplification technologies to allow installers to daisy chain a system to feed as many as 10 displays.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

With devices like Blu-ray players, HDTVs and streaming devices becoming commodity items, these products are more accessible than ever to a broader range of consumers.

Audio Authority's new HXE-11 HDMI over Coax system provides installers a simple way of connecting those devices and facilitating their clients' high-definition home theater needs.

The system is capable of transmitting and receiving 1080p video and lossless audio over a single RG-6 cable for more than 200 feet.

The Lexington, Ken.-based manufacturer says that the system, which is comprised of a Model 1341T Transmitter and the Model 1341R Receiver, provides installers with an alternative to balun-based Cat-5 solutions.

Audio Authority adds the coax system is HDCP compliant, and that it's set up is plug-and-play with no programming required.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Throughout the history of the custom electronics market, there's been a handful of brands that have supported the channel's growth.

One of those companies is Runco, and recently, the luxury manufacturer of projection and flat-panel video displays introduced two new projectors: the Signature Cinema SC-50d and SC-60d.

Runco has engineered the projectors to reproduce bright, rich pictures through its use of dual UHP lamps and three-chip Texas Instruments' (TI) DLP 1080 chipsets. In addition, the company also includes its external DHD video processor and CineWide with AutoScope technologies for noise-free, aspect-ratio correct image reproduction.

The Ore.-based manufacturer also says the projectors are 3D ready to support both passive and active 3D technologies, and through the use of Runco's Smart Lens system and ISF calibration provisions, installers can calibrate the projectors with preset lens and iris memory for use with masking screens.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

With the world of residential audio/video expanding rapidly, the applications in which custom installers find themselves using HDMI diversifies everyday.

Kordz's new EVS 7-15m line of HDMI cables is designed to help CE Pros deal with the many installation situations they have to deal with in order to complete an installation.

The company says line addresses longer HDMI cabling runs through the implementation of Redmere Technology's active EQ solution that permits the transmission of data at rates up to 10.2Gbps.

Kordz manufactures the cable with a flat geometry, which allows installers to run it under carpets and tuck it into baseboard trim when in a retrofit environment. Ensuring that connections remain secure after the cabling is pulled, the Australian manufacturer also builds the cables with its firm-fit connectors to help the cables stay in place once they are installed.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

With the release of the new TX-NR1008, TX-NR808 and the TX-NR708, the consumer electronics company Onkyo is providing budget-conscious consumers a trio of A/V receivers that provide everything necessary to assemble a modern home theater.

All three receivers offer HDMI 1.4a connections to support 3D video playback, and they also offer video Faroudja's DCDi upscaling and processing technologies. Other features packaged into the receivers include Ethernet connectivity to stream a variety of digital files such as MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC and LPCM. The Windows 7 and DLNA 1.5-certified receivers can also play content from Pandora, Rhapsody, vTuner and Sirius Internet Radio to enable installers to network the receivers for connectivity throughout a home.

Onkyo differentiates the receivers through some higher end performance options such as secondary zone functions. The TX-NR708 requires a powered second zone, while the 808 powers the second zone and comes equipped with pre-outs for zones two and three. The TX-NR1008 takes it a step further by providing amplification for zones two and three, while also providing users with an extra HDMI output.

Additionally, all three receivers offer Audyssey room equalization, and lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio audio processing.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

For about a decade the California consumer electronics company Oppo Digital, Inc has gained a steady following of performance-driven, budget conscious consumers and throughout this time it's also been building a loyal dealer network.

Back about a year ago the company released one of the first universal disc players that included Blu-ray disc playback, the BDP-83, and it was praised from all corners of the electronics market. Recently the company upped the performance ante of the BDP-83 when it introduced the BDP-83 Special Edition unit, which addresses the analog multichannel outputs of the player.

The company started by upgrading the player's power supply before moving on to its digital-to-analog converters (DACs), which the company replaced with higher performing Sabre DACs from ESS Technology.

Using an eight-channel Sabre Premier (ES9006) DAC chip for the unit's 7.1 analog outputs in tandem with an alignment that features four of ESS' Sabre Ultra (ES9016) DACs per channel for the player's analog stereo output, the player is able to achieve a signal-to-noise ratio of 117dB, which bests the standard BDP-83 by 7dB.

Just like the standard BDP-83, the SE offers Blu-ray, DVD, SACD, HDCD, DVD Audio disc playback. The BDP-83 SE can play back blank discs in the AVCHD, CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R/RW, DVD+/-R, BD-R/RE and Kodak picture formats for added entertainment flexibility.

Other standard features include VRS by Anchor Bay video processing and upconversion, BD-Live 2.0 functionality, zoom-mode processing for 2.35:1 stretch applications and built in Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio.

Monday, July 19, 2010

With bandwidth becoming more important in the business and residential worlds, there's an increasing burden on electronics professionals to offer and install cabling infrastructure that meet and exceed the varying usages placed on the network by business and home owners.

The XFTP line of products from Trilithic was recently bolstered by the company through the addition of the new TFS-1020 Optical Fault Finder. This new device is a hand-held unit that enables CE Pros to inexpensively spec optical fiber lengths and trouble shoot cabling installations.

Trilithic says the TFS-1020 includes an optical time domain reflectometer technology to provide users with the ability analyze a building's fiber infrastructure. The TFS-1020 includes options like the ability to calculate and display nominal and interval event lengths and the ability to communicate up to five fault events in a system.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

When there's no substitution for a wired connection, like when someone wants a switch or a network attached storage (NAS) device, powerline network connections are a viable alternative.

Plaster Networks' new AV200 is the latest addition to the powerline networking company's line of products and it's designed to provide a less expensive means of powerline network connectivity to homeowners.

According to the company, installers can lower the costs of their retrofit network installations by combining the AV200 adapter with the company's PLN3 unit and they can employ multiple AV200s throughout the home as the client needs additional connections.

Plaster is offering a start-up powerline networking kit that combines one PLN3 adapter and one AV200 adapter for a total of $130, with an additional $65 for each AV200 adapter.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Vaulting ahead of the other media server companies, the N.J.-based Windows Media Center (MCE) company, S1Digital has updated its product line through the addition of 3D video playback, lossless audio and the announcement of its new P250 MCE client.

S1 had addressed its ProLine Series, which includes the S800, P600 and P500 by adding 3D Blu-ray disc playback capabilities and HDMI 1.4 connections.

The company has also added 10 terabytes (10 TBs) of internal storage with six hot-swappable RAID drives, along with the latest Intel Core i7 processor and Microsoft's Windows 7 64-bit operating system (OS) to its flagship S800.

Beyond the 3D options for the P500 and P600, S1 has added DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD lossless audio and HDMI Deep Color video capabilities to its mid-level Media Center machines. On top of those additions, the N.J.-based manufacturer has added RAID-enabled internal storage, Intel Core i5 processors, and the Windows 7 OS to the P500 and P600 to ensure the products' performance.

Rounding out its product line is the P250 client. This unit supports HDMI 1.3, the Dolby and DTS lossless audio formats, 1080p video resolutions, and seamless network access to the company's ProLine Series of products to allow the device to playback Blu-ray, music, videos and photo media.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

As good as some of the new wireless technologies have become they will never replace a physical cabled connection.

Vanco's new HDMI over Coaxial Extender allows installers to use coax cable to extend HDMI signals up to 328 feet. The transmission device works with 1080p signals and the company says the product supports HDCP, xvYCC and other HDMI embedded technologies.

With data rate speeds up to 10.2Gbps the extender also works both RG-6 and RG59, and Vanco says the transmitter and receiver duo can connect up to two displays. Vanco also ships the extender with a remote control to switch between devices, and the company says that additional receiver are available so that installers can cascade the signals of a single transmitter to as many as 45 displays.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

One of the great things about flat-panel televisions is that they fit in places that old CRT televisions don't. These placement options allow homeowners to find creative ways to integrate a television into their homes without adding stress to their lives.

Helping to facilitate this these integration possibilities are products like Cabinet Tronix's new Coastal Elements line of TV lift products.

Included in that line of products is the company's Le Bloc Ebony Macassar (LEM) television lift. This lift is available with options such as a universal television mount and a universal remote control. Backed by a five-year warranty, the lift can be placed in places like at the foot of a bed, in the center of a room or against the wall, and homeowners can control the unit through its integrated IR/RF remote control signal repeater system.

The product also includes two HDMI inputs to allow homeowners to connect devices like their cable/satellite boxes and Blu-ray players.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Power is always an underrated element when someone is evaluating the performance of a home theater system, a commercial-grade data network or anything in between.

Tripp Lite's new line of Hot-Swap Power Distribution Units (PDUs) are uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) that electronics professionals can use in the field to service a variety of installation scenarios that require backup protection.

The line of products includes five models that offer a choice of volt-amps up to 3,000VA. Tripp Lite says the units offer installers the ability to hot swap units for maintenance or complete replacement without having to take an entire system offline. The products are 2U high in 2- or 4-post racks, and Tripp Lite says the products can also be rear-post mounted to save space.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Right now it's one of the most heated debates within the consumer electronics industry: high-performance Blu-ray players.

Boulder, Colo.-based Ayre Acoustics is the latest company to enter the high-performance BD (Blu-ray) disc category with the release of its DX-5 Universal Digital Engine.

Building upon the foundation of an Oppo Blu-ray disc player, Ayre gutted the unit's internal components and replaced them with upgraded features like linear analog power supplies for the audio and video sections of the component. From the the company galvanically isolated the video circuitry with high-speed opto-isolators, it replaced the player's audio circuit by implementing its EquiLock circuit, which it says stabilizes the operating point of each active gain device to ensure maximum performance for the zero-feedback, fully balanced design, it upgraded the player's analog-to-digital converters (DACs), it implemented its digital MP digital technologies, separate master clocks and it added a dedicated HDMI audio output that features a low-jitter crystal oscillator.

The component is capable of playing back DVD-video, DVD-Audio, SACD, CD and Blu-ray discs and with the inclusion of the company's aynchronous USB input technology, CE Pros can connect their clients' home networks home network to the component for the playback of digital audio files that reside on their clients' computers.