Podcast #862: Best of CEDIA 2018

TWICE has announced the winners of their annual Best of Show awards at CEDIA Expo. The products were nominated by the manufacturers and a team of judges was employed to walk the floor and rate the products on a number of criteria, including its value, impact, and how unique it was to the market. #10)  URC MRX-30 - This controller is the powerful, flagship processor for the Total Control system. It delivers rock-solid control and automation for your residential and commercial installations. The powerful MRX-30 provides instant two-way communication with the family of Total Control user interfaces – tabletop touchscreen controllers, in-wall touch screens, handheld remotes and keypads. #9) Sony VPL-VW295ES 4K HDR Home Cinema Projector $5000 #8) Sony Master Series 4K A9F OLED TV $4,500 65" $3,500 55"- Powered by the Picture Processor X1™ Ultimate, this best picture quality TV pairs the deep black and natural color of OLED with Pixel Contrast Booster™ for enhanced color contrast in high luminance. Everything you watch comes to life with fine detail and vivid color. With Acoustic Surface Audio+™. Three actuators and two powerful subwoofers deliver multi-dimensional sound that immerses you in a whole new entertainment experience. #7) Samsung The Wall - A 146-inch modular TV featuring self-emitting MicroLED technology.  "As the world's first consumer modular MicroLED television, 'The Wall' represents another breakthrough. It can transform into any size, and delivers incredible brightness, color gamut, color volume and black levels. We're excited about this next step along our roadmap to the future of screen technology, and the remarkable viewing experience it offers to consumers." #6) Samsung Q900 8K TV - Available in four ultra-large screen sizes (65", 75", 82" and 85"), Samsung QLED 8K TV will feature several 8K-ready enhancements, including Real 8K Resolution, Q HDR 8K and Quantum Processor 8K, all created to bring 8K-quality images to life. The new Samsung QLED 8K will be available in stores from end of September*. Samsung's QLED 8K with 8K AI Upscaling is a part of the company's long-term vision of leading 8K to the forefront as the most accurate and life-like screen resolution on the market. #5) ProVideoInstruments MiniMod-2 $495 - The VeCOAX MINIMOD-2 Distributes any of your HDMI Video Sources to an unlimited number of televisions over the existing TV Coax Cables, with professional perfect FULL HD 1080P & Dolby digital quality. There is no need for any new cables nor accessory behind each tv, so the installation is very simple, immediate, plug 'n play anywhere, perfect for any application. Set the wanted channel names & position numbers, then rescan all TVs to find the VeCOAX MINIMOD-2 Channels as new available HDTV TV Channels. Expand the number of channels at any time by simply adding more VeCOAX modulators on the same coax. #4) Polk Audio Command Bar  $300 - The Home Theater Sound Bar System with Amazon Alexa Built-in. Tuned driver array, wireless subwoofer and Dolby/DTS surround sound decoding. Works with 4K and HD TVs — built-in dual HDMI 2.0b inputs #3) LG 77 Inch OLED C8 4K HDR Smart TV with AI ThinQ  $8,000 - LG ThinQ® AI | Google Assistant, LG α9 Intelligent Processor, LG OLED Display, 4K Cinema HDR, Dolby Atmos® #2) Klipsch Heritage Theater Bar $2,200 - The Klipsch Heritage Theater Bar was engineered to provide a low-profile design that can deliver a true high-fidelity listening experience in a premium, easily installed, handcrafted package. Leveraging the latest advancements in Klipsch proprietary acoustic technology, the Heritage Theater Bar is able to emit the sonic performance of a three-speaker system, but within a single housing. Finished with real-wood veneer and a beautiful grille cloth, the Klipsch Heritage Theater Bar far exceeds any other sound bar – both aesthetically and acoustically. #1) Hisense 4K Ultra HD Smart Laser TV $10,000 - The 100" Hisense Laser TV explodes with color and gorgeous 4K resolution. Where giant LED screens have ugly, intrusive installation, the Hisense Laser TV's thin, lightweight, 100" screen hangs wirelessly, inconspicuously—elegantly. It doesn't require a specially darkened environment or messy equipment. The Hisense Laser TV will make you see your walls in a whole new light. With incredible laser technology, 4K Ultra HD resolution and 4K upscaling, the Hisense Laser TV is the TV you've been waiting for. Add harman/kardon® sound, a TV tuner, WIFI and tons of built-in apps, and the Hisense Laser TV is unapologetically amazing at an unbeatable value. In short, it makes all other TVs look like prima donnas.