CES 2008

Toshiba's flagship Cinema Series Regza line

(Credit: Toshiba)

A lot of people walked into Toshiba's 2008 CES press conference expecting a train wreck in the light of Warner's pre-show Blu-ray bombshell. But after a quick obligatory mention of it being "a difficult day" for the godfather of the HD DVD format, it was back to business: namely, highlighting the company's 2008 line of LCD flat-panel TVs. The company touted five new series of models, all of which will be released this spring. Full details after the jump. ... Read more

The Aquos SE94 series feature a distinctive "cornerstone" design

(Credit: Sharp)

Sharp has always offered high-end (read:expensive) LCDs, but its new line of "Special Edition" models hits a new level. The Aquos SE94 series consists of the 65-inch LC-65SE94U, 52-inch LC-52SE94U, and 46-inch LC-46SE94U, which have list prices of $11,000, $4,200 and $3,200, respectively. For your extra dollars, the series features a unique "Cornerstone" design and also has Aquos Net functionality built-in. Aquos Net allows the TV to pull down content from the Internet using the set's Ethernet port, although Sharp only mentions basic functions like checking the weather or getting stock quotes. Sharp technicians will also be able to remotely dial into the sets, to tweak settings or provide information to owners.

Watch the Sharp Aquos LC-52SE94U video on CNET TV.

All the sets in the SE94 series feature a 1080p native resolution (1920x1080), along with "120Hz frame rate conversion"--which despite its deceptive name, doesn't necessarily mean these sets have true 120Hz refresh rate. Connectivity is highlighted by three HDMI 1.3 ports, two component video inputs, a PC input and an RS-232 port.

From just the feature set, it doesn't seem like the Aquos SE94 series quite justifies the high price tag, but outstanding performance would make it easier to swallow. Hopefully those dishing out megabucks for these sets won't get a panel with the banding issues we've seen on previous models like the LC-52D64U. The LC-65SE94U and LC-52SE94U will be available this month, while the LC-46SE94U will be available in February.

The Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K includes enthusiast-friendly features like onboard high-resolution soundtrack decoding.

(Credit: Pioneer)

In just a few sort years, HDMI connectivity has become arguably the most important spec for AV receivers. Pioneer rolled out four new HDMI-capable receivers today, ranging from the budget VSX-518 to the midrange VSX-1018TXH-K. All four models have three HDMI inputs, which is one more than the previous standard of two. On the other hand, onboard decoding for the new high resolution soundtrack formats--such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio--is limited to the VSX-1018TXH-K, which is a little disappointing considering it was available last year on the inexpensive Onkyo TX-SR605. The VSX-1018TXH-K looks to be the sweet spot for enthusiasts, offering HDMI upscaling, onboard high resolution audio decoding and six-digit inputs for a reasonable $600 list price.

The full specs of the four new receivers are below.

(Credit: Pioneer)

Note that the press release seems to indicate there are no S-Video inputs on any of these receivers. We're hoping this is a misprint, although it wouldn't be unprecedented, as we saw the same thing on Sony's STR-DG810. We'll update this post with more information once we have a chance to swing by Pioneer's booth. UPDATE: We have confirmed with Pioneer that these receivers do not have S-Video inputs.

Pioneer DEH-P7000BT

(Credit: Pioneer)

Proving its commitment to the aftermarket stereo market, Pioneer today unveiled a dozen new in-dash car stereos. The 12 new stereos offer a range of connectivity options, ranging from the ability to play compressed audio formats such as MP3, WMA and AAC discs, to support for USB sources, iPods, HD Radio, and Bluetooth hands-free calling. For systems with iPod connectivity, Pioneer has improved the user interface and menu navigation to more closely resemble that of the iPod itself, while adding some extra navigation features, including alphabetical search, iPod passenger control (which gives car passengers the ability to search for music on the connected iPod player itself), and Link Search, which provides a list of all the content by a currently playing artist.

Pioneer DEH-P600UB

(Credit: Pioneer)

Four of the new units--the FH-P8000BT, FH-P800BT, DEH-P7000BT and DEH-P700BT--come with built-in Bluetooth hands-free calling as standard, while four--the DEH-P7000BT, DEH-P700BT, FH-P8000BT, and FH-P800BT--come with built-in HD Radio controls. Mid- and upper-range models in the new lineup feature an organic electroluminescence display, while upper-end models get a rotary control knob to improve the navigation of digital audio sources. Most of the new stereos ranging from the $100 DEH-2000MP to the $250 USB-enabled DEH-P600UB will be available later this month, while the four higher-end systems with price tags of between $290 and $330 will be available in March.

War is hell, particularly when you want to schedule cocktail parties.

The HD DVD Promotional Group had scheduled a cocktail party and a press conference this Sunday evening in Las Vegas to tout the "progress" it has made in high definition video and the ongoing format war with the Blu-ray consortium.

On Friday, however, the group sent out a note terminating the event because Warner Home Video earlier in the day said it would switch exclusively to the Blu-ray format.

"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, we have decided to postpone our CES 2008 press conference. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," the cancellation read. "We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability--a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format."

The original invite was a lot more upbeat:

"Please join us as we present exciting news and a sneak peak at what's to come for 2008," it read, "featuring executives from the HD DVD Promotional Group: Intel, Microsoft, Paramount Home Entertainment, Toshiba, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and Warner Home Video."

Warner leaving the group probably wasn't the exciting sneak peek they had in mind. But you have to wonder, why cancel? Was Warner bringing the food? Springing for the drinks? If they had any guts, the remaining members could have bought a keg and held a party in the parking lot.

We've all faced rejection, and the way to deal with it is to get shamelessly drunk and loud in public, after all. Where did these people learn their manners? The upside is that you will probably see a lot of derelicts walking around the strip with "HD DVD 2008" shoulder bags that they found in a dumpster.

The cancellation also marks two bad CESes in a row for Toshiba. Last year, the company abruptly canceled plans to show off its SED TVs at the show. Subsequently, it tossed responsibility for SED to Canon.

Ironically, HD DVD players have outsold standalone Blu-ray players. At Ceatec last October, Blu-ray execs said that their group would become more aggressive in late 2007 in promoting the format and try to gain an advantage by the first quarter of 2008.

The 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show is the first one to dedicate an entire hall to automotive-related tech. The convergence of in-car entertainment, communications, and information promises to continue in 2008 with the release of whole range of in-dash and portable device capable of providing GPS navigation and playing multiple media formats.

Best of CES 2007: Dash Navigation Dash Express

(Credit: CNET Networks)

What exactly do we see in our crystal ball? Well, we think voice commands will be a hot thing. This technology lets you operate your portable GPS and enter addresses with the sound of your voice, and we're already starting to see it pop up in models like the TomTom GO 920 and the Magellan Maestro 4250. Also, 3D building renderings and photorealistic images of complex intersections should make its way to more portable nav systems, providing helpful visual aids to drivers. GPS and location-based services in cell phones and smartphones is another craze, and we'll see more of this to be sure, but it has a little way to go yet in terms of mass adoption. For now, people are getting onboard with the standalone in-car GPS, and as that continues we hope to see the inclusion of traffic services and text-to-speech functionality in even the most entry-level models.

Aside from navigation, the market for mobile in-car entertainment devices is also heating up. Bluetooth is finally breaking out of its cellphone role as more and more devices offer the A2DP Bluetooth audio-streaming profile, and automakers appear to be rediscovering FM, which is being used to transmit sound from portable devices to the car speakers via the in-dash stereo. On the subject of radio waves, HD Radio has just started to make a splash, and we are expecting a number of new HD-compatible devices at this year's CES.

Also on the horizon are fully fledged in-dash PCs, with Jensen and Azentek showing off their Windows-based car computers complete with Intel processors, hard drives, and Wi-Fi connectivity. One other major trend to look for in automotive tech at CES 2008 is gesture recognition, which promises to challenge the shaky dominance of voice-command application by making use of devices with advanced touch screens and proximity sensors.