Even if you don't see the dock connector on the side, one look at the gloss-white finish of Kensington's SX 2000 speaker ($160) will tell you that it has to be an iPod something or other. Fitting any iPod with a dock connector, the 16-inch-wide transportable speaker uses NXT SurfaceSound technology, which produces sound by vibrating a flat panel.
There's something for everybody in Outlaw Audio's 7.1-channel Model 1070 receiver ($899 via Web only): Video fans will like its DVI connectors (compatible with HDMI jacks using optional adapters) that keep HDTV signals in digital form all the way to your TV.
Good size, good price - what more could you ask for in a TV? Okay, yeah, high-definition would be nice, and Vizio's 37-inch L37 LCD set ($1,500) has that covered, too, sporting a screen with 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution.
The */Sound & Vision/* staff on what's new and hot for the car enthusiast
Posted January 13, 2006
Want to get connected, be entertained, or maybe just find a good route and stay on course? Check out some of the coolest new gadgets for the car from the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Samsung
The latest DLP big screens from Samsung are led by the HLR5688W, which measures 56 inches (diagonal) and boasts a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. Yep, that's enough for ultra-high 1080p (progressive-scan) resolution, folks.
PioneerEvery listening room has its own shape, size, and furniture - all of which affect sound. With the supplied microphone, Pioneer's thrifty VSX-815 receiver will automatically adjust its five-band equalizer to customize sound to best match your digs.
Toshiba
Connect Toshiba's RD-XS52 DVD/hard-disk recorder to your TV by its digital HDMI output, and it'll upconvert standard-def video from TV programs, DVDs, and even camcorder footage to the 1080i or 720p HDTV formats.
MitsubishiNot only does Mitsubishi's WD-62825 rear-projection HDTV have a big, 62-inch screen for high-definition shows to stretch out in, but it also has a built-in 120-gigabyte hard disk for recording them. The disk has room for 12 hours of high-def programming or 72 hours at standard-def.
Bose
You can hear the effects of Moore's Law - according to which the number of transistors that can fit on a silicon chip doubles every 18 months or so - in Bose's Wave music system. Thanks to newly compact electronics, the latest Wave has room for two 26-inch acoustic waveguides, which are said to enable it to produce half an octave deeper bass than previous models.
Barco
Once you start thinking a 70-inch TV might not be big enough, it's time to consider a front projector. The CineVersum 70 from Barco, a Belgian company, creates 16:9 widescreen images up to 90 inches diagonal. The projector's DLP (Digital Light Processing) chip renders them at 1,280 x 720 pixels - just right for the 720p (progressive-scan) HDTV format.
Onkyo
If you want to hear the back surround channel in 6.1-channel movie soundtracks, but don't want to shell out a lot of coin, Onkyo's TX-SR502 receiver will get the job done for a song.
RCA
Still playing your CDs and your DVDs on two separate machines? The RCA DRC510N changer is here to simplify things for a price that's a no-brainer. Shuffling between five discs, the changer can play CDs loaded with MP3, Windows Media Audio (WMA), or mp3PRO files as well as all recordable DVD formats except DVD-RAM.
