New Products - Apr. 2002
Hot gear from the world of home entertainment
(continued)
Inline
The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is slowly expanding into more home-entertainment
products, and Inline’s IN1408 video scaler is said to be the first with
DVI connections. In addition to digital video through two DVI jacks, its eight
inputs can accept virtually any analog video signal. Besides one DVI output,
two analog video outputs provide RGB (in several flavors) or component signals,
all scaled properly for your DLP projector or plasma TV at resolutions from
640 x 480 to 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. Interlaced signals from film-based sources
receive automatic 2:3 pulldown during upconversion. Four of the inputs accept
both analog stereo and coaxial digital audio; all three outputs include both.
Price: $5,200. www.inlineinc.com,
800-882-7117
B
& W
Expanding its Leisure Monitor line, B&W introduces the VM1 speaker, designed
for both home theater and stereo systems. The slim two-way design, with a long-throw
5-inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter, is rated for a frequency response of 75
Hz to 20 kHz ±3 dB and a sensitivity of 91 dB. Weighing in at only 6
pounds, the speaker measures 5 x 20 5/8 x 3 3/4 inches, including its removable
“foot.” The vented enclosure comes in a black, white, or silver finish.
Price: $800 a pair. www.bwspeakers.com,
978-664-2870
Esoteric
Audio
Available in lengths from 3 1/4 to 16 1/2 feet, Esoteric Audio’s CVK1,
CVK3, and CVK4 component-video connector kits each have three color-coded cables
for transmitting video signals. The CVK1 cables contain oxygen-free copper conductors
separated by a polyethylene dielectric. The CVK3 cables have shielding that
combines copper-Mylar foil with a tight copper braid, which is meant to reduce
noise caused by radio-frequency interference. And the CVK4 cables use Ultra-Grain
copper with elongated copper “grains,” said to reduce signal degradation.
Prices: $30 to $134. www.esotericaudio.com,
800-806-6111
Runco
At the heart of Runco’s DR300 video projector lies Texas Instruments’
single-chip Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, which uses thousands
of tiny micromirrors to display images at 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution. The
projector’s contrast ratio is rated as 800:1, and it can accept high-definition
TV signals through its RGB+H/V or wideband component-video inputs. It also has
jacks for composite- and S-video. The projector can be paired with Runco’s
optional PFP (pixel-for-pixel) controller ($3,000), which scales standard signals
to precisely match the native resolution of the projector and passes high-def
signals with no processing. Price: $8,997. www.runco.com,
800-237-8626
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