24/04/2010 New Products – 24-04-10

Tagged under 21:9, Focal, LCD, Philips, Stella, Utopia
Posted by Len | No Comments

We have recently received some very interesting new products; one in particular is a little left of field.

There is no doubt that the product in question is firmly aimed at the committed videophile. It does not seem that long ago that we moved up from the old 4:3 TV screen format to the now familiar 16:9 widescreen. This solved the top and bottom ‘black bar’ issue for many of the movies we watched on DVD, plus any recent material produced for TV. However it was not long before a growing number of film companies began releasing movies in true 2.39:1 format, as it was shown in the theatres. This is particularly so of Blu-ray releases. Welcome back to the black bars.
Philips have taken the plunge and released their 56” 56PFL9954H LCD screen in Australia. This 21:9 format screen is designed to display DVD and Blu-ray movies as they were intended – full screen width (just like the theatres) without the black bars. The reason we believe that this screen will only appeal to the true videophile if that its value rests with DVD and Blu-ray movies only. Free to air and pay TV sources will be at best only show in the 16:9 format. In fact if you are intending to watch TV on this screen you will need to add a set-top-box or similar. The Philips, in true monitor style, comes without a tuner. However if you watch a lot of DVD or Blu-ray movies and only a limited amount of conventional TV, this could be the screen for you.
There is also more to this screen than its shape. The most obvious feature is ‘ambilight’, a subtle lighting system on the rear of the screen that reflects from the wall behind the unit, giving the illusion that the screen is floating.
From a technical aspect this screen is also impressive. It boasts a 1 millisecond response rate, and has 2560 x 1080 resolution. It uses edge-lit LED lighting and 200Hz picture smoothing. The dynamic contract ratio is 80,000:1.
The Philips 21:9 screen sells for $8,999.

Another vision product is from an old (and much loved) projection company, InFocus. We had a very strong relationship with this company for many years, which only lapsed as they took their eye off the domestic market in favour of their commercial offerings. Well now they are back with a new model, the SP8602, which has been designed specifically for the Home Theatre market. This is an excellent unit. InFocus have always produced value for money, and this is exceptional. We have only just received our first unit, but straight out of the box we are impressed. It will be interesting to see how good it gets with a few more hours on it.
As I mentioned we have carried InFocus in the past, and sold hundreds of units. For a short time InFocus are offering and upgrade program. If you have an existing InFocus projector, irrespective of its age or model, we will offer you $1,000 trade-in on the SP8602.
The InFocus SP8602 sells for $5,699.

Finally, a product to lust after. The Focal Utopia 111 series of speakers have been a worldwide sensation. The Utopia range has always been something special, but this series is exceptional. The Utopia Grande 111 EM is the best loudspeaker that I have ever heard, at any price. The Scala Utopia, which at $45,000 is a tad more achievable, has been a surprisingly popular model. The larger Maestro ($69,000 a pair) lasted for less than a week on our floor before they were snapped up (we now have to wait two months before we will see another pair). We have just received the Stella Utopia EM, which is their penultimate loudspeaker, selling for $129,000 a pair. As you would expect these are superb loudspeakers.
However, currently there is only one pair of these available. If you are seriously interested in having a listen, phone ahead, just in case.

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