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The annual CEDIA Expo at the ExCeL Centre in London's Docklands is a trade-only affair. For good reason: most of the equipment on show is designed to be installed and programmed by trained experts. And, unless you are the kind of person who gets excited by different sorts of back-boxes behind light switches, much of it might leave you cold.
But there is still plenty of new product on show, some of which will be of interest to hi-fi and home cinema buyers. Also, the CEDIA Expo gives us a wonderful insight into what's going to happen in the next five years, because the custom installers are always that far ahead of the rest of us.
Click on the pics to enlarge
Kaleidescape Movie Player 2
£7,500
The big noise in custom install today is the media server and they don't come much bigger than Kaleidescape. The company's Movie Player 2 can play like a regular DVD player, or act as front end for a video storage system. A snip at around £7,500.
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Axonix MediaDeck 4 media server
Price tbc
A more down-to-earth media server range is made by Axonix, distributed by Systemline. The company's latest MediaDeck 4 now supports HD DVD as well as DVD sources. The price is around half that of the Kaleidescape, and is also sold through specialist installers only.
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Axonix MediaMax media server
Price tbc
Most servers have a similar front-end graphical on-screen display. The MediaMax system by Axonix is typical.
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Systemline wall-mounted iPod dock
Price tbc
Systemline was the first UK company to develop custom install products, and the maturity shows. The company's latest product in the innovative range is a remote control wall-mounted iPod dock. The company makes everything custom install, right down to counterweighted pull-out 19in rack-mounts. All sold through custom install channels.
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Armour Nevo remote controls
£tba
Armour (Systemline's parent company) also produces the Nevo range of programmable remote controls. The new S70 looks set to be as elegant as its predecessors. Once again, only sold through CI channels.
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LivingControl Studio6 Media Server
£7,000
Both imerge and LivingControl launched media servers, both with at least 1.5TB of storage. LivingControl's Studio6 Media Server is unique because it can simultaneously drive two Full HD video outputs and can be controlled by a Nokia N800 net handset.
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NAD C315NEE stereo amplifier
From £180
There was more than just servers, but you had to look far and wide. NAD had a brace of new products at the show including the £180 entry-level C315NEE stereo amplifier…
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NAD T775 AV receiver
£1,500
…the company also announced a brace of five new AV receivers, of which the 7x165-watt T775 is intended to be the £1,500 flagship…
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NAD DB-1 DAB tuner
From £100
…and, perhaps most smart of all, the company has made the DAB tuner section an external optional module, so no need to throw away your receiver if or when DAB+ arrives. The DB-1 module is expected to cost about £100.
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Fujitsu F1 racing simulator
Fujitsu is perhaps best known for its plasma screens, but at the CEDIA Expo the company was letting its corporate hair down a little with its excellent F1 racing simulator. The guy driving is one of Fujitsu's execs and - if you look closely - is driving on the grass, the wrong way round the track. Never, ever get a lift with a Fujitsu executive!
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