330 New Exhibitors at 2010 CES – The 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show returns to Las Vegas next week, January 7 thru 10. The 330 new companies will join the more than 2,500 others unveiling their latest technology innovations at the world’s largest consumer technology trade show (that isn’t open to consumers). Consumer Electronics Association president Gary Shapiro said “More technology deals are made during the four days of CES than anywhere else on earth. In fact, each attendee has an average of 12 meetings while at the show…” The CES show floor will house several Spotlights on different technologies: the iLounge Pavilion features all things iPod, iPhone and Mac-related; Living in Digital Times highlights technology relevant to various lifestyles; EHX@CES is for custom CE products, and Sustainable Planet features the latest green technologies in electronics. There will also be 20 market-specific TechZones, such as eBooks, Experience 3D, Lifestyle Gadgets, Netbooks, and Mobile DTV. Among the top technology executives to address the convention are Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Intel’s Paul Otellini and Qualcomm’s Dr. Paul Jacobs. 250 workshop sessions will cover a range of industry topics. from social media to safe driving to technology policy. More news at www.CESweb.org
Burning Amp Festival 2009 – We’re a bit late with this, but audiophiles in general should be aware of the Burning Amp Festival, usually held annually in the San Francisco area in November. This year’s took place at the SF Presidio Yacht Club, and showed that DIY audio has not disappeared. The organization diyAudio(.com) has over 100,000 members, of which about 150 attended the event, including such audio industry lights as John Curl, Nelson Pass, Mark Brasfield, and Siegfried Linkwitz. Nelson Pass designed and built a super-simple 5w amp the night before the show. Called the DeLite, it uses just one depletion mode MOSFET and he says it can be built and bring instant success to anyone who wants it. The report is that they didn’t burn a single amp this year. DIY Audio is unique in that even if you don’t make your career in audio, you can still contribute to it at a professional level. These audio amateurs and DIYers spend lots of time and money to realize their vision, overcoming many setbacks for the reward of a great-sounding and perhaps even great-looking piece of equipment or speaker that they built themselves. The recognition of their peers at such events makes it all worthwhile. More details at www.burningamp.com
Marantz $6000 Blu-ray & Universal Player – The Marantz UD9004 universal player, which weighs in at over 42 pounds, plays Blu-ray, DVDs, SACDs, DVD-As, and standard CDs. Its build quality is of course way above that of most Blu-ray decks. It hs Marantz’s copper-plated chassis and a heavy aluminum/resin front panel. On the rear are a pair of HDMI outputs, XLR outputs for the main stereo outs, and eight channels of RCA jacks for surround. The player uses 32-bit Analog Devices SHARC processors for upsampling audio to 192K/32-bit on all channels, and the disc drawer is very hefty and goes out and in silently.
Retrofit Multi-room and Home Control Systems Due at CES – Fewer new homes are now being built, but suppliers are targeting the retrofit market for AV installation and home automation devices for existing homes. There are new wireless-RF products, Z-Wave-enabled devices to help consumers monitor and control energy usage. At CES there will be at least one new multi-room audio system targeted at do-it-yourselfers. More products for both high end and mass market will connect to the Internet via broadband to stream Internet radio stations and music services. At least three more companies will launch Internet radios, and one high end music server will be adding this feature.
