NOTE: The opinions offered in these Blogs are mine and mine alone. The purpose of these Blogs is to entertain you, inform you, and possibly give you a good reason to consider A-V Services as your audio and video provider.

9/24/07 CEDIA UPDATE:

First, let me say that the downtown of Denver, Colorado is clean and safe. We were walking around the area at midnight and later and there were people everywhere, eating, drinking, walking, shopping, socializing, and spending money! Of course, here in the Midwest, we can envy Denver’s position, but we must also realize that Denver is a young city that did not develop like we did. They don’t have many of the problems we have, but that doesn’t excuse us from trying!

The trade show took up four days in September. Larry Zolata and I went out there and attended the Friday and Saturday sessions. Nothing earthshaking at the show, but here are a few of the developments that struck me:

Runco news:

The Big News was Sam Runco selling Runco International (www.runco.com ) to Planar, a huge maker of flat panels and industrial display gear. Big company and everyone was saying the right things and making nice. Only time will tell if this deal is a good thing for us, but it is certainly a good deal for Sam!

First result of this sale is a 42” HD plasma that rolls in at $9K, but is WEATHERPROOF!!!!. You can’t locate it IN a swimming pool, but out BY the pool is fine! And the things looks stunning in direct sunlight! This very cool and practical piece will be available through A-V Services! Call for more info!

Also, a 103” plasma at $100K. Call now to order!

Also from Runco, wide wide screen projector system! Now we can eliminate those annoying black bars with some stunning projectors. They were showing Cinewide and Autoscope and they have introduced the RS-900, a 1080p DLP for under $10K to which we can add Runco’s patented Cinewide for use with a 2:35-1 screen! Sometime very soon, I am going to be displaying this projector at my home and creating a theater room for you to visit and see this exciting new technology in action! As the project progresses, I will keep y’all posted!

Control:

We are stepping up to the plate this year with Elan Home systems (www.elanhomesystems.com) . They offer the best value in home control and integration. We will be utilizing many of their fine products in our future installs. Audio and video distribution, lighting control (through Lutron programmable products), touch-screens, and a wide range of in-wall and in-ceiling products by Elan will now be available from A-V Services. Call for a consultation. Many of these systems can be retrofit, though new construction is our primary target.

LCD versus Plasma:

Ok, this contest is getting closer with each generation of LCD TV. I still prefer plasma as the best available picture, but many of the issues that have plagued LCD are either solved or very close to being solved. Elimination of motion artifacting and deep black levels in the new Runcos, Sharps and Toshibas are outstanding. We are going to be recommending LCD for all but the most discriminating customers. If budget or ambient lighting is not an object, we will recommend Runco plasmas, but if you need the bright pop of LCD and want to hold to a budget, then the LCD flat panels may be the best choice for you!

Equalization:

We are renewing our relationship with Audio Control (www.audiocontrol.com) . They have introduced some very interesting products that will enable us to help you get the absolute most out of the audio portion of your a/v system. We already own and use their SA-3052 Real Time Analyzer and by adding an Audio Control equalizer, we can tune your gear to your listening environment, knocking out bass anomalies, wall reflections, and other acoustic problems.

OK, enough for now! Please stay tuned for more news and more of my thoughts!

Tim Campbell