CES 2000 Picture Gallery!

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Site created 12/15/97.

page created: 1/8/00
(updated 1/13/00)

CES 2000 Picture Gallery

Page 10

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After visiting all of the biggest exhibitors in the first hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, we headed over to the second. On the way, we passed through the Zenith booth again, and spotted a really classy looking direct view DTV. The pictures here don't do it justice - it's pretty sweet.

This picture isn't of great quality, but this Zenith direct-view HDTV impressed us.

Here's a closer look at the screen.

Once in the other hall, it was time to look at the DVD-related gadgets in the home theater area of the show, where all of the major players in high-end home theater were located: Dolby Digital, THX, DTS, Monster Cable - you name it. While there, we noticed this display of DVD-Video and Audio capable players from Denon, including the nifty DVD-3300.

Rounding out the set-top players, here are some Denon DVD-Audio & Video decks.

The folks from Lucasfilm THX didn't have what we expected - namely a demonstration of THX EX 6.1 surround sound. That was unfortunately to be found (as we later learned) at the Yamaha booth... which we missed. Still, THX had a number of their certified products on display, including several EX-capable receivers. So we snapped a few shots for you. THX also had information (and demos) of their THX Car Audio-certified line (coming in 2000), as well as Compaq THX Multimedia. Yes... THX-certified sound for your computer (okay... it DID sound awesome).

And finally THX's booth, featuring THX-certified recievers and controllers with THX Surround EX capability.

And finally THX's booth, featuring THX-certified receivers and controllers with THX Surround EX capability.

Last but not least, the THX Surround EX logo. 6.1 sound is coming soon to a living room near you.

Sadly, the other coolest thing we saw at CES isn't something we could really take pictures of. It was an audio demonstration Frank and I attended in the Dolby Labs booth. But it was incredible. Once again, we were treated to 192khz 24bit DVD-Audio recordings in 2.0 and 5.1, among them a classical piano performance of Debussy's Clair de Lune. And once again, our mouths were watering as we experienced quieter quiets, louder louds, lingering sustain and clarity to die for.

But here comes that other coolest thing I was talking about - my other choice for Best Gizmo of Show - Dolby Headphone. What this boils down to, is a special chip (made by Motorola) that can be manufactured into any multi-channel audio device (from 2.0 to 6.1). What it does, is to perform special software audio signal processing, to simulate a 3D sound environment using standard headphones. Gone are the days of listening to flat stereo recordings from a CD player with headphones. Gone is the lack of being able to experience surround sound with your portable DVD player. Best of all, it works with ANY headphones, from the highest-end headgear to the tiniest earbuds. All that's required is the chip in the player or device and a headphone jack to plug into. With stereo recordings, it makes it sound as if you're sitting in front of your stereo with audio coming from across the "front hemisphere" of the sound environment (as it would naturally in your living room). And with 5.1 sound on DVD, you're right smack dab in the middle of the action, with audio coming from all around in full 360. Dolby's demonstration allowed us to experience the magic of Dolby Headphone while listening to CD audio, as well as the Borg battle scene in Star Trek: First Contact. And it was so cool (and worked so well) that we think this nifty little chip should be mandatory on every audio device with a headphone jack. You're gonna love it!

Well, that's all for our CES coverage. You can begin to understand just how big CES really is - after one day, we managed to get through maybe 2 halls. Still, for just one day, we think we did pretty well. We got to meet a LOT of Bits readers, both who work for the manufacturers and just walking around the exhibits. And with a few exceptions, we think it was a great show. Usually, when you walk around CES, all you see are super-gadgets and "magic" box devices that you know will never see the light of day. If you're lucky, you might find a handful of devices that are practical, and will actually be made available to consumers. But this year, both Frank and I were struck by just how many of the products on display were not only practical, but useful, and already on the way to store shelves. Given that we were looking at DVD-related devices, there were a surprising number of cool new features and capabilities on display. While we missed a few things, we covered a lot of ground, and I hope you find that it was interesting and useful. There are a lot of great DVD-related products on the way in 2000, and Todd, Frank and I promise to do our best in keeping you up-to-date in the coming year. Thanks for reading!

As always, I welcome your comments.

Bill Hunt, Editor
The Digital Bits
billhunt@thedigitalbits.com

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