By Dr. Robert A. Fowkes
HTF Moderator
All rights reserved

CEDIA 2009 has come and gone and there has been a lot of coverage here and elsewhere as to what was being shown and touted. I was able to tour most of the show floor (even with so much out there) and while there was a huge volume of eye and ear candy I decided to list a bunch of things that jumped out at me as a Home Theater buff that might or might not appear on a lot of Top Ten, or in this case “Top Five”, lists. Some are well known and others are a bit more obscure but all are related to our common hobby in one way or another. The following article is not an attempt to formally review the items discussed here but just to make you aware as a Home Theater Forum member or lurker (you really should join because then you could chime in with your opinions) of some things that might make your Home Entertainment experience even better. Note: I am purposely not alphabetically listing these items a numerical order because I don’t want you to think that this is a ranked listing. Some are small items and others have much larger ramification but all of them, in my opinion, are things that you might be interested in.

Best Darn Home Theater at CEDIA 2009 Regardless of Price

We now turn to the opposite end of the financial spectrum, going from an accessory that is easily affordable to a Home Theater than is beyond the reach of the average consumer. CINEPRO INC. combined their amazing speakers, wiring and electronics with a commercial grade Barco DLP 2K projector provided by Cineramax, utilizing an acoustically transparent ProCurv screen with auto-masking from SMX. A rough calculation came up with a figure of approximately 5,000 for the complete setup with the following breakdown:

Audio equipment: $ 95,000
Projector: $ 105,000
Screen: $ 25,000

The program included a musical selection from Jane Monheit and John Pizzarelli, an intense scene from The Incredible Hulk and another from Kung-fu Panda. The performance was powerful and riveting. Both sound and picture provided a combination that was unrivaled at the show in my opinion. While 5,000 might seem excessive for most of us there are several things to consider.

It never hurts to see what is possible in Home Theater no matter what your circumstances. If you don’t hear and see it you can’t know that it exists.
There is the realization that even in these economic times a segment of the population is out there where such performance is affordable.
Even those with very deep pockets don’t have to spend a fortune to get the best. My point is that I would find it hard to believe that any amount of money would create a set-up that produced a picture and sound better than what I witnessed. In other words, it was expensive but money well spent in creating an unbeatable home theater experience in terms of sight and sound. I can’t imagine that spending more money would result in any better performance unless the actors and musicians were actually in front of you.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that each of the vendors involved in this presentation offer starting packages that, while at the upper end of spending for the average person, are still much less expensive than what was presented here. In other words, this level of performance – or close to it - might be not completely out of reach of some to whom top quality Home Theater is a very high priority. Naturally, priorities and planning would be a consideration. In any event, I loved the picture and sound and was glad to have had the opportunity to see how good things can get. This unassuming booth at CEDIA 2009 was an eye and ear opener.