First, we can tell it’s going to be a step up from the bottom rung due to the presence of Ethernet port—signifying BD-Live (Blu-ray Profile 2.0) capability—and analogue 7.1 outputs. But what takes it beyond other players are the SACD and DVD-Audio logos on there. No current Blu-ray player can handle both of those formats as well as BD, DVD and CD.

OK, yes, we’re thinking what you’re thinking: The number of people who have collections of SACD and DVD-Audio is surely smaller than the number of people with HD DVD libraries—perhaps Oppo should have gone the full distance and put in HD DVD reading capability too. (We’ll be sure to ask them when they start talking about this product.)

Given the visible feature set and Oppo’s reputation in the upscaling world, we assume this will be one damn fine BD player. But I’ll just say right now that it won’t be cheap. [AVS Forum via Electronista]

UPDATE: Here’s what Oppo confirms—no HD DVD of course, just as we suspected:

The BDP-83 will be a Profile 2.0 that features the ABT 2010 de-interlacing and scaling solution for both DVD and Blu-Ray media. The product as currently implemented supports SACD. We are investigating the possibility of DVD-Audio support.

The player will support the transportation and decoding of the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS High Resolution, and DTS HD-Master. In the current implementation only the core DD and DTS are supported, but the hardware will support the transportation and decoding of these formats in the future.

No price has been established, but we are throwing around US$499~699 as the possible price points. Anticipated release is Winter (November through February)

During the review he broke down some of the technology behind the eye popping specs, as well as taking note of a feature set that is high on performance and low on ordinary TV functions. Being a monitor, the 65VX100U does not feature a built-in HDTV or analogue tuner and standard definition source imputs like composite and S-video. However, it does include 4 HDMI jacks, one component video, one PC input (VGA), and a RS-232 jack.

As far as performance is concerned, Gary compared it side by side with the 50-inch Kuro and found that Pioneer won on ultimate black level and in the effectiveness of its anti-reflective screen, but the latter results in an purple-reddish tint that can be clearly seen when compared side by side with the 65VX100U. The Kuro also requires a higher level signal to come out of black, which obscured details that the Panasonic did not. All in all, it seems that if you have US$10,000 to plunk down on a 65-inch flat panel, the 65VX100U should be at the top of your list. [HD Guru]

We didn’t give a single one of these speakers any kind of field test, and we’re not going to pretend for a second that that matters. Thankfully, you and I are not the folks who have to view these speakers as anything more than absolutely beautiful monuments to silly rich audio fetishists. So let’s ogle: take the Sonnance “Threewheeler” donught-y Bluetooth outdoor speaker shown above as only the beginning. It costs US$21,000.

Though the first buyers will likely be rich dudes, the movie business is also going to be interested in it as a monitor, since it can handle 120% of the HDTV colour gamut, enough to maybe get a good looking movie on a TV for one damn time. And let’s not forget that Pioneer has shut down its own panel production lines and plans to go with Panasonic’s. I asked if Pioneer would get a shot at the sweet new one—though there wasn’t a straight answer, the sense I got was “probably not, at least not at first.” Go Panasonic, kicking some TV ass!

Of the apps by Crestron, Lifeware, Z-Wave and Control4 we’ve seen here at CEDIA, Crestron’s seems to be farthest along (pictured above). It can control multiple rooms in multiple houses all via Wi-Fi or AT&T data, and is a free download and add-on. Z-Wave, probably the most accessible system that you don’t have to have a Cribs-worthy home to run, will sadly charge you US$10 a month for the privilege of freaking out your pets while you’re on vacation or locking your doors from bed. Lifeware’s app is still in its nascent stages, but it will pack more Media Centre integrations (in case you’re running the baddest Media Centre in the world).
Control4’s app (above) is the least impressive–the first version will only work in your home on the same Wi-Fi network as your system, which is puzzling. And it’ll cost you a “license” that will likely be “over US$100 and less than US$500,” to make up for lost touchscreen remote revenue.

All the apps are currently getting finishing touches, but each will be available before year-end. For now, check out iViewer.

Denver, CO – CEDIA EXPO 2008 – September 4 – 7, 2008 – Booth #410 – When you take the best possible options for high definition entertainment and combine them into one seriously powerful media server, you’re going to need a new name for the experience you create. Life|ware™, makers of whole home automation and entertainment solutions, have done just that, unveiling a new “High Density Television™” initiative that brings in more high definition entertainment and distributes it around the home more effectively than ever before.

“High Density TV reinvents how we will move and/or view high definition entertainment around the home,” said Seale Moorer, Life|ware’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is the first solution to provide a whole house entertainment server that provides unparalleled capability in terms of HDTV tuners, HDTV streaming and Digital Media management for consumers.”

Life|media™ 810: 8 TV tuners, 10 Extenders, 12 TB of Storage
Several new Life|media units highlight the effort, headed by the company’s new Life|media LMS-810, which has 8 HDTV CableCARD™ tuners and can support up to 10 Media Centre Extender devices.

“The 810 is a very powerful Media Server,” said Moorer. “It deftly handles the high-definition feeds from eight CableCARD tuners and provides HD streaming to ten extenders over the existing home network.”
The 810 provides an incredible 12 terabytes of RAID 5 storage which provide the disk space for a huge digital library of recorded TV, movies, music, photos and videos.

“The Life|media LMS 810 is the centerpiece of a digital entertainment solution as we all envision it,” said Pat King, senior vice president of Seagate’s Consumer Solution Division. “Seagate’s Pipeline HD hard drives are designed specifically for this type of scenario. With HD video optimization, exceptionally quiet acoustics and power management, Pipeline HD drives enable the LMS 810 to provide a reliable way to enjoy digital entertainment.”

Life|tuner™ provides more video options
Also being unveiled at CEDIA is the Life|tuner series of HDTV CableCARD tuner devices that work with Life|ware’s Life|media media servers, allowing the addition of up to six additional HDTV tuners to the Life|media experience.

“Life|tuner is another product that makes life easier for our dealers,” said Moorer. “Obviously, TV tuners themselves are nothing new, but this product allows the easy addition of two, four or six CableCARD tuners to our Life|media servers.”

Life|media media servers feature two CableCARD TV tuners. By adding the six-tuner Life|tuner unit to a high-end Life|media, a consumer has a remarkable 8-tuner DVR solution.

The 72-inch IR-pen screen is priced at US$3,000, and a similar version that uses camera triangulation from cameras mounted on the top of the bezel for actual finger touch control will set you back US$4,000. As you can see in the video, the finger-touch seems to be a bit finicky, but the IR pen control is smooth as silk. [CEDIA 2008]

nLighten Technologies introduces three 60 inch & 72 inch Touch Screen DLP
Rear Projection Displays
Superior Pictures & Easy Intuitive Display through Superior Technologies

Denver/CEDIA EXPO 2008 – (September 3, 2008) – nLighten Technologies Inc. an innovative
products provider, as well as manufacturer of specialty displays and residential displays,
today introduced its 72 inch finger touch screen, DT7200. This new product adds to its
core line ups of 60 inch and 72 inch pen touch DLP Rear Projection Displays, IT6002 and
IT7202. The product is ideal for conference room, point of information display, or
classroom. nLighten is committed to fulfill the fast growth for high-definition super large
display with touch screen capability.

Keeping pace with market trends, the nLighten DT7200 offers high definition resolution
(1920 x 1080: 1080P) which enables users to take advantage of the latest high definition
video or PC content and enjoy true HD video playback without compensating clarity of
pictures. In addition, the superior technology of Texas Instrument’s DLP-engine provides
greater contrast and deep black levels for richer detail in dark scenes on 72 inch large screen
DT7200 incorporates high sensitivity camera sensors for faster response, a much superior
product as it compare to other technologies that use films or coatings over the screen,
eliminating ghosting, and trailing images.

nLighten’s IT6002 and IT7202 have pen touch feature which turn your conference room,
classroom or media room in your residence into an interactive room. IT6002 and IT7202’s
large touch-sensitive displays invite your audiences to focus on the presentation materials
and retain information easier.
h&72inch TouchScreenDLP
riorTechnologies
Collaborating large screen high definition displays and touch function, nLighten’s new
DT7200, 72 inch Finger Touch screen DLP Display, and IT6002 and IT7202, 60 inch and 72
inch Pen Touch screen DLP Displays, offer fast and precise response to the movement and
can be enhanced by featuring nLighten’s software solution for interactive eboard
application.
“Touch screens are an efficient and intuitive way to access and interact with on-display
information, and appeal to a wide variety of users and applications”, said nLighten President
Jack Kuo. “The technology of finger touch compliments nLighten’s standard display line
ups.” “We recognise the increase demand for touch screen capability with large screen size
displays from our channel partners. “
nLighten is showing all three True High Definition Touch Screen DLP Rear Projection Displays
at CEDIA EXPO 2008 booth #826, September 4 ~7, 2008, Denver, CO.

About nLighten
nLighten Technologies Inc. is a research and development of large screen size HD DLP
Display. With office located in Fremont, CA, and its manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China,
nLighten is becoming a global leader of specialty display technology providing large screen
high definition monitors and ATSC TVs for most demanding environments such as
conference room, classroom, and home theatre. Home theatre Enthusiasts depend on
nLighten to provide superior performance when image quality is the highest expectation.
For more information, visit www.nlighten.com.
Phihong USA Corporation, a subsidiary of Phihong Technology Co., Ltd. , Taiwan, is the
exclusive distributor to market the full line of nLighten products and does the technical
supports for North American market.

The catch of course is that these TVs don’t have DVR capability, so you rely more heavily on video-on-demand to make up for it. Also, you’ll notice that the cable company—in this case Comcast—will most likely still control the interface look-and-feel. Let’s hope they at least take the damn time to update their stupid 10-year-old controls.

Panasonic’s TV has been shown off before, but still isn’t priced. Even though it will work with any cable provider running Tru2way, it still has to wait for the cable companies to get this stuff rolled out before it can sell the thing. Comcast and Time Warner are the ones in the lead.

Here’s the Panasonic PZ80Q remote, with generic cable-control buttons:

Sony’s demo Bravia with a generic interface:

Samsung’s Tru2way demo using live Comcast (but without live full capabilities of Tru2way):

The lamp pumps out 600 lumens, allowing for deep blacks and excellent colour concentrations in a dark room. And the beastly housing you see is only a prototype–when it comes to market in late 2009, you’ll see a much sleeker case at 57% of the concept’s volume. No price announced yet, but this is surely one of those “if you have to ask…” situations. [CEDIA 2008]