Shows and launches

Time to call time on the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, with its usual mix of the totally weird and really rather wonderful, from our first experience of the Chinese NVD video format to a sneak preview of a classy-looking Heritage model from Scottish radio specialists Revo.

The NVD format, on show on the JWL stand, is to Blu-ray what Super Video CD is to DVD – or at least that's how it was explained to us by salesman Double Chen.

Now being referred to as 'Red-ray', it offers near-BD quality while being less expensive for both players and discs, and could provide stiff competition for Blu-ray in China.

Certainly our experience here in Hong Kong is that Blu-ray is less front and centre than it appears in the UK, a fact that also struck us in Japan. BD discs are expensive – think £25 or so in HMV here in Hong Kong, and more in Japan – and not exactly prominent in the shops. We came here expecting a disc-buying bonanza, but instead we'll be buying online from the usual suspects when we get home.

No, what's big here is still Video CD, and its SVCD derivative: that's the alternative format of choice, sitting on the shelves alongside DVD – the other night, in a small music and video store having a 20%-off closing down sale, we saw Hong Kong locals buying carrier-bags full of movies on VCD.

Back to the show, and while audio was somewhat less than prominent, we saw the usual flashing-lights mini-systems, the odd valve amp and DAC, including the neat system above from Cayin, and everything from digital wine-coolers to an iPod-controlled combination lightbulb and speaker.

Oh, and the DJ Mouse system from DJ-Tech, a software package for MP3 mixing driven from a customised heavyweight scratch mouse.

The enthusiastic salesman was giving it some heavy late King of Pop action, as you can see in our video report – check the link at the end of this bloggage.

We tested out the haptics on a touchscreen display at NXT, sampled more freshly-squeezed juice and freshly-baked cakes than was seemly and finished off with a play with the latest Revo products.

The company's Colin Urie explained the links with Last.FM, a trial subscription to which will be offered with new models, and Revo's hopes to offer other streaming services to its buyers, but kept the best surprise until last.

This is the forthcoming Heritage model, complete with its 60s/70s looks, and due in the shops in time for Christmas.

It looks like another strong addition to the ever-growing Revo range, alongside the new Ikon and Domino iPod dock/radios.

Well, that's it from Hong Kong, where the hammering and banging outside signals yet another redevelopment underway.

We've learned not to trust guidebooks or even websites when it comes to finding shops – go to the supposed location and the chances are you'll find bamboo scaffolding and signs announcing another new luxury hotel/jeweller/fashion shop opening soon.

See you the other side of the weekend, jetlag permitting – for now, click here for our final video show round-up.

Fine sunshine for the opening of the Hong Kong Electronics Fair's 2009 Autumn Edition, and while the show feels a little more compact than this time last year, there's a clear indication that the Hong Kong and mainland China- based companies represented here are moving into the TV and Blu-ray market in a very big way.

There may have been stories of late of China opting for its own high-definition disc format – known as China Blue –, but it's clear that whether you want a Full HD LCD TV or a bargain Blu-ray player, these companies are ready to deliver.

And provided you're willing to sign on the dotted line for the odd containerload – at the Fair we're not talking how much for one, but what the minimum order quantity is – you can choose the brand name you have on the product.

Typical of the BD players on offer here at the show, where buyers meet manufacturers, is this slimline machine from Dalian-based Huala.

It's part of a range including LCD TVs from 10in to 42in, and like many of the products here it comes with a range of extra facilities, although of course the final spec will depend on what the customer wants.

You get BD Profile 2.0 capability, an Ethernet port, HDMI upscaling to 1080P, USB 2.0 playback and a choice of colours. Oh, and if you want the player half-size, the company can do that too: it comes in standard 43cm width or 28cm, and a choice of black or silver.


Then there's this machine from Dune, based just up the road from where I'm writing this in Kowloon. The Dune HD Prime 3.0 is a full Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player, complete with Ethernet port and optional wi-fi – down to the customer again – and also has three USB ports and an eSATA hard drive port, enabling content to be played from hard disk. It's suggested this one could sell in Europe for €350-400 when it becomes available very soon.

The company has a range of these players, from the HD Base 3.0, which only has a  hard drive built-in, to the HD Centre. which has both BD and hard drives, can also access net radio, IPTV and streaming music services, and can act as a network storage device.

Clearly these companies are thinking beyond the current play-only machines on the market, and speaking to some industry observers here in Hong Kong it's clear we could well be about to see a revolution in Blu-ray similar to that when the first Chinese-brand DVD machines started to appear in the UK a few years back.

That should bring prices tumbling and speed the uptake of the format, but don't expect the new boom to be all about bargains and stripped-down players: the news from here in Hong Kong is that the budget players are coming, but so is greatly enhanced functionality.

More news coming up from the Hong Kong show, but for now click here for some of the sights and sounds of this major electronics showcase.

The weekend of the 17th and 18th of October will see the cream of the AV industry making its way to Manchester for the biggest consumer electronics show this year. The Renaissance Hotel, Blackfriars Street, Manchester city centre, will be the place to be...

October 2009 will see the debut of the newly relaunched Manchester Sound & Vision Show. The team that has made the Bristol Show so successful for 22 years will be working its magic in Manchester on the weekend of the 17th and 18th October. The annual Home Entertainment Show is getting a major facelift under the banner of the new expanded Audio T group, and we'll be there to join in the fun.

There's a brand new website – www.manchestershow.co.uk – packed with all the latest information. You'll also be able to buy the Awards issue before anyone else - and see the winners! What's more, there's more than £4000 worth of fabulous hi-fi and home cinema kit up for grabs in the exclusive show competition.

Why Manchester?
* The show is on the edge of Manchester's extensive shopping and entertainment district, with Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and many more shops, restaurants and bars within walking distance nearby
* Car parking is easy, with many local spaces, again within easy walking distance
* A great day out for all the family
* See the very first announcement of the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Award winners for 2009 – and pick-up the magazine
*Visit the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision stand at the Manchester Show to enjoy our unique AV demonstration and to pick the brains of the magazine's review team (below).

Awards and Advice
What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision magazine is delighted to have teamed up with the Show. As we do at the Bristol Sound & Vision Show, we will add a huge new interactive element to the event.

The What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision team will all be at the Show and will be available for advice on all things hi-fi and home cinema. We will also have a large demonstration room, featuring new and exclusive kit.

We will be announcing the results of the What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Awards 2009 at the Show. That means you can be the first to see our 2009 winners – and you'll be able to buy an early copy of the Awards issue before anyone else. Subscribe on the day and you'll also get a special gift!

The Details
* Saturday 17th October: 9.30am - 5pm
* Saturday 18th October: 10am - 5pm
* Renaissance Hotel, Blackfriars Street, Manchester, M3 2EQ
* The hotel is located in city centre Manchester
* Admissions: Adults £6, students/senior citizens (over 65) £3, accompanied children (under 16) free
* Tickets are only available on the day

PLEASE NOTE: there is no dedicated trade day. Trade and press visitors can pre-register for the show by visiting the show website. We look forward to seeing you there!

Travel details
The Renaissance Hotel (above) can be contacted on 0161 831 6000

BY ROAD From the north: take the M56 motorway to the City Centre. At the first roundabout, take the St Peter's Square exit. Follow the signs for Deansgate. The hotel is located at the end of Deansgate on Blackfriars St.

From the south: take the M6 towards Manchester and exit onto the M56 to A5130 Princess Parkway at the roundabout, straight over onto Medlock Street, left onto Whitworth Street, right onto Deansgate, second left for Blackfriars Street. The hotel is on the right.

PARKING Easy local parking next to the hotel. Further car parking is available nearby.

BY TRAIN There are two stations providing easy access. Victoria Station is only a five-minute walk, while Piccadilly Station is around a five-minute taxi ride, or an easy 10-minute walk.

BY AIR Manchester has its own international airport. It is well served by both the major and budget airlines.

MEET THE TEAM AND SEE 95 BRANDS!

Alphason Designs

Anatek Acoustics

Anthem AV Solutions
Anthem AV Solutions will be showing a range of multi award-winning products from Canadian brands Anthem and Paradigm, including the acclaimed Statement D2v pre-amp/AV processor from Anthem, and a range of stunning products from Paradigm, one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-quality speakers. The full range is now available in the UK for the first time.

Anthem D2v AV preamp/AV processor

Arcam

There's a UK first for Arcam with the unveiling of the firm's new AVR500 multichannel receiver, the more affordable version of its flagship AVR600 model. It's due on sale by the end of this year for around £2500 and will pump out 100W across all seven channels, as well as decode all the latest high-definition audo formats. Full details in our news story.

And you'll be able to catch a first glimpse of Arcam's new iPod irDock with remote control at Manchester too.

Arcam AVR500 makes its UK debut

Armour Home

Star of the Armour stand will be the Q-TV2 from Q Acoustics – visitors to Manchester will be the first to see it. This slim, 2.1 speaker system for flatscreen TVs boasts 100 watts of amplification and a 38mm-deep subwoofer. You'll also be able to see Q Acoustics new 2000 Series of conventional loudspeakers in exciting new designs and finishes, including 'piano white'.

What's more, there'll be fantastic 'show deals' on QED cables, plus the launch of new speaker cables and the company's new flagship 'Signature' interconnects. And check out the latest models from NAD, Myryad, Goldring and Grado,, plus stylish new iPod docks from danish company Scandyna.

Also on the Armour Home stand will be a 'Fun technology' section with new models from Kicker, Chumby, iDapt, uPlay, mi Football, Chumby and the Outcast Junior.

Q Acoustics Q-TV2

Audio Technica
BDI

Bowers & Wilkins

Star of the B&W stand will be its CM9 loudspeakers, which will be demonstrated in both stereo and surround systems, and will be powered by components from the new Rotel 15 Series. Other products from the brand's large range of hi-fi, home theatre, and new media speakers will also be on show.

Hear the B&W CM9 in stereo and surround set-ups

Canton

Chord Company

Chord's brand-new Solstice cable range will on demonstration at the show, along with the opportunity to hear and compare the full Chord Co range, before discussing your needs with the company's expert staff.

There'll be a special offer on Chord's five-star HDMI Active & HDMI SuperShield, as well as great deals on the full range, including What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision's Product of the Year speaker cable 2008, the Carnival SilverScreen.

The Cable Doctor and team will be available for technical advice to help you get the optimum cable match and the best performance from your system, regardless of size or budget.

Conran

Curvi Hi-Fi

These distinctive looking speakers are the Curvi Model 1 Version 2 (£3995/pr), which is the product of a fresh look at loudspeaker design that aims to marry state of the art sound quality with stunning aesthetics.  The speaker has been four years in development and has drawn on the combined skills of Christopher Liauw and Christien Ellis of CE Electroacoustics.

Curvi Model 1, version 2

Cyrus

The Manchester show will be the launch event for a still top-secret new model from Cyrus.  More details will be released on the Cyrus website in early October, but we're assured it will be definitely be worth visiting the show to see.

The new model will be playing together with the latest XP amplifier models, and Cyrus is asking visitors to bring a favourite disc with them so they can demonstrate just how advanced the latest models have become. Intriguing stuff!

Dali

Catch a glimpse of the new Dali Fazon surround speakers at Manchester. The curved aluminium cabinets look resplendent in their gloss black lacquer finish, and the figure-hugging magnetic speaker grille peels away to reveal a two-way loudspeaker.

The satellites use 4.5in wood-fibre cone, mid-bass driver and 1.1in soft-dome tweeter. You can read our full review of them in the November issue of What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision, on sale now.

Dali Fazon 5.1 speaker package

Denon

Denon will be taking the opportunity to show many new products at this year's event. These will include new hi-fi stereo separates and a new two-piece mini system as well as a full line up of AV models for 2009-10.

Key among the new models this year are the £599.99 DBP-2010 Blu Ray/DVD Player and the £449.99 AVR-1910 AV receiver. Denon also invite you to experience surround sound with a new dimension using a new generation of top-line AV receivers with Audyssey DSX technology. Come and check out this new experience! We also expect other new Denon products to  be unveiled at the show.

Denon AVR-1910 multichannel receiver

Dynaudio

Dynaudio's Excite loudspeakers will be on display in a High Gloss Black finish and demonstrated in a 5.1 system to show off the pure musical fun that this range is capable of.

The What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision Award-winning Excite X32 floor-standing speakers will be complemented by an X22 centre, X12 rear speakers and Sub300 and all driven by the highly acclaimed Arcam AVR600 receiver.

Electrocompaniet
Epson
Fatman

Focal

The revised Electra Be line from Focal will make its debut at Manchester. The range has been evolved to benefit from the advances achieved during the development of the new Utopia series. A new Beryllium dome profile allows the tweeter improved response in the lower spectrum, and, combined with new crossovers, better blending with the midrange and greater harmonic richness.

Two new finishes – Champagne and Basalt – join the traditional Slate Grey.

Focal Electra Be has been improved

Goldring
Grado

Henley Designs

Turntable enthusiasts should check out the Henley stand, where the company will launch its Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge.

Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge

Hi End

JVC

JVC will be showcasing the new LT-32WX50 LED slim monitor, perfect for digital imaging enthusiasts using high-end digital SLR cameras. The company will also display its 'True Black' range of projectors, Blu-ray player systems and the new Everio X HD camcorder.

KEF

KEF will occupy both Bernini and El Greco suites at this year's Manchester Sound and Vision Show. The first suite will be dedicated to its iQ Series, with two-channel and multi-channel demonstrations set to impress all visitors throughout the weekend.

The second suite will feature the company's revised KHT speaker packages. And the company is promising " something completely new and exciting," but details  remain under wraps for now. KEF's staff will also be on hand to answer any questions regarding KEF products, past and present.

KEF's new KHT2005.3 KI speaker package

Marantz

Marantz will unveil its 'Pearls', for their first UK showing. Designed by legendary audio designer Ken Ishiwata, to celebrate his 30th anniversary with Marantz, the PM-KI amplifier and SA-KI SACD player will accompany a pair of Mordaunt-Short's new Performance 2 loudspeakers.

Also expect exclusive showings of the SR6004 receiver, along with its matching Blu-ray player. The much anticipated slim-line receiver and Blu-ray player pair also debut, while the stunning new budget stars, the CD6003 and PM6003, will be out in force. Further Marantz products on display will include the SA8003 SACD player.

Marantz Pearl SA-KI SACD player

Monitor Audio

Want to see Monitor Audio's brand-new, super-slim Silver RX range of mid-market speakers? Then pop along to the Manchester Show where all models in the range will be on display. They feature new RX drivers, a HiVeII (High Velocity) reflex port and bolt-through driver design. There are two standmounters, two floorstanders, a centre speaker, surround speaker and subwoofer.

You'll also be able to hear the Silver RX speakers in action - in a formidable 9.2 formation! - in the Onkyo room (see Onkyo entry below for more info).

NAD

Naim Audio

This year's show will see Naim demonstrating it's one-box NaimUniti. With its impressive feature set including internet radio, UPnP streaming, CD and DAB/FM radio, music fans will be able to experience the latest in all-in-one audio.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to experience Naim's first ever stand-alone digital to analogue converter. The DAC is the world's first audiophile digital-to-analogue converter to feature Apple Authentication for digital output from iPod and iPhone devices. Moreover the DAC is a significant upgrade for high-end digital sources, such as Naim's CDX2 CD player and HDX hard disk player and Naim will be demonstrating this along with its new loudspeaker, the Ovator S-600.

Naim NaimUniti

Onkyo

Onkyo, the UK's No1 home cinema receiver brand, will be giving pride of place at Manchester to its new line of high-end AV receivers, the TX-NR5007, TX-NR3007 and TX-NR1007. Fully equipped with audio networking capabilities this trio of 9.2-channel THX Ultra2 Plus-certified receivers represent the latest state in high definition home cinema audio.

Joining them will be the exciting new PR-SC5507 9.2-channel Network Controller plus the ND-S1 Digital Media Transport, a dock with a major difference. It lets you tap off the digital audio stream from an  iPod/iTouch/iPhone and send it to a better quality standalone/receiver DAC.

Speaker partners will be Monitor Audio's new Silver RX range, used in a 9.2 configuration. We expect massive movie thrills from that combo!

Optimum
Ortofon

Panasonic

Panasonic will show off its flagship 1080p Wireless Z1 series TV at Manchester, as well as displaying its 2009 V10 series, G15 and G10 series flatscreen TVs and the UK's first Blu Ray recorder. This will be Panasonic's debut at the Sound & Vision show, where it will display screens from 19 to 65in, many using next-generation Neo-PDP plasma display panels.
 

Panasonic TX-P46Z1 wireless plasma

Pioneer

One of the highlights on the Pioneer stand will be the UK debut of the recently announced iPod speaker system. With a 2.1-channel digital amplifier it provides precise sound reproduction and warm acoustics, while a down-firing subwoofer supplies dynamic and powerful bass, claims Pioneer.

Other exciting Pioneer products that will be shown include the new range of Blu-ray disc players, DVD and Blu-ray home cinema systems, the high-end SC-LX82  AV receiver and the company's new G-Clef line-up of audiophile stereo products.

Pioneer SC-LX82 AV receiver

Pro-Ject

ProAc

ProAc will be demonstrating selected products from its extensive ranges at October's Manchester Show. The firm has recently launched its Response D1 standmount (£1395) and Response D18 floorstander (£1995) loudspeakers, and this autumn will see the launch of a new flagship model, the ProAc Carbon Pro Eight priced at £22,500.

Pure Sound

Q Acoustics

Star of the Q Acoustics stand will be the Q-TV2 clip-on speaker system and the new 2000 Series of hi-fi and home cinema speakers. See entry under Armour Home.

QED

There'll be fantastic 'show deals' on QED cables, plus the launch of new speaker cables and the company's new flagship 'Signature' interconnects.

Quad
Roksan
Rotel

Russ Andrews Accessories

If you want to see and hear the rather splendid Meridian Sooloos system at Manchester, then head on over to Russ Andrews in room 206. The firm has just been appointed as an official retailer for the Sooloos system, and will also be demonstrating Meridian's stylish F80 system.

In room 204, you'll be able to buy selected RA products at a special show discount of 10 per cent, and enter a competition to win £350 worth of accessories. New products from Firestone Audio will also be on display.

Samsung
Sonos
Sony
Soundstyle
Stuff magazine
Sugden
van den Hul

Vita Audio
 
New from Vita Audio at Manchester will be its R1 MkII DAB/DAB+/FM table radio. Also on show will be the R4 music system along with the company's recently introduced R2i iPod docking system.
 

Vita Audio R2i iPod docking system

Wharfedale

Check out the new, highly-acclaimed Wharfedale Diamond 10 speaker range at Manchester, with improved drive units, a more rigid enclosure, polymer-finished front baffle and high-gloss finish.

WHAT HI-FI? SOUND AND VISION

The entire editorial team will be on hand throughout the wekend to help with all your hi-fi and home cinema queries. And don't forget we'll have all our 2009 Award winners on display – plus you'll be able to buy the special Awards issue early, before it's even on sale in the shops!

WireFreeHiFi

WireFreeHiFi, part of DIP International in Cambridge, will use the Manchester Sound & Vision Show as the launchpad for Digifi's iPod-compatible version of its Digital Opera wireless earbuds.

The S5 joins the existing Opera S2 model, and is fitted with an iPod adaptor, plus volume and track control buttons. Using low power Kleer wireless audio technology, transmitting on the 2.4Ghz waveband, the S5 in-ear headphones have a range of up to 10m (32 feet) and a listening time of 10 hours. They cost £85.

Digifi's Digital Opera S5 wireless earphones

Yamaha

The latest Yamaha receivers will be on show, alongside iPod peripherals including the TSX Audio System and the PDX wireless dock. Yamaha's Air-Wired technology sends a lossless signal from the iPod to the speaker system, with no transmission delay.

Soavo1 speakers will be shown in their stunning new Piano Black finish, with the matching CDS2000 CD player and AS2000 amplifier. Component systems, including the MCS1330, will also be displayed.

Yamaha MCS1330 iPod/mini hi-fi system

Interesting discussions with the guys from NXT here at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair: it seems every time I meet with them they have some new and exciting developments of their various technologies, and this trip is no exception.

There's everything from wireless iPod speakers to a motorbike that sounds like a galloping horse!

As ever, the range of drive units using the company's Balanced Mode Radiator technology is growing, both in the choice of sizes and shapes, as evidenced by the fact we've seen it in everything from Naim's big Ovator S-600 floorstanding speakers to ultra-slim TVs such as this JVC 42in model.

In common with some other TV brands, the JVCs use NXT HARP (High Aspect Rectangular Panel) drivers, which are well suited to TVs as they are both shallow, being long and narrow in profile, and slim.

You'll also find NXT drivers in the likes of the Revo range of radios, QAcoustics' QTV2 (which even has a flat-panel subwoofer), TEAC and Hitachi systems and a whole raft of iPod docks and computer speakers.

And the company's also doing a lot of work on both turning phone and computer display panels into speakers, using its SurfaceSound technology, and also providing physical feedback using when you draw on screens with a finger or stylus, or type on virtual on-screen keyboards. This work on haptics is a major part of the company's research at the moment.

However, audio is far from on the back burner: BMR expert Matt Dore showed us a slick wireless iPod speaker system using rechargeable speakers and a tiny transmitter, soon to be no larger than a standard iPod plug.

When it's ready for sale – and that should be soon – the transmitter will be miniaturised down to look just like the usual plug, will be powered and controlled by the player to which it's connected, and will have a 'piggyback' socket so the player can be charged while it's in use.

There'll also be a USB dongle, again in Mac style, allowing computers to be used with the ultra-slim speakers.

And while the company's SurfaceSound technology has been used to turn vehicle headlining into speakers in the likes of the Toyota Tacoma pickup in the States, and the company's speakers are also in the Citroen C4 Picasso, you'd probably never think NXT speakers have a use in motorbikes.

Enter stage left the Brammo Enertia, an electric bike with a 68km range, 50+mph top speed, three-hour recharge time – and a near-silent brushless motor.

Near silent: that's the problem, in that pedestrians and other road users can't hear the bike approaching.

 
Now for those of us plagued by screaming bikes and two-strokes doing the old 'a-ring-ding-ding-ding-ding' thing that may be no hardship, but with the addition of NXT's sealed, weatherproofed BMR drive units, one of which you can see in the foreground of the picture above, the bike can make – well – bikey noises.

Or in the case of one user, as NXT CEO Peter Thoms told us, the sound of a galloping horse.

Champion the Wonder Bike, anyone?

Bit of a strange day here at CEATEC Japan 2009, and indeed a bit of a scary one in Japan as a whole: Typhoon Melor, predicted to be the biggest the country had experienced for a decade, hit Japan just before dawn, bringing torrential rain and winds pushing 200kph. That's over 120mph in real money.

And for anyone who hears the 'wrong kind of leaves' excuses in the UK and says 'in Japan the trains run whatever the weather', I have news for you: they don't.

Most of the Shinkansen lines were stopped, local trains were disrupted, road were flooded, bridges came down and power was lost as flying debris snagged in the mainly overhead electricity lines in many areas.

At the last count, two people have died as a result of falling trees, and many more have been injured by flying debris.

The weather and the stopped trains also brought CEATEC to a halt.

Unfortunately that was something we only discovered when we stumbled the couple of hundred metres across the covered walkways from our hotel to the show in the Makuhari Messe, Japan's main exhibition site, this morning – a process which left Mrs E, who has been responsible for most of the camerawork in the video reports we've been uploading this week, more than a little windswept!

On arrival we found the usually packed and buzzing press room and the entrances all but deserted, and soon discovered the 10am opening time had been put back until 1pm. Simple reason – no visitors!

By the afternoon there was little sign of a typhoon – almost cloudless blue skies, temperatures in the mid-20s – but it was clear walking around the show that many potential visitors had changed plans. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the stand staff outnumbered the visitors in some halls.

But the show went on, and we made the most of our last full day in the halls to catch up on some of the stranger and more entertaining things on offer away from the major consumer electronics names.

So we were able to catch up with the new tricks learned by Murata's unicycling robot, Seiko-chan, and discover what Nissan's EPORO robot cars have been up to since CEATEC 2008.

The little robots had last year just about mastered not bumping into each other, as befits their EPisode ZerO RObot name, which is all to do with zero emissions and zero collisions.

This year they've been to fish school, and learned how to travel as schools of fish do: they don't bump into each other, they can travel in parallel maintaining fixed spacing, and they can alter their formation to tackle obstacles.

It's all done with ultra wide-band communications, laser range-finding and the like – click the picture below to see the EPOROs in action, and our round-up of what's been happening here at CEATEC Japan 2009.

 

The Sharp focus here at CEATEC is on a greener world, and the main platform of its stand is a demonstration of a Solar DC Eco-House concept: a house with an independent power supply, virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions and of course lots of Sharp technology, from its solar panels to low-energy lighting and LED-lit LCD panels.

Even its 60in Full HD 3D TV concept is LED-lit, and this sits alongside a complete LED Aquos LX TV range, ranging from 26in right up to a good looking 60in model, an energy efficient mainstream line-up, and another series in all sizes complete with onboard Blu-ray recorders.

These models, and the company's standalone Blu-ray recorders, boast an extended full-HD recording time of up to 8.5 hours, thanks to some nifty coding.

Unfortunately for the moment those models are just for Japan, but it's good to see the company is playing close attention to sound as well as vision: it showed new compact bass modules for its TVs, and demonstrated how well they worked with glasses of water standing on them doing the old Jurassic Park footsteps thing!

Sharp's also committed to making maximum possible use of the home TV, with everything from a direct Yahoo news feed to the ability to read your daily newspaper via the TV, zooming in on or searching for stories of interest.



There's also a facility to order books to be read on-screen, or even indulge in a spot of cloud computing via your telly.

Intuitive menus make recording, or just surfing the ever-growing amount of TV available via both broadcast and internet, simpler, and it's possible to network an entire home's entertainment and information, with the 'televi' at the core of the system.

It wouldn't be Sharp without some great portable technology, the company being one of the leading phone manufacturers here, and alongside its concepts for solar-powered cities and factories, it's also showing mobiles with built-in solar panels to keep the batteries going.

But we couldn't help but be grabbed by the tiny NetWalker sub-netbook computer, a fully-featured miniature PC able to surf, email, and really do anything else you'd really want to do on the move.

Linux-based, it comes in a huge range of colours and finishes, and would be a real object of desire – if only our fingers were small enough to operate the tiny keyboard.

Click on the 3D TV picture below for our video tour of the Sharp stand, including 3D TV, newspapers on-screen and that tiny pocket PC.

 

Like Panasonic, Sony is going big on 3D TV here at CEATEC Japan 2009, with a punchy stage presentation drawing heavily on group companies' music, movies and more.

It has a 3D theatre in the depths of the stand and the frankly rather cramped booths above showing the way 3D can enhance TV, sports and games, but there's no sign of the banks of TVs we saw last year, and Organic LED TV technology is notable by its absence after the big splash it made in 2008.

Clearly boss Sir Howard Stringer's dictum to put OLED on hold until the TV division gets back to something near profitability has been taken to heart, and Sony is making even more of a one-technology showing here than its rival from Osaka.

Beyond 3D TV, there was a marked lack of real product on display, and round the back of the stand, away from the main stage, there's more of a 'science fair' feel to the enterprise, with a whole range of prototypes and concepts on show.

There are low-energy TVs made possible by backlight improvements, TVs that sense the presence of viewers and switch off when there's no-one watching – although the hapless engineer had some problem making the demo set do so when we were there – and all manner of face-recognition and face-tracking systems for games and more.

But perhaps the most enticing bit of technology was a super-thin, ultra-flexible TFT display, just 2mm thick, and shown above adorning both a portable media player concept and a bangle-shaped MP3 player, seen above.

The product that got our vote, however, was this netbook concept, with its one-piece display and keyboard design.

Bit sad, though, that for us, Sony's must-have product of the show was only a mock-up, but click here for our video tour of the Sony stand...

Spent a good chunk of the morning on the Hitachi stand here at CEATEC, looking around at a raft of new technology the company has to give us better pictures, 3D pictures and of course significant energy savings.

It's kinda familiar stuff by now: the big themes of the show here in Japan are 3D and energy reduction, the latter driven by a government policy to cut consumption by some 25 per cent in the very near future.

So like other companies, Hitachi has low-energy TVs on show, including in this case one conforming to what it calls the 'One Watt, one inch' concept: in other words, a 32in TV consuming just 32W.

It's done by a combination of a high power hot cathode fluorescent backlight, a high efficiency inverter and optimised optical design, but elsewhere the company is employing other strategies including backlight adjustment.

These include a system (above) able to turn the TV to standby when no-one is watching it, using a camera to detect the presence of the viewer. Other companies here have similar systems, but Hitachi's goes a stage further – it can even detect whether you're still sitting there, but have taken your eyes off the screen to read a magazine.

Do that, and the TV goes into standby again.

Elsewhere Hitachi was showing gesture control for TV (above), and even a flatscreen you can draw on(below) – perhaps nothing much new there for readers with toddlers! –, plus a raft of image-enhancing technologies.

Not only can the company boost the quality of standard definition TV in real-time, taking standard 480-pixel TV up to 1080p and even able to cope with a mix of SD and HD content in the same show, it can also process even ropey streamed TV to something very watchable.

There's also a slick Intelligent Auto High Picture Quality system, able to detect both the level and colour temperature of the light in your room, and adjust the TV accordingly.

And finally there's Hitachi's home networking system, designed to share TV, video and audio around the home. Taking its cue from the Japanese brand for the company's tellies, Wooo, it's called Wooonet.

Oh, and pronounced Oooonet...

Click on the picture below for a swift video tour of the Hitachi stand.

If Toshiba's stand here at CEATEC is all about its Cell Regza technology, Panasonic is pinning its colours on a 3D future for TV, and a greener future for consumer electronics.

But it isn't without a taste of even bigger and better things to come: it's showing a huge TV displaying images in the 4k2k standard – the Super Hi-Vision standard currently being worked on by broadcasters such as Japan's NHK.

And while the big 103in screen showing 3840x2160-pixel images is impressive enough, both with the usual 'trains chugging through snowy landcsape' stuff and some high-speed drag-racing action, Panasonic is saying even this resolution isn't the destination, but merely a stop along the way.

The target? 7680x4320-pixel TV...

And as company president Fumio Ohtsubo made clear in his keynote speech here yesterday, Panasonic is also being driven by green considerations: "Eco will be the centre of our all our activities," he said.

He compared the need for a change in thinking with the Industrial Revolution and the way information technology changed the 20th century, saying that "The 21st century needs a great revolution to realise sustainable growth and break our dependence on oil."

That thinking extends from the new developments in TVs - the company's latest NeoPDP plasma display panels offer the same brightness while offering huge energy savings - to intelligent ways of reducing energy consumption in the home, and more efficient power supply systems.

That includes the fuel-cell technology the company has shown in the past, but also uses Viera Link technology to control complete systems, thus optimising power consumption.

The 3D offering here majors on the company's tie-up with James Cameron's Avatar movie, but is also about the feasibility of the system for home entertainment, covering everything from sports to movies.

Consumers are able to view content on a number of 50in 3D plasma displays, as well as experiencing clips from Avatar in a dedicated 3D cinema.

I'll be covering 3D, and just how big it is to Panasonic, in a future blog – for now, click here to watch our video giving a brief look at the Panasonic CEATEC stand.

Just to remind you that there's more to Yamaha than just home cinema receivers and Air Wired iPod docks, the company's putting its music division to the fore here at CEATEC.

But that doesn't mean technology is taking a back seat: building on its experience of self-playing Clavinova pianos, Yamaha is taking playing an instrument into the iPhone age, with internet-connected pianos taking their cue from keystrokes recorded and available wirelessly, or even able to play along with YouTube videos.

This Play iT – Play I.T. – system is said to be good for those learning to play, those who want to leave musical notes (pardon the pun) for friends, or even people who fancy a famous pianist performing in their front room.



Whether on the classical grand being admired by a prominent politician here on opening day, or the slick piano-shaped dining table at the top of this blog – complete with a piano built-in – the Yamaha demonstration shows how pianos around the home, or even anywhere in the world, can be linked via a network of home servers and internet access.


You can even use an iPhone app to send electronic postcards complete with music, which will play on the Yamaha piano in friends homes, or play on their iPhones should they happen to visit the location you've noted – that pun again, sorry – on your phone.

Or should you want, you could even sit almost anywhere and play your piano remotely.

And just when our head was spinning with all that, a curtain drew back to reveal this.

Say hello to Lara Croft's robotic Japanese sister, otherwise known as HRP-4C. Developed by Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science, she's equipped with an enhanced version of Yamaha's Vocaloid voice-processing software, giving her conversational ability and an improved voice. Using the same files as the Clavinovas, she sings accompanied by your player-piano. And she even takes requests.

I'll leave it up to you to click here and see how convinced you are, but sitting just a few feet from the performance was uncanny, and I'm told that when someone selected a northern Japanese song across the stand via iPhone and wi-fi, she switched into a convincing northern accent to announce it.

On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At, anyone? Or maybe Wy-aye, Robot...?

More on the Toshiba Cell Regza technology, which we covered in news yesterday; it's the sole focus of the huge Toshiba stand here at CEATEC Japan 2009, which opened this morning.

We took a closer look at what the technology can do, saw the impressive stage presentation, and caught up with Toshiba TV technology executive Shigenori Tokumitsu, who gave us some news about plans to extend the launch beyond Japan.

Cell Regza combines Toshiba's TV technology with the power of Cell processing and a 3TB hard-disk, stored in an anonymous-looking black box. You can see a close-up of the processor itself above.

Among the facilities it offers is a simple user interface, easy recording of a mass of TV content and both internet access and streaming video.

Oh, and you also get greatly enhanced picture quality, thanks to the huge processing power being deployed.

Next step? 3D, of course – it's a major theme of the show this year, with rival systems, different screen sizes and the various manufacturers setting out their stalls to ensure that their variation on the theme is the one consumers want to buy.

More on all that in further reports from CEATEC coming up soon, but for now click on the picture below to watch our video for a taste of how Toshiba is launching Cell Regza in Japan, and when it plans to unleash it on the rest of the world...

Panasonic will use the CEATEC Japan 2009 show, opening next week, to show its prototype 50in Full HD 3D plasma TV, which sees high-definition 3D coming down in size to more domestically acceptable screens.

Used with high-precision active shutter glasses, as used for last year's demonstrations, the TV uses the company's newly-developed high-speed 3D drive technology that enables rapid illumination of pixels while maintaining brightness. This involved the development of new panel materials and LSIs to accelerate the pixel illumination of the alternate 1920x1080-pixel images, thus enabling the set to display Full HD in 3D.

The panel also incorporates a crosstalk reduction technology to minimise the ghosting that can occur when left- and right-eye images are alternately displayed, while the glasses incorporate in-house technology that for precisely control of the the active shutters with the left- and right-eye images shown on the screen.

The system uses the Full HD x 2 frame sequential method, alternately reproducing discrete 1920 x 1080 pixel images for the left and right eyes on the display frame by frame. The frame sequential method is widely used in showing Hollywood 3D movies in cinemas, leading Panasonic to suggest that its new panel "elevates home entertainment to a whole new level with theater-quality 3D images".

We'll be at CEATEC next week to see the new Panasonic in action, along with all the other new products due to be unveiled – and hopefully the odd dancing or roller-skating robot. Watch our news and blogs channels for 'as it happens' reports..

 

Micromega owner Didier Hamdi (right) with Ricardo Franassovici 

I spent a fascinating day in Paris yesterday with Didier Hamdi, the new owner of French hi-fi company Micromega.

Hamdi is an intriguing character: he was a world motorcycle champion in 1991, owns a string of successful engineering businesses in France (including the company that lights the Eiffel Tower), sells motorbikes and even has his own travel agency.

He’s also a life-long audiophile with a passion for music, which partially explains his latest acquisition – Micromega – which he bought from the receiver in March 2007 after it ran into financial difficulties.

Those with long memories will remember that Micromega dropped out of the UK market about a decade ago, leaving some customers stranded and with a string of reliability problems.

The company’s new owner does not gloss over the firm’s troubled past.

“During the last year and a half we felt obliged to clean up some of the problems suffered by previous Micromega owners who were abandoned in the UK ten years ago, and in France three years ago,” says Hamdi. “Although most products were out of warranty, we tried to help customers anyway to restore the Micromega name.”

At the same time, Hamdi and his engineers have completely redesigned and re-engineered the Micromega product range to develop the 11 products that are now being sold as part of the 2009 line-up.

“Our aim is to provide reliable, functional products that offer value for money and excellent musical performance,” he says.

There is one remaining link with the company’s past, however. Micromega’s founder, Daniel Schar, is now head of R&D and will work closely with Hamdi on all product development.

Sound and Color's Paris showroom

As we’ve already reported in our news channel, Micromega is bringing its products to the UK through distributor Absolute Sounds, run by managing director Ricardo Franassovici.

Absolute Sounds is an interesting choice of partner for the French firm. Best known in the UK for its range of high-end brands, Franassovici admits that adding a more affordable range of hi-fi components to its portfolio is something of a departure for him.

However, he has known Didier Hamdi personally for some time and is convinced he’s a man he can do business with.

“Micromega has been responsible for many audio innovations in the past, particularly in the field of CD replay,” he explains. “With new ownership reinvigorating the brand, there are exciting times ahead.”

The initial product range coming to the UK comprises 11 products, ranging from £698 to £1998.  There are three CD players, three integrated stereo amps, a stereo preamp, two power amps, an FM tuner and a surround preamp/processor.

Each component is designed and manufactured in France, and the full range is as follows:

CD-10 CD player £799 (below)

 

CD-20 CD player £1222

 

CD-30 CD player £1599 (above)

FM-10 radio tuner £698 (above)

IA-60 integrated amp £888 (above)

IA-100 integrated amp £1199

IA-180 integrated amp £1698

PA-20 stereo preamp £1290

PW-250 stereo power amp £1500

PW-400 stereo power amp £1998

AVP-180 AV preamp/processor £1680

Yesterday I got to hear some of the new hi-fi range in action. We visited Sound and Colors, a specialist hi-fi dealer in the centre of Paris, who are one of the top Micromega retailers in the French capital.

They’d set up two of their demo rooms for us. The first was running a Micromega IA-180 integrated amp and CD-30 CD player, coupled to a pair of Kharma 3.2 speakers (see below). The electronics cost £3297, and the speakers will set you back about £10,000.

Micromega IA-180 amp, CD-30 CD player and Kharma 3.2 speakers

System 2 was even more upmarket, with a CD-30, plus a PA-20 stereo preamp and a pair of 400W PW-400 power amps driving the huge Magiko M5 speakers you can see in the picture. They’re made in California, and cost a cool 100,000 Euros a pair!

Micromega CD-30, PA-20 preamp, 2 x PW-400 and Magiko M5

After a short listening session to a mix of classical and jazz, we were given a sneak preview of the next Micromega product to be launched in November.

The rather unassuming silver box you can see in the picture below (sitting on top of the CD player) is a prototype of the forthcoming WM-10 AirStream WHiFI.

Didier Hamdi takes up the story: “I was sick of my kids listening to poor quality compressed music on their iPods through my home hi-fi system, so I decided four months ago to develop a unit that would connect wirelessly to iTunes on my computer and stream to the hi-fi.”

The result is AirStream, designed specifically to work with iTunes and licensed by Apple. You simply plug the unit into your hi-fi in the conventional way, and it will receive music streamed via wi-fi 802.11 from any PC or Mac computer. It’s expected to cost under 1,000 Euros when it goes on sale in November. You can read more about the AirStream in Richard Melville's blog.

Of course, such wireless transmission of music is not new, but Micromega says the AirStream acts as a wireless DAC and claims that lossless music files ripped on to a computer and played back through the AirStream will sound as a good as a CD.

We’ll have to wait until we test the finished item to make a judgement on that. But more intriguingly, Micromega plans to build AirStream into all its source components in the future. The first of those is likely to be the Micromega AirStream CD100, a CD player with wi-fi streaming capability built in.

In the meantime, we hope to get some of the 2009 hi-fi range in for review. We’ll let you know as soon as we do.

 

UPDATE: A new iPod nano with video camera, a larger capacity iPod Touch and a larger capacity iPod Classic, complete with price cuts, a new iTunes 9, a new OS 3.1 software...

There was plenty of news at today's Apple event. Read all the news as it happened below, now complete with live pictures, UK prices and more.

 

11.22am US iTunes Store slashes prices – prices can only ever be slashed – on iPod nano, Touch and Classic... Set face to excited.

1.18pm Yoko Ono lets slip to Sky News that the Beatles will be coming to iTunes, though when we do not know. EMI meanwhile has told the Financial Times that the aforementioned deal won't be announced today. Fun and games.

5.13pm At a top secret location tucking into flapjacks and macaroons, but still 45 mins to go before all is revealed. Oh, and the Apple Store is down too...

5.29pm Stairs have been climbed, seats have been taken, blank screens have been photographed... Those screens will soon be relaying all the latest from Apple HQ. The countdown continues...

And clearly the excitement is already too much for some...

 

5.50pm We're getting close to kick off. One of Apple's senior chaps is on stage giving us the lowdown on the success of the Apple and the iPhone 3G S in Europe. Apple's iPods now have a 69% market share, and there were over two million ticket applications for Apple's iTunes Festival

6.03pm  And we're off... standing ovation for Steve Jobs, who arrives in his usual attire. Slightly more subdued where we are. Jobs sounds a little croaky but is happy with his donated liver, as he is merrily telling us now. Thanks the Apple family for their support in his absence and encourages people to sign-up for to be organ donors... And now, "we get to talk about music".  

6.06pm OS 3.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Updates and fixes. Ringtones on iTunes Store. 100 million accounts on iTunes. iTunes 9 incoming. 

6.11pm Genius feature added to App Store. Recommendations to you based on the Apps you already own. 1.8 billion Apps downloaded. Genius Mixes also new. Tracks that go well together put in to a unique playlist... iDJ?! 

6.14pm Improved syncing on new iTunes. iTunes 9 allow better organisation of synced files, more control. Also, allow you to organise Apps on your iPhone inside iTunes.

6.16pm Home syncing between computers. Transfer files between computers over your home network. New iTunes Store with improved navigation, new look, cleaner layout, more content. 

6.18pm iTunes LP. Looks to replace content 'lost' with digital music in comparison to an LP. Artwork, notes, lyrics etc., can all now be delivered with digital music files. Much more content, no need to lose out on information previously found on LPs. Now we're to get a demo of iTunes 9 from a chap called Jeff... 

 

6.19pm We're snapping plenty of pictures live of the demonstrations of the new software on screen – we'll be adding these online to this page later this evening once we've finished the live blog. And check whathifi.com news editor Joe Cox's twitter – www.twitter.com/therealjoecox – for yet more live updates...

iTunes 9 certainly looks very slick, we expect no less. Organisation of your iPhone's Apps on your computer, using a screen shot style interface of your iPhone, looks very smart indeed. Lots more information on purchases, more content to view, easy previews still. Some genuinely useful information, including wishlists, linking of albums to Facebook and Twitter, and more. 

 

6.30pm 223 million iPods sold to date. Wowsers. 20 million iPod Touch. And did we mention 30 million iPhones? Crazy.

6.33pm We're being told why the iPod Touch is so great... Is this like the chairman's vote of confidence for football managers? 

6.39pm The iPod Touch is still the absolute nuts, we're reliably informed. We're guessing an update is incoming... 

6.40pm Ubisoft's Ben Mattes, producer of Assassin's Creed 2, is up on stage. The two will be coming together on the iPod Touch. From the content on-screem, the graphics for the game on the Touch look pretty smooth. There's BD-LIve style interaction – you can put your face in the game, Starship Troopers BD style – and the game will be out on the iPod Touch on the same date, November 11th, as it's out on consoles.

6.43pm 'Awesome' Dutch man on stage, his word not mine. Guitar Hero style game being shown on the iPod Touch from a new software developer. Move the Touch or iPhone in order to to play the App. Looks kinda fun. The game is called Rhythm Rhythm, we think... he had quite some accent on him. We will confirm ASAP. More games incoming...

6.46pm This time it's a first person shooter called Nova. Does what it says on the tin. You can even listen to your tunes as you shoot your way around scree. Next up is EA Games... Coming to the App Store is Madden NFL 10. American Football on your iPod Touch. Game looks extensive with players, stadiums, plays and more, just like the real thing. John Madden is on there as well. Distinct controls and features for Touch using the touchscreen to control plays, players, the speed of the game and more. Impressive. And it's available from today. 

 

6.53pm £149 for 8GB Touch; £229 for 32GB ; £299 for 64GB. New large capacity, new prices, faster OS promised. 

6.55pm £189 now for bigger 160GB capacity on iPod Classic. So single iPod Classic model still, but with bigger hard disk. 

6.57pm iPod Shuffle down to £45 for 2GB, and £59 for 4GB. Five new colours. And a stainless steel special edition 4GB player for £75.

 

7.00pm Steve Jobs back on stage for 'one last thing'... A video camera. Market exploding, so Apple want in. So it's a... new iPod nano with video camera and mic built-in. Retained size. Every nano will have video camera from now on. New polished, anodised aluminium finish. One touch upload to YouTube. The iPod nano is the most popular music player in the world, with over 100 million sold. And an FM radio built-in, voice recorder and pedometer. Sync with Nike+Apple. Larger 2.2in display. A load of new colours, too – nine now in total. The FM radio also has live pause, which is pretty clever. 8GB £115; 16GB £135.

 

 

7.06pm Cursory mention of 'ecomentals'. Environment, green, yidda yadda. And we think that might be it... Live music to end, as per, and it's Norah Jones zzz. No offence, Norah, and indeed the 36 million people who have bought her albums.

7.10pm And that's all folks...

I've just had a full briefing from LG on all its forthcoming products for the remainder of 2009 and looking ahead to 2010, so here are the highlights:

We've already reported on LG's 'Borderless' SL9000 and SL8000 LED and LCD TVs, positioned above the LS7000 series, and due out in October. The SL8000 LCD models are available in 32, 37, 42 and 47in sizes with 200Hz motion processing, while the flagship SL9000 series has LED edge backlighting and comes in 42in and 47in versions. Note the supposed lack of a border around the screen:

 

The SL9500 is a slightly different design and may come to the UK later.

LG's LH9000 is a 'full' LED backlit TV, rather than just having LED around the edges as on the SL9000 models. It's more of a technology showcase, but will probably be brought to the UK in limited numbers through selected retailers. It will be made in 47in and 42in screen sizes, has 200Hz motion processing, DiVX HD, USB socket and Bluetooth connectivity. 

 

The Korean firm is also working on 400Hz TruMotion processing, claiming to have developed the "world's first 400Hz engine", and had a prototype running at the show:

 

And there was plenty of interest in LG's Active Matrix 15in OLED screen (below). It goes on sale in Korea from November, and will be available in the UK spring 2010. LG is also developing a 30in model for release in 2012, and is looking ultimately to build a 40in OLED screen.

OLED delivers 30,000 viewing hours and has much better energy efficiency than current flatscreens. The Korean firm says it "can see OLED screens eventually becoming more mainstream", although for the moment they remain a premium product. No prices are yet confirmed for the UK.

 

Another clever innovation that caught my eye is LG's forthcoming Magic Motion remote control, which will be launched in 2010. Essentially you get a wand, rather like the controller on a Nintendo Wii, which allows you to move a cursor around on the screen, then you can just point and click on the relevant icons, much as you would on a computer. The aim is to avoid all the button pressing required on a conventional remote control. We like it, a lot.

 

For those who want a simple "plug and play" home cinema, LG's HLB54S is a 4.1 soundbar with built-in Blu-ray player, iPod dock, wi-fi and DLNA compatibility, launching in the UK this October. We might also get a 3.1 version later. Full details in our news story.

 

And further strengthening LG's Blu-ray range is its HB354BS Blu-ray in a box system with built-in iPod dock, DiVX HD playback and YouTube access.

 

I also saw LG's BD390 network Blu-ray player, as mentioned yesterday...

 

...and the HR400 Blu-ray player with HDD recorder, digital TV tuner and 160GB hard drive.

 

And of course, it wouldn't be IFA without a couple of 3D TVs, including a 60in 3D plasma and 47in 3D LCD (below). Like most manufacturers here, LG remains vague about its detailed plans for 3D TV, simply saying it has the technology to produce 3D products but is waiting to see if the content and consumer demand materialise. But like Sony, Philips and Panasonic it has to be seen to be in the game: