HiddenWires ezine - 4 March 2005

Welcome to the HiddenWires ezine - a free newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with high-end home automation and home entertainment news, as well as developments at HiddenWires.co.uk.

We will deliver this service to you every month - unless there is some major news we think you should know about sooner.

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What's new?

February 2005 saw 70,795 visitors use HiddenWires, requesting 429,934 pages and making 1,462786 hits - not bad for a short month!

Not only do these numbers prove there is a huge interest in home technology, but we get daily requests from people looking for installers, products and just wanting to know what is possible. So why is it that not one of the show homes at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show featured a home cinema, multiroom audio, lighting control or any 'wow' factor that will send thousands of visitors away saying I want a custom installer to put that technology into my house? Instead they'll leave wanting a nicer bathroom or kitchen.

The show homes did have snippets of technology: most of the kitchens had an iCEBOX TV, there was a Philips Miravision TV in one living room, plus other small flat screens dotted around, and a couple of Bose in- wall/ceiling speakers, but no control panels or remotes to be seen. One of the houses had a wireless entertainment network from Abrocour, and a few media centre PCs, but an inanimate computer screen and a discretely-placed wireless hub were not getting anyone's attention. Savastore.com, the company responsible for supplying the consumer electronics had produced a Home Entertainment Technology Guide in conjunction with Microsoft, which claimed that the show home designers had "incorporated cutting-edge home entertainment technology into their designs."

The exhibition stands provided more interest, with plenty of large flat screen TVs, from the likes of Pioneer, Samsung, Fujitsu and Sagem, including some of the latest high-definition models. AVe had an array of screens and projectors, Bose launched its 3•2•1 GS Series II and 3•2•1 Series II DVD home entertainment systems, and Purely Plasma unveiled the play bay 24/7 bed that combines a retractable, rotatable LCD TV with in-built subwoofer, DVD player and Wi-Fi computer connection.

It's easy to dismiss a show like this as not attracting the 'right' sort of people, but the fact is that several hundred thousand will visit to see the latest homewares and what they will see in terms of smart home technology is disappointing. So who should take up the challenge of doing better next year? Let us know what you think.

Our feature this month is Home Cinema and we have four articles covering 3LCD and D-ILA projector technology, screen choices, and a standard for the projected image.

Articles and Whitepapers @ HiddenWires

3LCD Technology - Get the full picture By Stuart Davis, Epson UK (3/3/2005)

D-ILA Projector Technology By Iain Ambler, JVC Professional Europe (3/3/2005)

Projection Screens for Home Cinema By Paul Lawrence, Anders+Kern UK (3/3/2005)

A New Quality Standard for Projected Images By Greg Jeffreys, Paradigm (3/3/2005)

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News @ HiddenWires

Klipsch Introduces Six New All-Weather Speakers (3/3/2005)

Klipsch to Launch Silver Versions of Popular Reference Series Powered Subwoofers (3/3/2005)

ZON Audio Unveils New Addition to its Family of Distributed Audio Products (3/3/2005)

ONKYO's Remote Interactive Dock Interfaces With Apple's iPod (3/3/2005)

Axonix MediaMax Multimedia Home Server Supports Cover Art and Crestron Remote Control (3/3/2005)

Audio Pro Launches 'Cinema Precision' 5.1 Channel Speaker System (1/3/2005)

Secured Digital Applications, Inc. Completes Second Generation SmartHome System (1/3/2005)

Vutec Offers Retracta-Vu Theater, a Complete Cabinet-Based Front Screen Theater; Unit features NEC WT610 Projector (1/3/2005)

Monitor Audio Launches Silver 'RS' Range (1/3/2005)

Denon DVD-A1XV Reference Class THX-ULTRA Universal Disc Player (1/3/2005)

United Media UK Brings the Beauty of the Big Screen into the Home (25/2/2005)

DisplaySearch Reports Q4'04 Plasma TV Shipments Rose 173% Worldwide (25/2/2005)

New Datacomm Research Report: Wireless LAN Equipment Shipments to Triple Within Five Years (25/2/2005)

cinemateq Offers New Firmware 4.0 for Picture Optimizer Plus (II) (25/2/2005)

Datacolor Launches SpyderTV, Innovative Home Theater Technology for Display Optimization (25/2/2005)

JVC Digital Recorder Line Includes DVD, Hard Drive, VHS and Mini DV Combos (25/2/2005)

NuVo Technologies Introduces Second-Generation Simplese Audio System (25/2/2005)

Naim launches DC1 and RGB1 cables to support DVD5 player (25/2/2005)

Fluke Networks Introduces Cabling Test Technician Certification Program (25/2/2005)

Niveus Media Releases the Niveus Pocket Remote, Enabling Multi-Zone Digital Music Playback from the Microsoft Windows Media Center PC (25/2/2005)

LiteTouch Offers Easy Automated Control of Literally Any Window Covering (24/2/2005)

Opera announces Voice EPG technology (24/2/2005)

Home data networks drive additional services (24/2/2005)

Pro Acoustics Introduces 'The Pure Resonance Series' 4 New Home Theater Ceiling Speakers (24/2/2005)

Integrated Systems China 2005 (24/2/2005)

Naim launches FlatCap 2x Power Supply (22/2/2005)

NetStreams Offers Additional Features for DigiLinX Multi-Room Audio System (22/2/2005)

InterDigital Joins Leading Industry Group Developing Next Generation of Wireless Standards (22/2/2005)

Lumileds Establishes New Standards for LED Performance (22/2/2005)

Zone Labs Introduces ZoneAlarm Wireless Security (22/2/2005)

Sigma Designs Powers Sony's New Network Media Receiver (18/2/2005)

Battle for the Digital Living Room Commences in San Francisco Area (18/2/2005)

The HomePlug Powerline Alliance Selects France Telecom's Turbo Code Program in Its AV Specification (18/2/2005)

Hush Technologies announces the arrival of AMD Athlon 64-bit Support for Windows MCE2005 (18/2/2005)

Beware of WiPhishing: Cirond Warns of New Wireless Security Danger (18/2/2005)

Xybernaut Chosen by Korean IT and Communications Ministry to Lead 'Ubiquitous Room' Initiative (18/2/2005)

Loewe extends Xelos family to include mid-size widescreen LCDs (18/2/2005)

Gefen Introduces New HDMI Solutions for System Integration (18/2/2005)

Universal Serial Bus Living Up to "Universal" Description (16/2/2005)

Potential for RAID in the Home is Quite High, IDC Predicts (16/2/2005)

Audiovisual Industry Forecast Finds Residential, Retail and Digital Signage Top Growth Markets for $19 Billion U.S. AV Market (16/2/2005)

Internet Home Alliance Research Shows Half of Newly Constructed Homes Will Have 'Smart Home' Features (16/2/2005)

Armour Home Electronics is born (16/2/2005)

Quad Industrial and Source One International Appoint Audio Visual Material to Distribute Qi Products (16/2/2005)

Hitachi and Panasonic Agree on Comprehensive Collaboration in Plasma Display Business (16/2/2005)

AWE Boosts Sales and Purchasing Teams (16/2/2005)

Klipsch Acquires Brand Name and Key Assets of Danish Speaker Company Jamo A/S (16/2/2005)

AMX to be Acquired by Duchossois Industries (16/2/2005)

Hitachi to Increase Share in Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display; Acquiring Stock and Plasma Technology Patents from Fujitsu (15/2/2005)

Can Your Luggage Carry a Tune? Boom Bags Create 'Home Stereo' Sound In Your Hotel Room by Turning the Packing Space of a Suitcase Into a Resonance Chamber (15/2/2005)

National Survey Shows One in Five Adults Currently Have a Home Computing Network, But Few Others Say They Intend to Install One in the Future (15/2/2005)

VIA EPIA SP13000 Quietly Powers World's First Low Profile, Fanless Media Center PC by Tranquil PC (15/2/2005)

Study Finds Epson 3LCD Technology Produces Better Color Than Single Chip DLP Technology (15/2/2005)

Arcam DT91 audiophile DAB and FM tuner (15/2/2005)

MAC too! devolo MicroLink HomePlug adapters now support Macintosh (15/2/2005)

One Voice Technologies to Feature Its Media Center Communicator at the World's Largest Wireless Trade Show (15/2/2005)

Move Over Men, Women Pick Plasma as the Ideal Television (15/2/2005)

SA-CD starts 2005 in confident mood at Philips and Sony (15/2/2005)

Akai ADR-5800Di Multi-format DVD-Recorder (14/2/2005)

Zoran's Generation9 High-Definition Display Processor Drives Samsung's Blu-Ray Disc Recorder (14/2/2005)

Intel, Revelations Unlock Door to the Digital Home (14/2/2005)

Motorola Acquires Ucentric Systems, Extending the Seamless Mobility of Digital Video Entertainment through the Home (14/2/2005)

cinemateq Introduces the Picture Optimizer Plus II SDI (14/2/2005)

Hauppauge MediaMVP Network Media Player Offers Low Cost Networked Audio and Video for Electronic Home Integrators (14/2/2005)

Elgato Announces UPnP AV Media Streaming Software for the Macintosh (14/2/2005)

Silicon Optix and Runco International Bring Hollywood Home with Customized ViViX Powered Realta HQV Chip (14/2/2005)

Eaton Products Make the Home Better Connected and Protected with Innovations to Meet Consumer Needs (14/2/2005)

Kramer DVI Pattern Generator - A Moving Experience (14/2/2005)

Da-Lite Announces New Sizes for Cosmopolitan Electrol (8/2/2005)

Chief Manufacturing, Inc. Announces Merger with Sanus Systems (8/2/2005)

Chief Manufacturing Introduces the PSS Swivel Table Stand (8/2/2005)

Chief Introduces the New CTV Series TV/Monitor Mounts (8/2/2005)

New Chief Innovation: The UPA Series Universal Projector Mount (8/2/2005)

Chief Launches New Universal Plasma and LCD Flat Panel Mounting Solutions with Stylish and Innovative Designs (8/2/2005)

Chief's Swing Arm Mounts for LCD Flat Panels Offer Versatility (8/2/2005)

Chief Introduces Universal Mounting Solutions to Europe, Expands Product Offering in Netherlands Warehouse (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Premieres TX1000 AC Power Controller (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Debuts New High Performance SP6BW BiWire Speaker Cable for Home Theater and High-End Stereo (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Debuts New High-Performance SP4BW Silver BiWire Speaker Cable for Home Theater and High-End Stereo (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES ProFit Cable Termination system Makes Cables in the Field - No Soldering Required (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Introduces New PentaVideo and TriVideo Cables Using ProFit Radial Compression Systems (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Announces New Category 5 Enhanced 350MHz Patch Cables for Home Theater and High-End Stereo (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Introduces IEEE 1394 FireWire Cables (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Introduces New Enhanced Silver Series and Direct Series Cables (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES Introduces a Solution for Interconnecting Devices with DVI (8/2/2005)

TRIBUTARIES New Adapters Provide Solutions for Transition from DVI to HDMI (8/2/2005)

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Books @ HiddenWires

Save up to 30% on the titles in our book store:

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Networking

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HiddenWires-supported events

The Heathrow High Fidelity Show
2-3 April 2005
Park Inn, Heathrow
The Heathrow High Fidelity Show is the UK's only pure high end show. All exhibitors are based in large suites.

Smart Home Show
14-17 April 2005
NEC, Birmingham
*NEW* show integrating entertainment, technology and automation into your home.

INSTALL @ PALME
24-26 April 2005
Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE
INSTALL is a focused event for this industry and a unique platform for manufacturers and suppliers to make face to face contact with key regional industry decision-makers involved in the construct and build of the region's major projects and initiatives.

Integrated Systems China
27-29 April 2005
Shanghai Everbright Convention Centre, China
IS China promises a showcase that will feature the latest projection technology, display devices, audio technology, projection screens, monitors, residential and commercial control systems and interfacing equipment.

Home Entertainment Show
28 April - 1 May 2005
Hilton, New York, USA
Four fantastic days of demos, workshops, exhibits, live concerts, autograph signings and more. The HE2005 show is the place to see the best in high-end audio and video connect with the latest in convergence technologies for the home.

Mediacast 2005
10-12 May 2005
Olympia, London
Mediacast is the only European event dedicated to 'Content Everywhere' business and technology, focusing on global markets for content delivery from multiple platforms to multiple devices.

CONNECTIONS
11-13 May 2005
Hyatt Regency Burlingame, San Francisco, USA
The Digital Home Conference and Showcase, produced by Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association, is the largest international executive conference for digital home technologies.

Hometech Middle East
15-17 May 2005
World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE
The leading trade fair for housewares and home products for the Middle East - from refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, air conditioning units right through to home entertainment systems.

InfoComm 2005
4-10 June 2005
Las Vegas, USA
InfoComm is where you see the technologies, the systems, and the applications for projection, display, audio, lighting, videoconferencing, streaming media, digital signage, and everything related Ð before they hit the streets!

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