Podcast #1018: TCL TVs for 2021 and CEDIA Expo Best Of Show Winners

On today’s show we reveal the 2021 TCL TV lineup and discuss FAST (free, ad-supported streaming television) channels. Is this the beginning of truly free TV? We also go through the list of the 2021 CEDIA Expo Best of show winners. Plus we read your emails and look at the news of the week.

In 2020, TCL launched a number of new TVs, proving you don’t need to pay a small fortune to get a good new TV. Now we’re more than halfway through 2021, the brand is continuing this trend. Full article here…

Google is looking to make its Chromecast streaming device more appealing to cord cutters. The company has plans to add free TV channels to Google TV, the Android-based smart TV platform that powers Chromecast as well as select smart TVs from companies including Sony and TCL, Protocol has learned. Full article here...

TWICE, Residential Systems and What HiFi? have announced the winners of their annual Best of Show awards at CEDIA Expo 2021. The products were nominated by the manufacturers and a team of judges was employed to read through the entries and rate the products on a number of criteria, including its value, impact, and how unique it was to the market. 

TWICE Best of Show Winners at CEDIA

Crestron Home

Crestron started in the 1980s in New Jersey and sells its products internationally. They sell their home automation products through authorized dealers. Crestron does not list pricing on their website because each system is custom-tailored to the homeowner's needs and installed through a home integrator. Their products are high quality and you will pay for an equally high amount. Systems typically start at $10,000 and go up from there. Way up!

Crestron Horizon Thermostat

With their ultra-slim profile and luxurious aesthetic, Horizon smart thermostats are always neat and discreet, while also delivering advanced functionality.

• Intuitive control and bright high-resolution touch screen makes settings as easy to see as they are to adjust
• Touch screen displays in light and/or dark mode
• Light sensor adjusts display brightness and switches to dark mode at night
• Built-in proximity sensor eliminates need to swipe or touch to wake up thermostat
• Quick-look RGB backlit status bar indicates current status and provides sophisticated design accent
• No batteries, so you’ll never return home or wake up to a too hot or cold house because the batteries ran out
• Silent operation

iRoom iO touchDock

The touchDock is iRoom‘s flagship docking station, made entirely with scratch-resistant tempered glass and features the latest technologies iRoom has been implementing in its docking solutions. touchDock turns your iPad into a dual-purpose control device with convenient motorized iPad removal for mobile use.

• Convenient motorized Removal of the iPad.
• High Quality Tempered & Scratch-Proof Glass in Black or White.
• Horizontal or Vertical Flush-Mount Installation.
• Built-In Touch Keypad for AV Control independent of the iPad. Control Drivers for Crestron, Control4, Savant, RTI, Elan, URC and many more.
• Smart Battery Management extends the iPad Battery Life.
• Code-Protected Antitheft Protection of the iPad.
• Built-in sensor package for room temperature, humidity, brightness, and air quality (CO2) (Coming soon)
• Price $1,299.00 – $1,699.00

Samsung QN90A 4K TV

• The next-gen Neo Quantum Processor 4K utilizes advanced AI based deep-learning analysis to analyze the signal, source, and scene-by-scene content to deliver our best 4K optimized experiences.
• Quantum HDR 32x brings details to life with ultra-rich color, deep contrast, and HDR10+ dynamic tone mapping that shifts the color and contrast scene by scene for spectacular clarity.
• Feel like you're in the middle of the action with directional, realistic sound that projects from speakers built into all sides of the TV
• Never miss a beat with minimized blur and enhanced motion clarity, and catch all the fast-moving action whether you're watching sports or taking advantage of newer Next-Gen gaming capabilities.
• Get our finest picture ever with Color Volume 100%, Quantum Dot, which transforms light into breathtaking, stay-true color at any brightness.
• See every detail at any angle. Ultra Viewing Angle gives you the consistent detailed picture, even when sitting off to the side. So every seat is the best one in the house.
• 85” $4,000 55” $1,550

GDC Espedeo Supra-5000 RBB Plus Laser Phosphor Cinema Projector

The Supra-5000 is a 5000-lumen DCI-compliant projection system certified by Hollywood studios to playback encrypted digital cinema content and suitable for screens up to 20 feet wide. It features patented ALPD 4.0 laser technology to deliver vibrant colors in P3 color space and achieving 98.5 percent of REC2020. It is engineered with GDC’s all-in-one board, which is designed with near-zero maintenance electronics and tested by SGS for 100,000 hours Mean Time Between Failures. Designed with CineCache 2TB built-in solid-state storage and a built-in cinema audio processor, the light engine and lens offer IP5X level of dustproof protection to maintain brightness. It is compact, lightweight and quiet with a noise level below 35 dB(A), making it an ideal ceiling-mounted solution for private home cinemas, yachts, and hotels.

Hisense 100-inch L9G TriChroma Laser TV 

Key features:

• The 3000 Lumen ultra short throw projection TV features the TriChroma laser engine to reach 107% of the BT.2020 color space.
• Includes 100-inch Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen produces incredible picture clarity in both dark and well-lit spaces and is perfectly paired with the L9G.
• Built-in 40W Dolby Atmos sound or high-speed HDMI with eARC allows for pass-thru of high-bitrate audio to your surround sound system.
• 25,000 Hour Lifespan
• $5,500

Kaleidescape Terra 12 

“This product was designed for customers eager to invest in the Kaleidescape experience but not ready to commit to a larger movie server like the Terra 48 or the recently announced Terra 72,” said Tayloe Stansbury, CEO, Kaleidescape. “The Terra 12 gives new customers the same experience as the larger servers, with similar download speeds and performance, while allowing them the flexibility to add playback zones and grow their movie collection over time.”

With the power to download feature-length 4K movies in as little as 10 minutes on a gigabit internet connection, the Terra 12 is ideal for customers looking to invest in an entry level Kaleidescape system that can instantly play their favorite movies, television shows and music events. The addition of the Terra 12 to Kaleidescape’s product line also allows customers to incrementally increase storage by adding additional servers, such as the Terra 24, Terra 48 or the recently announced Terra 72.

The Kaleidescape Terra is the foundation of a multi-room Kaleidescape Strato system. A Terra 12 can support any number of Strato C players and serve up to five simultaneous 4K Ultra HD playbacks. Designed with a similar profile to a Strato C movie player, the Terra 12 can be mounted beside a Strato C in a 1U rack space, using Kaleidescape’s custom rack mount for efficient shelf storage.

The Kaleidescape Terra 12 movie server will be priced at $7,995. Accompanying Strato C players are priced at $2,995 each. 

Jabra PanaCast 50

The Jabra PanaCast 50 is an intelligent video bar with 180° field of view in Panoramic-4K.  On the audio front, intelligent algorithms automatically identify and remove residual echo and static noise, and we added an array of four powerful speakers in a zero-vibration stereo setup, to fill the room with premium, high-definition sound. MSRP $1,195