Powersoft Advanced Technologies, LLC, a world industry leading manufacturer of superior quality power amplifiers for the professional audio market, is featuring its new Powersoft K2 amplifier at InfoComm 2009 (Booth 6384). This new amplifier is an extension of Powersoft’s signature K-Light Series, which launched last year with the successful K3 model. The K2 is a power amplifier that meets the most stringent requirements of professional users in concert touring, sound reinforcement and professional fixed installations. Designed by Powersoft’s R&D team, the K2 is exclusively manufactured in Italy with internal components selected for premium quality and proven durability. Read on at The Briefing Room

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The new Christie Spyder X20 video processor debuts June 17th-19th at Infocomm 2009 booth # 3845 (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando). Available in two models, the Spyder X20 will bring to market the flexibility of a universal routing switcher and the versatility of a powerful video processor for mid-size applications that have multi-windowing, multiple displays and processing requirements. The Spyder X20 includes the matrix switching and integrated source monitoring functionality of the Christie Vista URS. It also includes all of the existing features of the Vista Spyder, such as high-end presentation capabilities and an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that appeals to experienced and new customers. Read on at The Briefing Room

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At InfoComm 09, Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc., Business Group, Hitachi Software Engineering America, Ltd. and Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc. are offering systems integrators, dealers and end-users the latest in high-end video equipment, spanning from video capture to display. These products range from LCD projectors to interactive whiteboards to production cameras, with each product representing individual state of the art technology in each respective category. Read on at The Briefing Room

More InfoComm 09 news from The Briefing Room

The Echolab “booth” is really just a space they cleared at the the far end of the hall in an big open area mixed in with a few other vendors. Somehow it just makes the new Atem look cooler, sitting there on a collapsable conference table surrounded by the random debris of tradshows–bottles of water, backpacks, people climbing over chairs and cords. It’s got that start-up vibe. Of course Echolab’s no start-up–it’s had many a switcher flagship, most recently the Overture. It joins Wireworks and Ashly in celebrating a 35th birthday this year.

The new Atem is a modern, no-nonsense HD production switcher (1 M/E 3G, 1080p/60) with a built-in clipstore and an obscene amount of I/O–any signal in/any signal out, under $20K list. Patel points out that the infrastructure features alone like HDMI in and out, internal downscaling, frame sync would get you to $20K fast–without getting you a production switcher. So simplicity and price point make it great fit for church/AV market and–he didn’t see this coming–the rental market. Check it out.

I just came out of a spirited demo of Da-Lite‘s Affinity line of 1080p video projection screens put on by video producer/projection expert Joe Kane, who asked Da-Lite some time ago to design the Affinity concept in order to allow him to demonstrate what, from his point of view, true 1080p looks like on a big screen when projected by a suitable projector (in this case, Kane’s personal, single-chip, 1080p DLP projector made for him by Samsung) onto a screen unencumbered by the typical impurities that, from Kane’s perspective, ruin the viewing experience. more…

It’s not glamorous, but reliability matters. That’s what Hitachi is counting on with the CPX-3010, which you can see here. Reliability translates to 5000 hours on the filter and a lamp life of 3000 hours in Standard Mode, twice that in Eco mode. It’s 3,000 lumens bright with a 2000:1 contrast ratio, networkable and includes a campus notification system.

Earlier I wrote about Broadcast Pix Slate G live streaming system. So this is a follow-on from that. On the Broadcast Pix booth, they’re showing a slick portable configuration of the system invented by Magic Wave Productions, a California integrator. We saw the Magma at NAB, but this is the first time integrators are seeing it (ships early next month).

This system just looks and feels like an integrator put it together. One of my personal favorite elements is the cabling configuration in the back (pictured)–it’s slightly angled for less wear and tear, but still flush to eliminate thigh bruising for those who have to carry the unit from place to place.

It’s a super-efficient cube design, holds the Slate G system–(you drive from a nice keyboard that doubles as the front panel). It starts at $18,995–which is more expensive than the entry level Slate G system, but for that you not only get the portable configuration, you get the optional four additional cameras standard.

Orlando, Florida, June 17, 2009: Bosch Communications Systems is pleased to announce the release of IRIS-Net V2.0. Since its debut in 2002, IRIS-Net has set new standards as a unified software package supporting DSP design, device control, custom user interface creation, and system integration spanning multiple Bosch Communications Systems brands. Read on at The Briefing Room

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I’m showing you the back of Grass Valley’s MediaEdge HDMA-4100 set top box because it helps explain how this 4th-gen version of the product got so small and streamlined. While I’m normally a fan of packing in the I/O, in this case the right move was to reduce I/O. “The worlds gone to HDMI,” understates Rich Threadgill, Grass Valley’s Manager of Enterprise Distribution and Signage.

The new MediaEdge supports MPEG 4 H.264 and can ship with or without internal storage (starting end of July). At it happens, it also converges in a fortunate synergy with another product that was underway in a very different part of Grass Valley’s parent company Thomson. This convergence provides some powerful, cost effective HD over IP distribution options for stadiums and arenas, schools and new-build hotels. Here’s how Threadgill described what happened. more…

As InfoComm 2009 raced to a close today, Infocomm International Executive Director Randal Lemke, Ph.D. sat down for a chat just off the show floor with Sound and Video Contractor editor Michael Goldman. Lemke talked with Goldman for the Road to InfoComm podcast series a few weeks ago as final preparations for the show were underway. Now, that InfoComm 2009 is almost done, Goldman wanted to get Lemke’s perceptions of the show and where the AV industry is heading in the second half of the year and into 2010.

To hear the podcast, push the play button or download here.