Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Home Theater Becoming a Commodity?



Epson America and Atlantic Technology are teaming up on a complete home theater system designed to fill what the companies call an unserved segment of the market. Called Ensemble, the system is designed to be sold by specialty AV retailers and custom installers as a value-oriented package for consumers who don’t have a firm grasp of the home theater concept.

Built around Epson 720p and 1080p 3-chip LCD projectors, Ensemble includes Atlantic Technology left, center, and right speakers built into a horizontal housing that also includes a motorized 100in. screen. In addition, the system comprises two surround speakers built into a cradle that holds the projector; a 10in. subwoofer with built-in amplification for all channels; an AV controller with DVD player; a universal remote with LCD display; and a cable management system. The systems—$4,999 for the 720p system and $6,999 for the step-up 1080p version—are due to ship in November. The high-end projector upscales all video content to 1080p resolution.
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