ELAN® Home Systems has announced that the newest addition to its VIA!® Touch Panel family, the VIA!®Valet10.0-EM, is now shipping to Dealers. The announcement was made by Bob Farinelli, ELAN’s President and Chief Technical Officer.

Warner Bros. finally ends the long awaited announcement for the release of the the Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray.  Although, fans must wait a bit longer for the October 14th release date.  Having been one of the largest successes on the HD DVD, the Blu-ray release will surely be a montrous hit.

Sony Creative Software has announced the availability of Sony’s new multi-codec video encoder for Blu-ray Disc authoring developed in conjunction with Sony Electronics and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Originally announced by Sony Electronics at NAB 2008, the BAE-VX1000 encoder is priced to bring high-speed, high-quality Blu-ray Disc authoring within reach of smaller studios.

Samsung keeps the releases coming with their third set of HDTVs.  Samsung Electronics America Inc. enhances its "functional art" home technology collection with the introduction of two new LCD HDTVs. The Series 8 850 and 860 LCD HDTVs feature a next generation implementation of Samsung's ToC™ (Touch of Color™) design – a new slim and narrow frame with a depth of 1.9 inches at its widest.

Samsung Electronics continues to deliver the ultimate form of "functional art" to consumers with the Series 7 Plasma HDTV featuring Samsung's ToC™ (Touch of Color™) designed bezel. Born from the craftsmanship behind delicately blown glass to the balanced beauty of a sunset, the ToC design features a hint of red color blended into a piano black bezel.

Samsung Electronics America Inc. unveils the successor to the company's award-winning 81 Series LED LCD HDTV, with the launch of the new Series 9 LED LCD HDTV. The 2008 flagship Series 9, Samsung's 2nd generation LCD HDTV to use LED SmartLighting™ technology, offers consumers the powerful combination of LED and 120Hz technologies, resulting in a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for a crisp, full HD 1080p picture.

Ever wonder what the industry professionals use to demo and calibrate their home theater systems?  Well now you can find out with CEPro's new list.  Leading industry experts share with you the top 35 pieces of entertainment best suited for demo material, as well as share some tips on sales.  Formats suggested include HD DVD, Blu-ray, DVD, and CD.

Wisdom Audio announced it will target the specialty hybrid retailer and custom channel with limited distribution of its new Sage Series high-end architectural and freestanding audio systems. Wisdom Audio officials will be on hand during the 2008 CEDIA Expo, held in Denver from Sept. 4-7 at the Colorado Convention Center, booth SR-16, to discuss the new award-nominated product line and distribution details. Sage has been nominated for a Residential Systems Magazine 2008 Resi Award in the “Speakers – On-Wall or In-Wall” category. Winners will be announced during the 2008 CEDIA Expo.

The TV One-task series of DVI-D Distribution Amplifiers consist of three professional units that distribute two and four DVI-D signals from a single input. The 1T-DA-552 provides two DVI outputs, the 1T-DA-554 provides four DVI outputs and the 1T-DA-564 provides four DVI outputs plus four Analog Stereo and four S/PDIF Coaxial Audio outputs. Each product in this series is compliant with HDMI v1.3 and all are HDCP Compliant.

Halcro recently introduced the SSP220, a feature-packed surround sound processor with significant improvements over previous models. Developed for the discriminating home theater enthusiast who demands the ultimate home theater experience, the new SSP220 delivers unprecedented performance and reliability. Halcro Logic Surround Processors offer a complete solution for all the variables of home theater applications and despite their sophisticated design are simple and intuitive to operate.