Integrator Dallas Dingle of Supercalibrations replaces Sony Qualia 004 with new $60,000 VPL VW5000ES 4K laser projector, plus complete 4K ecosystem, and … Wow!

I always get excited when Sony introduces a new flagship projector, the latest being the VPL VW5000ES, a 5,000-lumen 4K laser-based super projector.

I awaited this unit just as eagerly as I did earlier top-of-the-line designs from the venerable electronics giant — the VPH G90U CRT-based model sometimes referred to as "projector of the gods" and more recently the Qualia 004, the first in a long line of 1920 x 1080 SXRD projectors from Sony.

On this occasion, one of our favorite clients called to request a replacement bulb for an 004 we installed in 2005.

Considering Sony had just introduced their new 4K-capable VW5000ES, I suggested updating the projector instead of replacing the $3000 Xenon bulb in his now-elderly 004.

HOLLY HILL, Fla. – April 22, 2016 — Metra Home Theater Group, a leading provider of home theater products and accessories, earns recognition from industry leading publication, CE Pro, as the Platinum Quest for Quality award winner for Best Technical Support.

With nearly 7,200 reader votes, the sixth annual Quest for Quality award recognizes manufacturers and distributors who provide their customers with superior service in categories such as customer service and communication, technical support, sales and marketing assistance, shipping policies, website portals, dealer incentives, training programs and other beneficial services for dealers. The individuals that nominated Metra Home Theater Group for the award are not only CE Pro readers, but also customers that work with the respective vendors and manufacturers on a daily basis – making the award recognition truly special. Metra Home Theater Group received platinum accreditation for Best Technical Support. Metra Home Theater Group believes that educating customers and providing in-house round-the-clock technical support is the best way to support customers.

"We are honored to be chosen by the thousands of CE Pro readers as the Platinum winner for the Quest for Quality award,” said Stephanie Casimiro, marketing director for Metra Home Theater Group. “To be recognized by our customers for providing them with strong technical support is something that is very important to us at Metra Home Theater. We want to give our dealers the proper tools to excel in their businesses and it’s great that they recognize the support that is available to them.”

About Metra Electronics / Metra Home Theater Group
Metra Home Theater Group is a division of Metra Electronics which has been the world leader and “The Installer’s Choice™” for vehicle installation kits and car audio accessories for over 65 years. Headquartered in Florida, Metra Electronics strives to create innovative, high quality products to satisfy and astonish our customers. Metra's brands include: Axxess™, The InstallBay™, Shuriken™, Raptor™, Ballistic™, Ethereal™, Helios by Audio Solutions™, T-spec™, InstallBay Safety™, Spyclops™ and EHD™. For ordering information and pricing, visit Metra Home Theater Group online at or call 800.221.0932.

Press Contact:
Morgan Roush, Public Relations Manager
Marketing Matters
Tel: (954) 925-1511 ext. 1
Email: morgan@marketingmatters.net
Web: http://www.marketingmatters.net

Metra Home Theater Group helps JVC bring 4K to home theater projection technology with its HDM-GA1, transforming hard-wired passive HDMI® cables into full 4K and HDR capable systems.

CE Pro Editors — April 13, 2016

JVC launched its new 4K e-shift4 projectors at CEDIA Expo 2015. The new projectors added support for full spec 18Gbps HDMI 2.0a with HDCP 2.2, which could challenge many of the current HDMI cable options that are available to dealers. And without the right connection, it's impossible to take advantage of the new projectors' impressive performance.

That's why JVC partnered with Metra Home Theater Group. The HDM-GA1 from Metra transforms existing hard-wired passive HDMI cables into full 4K and HDR resolution capable transmission systems.

JVC had worked with Metra in the past, so the company felt comfortable turning to Metra once again for a workable solution. Of course, JVC had stringent needs.

“A 4K signal is much more demanding in terms of the required bandwidth. This is magnified even more with the capabilities of the new JVC projectors and the new UHD 4K Blu-ray players. In the past, 10.2 Gbps was adequate for a High Speed HDMI connection. Now signals are being passed that can require the full 18 Gbps. Our new projectors are the only ones in their price class that meet those standards of a full spec 18 Gbps HDMI connection with HDMI 2.0a and HDCP2.2, assuring our projectors are ready for the future of 4K,” reports Chris Deutsch, product and training manager for JVC.

ISE is now officially the world’s largest AV and systems integration tradeshow. We look back at some trends and highlights for the four days of ISE 2016.

When one considers how crowded some of the aisles and escalators were at the show last year, particularly on the middle day, we can be thankful for the addition of a fourth day at ISE 2016 – particularly bearing in mind the fact that attendance increased by just over 10%. This year’s total attendance was 65,686, making ISE officially the world’s largest AV and systems integration tradeshow.

While the final day – Friday – undoubtedly saw lower visitor levels than the other three days, it was always going to be something of an unknown quantity. The hope is that, as ISE MD Mike Blackman said in his interview in Installation last month, that both exhibitors and attendees become accustomed to treating the final day as a ‘proper’ show day; and initiatives on ISE’s side, such as the Friday Keynote and other events – organised under the FRDY@ISE umbrella – continue to attract visitors to the latter part of the show.

Two industry technical sales pros outline key considerations for 4K Ultra HD, including HDBaseT, HDMI® 2.0, HDCP 2.2, high dynamic range (HDR) and some problem–solving tips and tools.

Fred Harding and Brent McCall — March 4, 2016

4K, UHD, HDCP 2.2, HDMI 2.0, HDR, HDBaseT … It’s complicated. Two of the industry’s most popular techies — Fred Harding of Capitol Sales and Brent McCall of Metra Home Theater — lay it all out for integrators, highlighting the benefits of 4K–related technologies and the challenges of creating an end–to–end UHD experience for the consumer.

Fred and Brent wanted to keep this piece free from product ads, but since CE Pro feels it’s important to talk about specific products where warranted, with Fred’s permission we have inserted them into the story. As always, we thank Fred and Brent for their contributions. – CE Pro

THE NEXT BIG THING IN THE WORLD OF VIDEO is Ultra High Definition video, aka 4K. The concept is simple – or at least it should be: essentially delivering four times the resolution as 1080p, a widely accepted standard for high definition television.

To implement a 4K signal, lots of things need to happen. First, the display needs to be capable of producing an image with 3,940 x 2,160 pixels. (For discussion purposes, we’ll refer to the device that the picture is seen on as the display; it could be a projector providing the image, or a flat or curved panel using LED, OLED, or some other technology.)