Radiient Roomcaster

by Tom Andry — last modified January 11, 2008
Radiient Roomcaster

Radiient Roomcaster

Summary

  • Product Name: Roomcaster
  • Manufacturer: Radiient
  • Review Date: January 11, 2008 16:13
  • First Impression: Mildly Interesting
Specifications



Executive Overview

Radiient Technologies showed off its entry into the wireless audio market today at CES. Roomcaster, a new UWB-based audio network technology, is touted to enable true wireless surround sound that is impervious to signal disruptions. Roomcaster can be employed as embedded technology by any manufacturer of surround-sound speakers or as a retrofit technology by consumers who want to turn their existing audio systems into a wireless audio surround-sound network.

Unlike other wireless systems, which operate in the 2.4 GHz band (where WiFi, Bluetooth, cordless phones, and microwave ovens exist), Roomcaster uses Ultra-Wideband technology (UWB), which operates in the 3 to 10 GHz range and offers reliable, super-high data rates. This enables systems using Roomcaster technology to supposedly deliver pristine, digital high fidelity to every speaker in the room with absolutely no drop-out or degradation of fidelity. The demo was anything but pristine with dropouts and static galore. While we're sure the product will work better than the demo (eventually), it was a bit disappointing. They were blaming heat though it didn't seem all that hot in there to us. For more information, please visit http://www.Roomcaster.com.

Recent Forum Posts:

Read the Complete Thread
Post Reply
AVRat posts on January 20, 2008 13:20
I guess announcements on upgraded pre/pros was skimpy/non-existent since nothing was reported, eh?
The Chukker posts on January 15, 2008 23:28
Scratch that - when I wrote that article, I was converting from Yen to $ and came to $1800. Turns out it will cost more like $2500 according to Sony. Yikes. It would be interesting if someone used the average price points for LCD or Plasma tv's (from say 27" to 60+") and then applied that sliding scale model to OLED tv's to give a "rough" idea of what the larger panels would cost in comparison. I know this logic is inherently flawed but geez, $2500 for an 11" tv? pfffff.
Do you get the feeling these guys are just showing off for it's own sake?
Tom Andry posts on January 15, 2008 10:10
Scratch that - when I wrote that article, I was converting from Yen to $ and came to $1800. Turns out it will cost more like $2500 according to Sony. I'd love to see this tech mature but I have a feeling that no one is going to want to invest in it enough to get the infrastructure to the point were they can be produced cheaply. With the majority of the public rolling their eyes at me when I tell them that there is a difference between SD and HD, I can't believe that we're going to convince them that a high contrast ratio is reason enough to spend 5x on an OLED display.
Tom Andry posts on January 15, 2008 08:43
So what kind of price differential are we talking about here? Did Samsung actually have an MSRP for the 31" model? If mass production were to indeed start in 2010 of mid to large sized models, what price point is Samsung shooting for and what was the maximum size they were touting?

Sony just released their first 11" OLED at $1800
Toshiba isn't going to release any at all based on manufacturing costs
[read more [audioholics.com]]

Samsung didn't talk price (heck, they didn't have a price tag on a single item in their booth) but many times these tech showcases are just stuff they are exploring.
The Chukker posts on January 14, 2008 17:44
"there is ample evidence that OLED will never come down in price enough to be a serious contender against LCDs."
So what kind of price differential are we talking about here? Did Samsung actually have an MSRP for the 31" model? If mass production were to indeed start in 2010 of mid to large sized models, what price point is Samsung shooting for and what was the maximum size they were touting?
Read the Complete Thread
Post Reply
 
Join our Newsletter for News & Deals