Part II of TK's 2007 CES report, started in Issue 113 ...(CES 2007)(Product/service evaluation)

I had one more full day at the 2007 CES. It started with a JVC breakfast at Caesar's Palace and ended up with a reception by AMG (All Media Guide) in one of the private Skylofts at the top of the MGM Grand.

At the JVC suite, the big and small of the JVC line got the most attention. That would be the large screen LCD TVs and the JVC earbud line. Apparently, JVC is the top-selling brand in both of these categories.

The earbud news surprised me. I'd never heard of them before, but as soon as I saw them, their "buy me" message was clear. They come in a variety of colors, are extremely attractively packaged, and they have noise-blocking properties (acoustical blocking, not electronic reduction). Top all that with an under $20 retail price and you've got a product that's going to jump right off the peg and into the cart when a shopper spots it.

HD Radio appears to be ready to break through into mainstream consciousness. It's a digital multicasting system that allows FM broadcast stations to send out digital signals in addition to the traditional analog ones. There are already hundreds of new HD channels on the air and that should increase to thousands over the next couple of years.

To receive HD broadcasts, you need only an HD Radio receiving device. So far, these are mostly tabletop radios and aftermarket car radios. BMW has announced that it will include HD Radio as a factory-installed option and Day Sequerra has introduced its Model M4 Precision HD Radio Tuner, based on its FM Reference tuner and carrying a $2795 price tag. Certainly that gives hi-fi credibility to the HD process, but it doesn't achieve hi-fi affordability.

Don't confuse HD Radio with satellite radio. It's strictly local broadcast and local reception. And, as with the terrestrial broadcasting that we've known for decades, once you buy the receiving unit, you tune in and listen for free. In fact, the additional (HD-2 and up) channels are currently commercial-free.

HD Radio claims "CD quality" sound and utter immunity to interference. You can get the whole story at www.hdradio.com, and even check out some content online.