A ProVision exec proclaimed last month that WiFi was the only suitable wireless HDTV medium, and it appears that bigwigs at Celeno and Cavium Networks emphatically agree. The two have joined up to debut a whole-home 1080p60 HDMI over WiFi solution here in the desert, with the gem of the show being the CL1300. Said microchip is designed to be integrated into essentially any device (a set-top-box, router, TV, toaster oven, etc.), enabling the host device to deliver H.264 compressed HD streams over long distances. In fact, it promises 802.11 beaming of up to four concurrent high-def streams. So, here's a perfectly good wireless HDMI option based on a standard that everyone and their grandmother has already adapted too -- too bad there's not a laundry list of companies already signed on to integrate it. Full release is after the break.

QED's cabling is better known over in Britain, but Lenbrook America is hoping to get the strands into American homes. The cable is said to be a fusion of the company's high-end Genesis and X-Tube technologies, essentially pushing top-tier cable philosophies into a "mid-priced" product. The cable itself relies on a "figure 8" configuration and packs ten 99.999% oxygen-free, silver-plated cores, and while exact figures aren't disclosed, we're told that it's priced between the Genesis Silver Spiral and X-Tube. Which probably means "between expensive and outrageous."

Gefen knows all too well how easy it is for new wares to get lost in the shuffle at CES, so it's opting to disclose its freshest gear a few days beforehand. This year's show will see four new devices in particular, so we'll start from the top. The Digital Audio Decoder with Dolby will be used to combine older, analog-based audio systems with digital devices of today by converting 5.1 audio to L/R analog audio. Next, the Volume Controller is a completely elusive "fully automated solution which equalizes audio to maintain the same levels consistently." The 2x1 Digital Audio Switcher makes it easy to hook up two TOSlink cables to one AV receiver, while the 1:2 Digital Audio Splitter does the opposite by splitting a single TOSlink signal into two streams. The full spill is just after the break.

At current time, there are only a couple of locking HDMI cable options out there for those who fear that their components could let loose of the signal line at any moment. In just a fortnight, however, all that will change. The little known Blue Echo Solutions has announced that its hd EZ lock -- which coins itself as a universal adapter that converts any vanilla HDMI cable into a locking one -- will be available in early January. The device has snagged a coveted CES 2009 Innovations Honoree Award, and it holds things in place by attaching to your component's chassis using either the existing fixing screw on the device itself or via the supplied VHB adhesive. They'll be a bit expensive at $19.98 per pair, but can you really put a price on peace of mind?

Panasonic already has a few powerline networking products to call its own (including the adapters pictured at right), but it looks like it's going to be expanding things in a fairly big way at CES next month, with it even set to bring some electric cars into the mix. That latter bit comes in the form of a prototype networking system that promises to let a variety of devices connect to an electric vehicle as it charges in the garage, letting you ensure that everything is set just right for when you drive out the next day. Other devices apparently on tap include an HD-PLC adapter for a security camera, and an electrical monitoring system of some sort. As you might expect, however, details on any of them are pretty light at the moment, but you can be sure that we'll be digging up what we can as soon as Panasonic officially takes the wraps off 'em.

[Via Digg]

Now here's something useful. Ethereal has just introduced the HDM-SP, which is being hailed as the world's first in-line surge protector designed specifically for the protection of the HDMI interface. It's built to withstand up to 8KV of voltage surge, and obviously, to keep your HDMI devices from getting fried in a storm. There's no mention of a price / release date (and we can't find an image to save our lives), but we suspect we'll hear more -- if but a whisper -- at CES.

We already caught Panasonic gloating about its H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC-related Emmy earlier this year, but now the full list of award winners are getting their moment in the spotlight. TV Technology is reporting that a number of entities, outfits and agencies responsible for fostering growth in the high-def arena are set to accept Emmy awards on the eve of CES 2009. Some of the big winners are the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service, Advanced Television Systems Committee, the Advanced Television Test Center and the Advanced Television Evaluation Laboratory, all of which helped in "devising the standardization of the ATSC Digital System." Also of note, the Metropolitan Opera was gifted with an award for its achievement in HD "cinema-casting," and awards are headed to Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Philips, Molex, Japan Aviation Electronics and Intel (among others) for their work on HDMI. Glasses up to the victors!

Ah, there's the Furutech we know and love! The company made famous for charging obscene amounts of cash for AV items that cannot possibly be worth their weight in gold is back in full force, pumping out a power filter / AC distributor for $700. For those untrained in mathematics, that's around $116.66 per outlet. Of course, these aren't just any outlets, as each one is tested with its own α (Alpha) cryogenic and demagnetizing process and is plated in 24k gold. You'll also notice a proprietary Axial Locking System which purportedly lowers receptacle resonance by a factor of ten, and the high-grade aluminum chassis effectively shields against RFI and alien radiation. If you believe all of that, you can gleefully give your cash away right now in exchange for one.

While not priced completely out of reason as was the $1,800 Piezo Powerflux Power Cord, Furutech's latest aren't exactly the cheapest options on the block. Aimed squarely at the hard-nosed DIY crowd, the FI-03(R) and FI-03(G) Pure Transmission IEC Input Connectors (or just "receptacles" for the laypeople) are apparently snazzy enough to demand $19.60 / $15.00 apiece. Sure, they're plated in rhodium and gold, respectively, but we get the sense these are still custom made for those with more money than sense. Moving on, we've got the slightly-less-attainable FI-28(R) and FI-28M(R) power connectors, which obviously won't show their true awesomeness without using cabling that's over $400 per foot. Both releases are hosted up after the break for your enjoyment.

Ottovonmo did the honors of introducing us all to the idea of a locking HDMI cable earlier this year, and now cable maker Accell is joining in. Said cable is expected to be showcased at CES 2009, and aside from boasting an obvious locking mechanism to ensure your cable stays put, there aren't a whole lot of details. Nope, not even a price / release date.

Powerline technology has been hanging around for years, but due to a combination of subpar real-world performance and a general lack of structure around the tech, it never really managed to take off. Now, it appears that we've stumbled upon yet another format war, this one over the power cabling within your walls. Within the very same month, we've seen the ITU ratify G.hn as the global standard for HDTV home networking and the IEEE bake HomePlug technology into its P1901 draft standard. Rob Ranck, president of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, said about the development: "The formation of a ubiquitous IEEE standard will help to unite the industry, create even faster market growth and provide strong benefits to the consumer." Right, except now we're in the midst of yet another war of the protocols (or so it seems).

We get the feeling Panasonic really started something its swivel-head HDMI cables, as we've got the relatively unknown Centronics bringing its own iteration to the table. The EHD-branded HD FLEX 90 degree pivoting head HDMI cable does precisely what it says, enabling users / installers to hook up HDMI-equipped gear in tighter spaces with less pressure on the sockets. The prices aren't too outrageous either, with the 6/12/24-foot strands ringing up at $39.95, $49.95 and $69.95, respectively.

You know that DLNA support that your media streamer has, which currently only supports WiFi and Ethernet as approved LAN standards? Yeah? Well MoCA is about to join in. Yep, the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) has given the green light to the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology standard for "incorporation into the next version of its Networked Interoperability Guidelines," which should be out in early 2009. The guidelines will aim to "unite various consumer electronics, personal computer and mobile device technologies into a cohesive home networking environment," and being that MoCA is an open initiative intended to distribute multimedia over a home's existing coaxial network, it's a wonder the two haven't linked up earlier. Who says coax is dying?

We've already seen one product headed for CES that makes any corded 5.1-channel surround system a wireless one, but now you've got one more option. Radiient Technologies is debuting the Roomcaster at CES 2009, a similar setup but based on the ultra-wideband (UWB) protocol. The Roomcaster Early Adapter Kit, which is the rig that will be shown in Vegas, will consist of a single transmitter and six speaker adapters, and we're assured that it can deliver "uncompressed, 24-bit, up-to-eight-channel digital audio at an up-to-96 kHz sampling rate." Radiient has employed a mesh network to ensure dropout-free performance, but you can bet it won't come cheap. In fact, it's downright ludicrous. Wouldn't you call $1,999 ludicrous?