As we began heading into the pre-CEDIA timeframe, I admit to being worried that this show would mark the beginning of the end for the classic home theater projector. Sounds crazy, I know, but for two years we've been watching an onslaught of portable box projectors get dropped on the market, some cheap and simple, some expensive and quite impressive. They have a place in a world in which projectors are becoming a more common appliance, but none of them cater first and foremost to the dark room theater segment that drove the consumer projection market for decades. To say I'm pleasantly surprised at the breadth and quality of new home theater projectors at this show is an understatement. Far from resting on laurels or forgetting where their bread was always buttered, the industry-leading brands have stepped up with refreshed or outright new products, some of which aren't even represented in our awards list due to their late announcement. Furthermore, screen makers at CEDIA also continue to innovate with new materials, masking systems, and configurations. For now, all is well for those of us who love nothing more than to curl up in the dark and immerse ourselves in the big-screen, cinematic experience.

Here's our list of 2024 CEDIA Best of Show Award winners, but be sure to check our after-show video report for a full accounting of everything on the floor. —Rob Sabin

AWOL Vision Vanish TV

Since the emergence of high performance UST laser TV projectors, we've been bullish on the concept of "instant home theater." The mating of these projectors with a motorized UST screens hidden in a low-boy cabinet, sometimes with a dedicated stealth soundbar or other audio system, represents a tremendous opportunity for estate home integrators to commune with interior designers and homeowners who spend their days dreaming about how to make a big, black TV screen disappear from the main family room. This unusual and potentially high profit use-case takes on even greater meaning today with USTs competing with 98-inch flat panels costing as little as $2,000. AWOL Vision's Vanish Laser TV theater system features the company's top of the line LTV-3500 Pro UST projector hidden in a motorized drawer plus a motorized roll-up lenticular UST screen at either 100 or 120 inches diagonal. The LTV-3500's robust sound system handles audio duties, but the firm has a new 5.1-channel wireless satellite system that utilizes the projector's speaker as the center channel. Prices are $14,999 and $15,999 for the 100- or 120-inch version respectively. View Projector Details

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Barco Residential Heimdall 1DLP 4K RGB Laser Projector

Barco Residential came to CEDIA last year and captured a ProjectorCentral Best of Show Award for its behemoth Nerthus projector, a 32,000-lumen monster for giant luxury home theaters. This year, the brand is recognized for the new Heimdall with 6,000 center lumens and up-to-date features for smaller theaters where Barco build and picture quality remain a priority. Equipped with a single new-gen 0.98-inch DLP micromirror chip with native 4096x2160 resolution that requires no pixel-shifting to put full 4K on the screen and a discrete RGB laser light engine, the Heimdall (offered here in a 16:9 version), boasts 99.5% BT.2020 gamut to take full advantage of today's wide-gamut content. Another update: wide-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 connectivity capable of 4K/120Hz playback with none of the required downconversion that's still required by most 1DLP 4K pixel-shifters. Latency is expected to be in line with the current Pulse platform at a respectable 19 milliseconds. At $59,995 it is not inexpensive, but the Heimdall is said to be a brighter projector with this feature set than Barco has previously made available at this price.

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Epson QB1000 3LCD Laser Projector

Priced at $7,999, the new QB1000 is essentially an LS12000 on steroids (that model remains in the line at $4,999) and becomes Epson's flagship full-4K dark-room theater model. Boasting 3,300 ISO21118 lumens, it provides additional brightness vs the LS12000's 2,700 lumens while carrying along Epson's impressive UltraBlack (UB) technology and the same excellent 15-element, 2.1x motorized lens. Another improvement is Epson's new 32-bit QZX processor that handles real time processing of color, precision full UHD 4K pixel-shifting, improved auto contrast, and dynamic tone mapping. Support for HDR10+ is on board along with HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range content, as is wide-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 compliance for 4K/120Hz playback from the game consoles with input lag under 20 ms. View Projector Details

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Epson QL7000 3LCD Laser Projector

With its 10,000 ISO21118 lumens, the QL7000 (priced at $29,999 without lens) represents Epson's entry into the ultra-premium home theater market and an answer to dealer requests for higher-powered projectors for large screens or bright ambient light — while not coincidentally delivering higher, more profitable pricing than previously offered by Epson in the residential segment. A sister model QL3000 is rated at 6,000 ISO lumens and priced at $14,999 without lens. With its unusual angular form factor, available in black or white and with an optional fashion-colored top plate, the QL7000 works with any decor. But it is its compact size and weight for its brightness class, along with relatively low fan noise, that will set it apart from its competition. At 22.3 x 7.1x 22.3 inches and 46.3 pounds without the lens, it takes up only about two-thirds the volume of a Sony VPL-GTZ380 and 40% of the volume of a Barco Njord, while coming in at less than half the weight of either. The QL models are not mere cosmetic spin-offs of Epson's compact large-venue projectors, but are designed for home environments with the company's new QZX 32-bit processor and dialed in for color accuracy out of the box. Epson is promoting four options from its existing lens family, including a 0.35:1 short throw plus standard-, middle-throw, and mid-long throw models. View Projector Details

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EPV Screens Power Max Sonic Star AT Acoustically Transparent Motorized ALR Screen

At last year's CEDIA, Elite's EPV Screens pro division introduced the Sonic Star AT eFinity, an affordable acoustically transparent, angular-reflective ALR screen material. This year they've come back with a motorized version to better serve multi-purpose media rooms where the screen needs to disappear but still allow theater sound from in-wall speakers or an alternate system to pass through when it's rolled down. The Power Max Sonic Star AT shares the same Sonic Star AT characteristics, including ISF-certification for color accuracy and a 1.0 gain, with minimal sonic attenuation through the 0.55mm perforations, along with 70% ambient light rejection with proper installation of the projector. But here it comes in a tab-tension drop-down screen in 16:9 aspect ratio at either 110- or 125-inch diagonal. EPV's latest control system includes handheld remotes for both IR or RF and a detachable wall-box for manual operation, as well as various 12v trigger options. View Product Details

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Kaleidescape Stratio V Movie Server

Kaleidescape raised eyebrows earlier this summer with the announcement of the Strato V, which, at its $3,995 MSRP, addresses the number one barrier to adoption of the brand's popular movie server: the high cost of entry. With its streamlined interface designed for managing a small movie library, the Strato V doesn't quite deliver the full KScape user experience, but as a single-zone playback device it'll hold about ten 4K-resolution movies. These can be downloaded from the Kaleidescape movie store in as little as 10 minutes with a gigabit ethernet connection, even as the movie plays without interruption. The Strato V is Dolby Vision compatible, and also handles soundtracks up to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X quality. Of course, you can expand your storage by adding up to four Terra Prime movie servers, at which point the interface is upgraded to the full, award-winning Kaleidescape version. View Product Details

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madVR Labs Envy Core Video Processor

MadVR was recognized with an award at the 2023 CEDIA Expo for the Envy Extreme MK2 video processor, which, along with Kaleidescape's movie server, was the accessory of choice for most of the high end home theater demos at the show. Unfortunately, with its double-digit pricing, that state-of-the-art product remains out of reach for many enthusiasts. MadVR's answer is the new Envy Core, a device that brings much of the Extreme MK2's key functionality at an attractive $5,995 MSRP, or better yet, a $4,995 promotional price good through end of this year. It lacks some of the Extreme MK2's newest features, such as the company's impressive Motion AI frame interpolation. But it has most of what serious enthusiasts want: madVR's best-in-class frame-by-frame dynamic HDR tone-mapping, its proprietary aspect ratio and subtitle management, non-linear stretch for filling 'Scope screens with 16:9 content, and superb upscaling. Considering all it does, it represents an excellent value for high-end theater buffs. View Product Details

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Samsung Premiere 9 LPU9D UST Projector

Samsung updated its impressive but long-in-the-tooth UST line up this summer, replacing both the triple-laser LSP9T with this new Premiere 9 model and the LSP7T single-laser with the Premiere 7. The Premiere 9 is cosmetically similar to its predecessor, with a Scandinavian design with rounded corners and a fabric wrap, but includes some notable under-the-hood upgrades, most critically a boost from 2,800 to 3,450 ISO lumens. The discrete RGB laser architecture capable of wide color gamut remains, and both projectors are equipped with refreshed processing including the company's 4K AI Upscaling, and a Vision Booster feature that automatically adjusts color and contrast to optimize the image based on the lighting conditions. The excellent Tizen OS streaming platform has also been improved with the addition of the Samsung Gaming Hub; it provides online access to console gaming titles but without the need for the console. The Premiere 9 also features a surprisingly high-performing 40-watt, 2.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos system with up-firing drivers. All this comes at a price, however: aside from Leica's fancy high-end USTs, the Premiere 9's $6,499 street price makes it the most expensive standalone UST we can find in today's market. View Product Details

Screen Innovations Black Diamond Fusion ALR Screen

Screen Innovations has been working for five years to more fully perfect the ALR screen, and the Black Diamond Fusion is the result. Unlike other ALR screens that suffer the typical problems of either narrow viewing angle, texture or sparkle, hot-spotting, or the need to soak up gobs of projector light to provide high contrast images in a bright room, the Black Diamond Fusion is said to deliver a white-screen like image while rejecting 95% of ambient light. And the multilayer screen material gives viewers a wide 160 degree viewing angle. Counter to CarbonBlack, the high contrast, high tech screen distributed by SI for commercial applications that requires double-digit lumens to effect the best image, Black Diamond Fusion is said to work well with projectors of all brightness levels.

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Sony Bravia Projector 9 / VPL-XW8100 SXRD Projector

Sony has revamped its LCoS-based SXRD projector family at CEDIA, replacing the two step-down models below its 10,000-lumen GTZ380 flagship with updated units, while also dubbing them with a Bravia tag for branding consistency with the company's flat panel displays and soundbars. The VPL-XW8100ES, also called the Bravia Projector 9, is priced at $31,999 and replaces the VPL-XW7000ES. It comes with feature upgrades that include a modest boost in brightness from 3,200 to 3,400 ANSI lumens and, more critically, a new super-powered XR for Projectors processor adapted from the XR chip used in Sony's best TVs. This is said to allow simultaneous analyzing of color, clarity, contrast and motion, not to mention more refined HDR with dynamic tone-mapping. Another key update: full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 support, including the ability to play games from the consoles at 4K/120 with impressively low input lag down to 9 milliseconds, making this high end Sony equally adept for gaming as it is for movie watching. Some will moan over the loss of 3D playback, which was an option for the XW7000ES, and the new models lack HDR10+ or Dolby Vision support. But the refined image quality and addition of HDMI 2.1 is sure to keep Sony fanboys happy. View Product Details

Stewart Filmscreen Stream Pro Masking Screen

As an answer to the many aspect ratios presented today in streamed and packaged content, Stewart is introducing the StreamPro, said to be the industry's largest two-way horizontal masking screen. It's available at up to 200-inch diagonal in native 16:9, with horizontal masking to deliver a perfect, barless rendering of five additional aspect ratios including 1.85:1 Academy Flat, 2.00:1 Widescreen CinemaScope, 2.35:1 CinemaScope, 2.39:1 Academy CinemaScope, and 2.40:1 Widescreen CinemaScope. The masking action is controlled by the Stewart's CVM (continuously variable masking controller) and it connects seamlessly to third-party control systems. Other details include 4.5-inch borders that frame the screen and provide an upscale look.

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VividStorm DUNE Motorized Laser TV Cabinet

The ultra-short throw laser TV category is facing new marketplace challenges at the 100-inch image size by 98-inch panel TVs in the $2,000-$3,000 range, but one thing you can't do with a giant flatscreen is make it roll-down and disappear when you don't want to look at it. For that, you'll need an "instant theater" cabinet that combines a motorized UST screen that hides when the system is dormant and a motorized drawer that slides the projector out as needed. VividStorm's DUNE comes with either a 100- or 120-inch VividStorm S Pro floor-rising screen, which features a 0.6 gain lenticular material that is ProjectorCentral's preferred UST ALR screen type for bright room environments. The drawer that houses the projector can be ordered to fit one of 16 popular UST projector models or can be customized for any projector. One-touch control activates the system. The attractive cosmetic manages combines both retro-wood and modern design with its curved steel wrap, and is available in a variety of light and dark finishes including Oak, Walnut, and Smoke Walnut. Current promotional pricing is $9,999 for the 100-inch or $11,999 for the 120-inch. View Product Details