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>> The Festival Son & Image plugs
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TV CUES: D-Box integrated motion system

by ERIK LEIJON

The Montreal Festival Son & Image’s (FSI) 20th edition will reflect the times this April 13–15. This yearly gathering for audiophiles and technology buffs is quickly being engulfed by video games—1,600 square feet of conference space will be used to show off wares for all three major gaming consoles (the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3) and tournaments will be held throughout.

“Gaming is becoming a much more important part of technology,” says festival chairman Michel Plante. “Game consoles are now being made in high-definition [HD] and with surround sound in mind. The technologies are continuously merging.” Plante also thinks gamers are not reaping all the benefits of their powerful new gaming machines by not upgrading their home theatres. “A lot of people think the tiny plastic speakers they have will be good enough.”

Games lead

As Plante sees it, the Playstation 3 has greatly influenced home theatre technology rather than vice-versa, as the console’s Blu-Ray disks have become a viable option in the high-definition DVD (the successor to the current DVD player) market for non-gamers. “It’s not only the best Blu-Ray player on the market, but it’s cheaper than standard Blu-Ray players,” he says. Last year’s main controversy was the introduction of Blu-Ray’s competitor, the Toshiba-backed HD-DVD, which was shown at FSI a few weeks before it hit retailers. Plante admits last year’s preview was a major scoop and nothing this year quite matches the anticipation of HD-DVD’s premiere.

Not unlike a Trojan horse, gaming is the lure for directing attention towards the latest audio and video equipment—the games will be shown on 47-inch LG LCD televisions. On Friday, small tournaments will be held on these mammoth screens with as-of-yet unannounced prizes up for grabs. Games such as MotorStorm and Virtua Fighter 5 on the PS3, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 and Blazing Angels for the Wii, as well as Dance Dance Revolution Universe and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 for the Xbox 360 will be playable. Sign-ups will occur one hour before each tournament begins. Ubisoft is sponsoring this year’s event and will be showing off titles like Prince of Persia: Rival Swords for the Wii.

Earlier plans for a PC-gaming area have been cancelled, but with plans to move the FSI to the Bell Centre next year, the idea will be revisited.

Future sounds today!

Gaming will take a larger place at this year’s festival, but personal music players such as iPods and mp3 players are equally en vogue, so added to this year’s itinerary is a listening station where attendees can use their own players to test professional model headphones.

NEW FROM GEMME AUDIO: VFlex line speaker

The Association Montréalaise des audiophiles (AMA), a club catering to music and audio fans, will be on hand to find recruits and evaluate each company’s product line (they will release a final report for members around June). Some loudspeakers the AMA is testing will be coming from local companies such as Filtronique’s Sonus-Faber Elipsa speakers, Gemme Audio’s new VFlex line and Acoustic Technologies’ Accentus Audio high-end speakers. The quarter-million-dollar home theatre will have a Vidikron projector, Adam loudspeakers, a B&K AV processor and a D-Box integrated motion system (a seat that moves to the sound of the television).

Club head Roland Lecours says FSI is a great place to learn about new products, but he doesn’t advocate making any impulse purchases, especially since many systems would constitute a major investment. “The rooms aren’t the ideal conditions for listening, even if it’s convenient that they’re all under one roof. The best way to decide is to go to the store, place a damage deposit and bring it home to test it there.

“You can pay $50,000 for a complete system, but you can put together a great sound system for $2,000 or $3,000 too.”

Also new to the show this year is the custom install area, showing off the latest in multi-room control technology. Using a universal remote or a switch built into the wall, it’s already possible to manage everything in your house, from air conditioning to the light on the front porch.

“In the near future, everything will have an IP [Internet protocol] address, meaning from anywhere in the world you could turn on the lights in your house or change the temperature,” says Plante. “But for now, it can be done on a single console in your house, and the prices are more affordable than they were a few years ago.” Plante says systems can now start at $1,000.

The general public can attend the Festival Son & Image at the Sheraton Centre downtown (1200 René-Lévesque W.) from April 13–15. Tickets are $12 per day ($8 for students) and $25 for a three-day pass.