Following Barco’s acquisition of VerVent Audio Holding, parent company of Focal and Naim, the three brands are bringing their combined expertise to CEDIA Expo 2026 in Denver with a high-end home theater demonstration built around premium projection, loudspeakers, electronics, and custom integration.

The showcase provides an early look at what Barco had in mind when it acquired VerVent: combining its expertise in premium visualization with Focal’s loudspeaker engineering and Naim’s high-end electronics to create a more complete luxury home entertainment platform.

Barco, Focal, and Naim will participate together in one demonstration, while Focal will take the spotlight in a separate second demo. The two systems offer integrators and home theater enthusiasts different examples of how the newly combined companies intend to compete at the upper end of the residential AV market.

A 7.0.4 System With Subwoofers? Yes, There Is an Explanation

The first demonstration brings Barco, Focal, and Naim together in a 7.0.4-channel home theater system built around the Barco Runar LED Wall, Focal Astral 16 AV processor and amplifier, Focal 1000 Series integrated loudspeakers, and Naim CI Series amplification and source components. The Astral 16 supports 16 channels, including 12 amplified channels and four balanced preamp outputs, making it particularly well suited to ambitious custom home theater installations.

At first glance, the 7.0.4 designation suggests that no subwoofers are being used. That is not actually the case, and Focal provided some useful clarification about how the system is configured.

The seven bed-layer channels are reproduced by eight loudspeakers: one left front, two center speakers reproducing the center channel, one right front, one left surround, one right surround, one left rear, and one right rear.

The reason the system is listed as 7.0.4 rather than 7.1.4 is that the passive subwoofers are integrated with the main speaker channels rather than assigned to a dedicated LFE channel. In other words, the system delivers seven full-range channels with low-frequency reinforcement built into the speaker configuration instead of routing bass to a conventional “.1” subwoofer channel.

Four in-ceiling loudspeakers complete the system, providing the overhead channels required for the Dolby Atmos portion of the 7.0.4 configuration.

Focal 1000 Series Goes Inside the Walls

The loudspeakers used throughout the home theater demonstration come from Focal’s 1000 Series, the French manufacturer’s high-end custom-installation lineup. Designed to disappear into walls and ceilings, the 1000 Series provides an alternative to conventional freestanding loudspeakers without abandoning the performance expectations of a serious music or home theater system.

And Focal is not exactly being shy with the speaker count.

• 8 x Focal 1000 IWLCR Utopia ($8,499 each) — Three-way in-wall loudspeaker
• 10 x Focal 1000 IWSUB Utopia ($3,299 each) — Passive sealed in-wall subwoofer
• 4 x Focal 1000 ICLCR5 ($2,699 each) — Two-way in-ceiling loudspeaker

The 1000 IWLCR Utopia is the flagship in-wall model in the series and incorporates seven drivers, including four woofers, two midrange drivers, and a Beryllium tweeter. It can be installed vertically or horizontally and used for left, center, or right-channel duties.

The 1000 IWSUB Utopia uses three 6.5-inch W-cone woofers in a passive sealed enclosure. Multiple units can be combined with the 1000 IWLCR Utopia, which explains how this particular CEDIA system can employ 10 subwoofers without using a dedicated LFE channel.

Four 1000 ICLCR5 in-ceiling loudspeakers handle the overhead channels. Their adjustable design allows the drivers to be aimed toward the listening position, making them particularly suitable for Dolby Atmos installations.

Barco Runar Brings 171 Inches of MicroLED to the Party

For the visual half of this home theater demonstration, Barco is bringing out the Runar LED Wall, a 171-inch direct-view display designed specifically for luxury residential cinema installations.

Runar uses Micro LED in Package (MIP) technology with a 0.9 mm pixel pitch and offers a native DCI 4K resolution of 4,096 x 2,160 pixels across a 3.84-meter-wide image. Unlike a conventional projection system, there is no projector, screen, or light path involved; the enormous LED wall is the display.

Barco claims a contrast ratio of up to 200,000:1, an ultra-low black level of 0.005 cd/m², and full DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. The Runar is also engineered to handle both cinema and consumer HDR formats, with DCI-grade HDR at 300 nits and consumer HDR content at up to 1,000 nits.

That combination is especially interesting in a dedicated home theater because it attempts to deliver some of the attributes associated with professional cinema presentation while also producing the considerably higher brightness expected from premium consumer HDR displays. Barco also offers a larger 205-inch Cinemascope version with 5,120 x 2,160 resolution for those who find a 171-inch screen somehow insufficient.

And the price?

Barco does not publish one. The Runar is sold through authorized dealers and custom installers on a quotation basis. If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. And if your installer casually suggests the 205-inch version instead, you might want to check whether the kids still need that college fund. Or if your attorney handles divorce cases.

Barco Runar LED Wall Specifications:

For complete specifications and additional technical information, refer to the official Barco Runar product page.

Focal Astral 16 Takes Control of the Home Theater

Focal Astral 16 ($23,999) is a high-end 16-channel AV processor and amplifier designed for custom home theater and multi-room installations. Developed in partnership with StormAudio (Immersive Audio Technologies), the Astral 16 combines Focal branding and system integration with StormAudio’s multichannel processing platform.

The Astral 16 incorporates Pascal Audio Class D amplification and supports 16 audio channels. Twelve channels are internally amplified, while four additional channels are provided through balanced XLR preamp outputs for connection to external amplification.

It also supports Dolby Atmos, DTS, and Auro-3D, along with filtering, equalization, and bass-management tools for configuring more complex theater systems. Dirac Live room calibration is included to help compensate for speaker placement and room acoustics, while compatibility with Control4, Crestron, ELAN, Savant, and RTI makes the Astral 16 particularly well suited to professionally installed systems.

Astral Specifications

Naim CI Series Adds Power and Streaming

Providing additional amplification and streaming support, Naim is contributing two products from its CI Series to the CEDIA demonstration.

The Naim CI Series was developed specifically for the custom installation market and to complement Focal’s integrated loudspeakers. The range combines compact rack-friendly designs with high-output amplification, system configuration tools, and integration with professionally installed audio systems.

4 x Naim CI-NAP 101 ($1,999 each) — The CI-NAP 101 is a rack-mountable mono power amplifier capable of operating with conventional low-impedance loudspeakers or 70V/100V distributed audio systems. It delivers up to 500 watts into 8 ohms and 800 watts into 4 ohms, with outputs of 150 watts on a 70V line and 240 watts on a 100V line.

That flexibility is particularly relevant to this installation. Naim specifically identifies the CI-NAP 101 as suitable for driving Focal’s 1000 IWLCR Utopia together with two 1000 IWSUB Utopia passive subwoofers, which closely mirrors the configuration being demonstrated at CEDIA.

The CI-Uniti 102, discussed below, can work alongside the CI-NAP 101 as a streaming source, amplifier, and system-control component, but it does not provide 70V/100V amplification itself.

1 x Naim CI-Uniti 102 ($1,499) — The CI-Uniti 102 is a compact streaming amplifier designed for custom installations, delivering 150 watts into 8 ohms while adding network streaming, DSP, HDMI, Dante, and flexible system control.

As we found in our recent Naim CI-Uniti 102 review, its strengths are speed, clarity, system integration, and the ability to drive a wide range of loudspeakers without taking up much rack space. In this CEDIA system, it provides streaming access and works alongside the CI-NAP 101 amplifiers to support the larger Focal installation.

Additional Components Used in the Home Theater Demo

Kaleidescape Movie Player (model not specified) — Provides downloaded 4K HDR movies at very high bitrates, with picture and sound quality that can rival or, depending on the title, exceed Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Apple TV 4K — Provides access to additional video and music streaming services, giving the system a more conventional streaming source alongside Kaleidescape.

Focal Diva Alta Utopia Brings Four-Way Active Wireless Audio to CEDIA 2026

Focal will also showcase $210,000 Diva Alta Utopia, the company’s flagship active wireless speakers, which combine Utopia-derived acoustic engineering with integrated Naim streaming, amplification, DAC, and DSP technology.

This is not simply a larger and more expensive version of the Diva Utopia formula. The Diva Alta Utopia pushes Focal and Naim’s active wireless concept into true ultra-high-end territory with a four-way architecture, new PRISM tweeter, M-profile “W” midrange driver, Ultra Wideband inter-speaker connectivity, extensive streaming support, and 600 watts of Naim-developed Class A/B amplification inside each loudspeaker.

And then there is the $210,000-per-pair price, which makes the word “wireless” feel rather less casual than usual.

The Bottom Line 

The real significance of this CEDIA 2026 showcase is not the individual hardware, but the fact that Barco now owns Focal and Naim and can present video, loudspeakers, amplification, streaming, and custom integration as one luxury AV ecosystem.

The first demo shows that strategy at full scale with a 171-inch Runar LED Wall, Focal 1000 Series architectural speakers and subwoofers, and Naim CI electronics. The second takes the same Focal and Naim partnership in a different direction with the $210,000 Diva Alta Utopia active wireless system.

For luxury integrators and clients who want high performance with minimal visible hardware, that combination is the real differentiator. The products are expensive, but the larger story is how much of the system can now come from three brands under the same corporate umbrella.

Price & Availability

All products available through Authorized Barco, Focal, or Naim Dealers:

• Barco Runar LED Wall – Consult with Dealer/Installer
• Focal 1000 IWLCR Utopia – $8,499 
• Focal 1000 IWSUB Utopia – $3,299 
• Focal 1000 ICLCR5 – $2,699 
• Focal Astral 16 – $23,999 
• Naim CI NAP-101 –  $1,999 
• Naim CI Uniti-102  – $1,499 
• Diva Alta Utopia (2 speaker set) – $210,000

The Barco. Focal, Naim demos will be in Booth 3123 in the Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado from Sept 2-4, 2026.

Related Reading

Photo credit: inb4ohnoes
Sophia Tung spent a year turning Nintendo’s orange boombox-on-wheels into a street-legal machine she could actually ride. The YouTuber and engineer, already known for deep dives into robotaxis and emerging tech, became so hooked on Mario Kart World that she decided the Tune Thumper had to exist in real life at full size. Everything on it works: speakers play music, buttons click and pause tracks, headlights and taillights fire up, the antenna stands tall, and a Nintendo Switch 2 dock sits inside the cassette-door section so you can play the game on the very bike it came from.

Game screenshots and photogrammetry provided her with a starting point for creating a 3D reference, but when she attempted to scale the in-game model 1:1, it proved to be far too long and high for someone to sit comfortably and ride securely.Instead, she installed the body on an old FTO frame, which proved to be an excellent choice, and flipped the front fork to reduce the wheelbase from 84 cm to 77 cm, making it more manageable.

Nintendo Switch 2 System

• The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
• One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
• Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps

That way, she could preserve the cartoon-like proportions while also making it safe for people to sit and steer. A friend suggested going with wood after they received a price for a $10,000 3D print, which is a lot of money for a print that takes ages to complete. So cabinet builder Joe DiMaio spent weeks working with her to build the speaker shell out of MDF sheets, stacking and cutting them into the curved shape before hand-applying all the features such as the black grilles, colored buttons, volume knob, and cassette embellishments. She had her partner handle the most of the late nites and frustrations that followed.

An 84-volt battery pack provides power to the motors via a unique speed controller, with a top speed of approximately 65 mph on 13-inch wheels. A MOSFET switch and DC converters handle the illumination, so the head and tail lights appear to belong on a real vehicle, which they now do. The speakers are positioned where the game’s black speaker cones would be, and they are actually playing audio, which is a really great touch. And you can see the cassette door, which hides the Switch 2 dock internals as well as some extra ports, not to mention Apple CarPlay. The whole weight came to roughly 70 pounds.

Halloween night proved to be the first real-world test, and let me tell you… the dashboard reset on every bump, a printed tail piece flew off, and one of the tires ran flat, but folks on the street just stopped and stared when they saw it, which provided plenty of Instagram worthy moments. After that ride, she was able to replace a shorted controller by hand, secure the electronics against vibration, and eventually resolve the dock integration issue.

Later, she took the bike to a Nintendo store and demonstrated that the buttons functioned, the music played, and the dock could power up a screen. The entire endeavor took her a year of evenings, splinters, and 4 a.m. sessions, but the end product is a wooden radio bike that appears to have stepped straight out of the game and onto the pavement.

OFFBEAT

At last, somewhere comfy to sit while your PlayStation 5 game loads

Microsoft’s latest Xbox merchandising deal means at least you can sit on an IKEA cushion while you wait for your PlayStation 5 to boot.

IKEA has announced YXSTABY, a nine-piece collection of items aimed at the XBOX completist who has to have every possible piece of merchandise associated with their beloved game console. Need a stool? How about one modeled on a controller’s thumbstick? A cushion? There’s a D-pad to throw on the sofa.

And a tariff refund for Xbox customers? Ah, well, the IKEA deal only goes so far…

IKEA has long had a reputation for being that place where relationships go to die, thanks in part to the occasionally labyrinthine layout of its store. Xbox has, under the leadership of Asha Sharma, acquired a similar rep as far as staffers and game studios are concerned. Thousands of workers were laid off in recent months as Sharma “reset the business” to improve the platform’s standing in a market dominated by rivals.

In the UK, IKEA charges £12 for a cushion or platter, and up to £115 for a side table on wheels. The Reg suspects Xbox branded stuff will be a little pricier but considerably less than an Xbox itself. 

Microsoft Store shows the comparatively weedy Xbox Series S retailing for £429.99, while the beefier Series X goes for £669.99. When launched in 2020, the Series S cost £249. “Unfortunately,” wrote Microsoft, “console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027.”

It is far from alone. Price rises have become a way of life in the tech industry in recent months as demand for memory outstripped supply.

This is not the first gaming-related wares that IKEA has sold. The BRÄNNBOLL collection predates the Xbox collaboration and features “everything to improve your gaming adventures, from a rug that helps you hit the enemies, not the table, to gaming bolsters that boost your comfort and play.”

The YXSTABY range was unveiled at Gamescom this month, but eager buyers have a little longer to wait for that Xbox-inspired stool. The range will be in stores and available online from October 1. ®

TL;DR: Scientists have built a quantum battery prototype that can produce an electrical current after charging in femtoseconds, marking a step forward for a technology that has largely remained theoretical and limited to small-scale lab experiments. The prototype is far from replacing conventional batteries, but it provides evidence that quantum effects could eventually enable faster energy transfer in quantum hardware and other specialized systems.

The device, developed by a team led by CSIRO quantum science researcher James Quach, is designed to take advantage of a quantum effect called superabsorption. In simple terms, the more molecules involved, the faster the system can absorb energy.

That is the opposite of what happens with conventional batteries, which generally take longer to charge as they get larger. The work does not mean quantum batteries are ready to replace those used in phones, laptops, or electric vehicles. The prototype stores only a small amount of energy and holds it for nanoseconds. Still, researchers say the experiment demonstrates that energy can be rapidly absorbed and extracted from a quantum battery.

The prototype uses an optical microcavity made of two mirrors separated by about 100 nanometers. The space between the mirrors is filled with organic dye molecules. A laser shines into the cavity, causing the light and molecules to interact strongly.

That interaction creates hybrid light-matter states. The molecules do not absorb energy independently, as they would in a classical system. Instead, they respond collectively.

The battery charges in femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. It can retain energy for nanoseconds, about six orders of magnitude longer than the charging period.

Quach’s team first demonstrated superabsorption in 2022. The newer experiment added the ability to extract an electrical current. The current remains small, but demonstrating it is an important step toward making a quantum battery useful beyond a physics experiment.

Quantum batteries are not expected to compete with conventional batteries simply by storing more energy. Their main attraction is the possibility of very fast charging and precise energy delivery.

CSIRO’s clean lab for engineering prototype quantum batteries.

Dario Ferraro, an associate professor of physics at the University of Genova, told the BBC that quantum batteries are intended to improve the speed and control of energy delivery rather than significantly increase the amount of energy a battery can store.

For now, the gap between the prototype and a useful power source remains wide. The device can hold only a few billion electron volts of energy and retains it for a very short time. A real-world system would need far greater capacity and much longer storage times.

Quach said his group has built a hybrid design intended to address those limitations. It combines quantum components for rapid charging with classical layers that can store energy for longer. He said the team is preparing a paper on the work.

The researchers also plan to link multiple microscopic batteries together. “If we do those two things, then we’re on our way to being able to power a conventional device,” Quach said.

The optical microcavity system has one practical advantage: It operates at room temperature. Other quantum-battery designs use superconducting materials, which are already important in quantum computing but require extremely cold operating conditions.

Superconducting systems can operate at temperatures below -150°C. “This is fine for quantum computers, but not so useful to power your mobile phone,” Quach said.

The world’s first fully functioning proof-of-concept quantum battery.

Mauro Paternostro, a quantum physicist at Queen’s University Belfast, said the optical approach is a strong way to demonstrate that quantum charging can work. However, he added that it may be difficult to draw energy from such a system in a controlled and useful way. “A microcavity gives you a beautiful ensemble demonstration, but poor control over getting the energy back out in a useful, directed form,” he said.

The first practical use of quantum batteries, if they reach that point, may be in quantum hardware rather than consumer electronics. Quantum computers already rely on specialized equipment, and some use superconducting systems that operate at cryogenic temperatures.

Quach said a quantum battery could eventually help reduce energy use in quantum devices and support faster, more reliable operation. However, those benefits have not yet been demonstrated.

Ferraro said quantum effects are fragile and can break down when the system interacts with its environment. He expects quantum batteries to remain most useful in quantum-scale applications. “In my view… quantum batteries are unlikely to replace conventional batteries in everyday applications such as mobile phones or electric vehicles,” Ferraro said. “Their natural domain is the quantum scale.”

The latest prototype does not settle that debate. It does show that researchers can use quantum effects to charge a system quickly and extract an electrical current. The next challenge is building a device that can store more energy, hold it longer, and release it where it is needed.

VodafoneThree’s networks director says UK mobile quality is not ready for AI traffic and that planning rules, not money, are the obstacle, with more than half of its upgrades to existing masts requiring permission. The EU’s Gigabit Infrastructure Act has since November given authorities four months to decide a permit, after which it is deemed granted.

The UK’s largest mobile operator says its own network is not good enough. “I am embarrassed today at the level of quality of our network,” Andrea Donà of VodafoneThree told the Guardian.

He was describing what happens when AI traffic arrives. His comparison was the signal loss people get at a stadium, made permanent.

The starting position is poor. UK mobile coverage is worse than every EU member state and every other G7 country, on Opensignal data compiled for Which?. The same analysis puts it 57th globally for network performance.

Money is not the obstacle. VodafoneThree has committed £11B to upgrading masts, and it is cutting its mast count by 30%.

Almost none of the work needs a new site. About 96% of the upgrades are on existing structures, and more than half of those still require planning permission.

Donà’s ask is procedural rather than financial. “Planning reform is the lowest possible cost growth policy, it doesn’t require any government money,” he said.

The European Union legislated exactly that in 2024. The remedy he is describing is already on the statute book across the Channel.

Under the Gigabit Infrastructure Act, national authorities have four months to decide a permit application for a very high capacity network, and the permit is deemed granted if they miss the deadline.

It has applied since November last year. Member states may opt out of the automatic approval, but they have to offer compensation or a right to sue instead.

Brussels is going further. The Digital Networks Act proposes indefinite spectrum licences, use it or share it rules, and simpler deployment in exchange for tougher coverage duties.

The UK is bound by none of it. Its operators also point out that mobile networks are critical national infrastructure without the reliefs data centres receive on business rates and energy.

Elsewhere the gap is being attacked from a different direction. A Spanish startup raised €150M to beam 5G to ordinary phones from orbit, which needs no local consent at all.

Which is the shape of the problem. Britain protects the building where the model runs and not the network that has to reach it.

offbeat

Spike drone defense system is designed to be carried in a rucksack or mounted on top of a vehicle

A defense startup has raised $7 million to develop its counter-drone system that uses small interceptors to defend against swarms of FPV (First-Person View) drone swarms, the kind causing heavy battlefield casualties in Ukraine.

San Francisco-based Mara says it has secured the funding to bring its Spike drone defense system to market, aiming to provide a cost-effective counter to small FPV attack drones – typically quad-copters with an explosive payload.

The system comprises separate Spotter sensor / targeting units and multiple Seeker kinetic interceptors. The latter are small (250g / half a pound), fast (200 kmph / 124 mph), tube-launched, and have onboard intelligence to help find their way to the target.

Mara claims that deployments can scale from a single rucksack kit to protect a squad of troops, to a vehicle-mounted launcher, up to a multi-kilometer perimeter shield for a base or site.

A launcher can be fitted with up to 48 of the Seeker interceptors, and reloaded in less than a minute, or so the firm says.

The Spotter detection and tracking sensor combines electro-optical and acoustic sensors with an optional low-signature radar, for day and night all-weather protection.

“Small drones changed the battlefield because they distributed the cost and capability of precise attack,” Mara co-founder and CEO Daniel Kofman said in a statement.

Yet many defensive countermeasures are concentrated into one costly point solution, he claims. “Spike creates a distributed mesh of small, cheap nodes that can each aim and shoot in multiple directions at once.”

The components of its Spike system have already been tested by potential customers, Mara says. Seeker completed intercepts cued through US Army systems at an exercise in Texas, while Spotter has been operated on an armored vehicle during another Army exercise in Europe.

Most recently, Ukrainian forces operated Spotter near to the front line in their country, where it tracked multiple FPV drones.

Mara says it has research and testing agreements with three US defense organizations, and is in early-stage engagements with international military partners in the UK, Czech Republic and Ukraine.

The $7 million funding round was led by Khosla Ventures.

We asked Mara for further details, such as the range of its Seeker interceptors and just how inexpensive they are, and will update if we get answers. ®

The big picture: South Korea is preparing to offer free generative AI services to its entire population, using the technology to help people handle everyday tasks such as booking medical appointments, finding housing, and sorting out taxes. The program is intended to expand access to homegrown AI systems while giving the government a larger role in how they are used for everyday services.

The government’s “AI for All” program will begin beta testing in September, followed by a broader launch later this year. On Friday, Seoul named three technology consortia to provide the services. They include groups led by the country’s two largest telecom companies and the operator of Kakao, one of South Korea’s most widely used consumer platforms.

The services are expected to connect to government systems rather than function solely as standalone chatbots. Residents will be able to use them to book doctor appointments, search for apartments, and get tax guidance. Small businesses will be able to calculate taxes and check whether they qualify for government support. Parents will receive recommendations for educational content.

Each consortium plans to introduce its own AI app and add generative AI features to existing products. Users will have unlimited access, with no token limits under the government-supported plans.

Seoul will supply some of the computing capacity needed to run the services. The government plans to distribute up to 512 Nvidia B200 chips among the three consortia and help cover operating costs. The Ministry of Science and ICT has not disclosed the program’s total cost.

The initiative is part of South Korea’s effort to build a stronger domestic AI industry and reduce its reliance on systems developed in the US and China. The government is trying to steer more consumers toward locally developed AI products by making premium-level services widely available at no cost.

South Korea already has a large market for generative AI. A government survey earlier this year found that about one-quarter of South Koreans pay for AI services. By comparison, a PNC Bank survey found that about 2% of Americans pay for such services. Seoul estimates that more than 20 million people in South Korea use free generative AI tools.

The rollout is backed by a broader increase in AI spending. President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has set aside about 10 trillion won, or $7.2 billion, for AI-related spending in 2026. That is three times the amount allocated the previous year.

For South Korea, the project will test whether generative AI can become part of the country’s basic digital infrastructure. Its success will depend on whether the systems are reliable enough for people to use them for practical, routine tasks.

The government has not set an adoption target for the new service.