HHT perspective · 3 November 2026
madVR Labs came away from CEDIA Expo in Denver this September with a clutch of awards. The company says its Envy video processor received Best of Show awards from AVS Forum, ProjectorCentral and AV Nirvana. It also lists a Best CEDIA 2026 Demo award for Sound Room 10, which madVR shared with partner brands.
Seeing the difference side by side
madVR’s main demonstration placed two 85-inch Sony BRAVIA 7 MK2 displays next to each other, one fed through an Envy and one without. Visitors could compare the Envy’s HDR dynamic tone mapping, upscaling and other picture processing on the same material. A second demonstration ran an Envy Core with a PlayStation 5.
What is madAssist?
madAssist launched on 31 August. It is an AI product expert that madVR Labs built for the Envy, available at any hour, and madVR says it is free for everyone. It answers product and compatibility questions and guides owners through set-up and troubleshooting. It can take account of the display, the sources, the AV receiver and whether the viewer prefers a purist picture or a more enhanced one.
madAssist also works with Envy Commander, madVR’s forthcoming web interface for the Envy. Together they can read an Envy’s current settings, explain them, recommend changes and apply those changes with the owner’s permission. For now that hands-on part is open to customers and dealers in Commander’s private beta, and madVR plans a wider roll-out over the coming months.
The Hidden Home view
In a projector cinema the Envy is the box nobody sees and the one that shapes how every HDR film looks on the screen. That is why a side-by-side demonstration is such a fair way to show it. madAssist is a welcome tool for owners who like to understand their own system and want an answer at eleven at night. On a calibrated cinema we would still talk a change through with you before it goes in.
madVR Envy in Bath
Hidden Home Technology designs and installs award-winning home cinemas, and the madVR Envy is part of the range we specify for projector rooms. If you are weighing up video processing for a new room, our guide to the nine decisions before you design a home cinema is a good place to start. To talk about your own cinema, contact us or call Dan on 07736 454506.
