Jul
29
2008
Archive for July, 2008
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  Just because you haven’t Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment  Not that you haven’t seen ZeeVee’s ZvBox in the flesh before, but Dave Zatz got some hands-on time with the finalized unit. According to him, the box showed an impressive build quality though it ran “quite hot” — likely a result of foregoing a built-in fan for a giant heatsink. He also noted that image quality was “good,” though he did mention that he longed to see the ability to “selectively isolate a video window and present that content fullscreen.” Anywho, feel free to read up on his initial impressions and peep the hands-on pics in the read link below. Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  Might want to slow down there, Samsung — don’t want to pull anything by cranking out too many new HDTVs at a time. Yep, Sammy’s letting loose a few more sets today alongside the Series 7 plasmas and Series 9 LCDs: the September-bound Series 8 LCD HDTV line. The Series 8 850 (rose accents) and Series 8 860 (deep blue accents) only differ in color, while they both pack a 1080p Ultra Clear panel, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, InfoLink RSS reader, DLNA certification, 4-millisecond response time and twin down-firing speakers with an integrated subwoofer. You’ll also find a built-in NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM TV tuner, a DNIe Pro video processor, swivel stand and four HDMI-CEC ports (among others). The pain? $2,699.99 for the LN46A850, $3,399.99 for the LN52A850, $2,799.99 for the LN46A860 and $3,499.99 for the LN52A860. Got all that? Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  Not a large fan of the LCD HDTV? Is plasma more your style? Fantastic, because Samsung just took the (official) lid off of the already spotted 7 Series plasma lineup. Featuring the outfit’s Touch of Color design, a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, daytime / nighttime calibration options and a DNIe Pro video processor, this trio makes no bones about which rival it’s gunning for. The entire crew also features InfoLink RSS access, a USB 2.0 port (WiseLink Pro), DLNA compatibility, four HDMI-CEC jacks and 1080p panels. Read up on the full rundown of specs in the read link, and prepare to hand over $2,799.99 for the 50-inch PN50A760, $4,499.99 for the 58-inch PN58A760 or $5,499.99 for the 63-inch PN63A760 sometime next month. Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  Can’t say we’re surprised to see ‘em, but Sammy has done its due diligence by pumping out the official verbiage for the 9 Series LCD HDTVs that were leaked late last week. These second-generation LED-backlit sets feature 1080p Ultra Clear panels, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology, 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios, the familiar Touch of Color design and a smattering of networking technologies like InfoLink (RSS access) and WiseLink Pro. Additionally, both the 46-inch LN46A950 (pictured) and 55-inch LN55A950 feature 4-millisecond response times, down-firing speakers with a built-in subbie, an integrated NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM tuner, four HDMI-CEC ports, a PC input, Ethernet socket and a pair of component jacks. Look for each to land next month for $3,199.99 and $4,199.99, respectively. Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  SIM2’s DOMINO line — okay, SIM2’s entire line — isn’t known for being the cheapest bunch. The new DOMINO D60, however, is actually affordable by said company’s standards, checking in at just 4,995 US dollars. This 1080p beamer is based on Texas Instruments’ DarkChip3 0.95-inch DMD chipset and includes a single-chip DLP projection system, BrilliantColor, three different preset modes (Cinema, Dynamic, and Standard) and three user-customizable memories. It’s shipping now for those with fat wallets. Popularity: 1% [?]
Jul
29
2008
AMIMON, Motorola, Sony, et al. join hands on wireless HD standardPosted by: in HDTV IndustryFiled under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Wireless  Be still, our hearts! After watching the wireless HD / HDMI sector fumble along for years on end, a team of mega-corps have finally agreed to push their self-interests aside and collaborate on a standard. WHDI creator AMIMON has joined forces with Motorola, Samsung, Sony and Sharp in order to form “a special interest group to develop a comprehensive new industry standard for multi-room audio, video and control connectivity” utilizing the aforementioned Wireless Home Digital Interface technology. Reportedly, the group will have a standard completed before 2009 dawns, but we all know how easily these things can get pushed under the rug. Nevertheless, the overriding goal here is to “enhance the current WHDI technology to enable wireless streaming of uncompressed HD video and audio between CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, AV receivers, DVD and BD players, set-top-boxes, game consoles and PCs.” A tall order, sure, but one we’re elated to see taken on. Full release (and promo spot) after the break. Continue reading AMIMON, Motorola, Sony, et al. join hands on wireless HD standard Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment  AOC did a stellar job of knocking off some rust and catching our eyes with the downright stylish 2230Fm, and the inclusion of a self-sustaining media player was also worthy of a closer look. Thankfully, the kind folks over at Gear Diary managed to get ahold of one such unit and put it through the paces, and in the end, it seems as if more positives were noticed than negatives. As an LCD, it was viewed as top notch; visuals were crystal clear, colors were sharp and accurate and ghosting was non-existent. The built-in audio and slideshow players were lackluster at best, but the integrated video player did a phenomenal job of handling a myriad formats and making things look right at home on the 22-inch panel. Granted, we still wonder who will actually use said media player if this gets connected to your home computer anyway, but for those who’ve conjured up a plan, hit the read link for the full review before buying blind. Popularity: 1% [?] Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment  So Sony’s got a $399 Blu-ray player on the market now, huh? Really blasting away at that price point, huh Sony? Really keeping on your toes now that HD DVD is dead and gone, giving you zero competition in the physical format space, yeah? Oh, we forgot, you’re using a blue laser, and those require bloody war with dastardly intelligent man-eating monkeys to boot up. We got to handle Sony’s new BDP-S350 Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player tonight, and while we aren’t mad that the new player draws less power, takes up less space, and supports more technical HD hotness, it literally feels like a $20 DVD player in the hand — no way Sony has $400 of electronic components in this thing. Even the front LCD is teensy: we’ve bought $200 home theater in a box systems from Sony with more extravagant displays. We understand Sony trying to make back a few dollars from a pricey format war, but at this point this ridiculous price point is looking way artificial. In other, less insulting news, Sony was showing off the new HT-SS2300 Home Theater System, which is designed to complement the S350, along with the HT-IS100 “Micro System,” which we found intriguing. Sony also showed off its HDR-CX12, which is nothing special in person, though we certainly like what’s under the hood. Popularity: 1% [?] |
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