Archive for July, 2008
LG on Thursday fulfilled early promises and unveiled its long-anticipated Blu-ray player with Netflix support. The BD300 lets users with a wired connection to the Internet navigate their instant queues on a Netflix subscription and stream either movies or TV shows directly from the device itself, turning the device into a networked media hub. Titles are presently capped at standard definition but start playing in as little as 30 seconds and give users full control, including the ability to skip through the video and rate the title.
The new set-top player switches from a conventional Blu-ray player interface to a new visually rich interface that not only helps browse Netflix movies by their box covers but gives access to local music and photos. LG hasn’t said whether the BD300 will support local networks or just attached USB devices.
Sega Toys has been up to all sorts of shenanigans lately, what with its rolling speaker robots, kissing bots, and workout headsets. Now the Japanese toy maker has drummed up a new addition to its Dream Pets collection. The Dream Hamster, a tiny furry thing that moves when you hold it, will be available in Japan on August 8th for around $11, and Sega fully expects to win the hearts of lonely women everywhere with these balls of puffy love. We mean, c’mon: it’s a furry cute thing that wiggles.
The Meridian 810 Reference Video System comprises of two primary elements: the 810 Reference Video Projector and the 810 Reference Video Scaler. The Reference Video Projector is a D-ILA-based digital projector that offers 10 megapixels resolution. The 810 Reference Video Scaler is a special processor designed to optimize the imaging of HD and standard resolution inputs for the vast new possibilities offered by a 10-megapixel-projection environment. The system uses a brand new light engine that offers an effective resolution of 4096 x 2400 pixels. The projector is powered by a PKI Xenon lamp and is capable of delivering up to 4000 lumens that can light very large screens to the level of 16 foot-lamberts. Meridian’s 810 projector has a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1.
To compliment the 10-megapixels resolution some very special scaling is required. The 810 Reference Video Scaler sports a brand new design, featuring Marvell’s powerful, award winning, Qdeo video processing technology. The scaler converts any digital source (480i to 1080p) up to full 10-megapixel resolution. Its quiet and natural video processing produces images that are free from noise and devoid of artifacts whether operating in 4:3, 16:9 or 2.35:1 modes.
The Meridian 810 Reference Video System comes as a package deal, which includes both projector and scaler. Four different packages will be available, featuring lens systems with differing throw lengths. Short, Medium and Long-Throw packages will include a special motorized 2.35:1 (Cinemascope) lens assembly, while a Very Short Throw package, designed for back-projection and simulator applications, will also be available. All four packages cost the same- $185,000. The system should be available in limited numbers next quarter, with full availability before the end of the year.
Satellite TV provider DISH Network today became the first known TV broadcaster to put out video in a full 1080p (1920×1080 progressive) resolution. Starting with an August 1st Video On Demand option for the movie I Am Legend, DISH says it will start offering 1080p whenever the content is available rather than the lower-resolution 1080i (interlaced) or 720p HD normally aired on DISH and other TV services. Using VOD effectively gives the image quality of Blu-ray but at a lower price than renting a disc, the satellite firm claims.
The upgrade in resolution isn’t available for all subscribers but will be a no-charge addition for anyone who owns an HD DVR capable of playing MPEG-4 video. A software upgrade will be pushed out at the same time as the 1080p service that enables playing the video format, though no mention is made of supporting the HD resolution for recording regular TV shows.
Also launching today are a new set of channel bundles known as TurboHD that are purportedly the first in the market to offer customers a package that only contains HD stations. DISH doesn’t say what the packages contain but explains that they start at $25 per month. Existing customers with a standard-definition bundle can pay an extra $10 per month to get extra HD content.
The advancement is described as possible courtesy of a new satellite addition that will significantly expand the number of HD channels DISH can carry to 150 by the fall.
Such a breakthrough closes one of the perceived gaps between TV and pre-recorded forms of HD such as Blu-ray and digital downloads. While downloads in particular are rarely offered in 1080p, both these and Blu-ray often provide better image quality than most live TV, which has been hampered by the frequent need to heavily compress the signal as well as a scarcity of channels. TV nonetheless has the advantage of reducing storage limits on the customer’s end, which have contributed to the maximum 720p limit on Apple TV and Xbox 360 movie rentals.
There are few more prolific DAB proponents out there than the folks at Pure, and it looks like the company isn’t showing any signs of letting up, with it now introducing the ONE Elite radio to fill in its lower-end offerings. True to that status, this one keeps its features as basic as its appearance, with just DAB and FM radio and none of that fancy internet radio on offer, but you will get a line-in jack to accommodate the audio device of your choice, and even a USB port, although that’s apparently only used to provide updates to the radio itself. Like its other recent radios, this one is also manufactured to Pure’s own EcoPlus standards, and it’s available in your choice of black or white, each of which will set you back £70 (or $140).
LG announced plans to launch mobile phones that include Dolby’s Mobile audio platform, which according to the release, is built on “Dolby’s extensive portfolio of technologies,” and has been “optimized for mobile applications.” LG is the first handset maker to include Dolby Mobile.
Some Dolby Mobile features you can expect to find in upcoming LG handsets: mobile surround sound, sound space expander, natural bass, high-frequency enhancer, graphic EQ, sound level control and mono-to-stereo converter.
LG said it plans to begin launching multimedia phones that incorporate Dolby Mobile technology beginning in the fourth quarter of this calendar year.
It might not be all that common, but some home-theater setups include a second high-definition display. It sounds decadent, but think of the possibilities: You could have an extra-bright LCD flat-panel for daytime viewing and also a projector for big-screen movie watching at night. The problem is how to transport the same video signal to both devices without resorting to manual cable swapping or buying an expensive A/V receiver. The Accell UltraAV HDMI 4-2 Switch ($199 list) can solve this problem.
The device takes up to four connected audio/video sources and delivers their signals in pristine digital quality to two displays at once. The UltraAV also provides basic automatic port switching. Unfortunately, the switch was easily confounded by the addition of an always-on device such as a cable or satellite DVR. If you need just an effective HDMI splitter, the UltraAV HDMI 4-2 Switch will do the job. Otherwise, there are more affordable four-port options to be had.
It kind of looks like a laptop if you ask me, but the V-Line toaster concept from designer Thibault Masclet is actually a toaster and an induction cooker all-in-one. It incorporates glass like other toaster concepts, but the induction cooker on the flipside is a new one on me. To be honest, I would prefer a griddle, but if you have something in a pot that needs heating or you simply want to keep your toast warm—it could come in quite handy. Whether it will ever become a real world product remains to be seen.
The Newton Peripherals Mogo Presenter Mouse has been on the market for a while now. The mouse is a Bluetooth device that requires no dongle to connect with a computer. The main feature of previous MoGo mice was the ability to store and charge inside an ExpressCard slot.
The ExpressCard slot being required meant that owners of notebooks lacking the slot could not use the unique mouse. A new MoGo Presenter Mouse PC was introduced this week that has the same features as previous MoGo mice including Bluetooth and the ability to control PowerPoint presentations. The difference is that the new mouse can store in a PCMCIA slot.
“Mobile laptop users demand technology that travels well, is convenient to use with a high degree of functionality to help them be productive. We are seeing tremendous response to our ultra-portable products,” said Matthew Westover, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newton Peripherals. “We are launching the MoGo Presenter Mouse PC for the millions of laptop users who have computers with PC Card-based interfaces, and would benefit from the two-in-one functionality of a wireless mouse and presentation remote.”
It looks like the number of netbook hold-outs just keeps on dwindling, with Lenovo and Sylvania now entering the fray, and Intel coming back for another kick at the can. While details are light on Lenovo’s offering, the company is reportedly looking at launching it as soon of September of this year, and it’ll apparently be targeting both consumer and enterprise markets with it. Sylvania, on the other hand, is going squarely after the average user with its new “g netbook MESO” (pictured above), which it’ll apparently be offering in addition to its recently announced Cloudbook iteration. This one is said to boast an 8.9-inch display, along with the usual 1.6GHz Atom processor, an 80GB hard drive, a built-in card reader, a webcam, and your choice of Windows XP or Ubuntu Netbook Remix for an OS. No word on a price just yet, but the lack of SSD would seem to suggest it’ll be on the lower end of things. Lastly, we have word that Intel is already hard at work on the third version of its Classmate PC, although the company apparently isn’t going any farther than to say that it’ll have a “new look and feel,” and that it’ll get both hardware and software upgrades. And really, is there anything more you need to know than that?
Read - Out of the Box, “Sylvania to enter expanding netbook market”
Read - DigiTimes, “Lenovo to launch netbook by the end of September” [Via Electronista]
Read - Crave, “Third-generation Classmate PC on its way”