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Epson's Ensemble HD Home Cinema System now shipping

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 9:45PM


We're still rather bummed that Epson failed to add in a third option for its Ensemble HD Home Cinema System that included a Blu-ray player, but nevertheless, those interested in picking up a complete -- and we mean complete -- home theater system at once can finally do so. Said package is available with your choice of a PowerLite 1080p or 720p projector, a 100-inch motorized screen, upconverting DVD player, Atlantic Technology 5.1 speaker system, universal remote, every single cable you'll need to hook things up, a wire management track system and all necessary mounting brackets. Ready for the sting? You're looking at $6,999 for the 1080p system and $4,999 for the 720p edition.

Mitsubishi's 3D plans brought into focus, PC gaming to play a role

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 7:04PM


When Mitsubishi admitted that it was holding hands with NVIDIA and Aspen Media for no other reason than to prove that they all three hearted 3D, we must say, we were miffed. Now, however, it seems that plans are finally coming to light, and everything is starting to make a whole lot more sense. Reportedly, the three firms are gearing up to showcase how well they can work together to produce eye-pleasing 3D PC gaming results in select retail outlets this July. At first, none of the components will be sold together per se, but bundle deals are definitely in the works. Whether or not budding PC gamers are ready to switch to a DLP-based HDTV as their primary monitor, however, remains to be seen.

Windows Media Center SideShow Gadget released in beta

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 1:41PM


We'll admit that SideShow hasn't acquired nearly the fanfare we bet Microsoft figured it would, but those still interested in what it can do will likely be elated to find that the long-awaited Windows Media Center SideShow Gadget is finally available. Released last week in beta form, said download can be sucked down as we speak and used within Vista Media Center to change live TV channels, schedule recordings, start / stop playback of clips and browse your photo / music files to boot. Anyone spent any serious time with it over the holiday (in the US, anyway) weekend?

[Via Chris Lanier's Blog, thanks Josh]

JVC Everio HD40 HD camcorder review

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 10:14AM Featured Story


Just last month, we had the absolute pleasure of reviewing Samsung's SC-HMX20C -- which, if you couldn't tell, we really liked. This month, JVC's GZ-HD40 arrived, and we set out to put it through the same paces. Upon ripping the box open and wrapping our paws around it for the first time, we were simultaneously pleased with how light it felt and somewhat dismayed by the bulky design. Still, there's more to a camcorder than external pizazz, so join us after the break as we test out this dual-format device on a fantastic weekend filled with sun, sand and sunburn.

Continue reading JVC Everio HD40 HD camcorder review

Crystal Audio launches TR-100 and TR-60 wireless speaker kits

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 8th 2008 at 6:28AM


A couple of months back, we asked about options for hooking up rear surround speakers without running wires. For those still on the hunt (and located in the UK), here are two more options. Crystal Audio's TR-100 frees a pair of speakers from wires by providing two transmitters and two receivers, each which pack 100-watts of power. The more affordable TR-60 powers a pair of speakers from one receiver, giving each driver a touch less power. We're told that the units can handle uncompressed wireless transmission of audio and that delay latency is "inaudible to the human ear," but unless you can find these in a local shop to demo, you'll be shelling out £399 ($791) / £249 ($493) in order to see hear for yourself.

[Via Telegraph]

Is Roku's Netflix Player living up to your standards?

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 5th 2008 at 4:07AM


This week's installment of How Would You Change over on Engadget Classic involves the first dedicated set-top-box to enable Netflix streaming right to your TV. Did you pony up $99 for one of these things? If so, head on over and let the world know if that was a good move.

Hands-on and unboxing: JVC Everio HD40 camcorder

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 8:03PM Featured Story


We got a chance to peek JVC's latest line of Everio camcorders in a controlled environment a few weeks back, but we finally managed to snag a retail HD40 (that's the flagship model in this series) and take it off to our own special corner. Of course, we tackled the first things first: unboxing and hands-on. Early impressions are that the unit is surprisingly light, though it's on the bulky side. Granted, there is 120GB of storage in there, so it may be a fair trade off for some. We're letting the battery charge up and plan to shoot some video with it over the weekend; we'll be writing up a full review here shortly. 'Til then, enjoy the gallery below (complete with comparison shots with the impressive Samsung SC-HMX20C).

Sony to push Blu-ray, HD recording abilities of VAIO machines

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2008 at 3:50PM


Sony's been pretty big on its HDNA marketing scheme. Even at last year's CEDIA the message was everywhere, asserting that its home theater gear shared some sort of double-helix bond with the root of all high-definition. Now, the outfit is pulling its HD-equipped VAIO machines under the same marketing umbrella in an attempt to convince prospective buyers that these systems are "born out of" other high-def products. In particular, Sony will push the HD OTA tuning and BD playback abilities in its all-in-one PCs and Blu-ray-equipped laptops, though we don't expect any new rigs to emerge as part of the deal. Sure, this is little more than a trivial way to tack "HD" onto yet another product, but we can't harsh too much on anything that gets high-def into the mainstream.

ILY Enterprise unveils "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 3:34PM


ILY Enterprise is totally playing word games here with its "world's first" 6x SATA Blu-ray duplicator, but we suspect it actually is a tad quicker than Vinpower Digital's comparable unit. As the company states, this unit boasts a controller that is "specifically designed and built for a SATA connection to reduce the cost and work more reliably than IDE-converted-SATA units," though we can't say if you'll actually notice the difference in speed without a stopwatch. Whatever the case, those interested in firing up their own piracy farm movie production company can acquire one now (from 1 to 11 targets) for a presumably lofty price. Oh, and judging by those logos, we reckon these drives could be used to play back some of your old HD DVDs during off-hours -- talk about a nice perk.

Silicon Image Si9251 debuts InstaPort fast HDMI switching tech

by Richard Lawler, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 11:48AM


Silicon Image is back and its latest chips aim to offer improved video quality and innovations in connectivity. The SiI9251 and SiI9261 processors are destined for TVs and receivers, respectively, supporting up to 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs with x.v. color, as well as "InstaPort" technology that claims to enable high speed switching between HDMI jacks. Silicon Image's own Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) tech is in there too, as well as ChromaViv to ensure accurate color calibration. These chips may find themselves buried deep within your next consumer electronics purchase, and will quietly go about their business of HDMI input switching and color correcting (hopefully) without a peep.

Ovei home theater pod: not for claustrophobic, poor people

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2008 at 6:02AM


As with quite a few things unveiled at CEDIA Expos, the Ovei is also aimed squarely at folks with wallets so fat they can hardly contain themselves. This home cinema pod made its most recent debut at the CEDIA UK show, where the creators explained that users could slip into the air-conditioned capsule and control their home theater and / or gaming experience via the built-in touchscreen. We are told that it was designed by Lee McCormack and engineered by McLaren Applied Technologies, but aside from that, pretty much everything else remains a mystery. The Ovei can be ordered up now for around £50,000 (that's 100,000 of those depreciating greenbacks), but if you get 'em to toss in some foot pedals and a steering wheel (or whatever else you dream up), count on that figure heading north in a hurry.

[Via KanYeWest Blog]

Read - Ovei pod details
Read - Ovei pod live shots, video

Roku serves up Netflix Player source code

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 11:28PM


Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Roku's Netflix Player to stream content from other "big name" providers

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 7:47PM


Roku's Netflix Player got off to a hot start after launching just over a month ago, and apparently its creator has big plans for the plainly designed $99 box. According to a recent report over on Forbes, Tim Twerdahl, Roku's vice president of consumer products, has affirmed that a routine software update would be hitting later this year to enable content to be fetched and streamed from other "big name" providers. Regrettably, the conversation ended there, so there's absolutely no telling which "providers" he's referring to. Still, we're certainly intrigued by the idea of this thing becoming more versatile in the coming months, but wouldn't the name have to be tweaked at the very least?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

Lancerlink's DDV-1080HD HD camcorder lowers the bar

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 8:15AM


Watch out DXG, you've got a new rival in town, and it goes by the name Lancerlink. Just when we thought you had the cheap-o HD camcorder market all locked up, in comes this firm with a rather chintzy looking camcorder capable of logging clips at 1,440 x 1,080 (30fps) or 1,280 x 720 (60fps) in H.264 format. The 5-megapixel sensor can also snag stills, but considering that there's just 90MB of free memory within, you should probably keep an SD / MMC / SDHC card nearby. You'll also find a 3-inch LCD monitor, HDTV (component) output, USB connectivity and a rechargeable battery good for around four hours of use. The worst part, however, is the ¥49,800 ($474) price tag that's attached to the July-bound DDV-1080HD, which makes it a few hundies more than most of DXG's awfully similar collection.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Black and white home theater has no need for vividness

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 12:57AM


Oftentimes in fanciful home theaters, we can only imagine that the designers spent hours mulling over oh-so-similar hues in order to get the tone just right. As for NC homeowners Ray and Shelley, they ditched the whole stressing process and decided to stick with just two: black and white. As a matter of fact, the entire home (including the swank home theater) is doused in the two hues, with a strict policy of no grays to be found anywhere. In order to offset the immense contrast, they also own a condo in Florida which is decidedly brighter. Still, there's no denying the colors that jump from that gorgeous projection screen, more of which can be seen via the read link below.




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