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HDI's laser-driven 3D HDTV hits production, should ship next year

by Darren Murph posted Oct 30th 2009 at 4:28PM

When we first caught wind of HDI's "world's first laser-based 3D HDTV," we were cautiously hopeful that it'd be ready to go (at least as a prototype) at CES 2010. Looks like we may actually get our wish, as the company has today announced that its magical set has reached the manufacturing stage. What's it all mean? It means that the set is being fast-tracked for release in 2010, meaning that you're just months away from having stereoscopic 1,920 x 1,080 content in your living room... provided there's actually any programming to view, that is. Of course, it'll handle the 2D stuff too, and the twin RGP LCoS micro-display imagers in there ought to provide plenty of crisp imagery regardless of the source. We're still not sure if the Woz-approved 100-inch version that's being shown to curious onlookers is the size that'll be pumped out to the mainstream, but we're hoping for at least a few smaller siblings for those of us with last names other than Kennedy, Gates, Buffet and Ellison.

Continue reading HDI's laser-driven 3D HDTV hits production, should ship next year

Samsung showing off 55 inches of 240Hz 3D LCD glory

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 14th 2009 at 5:49AM

Look, we know this 3D thing is as likely to sink as it is to swim right now, but we have to hand it to Samsung -- it's pursuing the idea with some pretty hefty ambition. A 55-inch 1080p panel with a true 240Hz refresh rate is a decent base on which to build your paradigm-shifting new offering. Using a set of "shutter" glasses, which rapidly alternate between blocking out the left and right eye, the set is capable of delivering the full 240Hz quality, debatable as its benefits may be. Of course, the value or otherwise of a TV like this is going to be found only by experiencing its output in person, so if you're somewhere near Seoul this week, head on down to the IMID 2009 conference to get an eyeful of an early model.

HDI concocts 100-inch laser-based 3D HDTV, calls rivaling technology child's play

by Darren Murph posted Sep 17th 2009 at 8:48AM


Look, we've seen an awful lot of HDTVs in our day -- one lap around the average CEDIA show floor makes your local Best Buy look awfully small -- and to this day we've yet to put our peepers on a more stunning set than Mitsubishi's LaserVue HDTV. Sure, it's fat, ugly and expensive, but the image is otherworldly. Before Mitsu can even take the logical next step, a California startup has arisen to introduce what it calls the world's first laser-based 3D HDTV. We're talking 1080p 3D like you've never seen before, with CTO Edmund Sandberg noting that this production is smoother than RealD, Dolby, film and pretty much every other 3D solution. The secret here is in the speed; this set is so fast that the image "no longer needs to flash from one eye to the other," and no flashing should equate to no headaches. Too bad there's no planned release date, but we're still cautiously optimistic for a sneak peek (in addition to the video past the break) at CES 2010.

[Via OLED-Display]

Continue reading HDI concocts 100-inch laser-based 3D HDTV, calls rivaling technology child's play

JVC brings $1,000 HD Everio GZ-HM400 camcorder to America

by Darren Murph posted Sep 14th 2009 at 10:22AM


JVC introduced its HD Everio GZ-HM400 in Japan way back in late July, but at long last, the time has come for the Yanks in attendance to grab one as their own. Shipping now (as in, right now) here on US soil, the Full HD camcorder packs a 10.3 megapixel sensor, 32GB of internal storage, an SD / SDHC expansion slot and the ability to capture stills at 9 megapixels. Over on the video side, users will have access to a trio of slow-motion recording modes (600fps, 300fps and 120fps), though we can't express in mere words how disheartened we are to hear that this thing utilizes the thoroughly worthless AVCHD format. If you aren't bothered in the least by that, you can pick yours up now for a nickel shy of a grand.

Gallery: JVC brings $1,000 HD Everio GZ-HM400 to America

LG W63 enters gaming monitor arena, claims to be the best

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 3rd 2009 at 6:44PM

You can't exactly accuse LG of lacking audacity -- the company that today unveiled the eccentric Color Pop displays has also updated its consumer monitor line with a gamer-centric Full HD entry that has everything but humility. The 23-inch W63 touts a new Thru Mode, which sacrifices image processing to deliver "zero-delay" visuals, a 1,000:1 (real) contrast ratio, 2ms response time, 300 nits of brightness, two HDMI inputs and picture-in-picture functionality. There's even a Tru Light equalizer-like thingy at the bottom of the screen that pulsates in time with the sound of your glorious battle triumphs and Skype message pings. Only question left is, can anyone actually tell the difference between two milliseconds of delay and none at all?

Read - LG press release
Read - W63 product page

JVC issues Everio GZ-HM400 Full HD camcorder in Japan

by Darren Murph posted Jul 30th 2009 at 4:14AM


Lookie here -- time for yet another HD camcorder in the quickly expanding Everio family. Launched today in the Land of the Rising Sun, the JVC Everio GZ-HM400 is a Full HD shooter with a 10.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, 2.8-inch flip-out LCD, 32GB of built-in storage, an SD / SDHC expansion slot, HDMI output, a 10x optical zoom and a fairly preposterous (in a good way) 600fps slo-mo mode, just like that ultra-sleek GZ-X900 we peeked back in March. The unit can also snap 9 megapixel still shots and hold nearly three hours of Full HD content before needing a USB-led cleansing. Indeed, this here camcorder mimics the aforesaid GZ-X900 in pretty much every way save for design, and it's expected on Japanese store shelves early next month for ¥110,000 ($1,157).

[Via Akihabara News]

Read - JVC press release
Read - Hands-on shots

Continue reading JVC issues Everio GZ-HM400 Full HD camcorder in Japan

Brando HD Media Player Docking Station does multi-format 1080p

by Paul Miller posted Jul 27th 2009 at 2:56PM


It seems that Brando can't go a month without bringing out yet another slightly-improved domicile for your orphaned SATA HDDs. Following in the footsteps of the very recent Multimedia Dock, the latest unit adds H.264 decoding to the already present DivX, Xvid and MPEG-4, while output graduates to full 1080p. Featuring HDMI and a plethora of supported media formats, the humble docking station has certainly grown up, but is it enough to compete with standalone media players? Input flexibility would suggest so -- the new device accepts 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives, alongside USB flash memory, SD, MMC, and MS cards -- but alas, Brando loses the plot at the final hurdle, asking for an astronomical $199. With prettier alternatives available at half the price, this is unlikely to sell like hotcakes, but Brando's breakneck refresh cycle give us the feeling it won't be long before we see that perfect do-it-all dock.

Vivitek to shake up HD projector market with 1080p H1080FD at $999

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2009 at 5:47PM

Sophomore slump? Fuhgetaboutit. After announcing its very first projectors last year with little to no fanfare at all, Vivitek is looking to get everyone's attention with an all new 1080p model that should hit US retail outlets this August. If all goes well, the company's H1080FD will hit just before CEDIA kicks off, and it'll be based on Texas Instruments' S450 chip / light-engine design with Dark Chip II technology. Other specs include 1,800 lumens of brightness, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, a pair of HDMI ports, composite / S-Video / component inputs, an RS-232c control connector and a 12v trigger -- in other words, even the so-called AV junkie should find plenty to adore. If you're curious just how big of a deal this is in the sector, just have a look at how stoked Sanyo was to introduce an entry-level 1080p beamer 11 months ago at twice this price.

[Via AboutProjectors]

ASUS dabbles in HDTV arena with 1080p TV Monitor T1 series

by Darren Murph posted Jul 14th 2009 at 3:29PM


It's not that ASUS hasn't dipped its toes in HDTV waters before (by the way, whatever happened to that altogether enticing Eee TV?), but we dare say that the TV Monitor T1 is a fresh, if not unsurprising new direction for the company. Arriving in 22- (22T1E), 24- (24T1E) and 27-inch (27T1E) sizes, this trio of sets features a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) panel, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits of brightness, five millisecond response time, built-in TV tuners (for the UK market) and a pair of seven-watt speakers. As for sockets, you'll find VGA, HDMI (x2), component, composite, S-Video and even a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. Per usual, ASUS is refusing to dole out pricing and release date information, but hopefully it won't be long before Britons can indulge (and North Americans are notified of an NTSC-capable version).

Sony unveils two new 1080p Handycams

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 7th 2009 at 4:33PM


Nothing too remarkable about Sony's latest HD camcorders, but the new 64GB HDR-CX520V and 32GB HDR-CX500V are solid updates nonetheless. Identical apart from the built-in storage, both feature an Exmor R CMOS sensor with BIONZ processing that should offer solid low-light performance and decent 12 megapixel stills, Optical SteadyShot with a new active mode and three-way shake cancellation, Face Touch autofocus that allows you to simply point at faces to prioritize focus in order, and, most notably, 60p output, which'll interpolate your footage to 60 progressive frames per second when connected to a compatible HDTV. Not a bad piece of kit, but they'll cost ya: the HDR-CX500V will run $1,100 and the HDR-CX520V will be $1,300 when they arrive in September.

Panasonic breaking more arbitrary records with two new 1080p24 camcorders

by Tim Stevens posted May 20th 2009 at 7:03AM

Panasonic breaking more arbitrary records with two new 1080p24 camcorders
Another day, another couple of Panasonic HD camcorders. This pair may not be the "world's lightest" (with an asterisk) like the entrants we saw yesterday, but each sports a dubious record of their own. First is the HDC-TM30 (pictured after the break), another "world's lightest" cam, this one with the caveat that, at 227 grams, it's the lightest with 32GB of internal storage. It sports a 16x (44 - 706mm equivalent) optically stabilized zoom ahead of a single CMOS sensor that can record 1080p24 video. The other player, the HDC-TM350 (above), offers a bit more on the quality front and pledges the "world's largest capacity" full HD camcorder -- with 64GB of storage. That equates to a nigh-ridiculous 16 hours of 1080p24 video shot through a stabilized 12x (45 - 540mm equivalent) lens. It even records 5.1 audio, but with the mics all placed within what looks to be a one square inch patch don't expect great channel separation here. Both are set for release in late-June for undisclosed (but hopefully non-record-breaking) prices.

[Via Akihabara News]

Continue reading Panasonic breaking more arbitrary records with two new 1080p24 camcorders

Renesas's 1080p-decoding processor coming soon to a cell phone near you

by Tim Stevens posted May 5th 2009 at 6:59AM

Renesas's 1080p-decoding processor coming soon to a cell phone near you
Plenty of modern cell phones have HD-quality screens on them, but few can manage any sort of high-definition video content at a respectable frame rate. That's set to change with the release of the Renesas SH7370, a chip we first got wind of back in December with its promise to offer 1080p video at 30fps in a package small (and efficient) enough to be included in a handset. The first units are now shipping to manufacturers, and while the size has increased (it's about 1cm square vs. the 6.4 x 6.5mm package previously discussed) it's still impressively small given its functionality: 1080p H.264 video decoding and encoding along with on-chip Dolby Digital 5.1-channel output. Overkill? Maybe for now, but you might change your mind when the first head-mountable satellite speakers with subwoofer seat cushions hit retail.

Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 2nd 2009 at 1:31AM Breaking News

The problem with Sony's previous world's smallest pistol-grip Full HD camcorder -- the HDR-TG1 aka, the TG3E -- wasn't size, it was usability. So we're happy to hear that Sony's TG5 counts a tweaked UI among its updates. And although Sony doesn't say in the press release, the TG5's touch-panel looks far more sensitive (capacitive maybe?) than that of the previous generation's finger bender. The other improvements are GPS to geotag your media (assuming your software supports it), Navteq maps, improved image processing, smile shutter technology, and 16GB of built-in storage (up from 8GB) all riding inside a slightly smaller and lighter chassis. Other specs remain unchanged: 1920 x 1080 AVCHD video, 2.7-inch touchscreen display, and a 10x optically stabilized zoom exposing a 2.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Expensive? Oh most definitely: $1,000 starting in May. Check the video after the break.

Gallery: Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS


[Via CNET]

Continue reading Sony HDR-TG5 makes world's smallest Full HD camcorder smaller, adds GPS

Sanyo's Xacti technology tapped for Full HD VCC-HDN1 surveillance camera

by Darren Murph posted Dec 30th 2008 at 7:52AM


The unforgettable words of Rockwell have never been truer, and now, those watching you will have one more opportunity to do so in high-definition. Sanyo has just delivered its VCC-HDN1 network surveillance camera, and interestingly enough, it utilizes the same technology that's currently used in its line of Xacti HD camcorders. Predictably, the device has a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 along with a 10x optical zoom and other specifications "comparable to those of the camcorder." Sanyo's offering these up to parking garage owners, governments, spy agencies and all sorts of people with false names for upwards of $3,200 apiece. So much for that birthmark not being noticeable on CCTV, huh?

Renesas aims to bring 1080p playback to your next cellphone

by Darren Murph posted Dec 1st 2008 at 7:35PM


Believe it or not, this is far from the first we've heard of bringing high-def video to cellphones, and it's not even the first application to dabble in mobile 1080p. Still, we'll take all the innovation we can get in this space, and when the real Touch HD ever arrives, we'll be ready and waiting with Full HD capabilities. Announced at ISSCC 2009 in San Francisco, Renesas Technology is showing off an application processor that enables handsets to process 1,920 x 1,080 resolution video at 30 frames-per-second; the processor's core has a maximum operating frequency of 500MHz and supports MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video formats. There's no telling when the 6.4- x 6.5-millimeter chip will be available en masse, but we need the HTCs of the world to get us a 1080p phone and a retina implant or two to read 0.2-size fonts before it even matters.




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