Engadget

Best Buy kicks analog TVs to the curb

by Matt Burns posted Oct 17th 2007 at 1:48PM

Best Buy is saying sayonara to analog TVs by announcing that it has pulled all analog sets from its shelves, which marks the first time a big box retailer of this magnitude has publicly announced an exit from the analog TV biz. Of course, this decision now enables the firm to shamelessly proclaim that any television purchased within the confines of its brick and mortar walls will work in the all-digital future -- and for those not willing to pick up a new set, it also stated that it will be participating in the NTIA DTV Converter Box Coupon Program starting early next year. At first glance, the announcement sounds like much needed progress towards getting folks ready for the 2009 switchover, but for moms and pops scouting a 13-inch analog CRT on the cheap for that garage / playroom, it looks like you'll be "forced" to check out one with a digital tuner... or an LCD. As if you needed another excuse, right?

Sony unveils Blu-ray equipped HTP-BD2RSF HTIB system

by Matt Burns posted Aug 31st 2007 at 5:46PM

It was only a matter of time until Blu-ray hit the home theater in a box systems. Sony is taking their HT-SF2000 HTIB, adding the BDP-S300, and throwing in the BD Spider-Man trilogy for kicks. The system is built for HDMI, as the receiver has three inputs and one out, so besides speaker wire, users aren't going to have many cables to deal with. Plus, all that HDMI allows for auto-setup, in Sony's parlance: Digital Cinema Auto Calibration. HTIB systems have never been known for their sound quality and something tells us this 1000W system is going to be exactly top-notch, but that said, if priced right, it could be a great option for some with limited budget and a need for Blu-ray. The HTP-BD2RSF is currently announce for the European market only at an unknown sum, but something tells us that Sony is going to drop sometime very similar at CEDIA next week.

Honeywell, in cooperation with the Borg, develop self-healing HDMI cable

by Matt Burns posted Aug 30th 2007 at 11:35AM

Yesterday there was Monster Cable's Speed-Rated HDMI cables and today, Honeywell's CURxE self-healing cable. Sounds like someone in the marketing department decided that the error correcting built into the HDMI spec wasn't good 'nough and told the engineers to incorporate a little chip into the cable. Of course brightly colored LEDs were added to help potential suckers justify the extra expense. The last set of enhanced HDMI cables we reviewed, equipped with LEDs and "chips" didn't help the picture at all; it made the picture worse. We don't know how much these HDMI cables are going to retail for or when they are going to be available but honestly, even if we did, we highly doubt anyone would rush out and pick a set up. We have a bad feeling with CEDIA right around the corner, this is only the beginning of off the wall, greed-driven HDMI marketing.

UPDATE: Link now directs to the offical Honeywell PR - more info to come.

[Via Electronic House]

Olevia debuts 65-inch 665H 1080p LCoS RPTV

by Matt Burns posted Aug 28th 2007 at 12:01PM

Syntax-Brillian is dropping a new 65-inch 1080p LCoS HDTV at CEDIA '07 that might not win any awards, but based on previous models it should still be a quality set. This high-def rear projection should feel right at home within the ho-hum Olevia brand as it's equipped with nothing exactly ground-breaking, but it does have some of the latest mainstream HD goodies. We're talking about 1080p at a quick 4-millisecond response time, dynamic contrast ratio rated of 2000:1, and the standard set of inputs: two HDMI, two component, VGA, S-Video, composite, and of course, coax. Expect the 665H (565H pictured) at $1,999 when the set hits select dealers during the fourth quarter.

LG launches eight new flat screens

by Matt Burns posted Mar 27th 2007 at 1:00PM

Who wants a flat screen hanging on the wall made out of plastic? Seriously, how tacky would that look next your craftsman-style wood trim and mantle? Well LG's got your back with two new flat screens decked out in classy, Italian wood, and for the 'traditionalists' out there, six models made out of the plastic stuff. Deets are a bit sketchy right now, but we do know that the two with wood trim are both 60-inch 1080p plasmas (60PT1DRW / 60PT1DRA) with a price tag of ?9,900,000 ($10,500). The other sets include a 37- (37LB5DR) and 42-inch (42LB3D) LCD, a 42- (42PB4DR) and 50-inch (50PB4DR) plasma and 32- (32LB3D) and 42-inch (42LB5DR) LCD with LG's propriety DVR system. Prices start out at ?2,100,000 ($2,240) for the 37-inch and for the ?2,600,000 ($2,773) 42-inch LCD; ?2,300,000 ($2,453) and ?4,500,000 ($3,733) for the 42- and 50-inch PDP; along with ?1,700,000 ($1,813) and ?2,500,000 ($2,666) for the 42-/32-inch DVR-enabled LCD. The jury is still out though if it would be more cost effective to have one of those custom wood frames made for our current plasma. Oh well, it's just an excuse to buy another plasma.

Leaked pics of the new B&O BV9 TV

by Matt Burns posted Oct 13th 2006 at 10:16AM

The gods of the Internet has shined on us yet again today with leaked photos of Bang & Olufsen's upcoming BV9 LCD TV. We don't have the exact specs nailed down just yet but we expect the LCD to be slightly upgraded from the current BV5. What we do know is that this set is going to have a media center built-in along B&O uber-pricey scaler but we don't think 1080p, HDMI, and maybe even more size options rather then just 42-inches are out of question ether. As for pricing, our tipster phrased it best, "Pricing is exactly in line with a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV." Click on for more leaked pics that should tide you over till the official release info is dropped.

[Thanks, JK]

UPDATE: Looks like the Internet gods weren't so nice after all. The BV9 is going to be a 50-inch plasma and not an LCD. An insider is telling us that it has four HDMI inputs along with a slew of component and composite connections. The BV9 can control multiple sound stages and along with the Peripheral Unit Database, control non-B&O equipment. We apologies for the confusion.

Continue reading Leaked pics of the new B&O BV9 TV

NeoDigits announces the HELIOS H4000 HD Upscaling DVD player

by Matt Burns posted Oct 10th 2006 at 2:35PM

With all the fuss over HD optical discs, sometimes we forget that there are some nice low cost solutions to tide our HD cravings over till the next-gen format players drop in price. NeoDigits' latest offering into the crowded market of DVD upscalers -- the highly versatile H4000 -- is a great example. This player not only supports DVD, SVCD, VCD, CD, HDCD, MP3, WMA, MPEG 4, and DivX but also allows users to output nearly any resolution over its three high-def outputs. Say for instance a person wants to output 1080p over component, this player can do that (just like its older brother); or perhaps a higher-end A / V enthusiast wants to output the signal to an external video processor at 480i via HDMI -- that's kosher too. All-in-all there are eleven different resolutions that the H4000 can output over the composite, S-Vid, component, HDMI and VGA jacks. We hear ya if the whole HD DVD/Blu-ray battle is just to scary right now to jump feet first into at least a $500 investment, but maybe the $169 tag on the H4000 will be a tad easier to swallow when the player is released on October 17.

Sony's IPELA system: pricey HD video conferencing

by Matt Burns posted Sep 27th 2006 at 10:51AM

The in-laws have been pestering you to do a little video chatting so they can see their grandkids a bit more, right? But we're sure the thought of digging out the 'ol webcam from 2001 brings up repressed memories of jerky, tiny video chatting. Well Sony may have the solution -- albeit an uber-pricey one -- but still, it's a high-def solution in the form of its new IPELA package. The large pictured box (PCS-HG90) converts the captured HD video stream to H.264 (1,280 x 720 at 60fps) and shoots off the data to the receiving box via the Internet -- sending the video of your child's smiling face to his/her grandparents' HDTV. Plus, there isn't a cheap webcam in the system: Sony has bundled a 1.12 megapixel, 3CCD camera to get the best picture quality possible. While this system could theoretically work for remote family reunions, its $42,000 pricetag (you need two of each component, after all) would indicate that these units are aimed more towards the corporate market. Then again, you simply cannot put a price on your parents seeing every last feeding, diaper change, or spit up, now can you?

U-verse getting high-def service within weeks?

by Matt Burns posted Sep 25th 2006 at 10:42AM

U-verse users, meet HDTV. We just got word that AT&T's IPTV service is going to be blessed with numerous upgrades within the next few weeks that will include HDTV support, more channels, more VOD, games, personal photos and other unannounced features. This rollout seems to be within the same speculated time frame of October 25th to coincide with the launch of those brand spanking new Motorola DVR's; whenever it does happen, though, these features will be implemented during the slow viewing times between 11 PM and 5 AM with the hope of minimizing service interruption. On a similar note, AT&T is upgrading DVRs to prep for this rollout, with customers seeing all previously recorded programs erased and all scheduled recordings canceled after October 5th. But keep in mind this is for high-def along with more content, so hopefully the ends will justify the means -- you can deal with a few Adult Swim-free nights for the greater good, right?

Toshiba updates Z2000, H2000 & C2000 REGZA LCD lineup

by Matt Burns posted Aug 23rd 2006 at 1:23PM

Toshiba just unleashed a volley of new LCDs at the Japanese crowd today, including an updated lineup of 1080p Z2000 sets that are sure to make their little LCD brothers green with envy; highlights here include 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions and an extensive array of inputs, most notably three HDMI, two IEEE 1394 and three Ethernet jacks. The 47-incher in the Z2000 series is going to be available come late October for ¥600,000 ($5,187) while the smaller 42-, 37- and lower resolution 32-inch (1,366 x 768) sets are going to be available in the middle of September for a more modest ¥500,000 ($4,132), ¥420,000 ($3,631), and ¥300,000 ($2,593), respectively. Not everyone is going to be willing to drop the fat cash on the Z2000 line, though, so Toshiba is trying to hit the lower price brackets with the 1,366 x 768-outfitted H2000 and C2000 series. These two lineups are nearly identical, except the H2000s have a built-in 300GB HDD and an Internet powered EPG that probably won't do you any good here in the States, anyway; but if that is your type of thing, expect to pick up this line in late October, too, with the 42-incher starting at ¥450,000 ($3,890), the 37-incher going for ¥370,000 ($3,198), and the 32-incher sporting a ¥300,000 ($2,593) pricetag. The C2000 lineup is basically composed of your run-of-the-mill Best Buy-type displays, with just one HDMI port each, but rather affordable prices: ¥180,000 ($1,547) for the 23-incher, ¥200,000 ($1,719) for the 26-incher, ¥320,000 ($2,751) for the 37-incher, and lastly, ¥400,000 ($3,458) for the 42-inch model. Besides those 1080p LCDs, the highlight of this release event had to be the new I-O Data/Toshiba DLNA certified RAID-5 media servers that utilize those Ethernet ports on the back of the Z2000 line to not only stream media but also record remotely with just the push of a button. The one terabyte server is going to retail for ¥111,615 ($959) come late September, while the two terabyte flavor will hit shelves simultaneously with a heftier ¥221,445 ($1904 USD) sticker. Keep reading for more pics of the new sets, as well as some hot server pr0n...

Read: Z2000, H2000 & C2000 LCDs [Via Impress]
Read: Media Server [Via Impress]

Continue reading Toshiba updates Z2000, H2000 & C2000 REGZA LCD lineup

Warner Home Video provides first HD DVD vs Blu-ray comparison

by Matt Burns posted Aug 5th 2006 at 10:28AM

We hate to up the pundit wars, but we aren't the ones that released the same titles on both Blu-ray and HD DVD -- Warner Home Video did. Thanks to them though, the two high-def camps can now size up their formats mano-a-mano via Training Day, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Rumor Has It. HighDefDigest took the 1080i Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player along with the noisy 1080p Samsung BDP-1000 Blu-ray player and hooked 'em up to their HP Pavilion reference HDTV via HDMI. All three titles suffered from similar issues of extra noise on the Blu-ray side, and appeared just a tad darker then their HD DVD counterparts. An issue with cropping also popped up that we highly doubt anyone would notice unless they too have both players side by side, but the reviewers noticed less of a picture on all three Blu-ray titles even though they shared the same advertised aspect ratios as the HD DVDs. This brings up the question however, if this cropping is caused by the Blu-ray format, three bad Blu-ray masters, or the Samsung player? We are willing to bet on the latter most of the three, but we won't be able to find out until Pioneer or Panasonic releases their first Blu-ray players somtime in the next few months. No matter how you spin it, the HD DVD fanboys have something to celebrate as they walked away from this first scuffle without so much as a bloody nose.

Your fingers to be the next-gen computer interface

by Matt Burns posted Aug 4th 2006 at 6:31AM

The University of Buffalo's mad scientists are hoping that the "Fingertip Digitizer" will kick off the next phase in computer interfaces by harnessing people's learned physical motions and movement to kill the UI learning curve. All one needs to do is simply slip the sleeve onto their fingers and the device's thin-film embedded force sensors and tri-axial accelerometer will track their movements in real-time, even providing tactile feedback corresponding to physical motions and virtual environments. One might reminisce of a Tom Cruise flick or other implementations of gesture interface control, but the "Fingertip Digitizer" works a bit different then most by allowing the user to not only to command the system with motion, but also feel it (perhaps most similarly to Novint's Falcon). For example, if you move your hand to pick up a ball, you will not only instruct the computer to grab the ball, but feel the pressure and weight of the ball in your hand; should you motion pulling the trigger on a sniper rifle in an FPS, you'll feel that 1.5-pound hair-trigger move ever so slightly with your index finger. The whole system is going to be on display at this year's SIGGRAPH if you're nearby and want to peep one vision of future haptic interfaces, but otherwise you'll have to wait until this system hits commercial applications within about three years to get your mitts on these mitts.

MediaGear HD2GO photo viewer / personal media player

by Matt Burns posted Jul 31st 2006 at 11:13PM

Looks like Epson might have a competitor in their niche market of devices that are photo viewers first and personal media players second. MediaGear's HD2GO is strikingly similar to Epson's Photo Fine devices with its large, 3.6-inch screen, 20GB hard drive, CF slot, and MP3 playback. This market might be for you if you fit the description of a hardcore mobile digital camera user that needs a spot to dump all of your pics and view 'em on a larger screen but also need the occasional video playback option. Just make sure you keep to your photography work as video playback sucks down the battery life to a minuscule 4.5 hours on the HD2GO. The real difference here, however, is that the Epson P-4500 might have a larger 80GB hard drive and a cleaner look, but it retails for $640, quite a bit more than the $295 that the HD2GO will go for when it hits the streets in September.

[Via PhotographyBLOG]

USB clock with air purifier and LED party lights

by Matt Burns posted Jul 31st 2006 at 4:13AM

This little white ball may look like an ordinary clock but, let us tell you, this thing is anything but ordinary. Turn it around and you can see what sets it apart from its brethren -- an air purifier and multi-colored LED lights, all powered via good 'ol USB. We don't really know how good the air purifier part works as it's only a $32-powered USB device, afterall, but if you need a clock/calender on your desk, why not peep this thing? We're sure your computer room/cubical could use a little freshening up, plus the multi-colored LEDs are sure to liven up the place a bit. USB Geek claims that it can clean-up the air out of a nine square meter room, and who are we to doubt the same people that brought us our favorite USB mini paper shredder?

Evergreen's DN-SCM81 7.1 USB audio adaptor

by Matt Burns posted Jul 29th 2006 at 2:25AM

Evergreen is back at their game of low price USB oddities again, and this time around they have produced the DN-SCM81, an inexpensive 7.1 surround USB audio device. This little guy may not have a fancy casing or even a clever name, but it sure gets the job done with its extensive array of inputs and outputs. They loaded it up with one line level, one optical and two microphone inputs, along with one headphone, one optical and 5.1 outputs. We have seen devices like this before, but none have ever reached the rock bottom cost of $25 -- a price for which your surround sound audio will surely suffer. Then again, with a box this cheap you really have no excuse not to enjoy 7.1 off of your laptop into that high-priced audio system you just had to have.

[Via Engadget Japan]