Epson announced their latest addition to the MovieMate line up, the MovieMate 55. The 55 model will have the same WVGA (854 x 480) resolution as the 50 model, but with a brighter 1200 ANSI lumens. The MovieMate 55 will also have a built-in DVD player inside the projector, which will play standard DVDs and CDs. If you want HD quality you can connect an external player.
It’s able to display an image up to 150 inches, diagonally, from a projection distance of less than 15 feet, making it an ideal portable to take movie night with you wherever you go. It also sports 8 watt stereo speakers with Dolby 5.1 Digital DTS technology for the best sound possible. The MovieMate 55 is already available for purchase on the Epson website and will retail for $699.
[Epson]
Written by Conner Flynn on August 26th, 2008 with no comments.
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Today we got a chance to go hands-on with the DSM-330 DivX Connected HD Media Player that D-Link debuted last month. This media player is a handy piece of wireless-capable hardware that bridges the gap between your computer and your TV bringing your downloaded digital media into the living room at up to 720p, and in our tests it did so with ease.
Setup
Setting up the DSM-330 was actually, and surprisingly, a little easier than we expected. Since we were planning on taking advantage of the wireless feature (you can use it “wired” if you would like in order to make things slightly faster for HD, but it’s not nearly as cool) we assumed that we would first have to physically connect to the device to do some configuration, but this was just not the case.
The first step is to install the software on your computer which acts as the server to stream out the media to the media player connected to the TV. The software supports only Windows XP and Vista; in our tests we used Windows Vista. The server software was a very quick and simple installation. We set the directories for the software to seek out music, images and video and it started crawling the computers drive to get an inventory of the media. The server software is nothing fancy to look at but enables you to connect multiple wireless HD media players on different TV’s to this same server and all have access to your media.
The DSM-300 comes packaged a few options for connecting to your TV including A/V composite cables, SCART and HDMI which of course was our choice. Once we had the device connected to our HDTV we simply turned on the DivX Connected device and our TV, changed the input and followed the on-screen instructions. We have a secured wireless network that broadcasts the SSID so the media player found it immediately and provided a guide to enter the key code with the remote control. Within a few minutes of setup we were listening to music and viewing pictures and movies from our computer on our high-def television without having to interact directly with the computer at all.
DivX Connected Interface
The DivX Connected interface from the D-Link HD media player for us was very intuitive and easy to use. By default there is a stylish background and a large rotating menu that allows the use of the remote to navigate between the different media types and additional online resources.
The interface reflects the directory structure of media on the computer and allows you to select pictures movies or music, or you can have the music play continuously and view a slideshow of photos, even at the same time. There are also options to customize the look of the interface with different presets or even by making a custom background of your own. In addition, the player comes with some default “screen savers” that you can take advantage of to add some ambiance to the room through a full-screen crackling fire or salt water aquarium.
Additional Features
The D-Link DivX Connected media player also had some additional features that we were just not expecting but were a very pleasant surprise. These additional items gave us that warm and fuzzy feeling we like when we find devices that have the potential to keep on giving after the initial purchase.
From your computer you can navigate to the DivX Connected Plugins page to browse and download plugins to use through the DivX Connected media player in addition to viewing your own digital media from any TV in the house. The plugins for the most part were very small in size and downloaded in just a few seconds. Some we tried out included software to connect to Google Maps, obtain news, online videos through YouTube (beta, no sound yet), pictures through Flicker, Picasa and SnapshotCity, cooking, National Geographic videos, HD movie trailers, Comic-con videos and music through Last.fm, Connected Radio and Seeqpod.
Summary
The DSM-330 worked very well for us as an easy-to-use and easy-to-setup device to bring our digital media in the living room. The server software that supports multiple devices is great to bring the content from one source to many TV’s but the Connected devices have no on-board storage for media so it requires that the computer serving the media always be on. This is a little bit of an inconvenience but probably keeps the price of the media player down to a more accessible $299. Also, the additional features of online content from multiple sources, plug-ins and the potential for more plug-ins and features makes us feel better about getting something that can be updated with additional content and features in the future.
D-Link DivX Connected HD Media Player
Written by Darrin Olson on August 10th, 2008 with no comments.
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Samsung last week, besides rolling out some Series 8 flat panels, also introduced its new flagship Series 9 LED-backlit LCD HDTVs. These models are the 46-inch LN46A950 and 55-inch LN55A950, priced around $3,200 and $4,200, respectively.
These new Series 9 panels from Samsung make use the company’s “LED SmartLighting“ technology, offers consumers a combination of LED and 120Hz technologies. This reportedly results in a “1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for a crisp, full HD 1080p picture.” This HDTVs also sport a bit of an art touch via the patterned bezel with charcoal gray accent.
Features of the Series 9 include access to select RSS feeds, MP3 music and video file playback from on memory devices, USB 2.0, content preloaded in internal flash memory and four HDMI 1.3 inputs. This televisions will be available in August.
Samsung
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 28th, 2008 with no comments.
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Samsung has done a rather unique spin on the whole sound bar in front of the flat panel thing, unveiling the other day a sound bar which doubles as a self-contained DVD system. It is called the Samsung HT-X810 and pricing is said to be around $700.
The Samsung HT-X810 is, according to Samsung, a virtual 5.1-channel system which incorporates an upconverting DVD player and FM tuner. It makes use of 5.8 GHz technology to connect with the included wireless subwoofer and also incorporates Bluetooth so one can stream from Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices and home theater components.
Features of the HT-X810 include HDMI output, a slot-in interface for the DVDs, 300 watts of total power and the ability to play media off of attached USB devices. It is available now.
Samsung
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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Samsung is kicking out another home theater in a box system which sports an included Blu-ray Disc player. This one is called the Samsung HT-BD2E and pricing will be at around $800.
The Samsung HT-BD2E, which will be available in August, joins two similar systems Samsung already offers. This particular system reportedly offers the same quality features as the others while also offering a more “user friendly” 5.1-channel design. It includes your four typical statellite speakers, a center channel and a passive subwoofer.
Features of this system include 800 watts of total power, support for most major surround sound formats, HDMI output, Bluetooth wireless rear speakers and 1080p Blu-ray playback.
Samsung
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 24th, 2008 with no comments.
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Do you feel like you already have the ultimate geek home theater room? What might take it beyond that, you ask? How about your own ticket booth? If charging your guests to see a movie at your house sounds like a nice way to finance the monthly payments on your setup, Bass Industries has a couple of ticket booths you’ll want to check out.
Two ticket booths seem to make the current Bass line up - a regular and a deluxe model. The regular one includes an illuminated header, optional curtain background image and is available in a variety of finishes and curtain colors. The deluxe model adds to this, it seems, by just looking more classy.
There is no pricing mentioned on these models, but I have to figure it will probably add a nice penny or so to your already over-budgeted home theater experience. They are available now.
Bass Ticket Booths [via CE Pro]
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 24th, 2008 with no comments.
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Samsung had a little mid-year coming out party yesterday as it unveiled a bunch of new flat panels and associated home theater gear. One of these upcoming releases is the new Series 8 850 and Series 8 860 LCD HDTVs, pricing between around $2,700 and $3,500.
Four models make up the Series 8 850 and 860, consisting of two each 45.9- and 52-inch televisions. All units will be available in September and unique features include a slim, narrow bezel with a touch of color around the edges and support for RSS feeds from USA Today. For full details, check out the press release after the jump.
Samsung Debuts the Evolution of Functional Art With New Slim Bezel “Touch of Color”™ LCD HDTVs
EnergyStar®-rated Series8 850 and 860 LCD HDTVs Build Upon Revolutionary Design
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics America Inc., the market leader in HDTV design and innovation, enhances its “functional art” home technology collection with the introduction of two new LCD HDTVs. The Series 8 850 and 860 LCD HDTVs feature a next generation implementation of Samsung’s ToC™ (Touch of Color™) design – a new slim and narrow frame with a depth of 1.9 inches at its widest. In addition to rose (850), Samsung now offers its innovative ToC design in deep blue (860). The Series 8 delivers a crisp full HD 1080p picture with up to a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and features Samsung’s latest Auto Motion Plus 120Hz™ and Ultra Clear Panel technologies for continual rich details and lifelike color.
“Samsung’s Series 8 LCD HDTVs represent the company’s proven dedication to offer consumers new applications and performance levels that enhance their TV viewing experience,” said Jonas Tanenbaum, Vice President of LCD Television Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Sporting our latest ToC narrow bezel and slim design, the Series 8 combines cutting-edge technology and stylish design for the home. While picture quality is always a priority, we have also focused on connecting consumers with their own digital content, pre-loaded digital content from the Content Library, or online RSS feeds of the latest news, sports and weather from USA Today via our InfoLink service.”
Series 8 850 / 860 Full HD LCD TVs
Slim and Narrow Bezel with a Touch of Color
Samsung continues the tradition of introducing innovative design with a next-generation iteration of its innovative Touch of Color. For consumers searching for a TV that is ideal for mounting near flush against a wall, the Series 8 has a new ToC design that is half the width of conventional flat-panel TVs at a mere 1.9 inches deep at its widest point. The Series 8 also features minimal edging around the screen, just enough design to appreciate the beauty of the TV when turned off and its superior picture performance when on.
Implemented in Samsung’s Series 8 flat-panel HDTVs, ToC is an innovative design that infuses color in the black bezel by employing dual-injection molding technology. Since color is infused and not painted on, no volatile organic compounds (VOC) are emitted during the production process reducing CO2 emissions.
Ultra Clear Panel and Wide Color Enhancer 2
Taking picture clarity and crispness to a new level, Samsung’s Ultra Clear Panel is designed to improve contrast ratios and produce deep black levels. Able to perform in any lighting condition, the Ultra Clear Panel ensures that the TV flawlessly displays bold, bright colors and deep, dark black tones. For vibrant and pure onscreen portrayal of nature-perfected colors, Samsung’s Wide Color Enhancer 2 technology maximizes the expanded color range used in HDTV broadcasting. By strengthening the reds, greens, and blues, depth and intensity are added to images that may appear weak on other displays without over-saturation. Users can appreciate the look originally intended by the movie director, or game developer.
Auto Motion Plus 120Hz™
Designed to minimize the motion judder and image blurring that can occur in fast-paced action scenes or sports broadcasts, Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz™ technology estimates and inserts an extra frame between frames to create a smoother viewing experience. The extra frame renders images that flow more naturally, allowing even the quickest action scenes to be presented with lifelike precision and clarity.
InfoLink™
Further positioning the HDTV as an entertainment hub in the home, the Series 8 LCD HDTVs include the one-button, on-demand InfoLink™ RSS service. Powered by content from USA Today, InfoLink instantly displays news, weather, and stock information onscreen via adjustable overlays. As the ultimate form of convenience for the always-connected consumer, InfoLink allows users to view stock quotes from their personal portfolio and local weather information. Connect the TV to the Internet, and there is no need to change the channel to get a five-day forecast of the weather.
Digital Content Connectivity and Management
The Series 8 LCD HDTVs offers a host of connection options to enjoy a growing library of digital content. Simply plug a memory drive or digital camera in the side-mounted USB 2.0 port, and WiseLink™ Pro turns the television into a jukebox or photo album. The TV recognizes not only MP3 and JPEG files but also XviD and MPEG4 videos. In addition, it comes with a Digital Content Management feature that allows the user to sort images based on usual parameters like time and unusual ones like color and composition. Additionally, the Series 8 LCDs are compatible with DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) for easy connection to and content sharing with other DLNA-CERTIFIED™ products, such as a computer.
EnergyStar® Rated
Aligned with Samsung’s efforts to combine technological advancement with environmental awareness, Samsung’s Series 8 LCDs feature a unique “Energy Saving Mode” making the HDTV compliant with the latest EPA EnergyStar® rating system. By selecting a low, medium, high, or auto setting, the HDTV’s backlight brightness is adjusted and power consumption is substantially decreased compared to similar 2007 models.
The Series 8 850 LCD HDTVs will be available in September in the 46” class (45.9-inch measured diagonally) and 52.0-inch sizes (model numbers: LN46A850 and LN52A850). The Series 8 860 LCD HDTVs, which include an additional USB 2.0 connection and a variation on the bezel design, will be available in similar sizes (model numbers: LN46A860 and LN52A860) at select retailers in September.
Wireless LinkStick Accessory
For added convenience, the Samsung Wireless LinkStick allows consumers to access the InfoLink feature on the Series 8 LCD HDTV wirelessly. While a connection to the Internet via an appropriate modem and wireless router is still required, consumers will no longer need to run an Ethernet cable directly to their HDTV. The Wireless LinkStick (WIS-08BGX/XAA) is available now at an estimated selling price of $34.99.
Samsung
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 24th, 2008 with no comments.
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Onkyo yesterday made some new product annoucements associated with mid-year releases. These new products include two mid-price home theater receivers and two packaged home theater systems. The Onkyo TX-SR706 receiver is now available around $900. HT-S7100 and HT-S6100 systems are also currently available around $900 and $800 respectively. The TX-SR806 will price around $1,100, and it will be shipping in mid August.
Highlights of this new gear include both receivers being THX certified and including the new THX Loudness Plus audio processing technology for improved low-volume-level listening and the home theater systems being seven-channel. You can get full details after the jump.
Onkyo’s Mid-year Product Launch Includes Two THX Home Theater Receivers and Two New HTiB Packaged Systems
UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ (7/22/08) – Onkyo USA has introduced two mid-price home theater receivers and two packaged home theater systems, as part of its mid-year new product announcements. Both receivers are THX certified and include the new THX Loudness Plus audio processing technology for improved low-volume-level listening. All of the new models include expanded HDMI connectivity, Faroudja DCDi video processing capabilities, Audyssey room acoustics correction and Dynamic EQ, and Onkyo’s Music Optimizer for improved sound from heavily compressed digital sources.
“These new models represent solid gains in performance, versatility, and convenience in the mid-price market,” said Paul Wasek, Onkyo’s marketing manager. “They give consumers the ability to attain optimal performance with all the newest AV sources and high definition video screens at an affordable price. We have added more HDMI inputs with greater use of Faroudja DCDi technology to provide high definition video. The THX certified models now have THX Loudness Plus processing for improved sound quality at quieter listening levels. Overall, these receivers and HTiB systems represent an incredible value in terms of price and performance.”
The Onkyo TX-SR806 and TX-SR706 home theater receivers have THX Ultra2 Plus and Select2 Plus certification respectively, and both include the new THX Loudness Plus technology. The TX-SR806 and TX-SR706 have five and four HDMI 1.3a repeater inputs respectively to allow optimal HD audio and video performance with the full spectrum of Blu-ray, cable, game, and satellite sources. The sophisticated Faroudja DCDi Cinema video processor circuits can upscale HDMI digital video sources to a 1080p output, and dramatically improve the resolution of analog video signals compared to the source. The TX-SR806 also provides up-conversion to 1080i for the analog component video output.
Onkyo’s new HT-S7100 and HT-S6100 HTiB packaged systems each consists of a home theater receiver, seven-channel loudspeaker system, powered subwoofer, and iPod dock. In addition, the HT-S7100 includes two stylish speaker stands. The system receivers have four HDMI inputs with video upscaling to 1080i via Faroudja DCDi Edge technology. The premium audio processing includes DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD, Audyssey 2EQ room acoustics correction, and Audyssey Dynamic EQ loudness correction.
The Onkyo TX-SR706 receiver is now available with a suggested retail price of $899. HT-S7100 and HT-S6100 systems are also currently available with suggested retail prices of $899 and $799 respectively. The TX-SR806 will have a suggested retail price of $1,099, and it will be shipping in mid August.
Onkyo, which takes its name from the Japanese “On” meaning ’sound’ and “Kyo” meaning ‘harmony,’ has been producing precision audio components for over a half-century. The company’s philosophy is to deliver products that are superbly designed and built to a consistently outstanding standard of excellence. Today, Onkyo is at the forefront of the home theater and digital revolutions. For more information about this and other fine Onkyo products, visit www.onkyousa.com or call 800-229-1687.
Onkyo
Written by Nino Marchetti on July 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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