After Popcorn Hour announced an updated version of their media streamer, the A-110, we’ve been waiting to see if the changes really could make the great device any greater. According to Crave UK, they have: for an extra $35 the biggest improvements are HMDI 1.3a, DTS downmixing and USB Target functionality. In fact they describe the changes as “seriously worthwhile”.
DTS downmixing, to be added to the new hardware in an imminent firmware update, will allow the A-110 to decode DTS surround sound and downmix it to stereo, suitable for output on any TV. The HDMI 1.3a compatibility is what gets you the DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD output, and the USB Target port means you can plug the A-110 into your computer and have it show up as an external drive. Should shave a fair bit of time off of transferring files versus doing it over your network.
If there’s a downside, it’s that the advertised SATA update (the A-100 only supported IDE drives in the internal bay) is in fact only a SATA bridge, and so there are no speed increases to be had. Still, at $215 (with no internal drive) it looks to be even more of a bargain than before.
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Written by Chris Davies on August 13th, 2008 with no comments.
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Obscura Digital, who specialise in interactive media, have released a video demonstrating their new VisionAire “multitouch” projection system. The company themselves admit that it’s not exactly true multitouch, since there’s actually no contact involved; in fact, you gesture around in mid-air to control different windows and other objects. Multiple people can use the system at the same time.
Check out the video demo of VisionAire after the cut
There isn’t much in the way of technical details; the Obscura blog describes it as “our standard multi-touch framework [integrated] with the Musion system we have in house”. Musion are a company that produces a high-definition freeform 3D holograph on a live stage.
No word on whether this system will be made commercially available.
You can click over to YouTube to watch the high-quality version.
[via UltraMobile PC Tips]
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Written by Chris Davies on August 5th, 2008 with no comments.
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Fresh on the Centrino 2 bandwagon, Toshiba have launched their latest media-happy Qosmio entertainment notebooks, including the world’s first laptop with Cell Processor technology. The three new models, which were first announced last month, comprise the G55, the F55 and the gaming X305, and all use Intel’s latest mobile platform.
The F55 and X305 are relatively standard notebooks. The former has a GPS receiver for navigation, NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GTS graphics powering a 15.4-inch TruBrite high-def display and 2.1 Harman Kardon speakers, together with HDMI, eSATA, a DVD SuperDrive and face-recognising webcam. The X305, meanwhile, will be available exclusively at Best Buy and comes with an NVIDIA GeForce 9700M GTS video card, Core 2 Duo P7350 processor, a 17.1-inch widescreen display and 200GB, 7,200rpm HDD.
Where it gets interesting is the G55. The Cell Processor - which has seen action in the PS3 - comes under th brand name “Quad Core HD Processor” and takes on heavy multimedia processing chores such as video transcoding; that means the G55 is capable of real-time upconversion of standard-def video to 720p, super-fast transcoding between media formats and “video indexing” where clips are catalogued according to facial recognition. There’s also gesture control, using the onboard webcam.
An 18.4-inch widescreen display and 2.1 Harman Kardon speaker system means the G55 is definitely a desktop replacement rather than a notebook you’d want to take with you everywhere. Hook-ups to your existing home entertainment system are via HDMI and it can control Toshiba-branded AV equipment thanks to REGZA LINK.
The F55, X305 and G55 are available now.
Qosmio F55-Q502 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,399.99)
– OS selection at first boot:
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version) (default)
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(4) version)
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P7350(6)
– 3072MB PC-6400 DDR2 SDRAM(7)
– 320GB (5400 RPM) Serial-ATA HDD(8)
– DVD SuperMulti (+/-double layer) with Labelflash(TM) drive
– NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9700M GTS with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics(2) memory
– Atheros(R) (802.11 b/g/n)(9)
– Built-in GPS(1) ready
Qosmio F55-Q503 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,749.99)
– OS selection at first boot:
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(4) version) (default)
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T9400(6)
– 4096MB PC-6400 DDR2 SDRAM(7)
– 320GB using two (7200 RPM) Serial-ATA HDD(8)
– DVD SuperMulti (+/-double layer) with Labelflash(TM) drive
– NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9700M GTS with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics(2) memory
– Atheros(R) (802.11 b/g/n)(9)
– Bluetooth(R) version 2.1 + EDR
– Built-in GPS(1) ready
Qosmio X305-Q701 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,549.99)
– OS selection at first boot:
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(6) version) (default)
– Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P7350(3)
– 4096MB PC3-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM(4)
– 200GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA HDD(5)
– DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) with Labelflash(TM) drive
– NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 9700M(2) GTS with 512MB GDDR3 discrete graphics memory
– Intel(R) Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/g/n)(7)
– Bluetooth(R) version 2.1 + EDR
Qosmio G55-Q802 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,549.99)
– OS selection at first boot:
- Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit5 version)(default)
- Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T7350(1)
- 2.0 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
– TOSHIBA Quad Core HD Processor(1)
– 4096MB PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM memory(6)
– 500GB using two 5400 RPM Serial ATA hard disk drives(7)
– DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) drive with Labelflash(TM) supporting 11 formats
– NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR2 discrete graphics(2) memory,
– Atheros(R) 802.11 b/g/n wireless-LAN(8)
Qosmio G55-Q801 Unique Specifications (MSRP $1,299.99)
– OS selection at first boot:
- Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 64-bit(5) version)(default)
- Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit version)
– Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor T7350(1)
- 2.0 GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB
– 4096MB PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM memory(6)
– 320GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive(7)
– DVD SuperMulti (+/- double layer) drive with Labelflash(TM) supporting 11 formats
– NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 9200M GS with 256MB GDDR2 discrete graphics(2) memory
– Atheros(R) 802.11 b/g/n wireless-LAN(8)
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Written by Chris Davies on July 15th, 2008 with no comments.
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Is your room configured to handle 1080p video footage streaming over a network? Then you’ll like the Aztech WL850MS Wireless Multimedia Streamer. It’s got some specs that make it different: 802.11n Wi-Fi technology, Multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antennas for extra coverage, 2.4/5GHz dual-band capability.
It will be less prone to interference from cordless phones, bluetooth and the like with the dual-band capability. It will cost you about $263 for the WL850MS transmitter/receiver kit.
[asia.cnet]
Written by Conner Flynn on June 18th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 1080p and Aztech and WL850MS and Wireless and home theater and multimedia and streamer and video.
Vincent has been hanging out with Microsoft at their latest Surface Blogger Event, getting hands-on with the company’s MultiTouch table. All of the user experiences we’ve heard about over the past few months were out on show, including the Rio iBar gaming, entertainment browser and virtual mini-bar, and AT&T’s in-store use of Surface as a phone information and accessory tool. They also demonstrated some of the table’s other talents, including its ability to photograph and display, in real-time, anything placed onto it - whether that be money, a drink or even a blogger’s face!
Check out the exclusive hands-on video with Microsoft’s Surface after the cut
While the glitzy stuff is all very impressive, what’s most interesting to me is the general use of MultiTouch - that’s what gives hints as to how it might be implemented in the Windows 7 OS. The virtual dial used to browse through multiple photos is particularly neat, and while the ability to zoom and pan with fingers is already in use on the iPhone, it really seems to come into its own on a larger-scale display.
Of course there are plenty of questions: what sort of hardware and minimum spec will recreating this sort of MultiTouch experience in the home require, and what do Microsoft consider the “killer app” to persuade the many doubters that the technology has a place in the home? This is only day one of the event, and Vincent is promising more video and hands-on photos of what Microsoft have up their sleeves for Surface.
Remember, you can click over to YouTube and select “watch in high quality” to see the full-resolution version
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Written by Chris Davies on June 18th, 2008 with no comments.
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Toshiba has rolled out its latest updates to the company’s multimedia-heavy Qosmio range. Top of the list has to be the new G50-series, which is the first to feature the SpursEngine processor (as seen with the PS3’s cell processor), here under the Quad Core HD Processor banner, for some serious media grunt. Toshiba are quoting 10x faster video transcoding with the G50-series than a standard notebook from its stables, courtesy of the SpursEngine and NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GR 512MB graphics. Storage options range up to 500GB space, and there’s Harman Kardon stereo speakers and subwoofer to go with the 18.4-inch widescreen display.
Elsewhere, the Qosmio X305 goes slightly smalled with a 17.1-inch widescreen display. Visuals are handled by NVIDIA’s GeForce 9800M GTX with 1GB of memory, while everything else is taken care of via a dual-core Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU. 400GB of storage is made of up two 200GB drives, and there’s still room for 5.1 Harman Kardon surround sound speakers and subwoofer. Ostentatious gamers are going to love the X305, as long as they can stomach the flaming red paint scheme.
Finally, the F50-series trades a little power for extra portability, and while you’ll have to make do with a 15.4-inch display and GeForce 9700 GTS graphics there’s a GPS receiver in there to sweeten the deal. Garmin-sourced software offers navigation and voice-prompts. Harman Kardon have again stepped in to provide the audio.
Each notebook has HDMI, eSATA and unspecified optical drives. Touch-sensitive media buttons also show up, though presumably with the same poor light aiming issues as the M305 we tested recently. The new notebooks will be available in mid-July, prices yet to be announced.
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Written by Chris Davies on June 17th, 2008 with no comments.
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Call your new remote control the “Ultimate Remote” and you’d better have some meat to back up the name, but that’s how tvCompass have decided to brand their WiFi-enabled universal zapper. We first saw the device back in January at CES, and now the company have partnered with ESPN to launch both the remote and an exclusive media content service for users. Sports-fans will be able to check out news and stats while they watch the game, as well as browse the EPG on the Ultimate Remote’s full-color 2.2-inch display.
The ESPN version is on sale now, priced at a not-inconsiderable $299.99. That might seem a lot, but you’re getting a fair bit of tech, too. Control of more than 24 devices, macros and on-device setup, an xHTML browser with RSS and TV broadcast sync letting the remote’s display act as a second screen (such as with picture-in-picture) make for a fitting rival to the Logitech Harmony range. There’s also a micropayment client, compatible with PayPal, which would make pay-per-view selection straightforward.
Apparently tvCompass are in talks with other operators regarding more customized versions of the handset. Part of its charm is the flexibility of customization, plus the fact that settings (or even adverts) can be loaded on remotely (and are all backed-up on tvCompass’ servers).
[via Zatz Not Funny]
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Written by Chris Davies on May 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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Panasonic’s latest range of web-enabled LCD TVs have finally launched in the US. Announced back in January, the high-definition VIERA PZ850 is available in sizes ranging from 46 to 65-inches, and is compatible with Panasonic’s “VIERA CAST” multimedia content system. That offers both YouTube videos and Google Picasa Web Album browsing on your big-screen TV, without requiring a media PC.
Users can browse and search both online services direct from their remote control, using the PZ850’s lounge-friendly GUI. It can also bring up news and stock information from Bloomberg. Internet connectivity is via wired ethernet, while there’s also an SD slot to browse photos direct from a camera’s memory card (though not, as far as we’re aware, a way to upload them to Picasa) and AVCHD compatibility to hook up a camcorder direct. More standard connections include four HDMIs, a PC video connection and VIERA Link.
The two smaller models, the 46 and 50-inch versions, are available in the US now, priced at $3,099 and $3,499 respectively. The 58 and 65-inch versions will be released in August, priced at $4,299 and $7,999 respectively. All include Panasonic’s picture processing technology, including Studio Reference Mode (which claims to recreate how films are previewed by directors) and Digital Cinema Color (which tweaks the color to look more cinematic).
[via Pocket-lint]
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Written by Chris Davies on May 23rd, 2008 with no comments.
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