Singapore telco StarHub wrapped up its months-long trial with the commercial launch of the Smart TV service, just in time for its June coverage of the FIFA World Cup to be broadcast on four dedicated channels.
CNET Asia has been following closely on the trial’s development and is pleased to report that most issues encountered have been rectified via over-the-network firmware upgrades delivered by the cable TV provider.
The Smart TV DVR will now be available to all CableTV subscribers at S$899 (US$591.45) (without contract). To commemorate the commercial launch, it is also offering special introductory (without contract) and 12-month contract prices of S$665 (US$437.50) and S$438 (US$288.16), respectively.
An addition S$5 (US$3.29) monthly Smart TV subscription fee plus charges for three minimum digital cable basic groups apply.
All right folks, the Japanese have finally lifted the shroud of secrecy over the launch details for its next-generation console with an announcement from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The long-awaited PlayStation 3 will be making its debut throughout mainland Europe and Australasia on November 17, 2006. Two models are expected on shelves: A 20GB hard drive-enabled version at €499 and its 60GB equivalent at €100 more.
Both models will ship with a built-in Blu-ray drive and a whole skew of advance features sorely omitted by the competition, such as a high-bandwidth Gigabyte networking, one-cable digital HDMI output and 1080p-compatibility.
Other nice touches include operating heat and noise suppression, a refined controller based on the tried-and-tested PS2 design and Super Audio CD playback support.
Panasonic fulfills its easy operation claim by outfitting the DMR-ES15 with super multiformat recording and playback features. Out-of-the-box compatibility includes all +/-R formats available in the market inclusive of the latest Dual-Layer, while 1-second quick-start recording and task-based navigation menus round up the user-friendly functions of this new model.
On top of the promising two-time LP mode recording capability, playback performance is beefed up with a pair of high-performance digital-to-analog converters (DAC). Expect better pictures and pristine audio with the onboard 12bit/108MHz video and 24bit/192Khz audio DACs.
Filling in the shoe of networking is the EMR-ES15's DV terminal for videocams. This is enhanced with automated recording and playlist creation designed to simplify video transfer plus easy retrieval and editing.
The new DMR-ES15 is now available for sale in Singapore at S$399 (US$262.50).
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