Posts in Home AV

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Sony fights back with new Blu-ray player

Philip Wong | Jun 04, 2007

Ain't it sweet to have healthy competition? Merely weeks after Toshiba fired its first HD-DVD salvo in Asia, Sony is now countering the threat with its second local Blu-ray release. Joining the S$799 (US$567.31) PlayStation 3 and S$1,999 (US$1,419.34) Samsung BD-P1000 is an enhanced version of its first-generation BDP-S1 standalone Blu-ray player.

Editors' note:

The Sony BDP-S1E has just been launched in Hong Kong at a recommended retail price of HK$7,980 (S$1,564). On a separate note, expect the US$599 BDP-S300 to hit Asia's shores some time in Q4 2007.

Easily the sexiest HD player among the next-generation DVD cohorts, the souped-up BDP-S1E now offers HDMI version 1.3 and wide color gamut support (xvYCC technology). The former outputs native Dolby Digital, Digital Plus and DTS-HD audio for outboard surround sound decoding, while delivering film-centric 24Hz 1080p video for enhanced visual performance.

Those on A/V receivers and processors without HDMI will also get to enjoy CD-quality Dolby and DTS sound. This is possible with the player's onboard decoder and analog multichannel audio outputs, a feature lacking in its own PS3 and lower-end models. Though pricing was not available at press time, expect the S1E to ship throughout Asia Pacific from July.

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Ahoy! The Caribbean pirates are coming to StarHub Cable

Philip Wong | Jun 04, 2007

Two brand new channels will be making their way to the local Singapore cable scene. StarHub has announced The History Channel and Crime And Investigation Network, both slated for telecast from June 15 at 7pm on channel 8 and 78, respectively.

The History Channel will be available at no extra cost for subscribers to the Digital Cable's Education Basic Group. They will also need to have digital, Smart TV or HD settop boxes. Key highlights for June include True Caribbean Pirates, Warrior Empire: The Mughals, and Mega Movers: Oil Machines.

CSI fans may also like to tune to Crime And Investigation Network. Priced at a monthly subscription of S$12 (US$8.52) per month, this channel will be tied under its Family Plus tier. The program lineup for this month ranges from Dallas SWAT to Cold Case Files and Investigation Reports.

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LG's flat-panel TV redux

Philip Wong | Jun 01, 2007

Just days after a similar announcement, LG is back in the news with six new midrange entries from its Dynamic Wave series. This time round, we got its LC7 LCDs and PC5 plasmas in the spotlight, both equipped with the company's latest 2007 XD Engine billed to deliver enhanced digital brightness, contrast and color control, among others.

Like its full-HD LB7 counterparts, the LC7s are based on the popular Super-In-Plane Switching LCD panels and are capable of accepting 24Hz 1080p signals. This lineup also beats the flagship models with a revealing 10,000:1 dynamic contrast and blazing-fast 5ms response time, losing out in resolution and color depth with a 1,366 x 768-pixel, 8-bit (6-bit for 26LC7R) panel.

While the PC5's 15:000:1 dynamic contrast constitutes a noticeable 50 percent leap from its predecessor, what really caught our attention here is its Clear Filter technology. Another of the Korean company's shot at the ongoing plasma TV anti-reflection drive, it promises better viewing experience by minimizing dull pictures as well as eliminating double images.

The LC7s and PC5s are now available in Singapore from S$1,499 (US$1,064.33) and S$3,599 (US$2,555.38), respectively.