Posts in Home AV
Say hello to CH-DVD and a 51GB HD-DVD
Crave UK | Sep 13, 2007
It's all go in the HD-DVD camp at the moment. Still on a high from the Paramount/Dreamworks deal, we're now hearing that HD-DVD will soon have a 51GB, triple-layer disc on the way. The significance of a 51GB capacity is that it exceeds the current Blu-ray maximum by 1GB.
Obviously, 1GB is nothing more than a token increase, but it's an amusing nose-thumbing by Sony's opposition. Of course, the smile might be wiped from HD-DVD's face if Sony announces a 100GB disc in the near future. There's also a DVD/HD-DVD hybrid disc that has a 4.7GB DVD layer, and two 15GB HD DVD layers, something that could encourage DVD player owners to buy a hybrid disc for future upgrade purposes.
The good news is that the 51GB discs should play in all HD DVD players currently on the market. CNET discussed this with James Armour from Toshiba's optical storage division at CeBIT this year, and were told that although the third layer would be harder to read and generate more data errors, the player's error correction should be able to fix these problems without picture and sound problems.
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Loewe Connect: A fusion of style and functionality
Damian Koh | Sep 02, 2007
Loewe--a brand that is synonymous with design and style, even though our wallets are likely to protest. And we like how aptly the product catalog puts it: What looks better in your living room--a PC or another piece of designer furniture? Needless to say, we chose the latter, and with good reasons. At IFA Berlin, the company showcased its new Loewe Connect range that integrates the functionalities of a PC into the TV. We could access digital content or connect to a home network with a special dLAN 200 AV adapter by plugging directly into a power socket. The best part is this sweetie comes with a built-in antenna to go wireless. So basically Loewe wants you to believe its new panels are all you'll ever need at home. The first units with a diagonal screen size of 94cm will be available in Europe from next January, while the 106cm and 80cm editions are expected in March and May, respectively.Sharp's prototype 52-inch LCD TV is almost paper-thin
Damian Koh | Sep 02, 2007
The keyword is, almost. But really, the panel nearly disappeared along with the crowd in the background when we took a picture from the side. It's quite an amazing feat if you ask us. The prototype measures 29mm at its thickest point and only 20mm for the main display section. We didn't see any wires or sockets at the back of the unit, so we're guessing the tubes holding up the TV have some sort of wiring in them. Actually, we're just concerned about when we're getting one of these in our Labs. For those of you who love crunching numbers, this 52-inch prototype has a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, 150-percent color reproduction in the NTSC gamut and weighs 25kg. Not too heavy to carry home we suppose.
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Philips' Aurea, the next-gen Ambilight
Damian Koh | Sep 01, 2007
If you're wondering how much light Philips can install behind its LCDs, well, lots. And if it looks twice as good, then we're sold. The next wave of Ambilight-powered LCDs takes the moniker of Aurea and provides an "immersive home cinematic experience". Under its hood are a Perfect Pixel HD engine with a 100Hz refresh rate, an invisible speaker system and three HDMI ports. The 42-inch Philips Aurea is now available in Asia at an equally impressive S$7,999 (US$5,881.62) price tag. Check here for more details.
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Samsung's F9 series dims parts of your TV selectively
Damian Koh | Sep 01, 2007
Dubbed the LED SmartLighting technology, which in more layman terms refers to "local dimming", multiple LED backlight units on the TV are capable of adjusting the brightness level by selectively turning off sections of the screen to give a dynamic contrast ratio of 500,000:1. Apparently, while getting deeper blacks on your spanking new 52-incher, you're also reducing power consumption by more than 30 percent. Sounds like a good deal to us. We love environmentally friendly products. Available also in a 70-inch number, the F9 series sports USB 2.0 and a trio of HDMI connections.
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