New Bravia W undergoes refreshing facelift

Sony has just fired its first salvo for the new year with a spanking new Bravia W-series. These full-HD LCD TVs are shipped in 32- to 52-inch screen sizes and sport a unique "Draw the Line" design. This latest styling concept is centered on a section of semi-translucent bezel and a thin panel frame dressed in shimmering midnight blue finish. We have also confirmed that this is the only hue available, a rather strange approach considering its ongoing multicolor proposition for its existing Bravia TVs.

Also new on the plate is an improved Bravia Engine 2 video processor and Digital Media Port (DMP) support. While there is limited information on enhancements for its proprietary picture-processing engine, the latter does open up a slew of new connectivity options. These include DMP bases for its Walkman MP3 players, Bluetooth-enabled Sony Ericsson mobiles and Apple iPods. With these addons, you could easily manage and playback multimedia clips on-the-fly right on the big-screen Bravia via the bundled remote controller.

The Bravia KLV-32W400A, KLV-40W400A, KLV-46W400A and KLV-52W400A will be available throughout Asia Pacific from March. Further details such as detailed pricing were not ready at press time. Check more information here.

Carlos Rossi's "jugcoustics" sound system

We know there is more than one way to skin a cat, but hats off to Carlos Rossi vineyards for conceiving possibly the world's first Jugology-based speakers. The Sangria Sound System is definitely one of a kind designed ground up using the company's glass wine jugs. In this case, old salvaged loudspeaker components are stuffed into a collection of custom-cut 4-liter and 1.5-liter Rossi jugs. Six of these are mounted on a neon tube which doubles as a speaker stands, complete with a soft under glow for that extra special touch and bling.

Satisfaction is apparently guaranteed, too. This is what Carlo Rossi has to say about its 5.1 6.1 (are you people drunk?) loudspeakers. "Thanks to the Sangria Surround Sound System, whether you're watching an action movie or getting down with your bad self on the living room, you're sure to feel the bass in your face while enjoying the subtle, fruity waft of Sangria in the air." This seems to be one of its many jug design showpieces which includes couch, TV console and bookshelf. Too bad, we seriously doubt you will find one of these on sale anytime soon.

Via Bornrich.org | Photo credit: Carlos Rossi

An affordable Bravia projector at a home cinema near you

First, we have the flagship Sony VPL-VW200 and midrange VW60 Black Pearl. And now there is an upcoming entry-level VW40 to complete the entire series of Bravia home theater projectors. So what are installed for this US$2,999.99 (yes, it's not a typo) SXRD-based light cannon? How about a respectable 15,000:1 dynamic contrast, vertical/horizontal lens shift function and dual HDMI terminals? Oh, did we mention 24P TrueCinema for smooth native 24 frames-per-second video playback, too?

As usual, there's probably a catch somewhere. But no matter how hard we scrutinized the specs sheet, there weren't any obvious omissions or subpar figures for us to pound on (just joking). Nonetheless, a missing official brightness rating did arouse our suspicions. Doing a little detective work, it's pretty obvious that this will be around or lower than 1,000 ANSI lumens going by its 200W lamp. Why? That's because the VW60 is rated 1,200 lumens for a 220W-equivalent. We are still awaiting pricing and availability from Sony for the Asia markets.

Darwin tries to evolve Wiimote technology

Whether Nintendo likes it or not, the Wii may be in the midst of a forced evolution of both the commercial and DIY variety.

The latter was seen recently when the console's Wiimote system was the subject of a high-profile hack by a Carnegie Mellon researcher that yielded some impressive results. Now a company called Motus has created a controller that works like the Wiimote on PCs and non-Wii consoles.

Dubbed Darwin, the controller uses gyroscopes and accelerometers for tracking motion and is said to be more accurate than the infrared system used by the Wii, according to Dvice. It's supposed to be faster too--so, for the sake of all involved, we hope the company has given some serious thought to a strap.

Via Crave CNET

InFocus plays catching up with yet another 1080p beamer

Seems like 1080p latecomer InFocus is on a roll with yet another Play Big projector. Just months after releasing its pilot full-HD beamers, the IN81 and IN82, the American company is back showing off a new stepped-up model. Above all, the upcoming £3,500 (US$6,900) IN83 sports the latest Texas Instrument DarkChip 4 DLP engine. This delivers an instant 25 percent boost in native contrast from 4,000 to 5,000:1. As far as we can tell, this is the most significant upgrade on paper, while everything stay pretty much the same. Could this be an IN82 with a heart transplant? Go figure.

Via Trusted reviews | Photo credit: InFocus

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