Posts in Home AV
New Panasonic "iPodized" HTIBs
Philip Wong | Apr 14, 2008
The new 2008 Panasonic home-theater-in-a-box (HITB) range supports iPods quite unlike any of its peers. These have the media player dock integrated in the DVD receiver, above the company logo, and concealed underneath a flap. They also playback iPod audio and video conveniently via the HTIB's remote, coupled with a large and legible playlist rendered on your big screen.
If you've no love for iPods, perhaps the Kelton subwoofer and bamboo diaphragm center speakers may be worth considering, too. The former is a sealed box with an internal 160mm and side-firing 250mm driver, trading tighter bass vs. volume and loudness. Lastly, according to its press release, the rigid and low-density nature of bamboo enhances clarity for crisp and cleaner dialog.
Aside from the above mentioned, other standard bits include USB host for MP3, WMA, JPEG, MPEG-4 and DivX playback, microphone input for karaoke wannabes and multiformat DVD (-R/-R DL/-RW/-RAM/+R/+R DL/+RW) compatibility. Check the table below for more details on these Asia entries.
| iPod dock | ||||
| Kelton sub | ||||
| Diaphragm center speakers | ||||
| HDMI | ||||
| 1080p DVD upscaling | ||||
| Digital amplifier/power | ||||
| Price | ||||
| Availability |
Man eats 140+ pieces of sushi to promote video game
Josh Lowensohn | Apr 14, 2008
To everyone's surprise Janus managed to wolf down 14 plates full, totaling 141 pieces, each about the size of a roll of film. The winning guesstimater received US$250 in cash, while Janus casually sipped some lemonade and played a few rounds of the game with onlookers, including myself who managed to just barely take him out in a meatball battle (an event Janus has never won in real life).
The event was timed and sanctioned by Major League Eating in order to count as an official record for Janus who is currently the record holder for ramen noodles, tamales, and tiramisu, of which he's eaten four pounds within six minutes back in mid-2005.
We grabbed the contest on video in case you're interested in watching someone consume this much food in one sitting. There's also a set of photos of Janus and the finished plates here.
Via Crave CNET
Sony announces PS3 DTS-HD support
Philip Wong | Apr 11, 2008
Looks like the versatile PlayStation 3 has done it again! The long awaited studio-grade DTS-HD support will be enabled in its upcoming version 2.30 firmware slated for April 15. With this latest upgrade, the Sony console is going to be an even more complete Blu-ray player. Under its belt are Blu-ray Profile 2.0 (BD-Live), Dolby TrueHD/Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio/High Resolution playback capabilities. Collectively, these will outclass just about any standalone kit available in Asia, while putting the PS3 on par with the yet-to-arrive Panasonic DMP-BD50.
The only stumbling block here is the gaming console's fan noise which can be rather distracting for quiet movie passages. This, however, is rumored to be addressed by the latest 40GB model, which we haven't tried. It would be a truly enticing HD box if the Japanese company has this covered, too. How about introducing some exotic cooling solutions, Sony?
Tiny projector can fit in your pocket
Mike Yamamoto | Apr 11, 2008
It's not exactly Bat Cave material as far as home theater gear goes, but this tiny projector could do in a pinch if you need to make a presentation in a hurry.
Don't expect state-of-the-art quality--it's being sold on a site called Drinkstuff, after all--but this one has a few practical aspects worth noting. The "Micro Projector" is a pocket-size gadget that has an SD slot so you can view anything directly from a memory card used with a digital camera or other handheld device.
Best of all, it runs on four AA batteries so you don't even need to hunt around for an outlet. So fair warning: If you see a new proud parent pulling one of these out, it's time to run the other way.
Via CNET Crave | Photo credit: Drinkstuff
Apple iMac G4 resuscitated
Philip Wong | Apr 10, 2008
The cute eggy Mac computers are back in production? Err? Not quite, actually. But the Touch Interactive hybrid DVD player and display unit is about the closest clone to the iconic iMac. An industrial design which is meant to "regenerate the look and feel of a home entertainment system through design of a new generation DVD system", this revised concoction offers a 19-inch screen and a cool disc slot-in drive.
Via bornrich.org | Photo credit: Touch Interactive
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