By
Philip Wong, CNET Asia
09/06/2006
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/others/0,39037627,39364805,00.htm
Since we have put up quite a number of hot computing products in our first coverage of the Computex 2006. Here's an update on some of the interesting finds on the home entertainment and peripherals scenes from the rest of the exhibition halls.
NSP MP5 + MP-5D vacuum tube iPod speaker system
Are you torn between the smooth soothing sound of a tube amplifier and the aesthetic appeal of an iconic iPod player? Taiwanese NSP technology may just have the right solution for you. Its MP5 + MP5D stereo system provides the best of both worlds by integrating an iPod docking station together with a stereo vacuum tube amplifier. That's not all, there is also an auxiliary audio input for external players. A classic LP player to go with the tubes, perhaps?
- 30W vacuum tube amplifier
- iPod docking station
- 1-inch tweeter and 4-inch woofer speakers
- Composite- and S-video outputs
- Auxiliary audio input
- MP5 amplifier: 260 x 130 x 145mm
- MP5D iPod docking station: 155 x 123 x 130mm
- Speaker: 144 x 237 x 177mm
Tak Lin PV-690 video recorder and multimedia center
Creative and Apple may have a serious competitor coming their way. Tak Lin will be introducing its latest PV-690 portable media box within the span of one to two months. Slated to be launched at an estimated US$349 for the barebones model, this new kid on the block packs far more impressive features compared with offerings from the two giants. Beside, the usual video and audio playback capabilities, this stylish 290g device also comes with MPEG-4 video recording, S-video output and built-in stereo speakers.
- 3.5-inch 320 x 240-pixel resolution LCD screen
- Supports up to 80GB 2.5-inch hard drive
- Built-in SD/MMC card reader
- MPEG-1/2, DivX 3.11/4/5 and WMV video playback
- MP3, WMA and AAC audio playback
- JPEG, BMP and GIF photo support
- Up to 640 x 480-pixel video recording
- Voice recording
- 147 x 83 x 25mm
Scythe CPU heat sink fan cooler
While I'm still amazed by the high PC noise tolerance exhibited by our CNET Asia review team members, irritating fan whines are a sure no-no for my personal movie-cum-gaming rig. Same goes for the Media Center and HTPC crowds who appreciate the importance of silent computing. Here's where the upcoming Scythe CPU cooler comes into the picture. Utilizing an oversized 120mm fan and copper heatpipe technology, it delivers the same or better cooling performance of a bundled cooler at a whisper-quiet 23.5dB noise level.
- Low noise 120mm fan
- Copper heatpipe
- High air flow
- 125 x 116 x 160mm
- 960g
Teco LT4681TT AmphiTheatre 46-inch LCD TV
Taking into consideration the availability of the
Toshiba 47WL66E in the Asian LCD TV market, what's the big deal you might ask? For starters, the Teco's 46-inch version is a true 1080p part endowed with a full-HD panel and HDMI connectivity. This all-black concoction also sports a delectable wooden speaker enclosure, interchangeable speaker grilles and a pair of wireless stereo earphones that's perfect for late night movie marathons or soccer games.
- 47-inch screen size
- 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution
- 1080p compatible
- HDMI input
- Onboard 40W audio amplifier
- Subwoofer output
- Supports wireless stereo earphone
- Motorized stand
BlueTake BT500 Bluetooth rechargeable super mini mouse
Rather than relying on a charging cradle or battery swapping, Bluetooth specialist BlueTake has conjured up an innovative yet simple solution to solve users' power woes. A supplied USB cable allows concurrent usage and charging for a set of 700mAH rechargeable batteries through a PC or laptop giving you uninterrupted usage. The compact 66g BT500+ also has a 10m operating range and is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS platforms.
- Bluetooth version 1.2
- Bluetooth class two device
- 800dpi optical technology
- Built-in power switch
- AAA Ni-MH batteries
- 85.2 x 50 x 32.6mm
- 66g
Chi Lin ST-HB47A3N 47-inch digital signage touch monitor
Wouldn't it be nice to do away with the cumbersome remote and keyboard for navigating the Windows Media Center user interface? Something along the lines of a touch screen? Chi Lin has just the right LCD monitor to get the job done. This 47-incher has a touch sensitive overlay and customed software that enables users to scribble on its wide and spacious screen. We even caught a group of excited Japanese visitors having a great time with this fun and innovative product.
- 47-inch screen size
- 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution
- 620 cd/m2 brightness
- 800:1 contrast ratio
- 1080p compatible
- Windows XP/2000, Mac, Linux compatible
- DVI, PC, component-video, S-video and composite-AV inputs
- 1,136 x 681.2 x 133.4mm
- 55kg
GigaByte GV-NX76G256HI-RH HDMI graphic card
HDMI-enabled graphics card are making a big splash in this year's Computex 2006. Among the mind-blogging selections is the Gigabyte GV-NX76G256HI-RH. Powered by an Nvidia GeForce 7600GS graphic processor unit, it packs enough juice to handle today's high-resolution WMV-HD clips and sophiscated 3D gaming titles. This card is also ideal for Media Center and home theater PCs with its elaborate heatpipe design offering silent operations critical in these noise-sensitive applications.
- Nvidia GeForce 7600GS GPU
- PCI Express interface
- 256MB double date rate graphic memory
- HDMI, DVI and TV outputs
- HDCP-compatible
- HD-ready
- Windows Vista-ready
- Nvidia PureVideo
- Supports up to 2,560 x 1,600-pixel resolution
Sun Group 8-inch digital photo frame
The Sun Group digital photo frame caught our attention with its eye-catching bezel that stood out from the crowd. A quick peek at its back also revealed a comprehensive connectivity suite rivaling those from big players such as Philips. There are USB terminals, an 8-in-4 card reader and A/V sockets for external media players. Media format compatibility wise, it supports MPEG-2/4, high-resolution JPEG, BMP, TIFF and MP3 out of the box.
- 8-inch screen size
- 640 x 480-pixel resolution
- 1W stereo speakers
- TV output
- Interchangeable frame
- Worldwide power compatibility
- 232 x 172 x 35mm
- 760g
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