21
Aug
2006
EDA Geek: Samsung has developed the world’s first 70-inch LCD panel for consumer use – due to be unveiled later this week.
They will begin producing the 70-inch during the first half of 2007, bolstering Samsung’s position in the ultra-large-screen TV segment. The company will then also be in a position to compete head-to-head with plasma and projection TV makers.
Their 70-inch boasts full high-definition resolution (1080p) and a conical viewing angle of 180 degrees.
21
Aug
2006
AV Zombie: The take-up of high definition disc formats will be slow, according to a new report by Screen Digest. It is thought that the publicity generated by the format war will dampen enthusiasm for the entire HD disc market, at least until hybrid players able to play both formats appear.
The report predicts that by 2010, only one-third of the revenue generated by packaged media will come from HD DVD or Blu-ray.
21
Aug
2006
AV Zombie: Dutch giant Philips is looking to pull out of its joint venture LCD manufacturing deal with LG.
Volatility of the LCD panel market led Philips to post a huge loss over the last quarter and according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, they are now thought to be seeking a buyer for their stake, worth around 5 billion US dollars. One possible buyer is Matsushita – parent of Panasonic.
21
Aug
2006
Tech Digest: Ministry of Sound has launched its new CD player/scratcher DJ deck – the MOSDJ135.
Retailing at just under 400 Euros, it’s really designed for mass consumption.
Nice – but not new – features include the beats-per-minute counter and numerous pitch alterations.
18
Aug
2006
Macworld: Blu-ray disc players and movies will share the same region code, Sony has confirmed.
The practice of using different region codes – initially for DVD discs and players – was designed to allow content producers to better manage release and sale of content around the world.
In practice, the system has proved easy to hack, and multi-region players that accept software from any region are readily available and popular among consumers.
In all, there are six DVD regions but content producers and hardware makers have been discussing changes for the new Blu-ray Disc system. Backers of the competing HD DVD format are waiting on a decision by the Blu-ray Disc Association with the idea of using the same region coding system to avoid confusion among consumers.
18
Aug
2006
AV Zombie: New research shows that the Sony and Nintendo portables account for over half of all global shipments of game machines. It’s all down to a fundamental shift in personal entertainment, some believe.
The research from iSuppli shows that the companies behind handelds owned just 30% of market share in 1997. Analysts are predicting that even when PS3 and Wii have been introduced, portable sales will still account for around 40% – and that’s without a possible introduction by Microsoft into the sector.
18
Aug
2006
Engadget: TomTom will be releasing their entry-level TomTom One sat nav device in North America.
Retailing around $500, the specs are pretty much the same as the original, but with a new loook and reduced size.
18
Aug
2006
T3: The first LCD screens to have 3 HDMI inputs have been released by Toshiba.
Previously, the most you’d find on any one TV was two. Here, Toshiba have put 2 HDMI connections at the rear and one at the side.
They’ve called this range the Regza WLT68, featuring 32, 37 and 42-inch models.
The 32-inch model will go on sale 18th September, with the 37 and 42-inchers following on 9th October – prices are yet to be confirmed.
17
Aug
2006
Yahoo News: Neither HD DVD nor Blu-ray will be the victor in the home entertainment battle, predicts a new media research report.
Researchers at The Screen Digest, which projects that both formats will coexist until some form of common ground is established, much like the current situation with recordable DVDs.
Opinions vary among industry watchers, some of whom argue that Blu-ray, backed by Sony and most of the major film studios, is in a better position to dominate.
“The net result of the format war and the publicity it has generated will be to dampen consumer appetite for the whole high definition disc category,” said Ben Keen, Screen Digest chief analyst, in a statement.
17
Aug
2006
Engadget: Samsung bangs out another world-first – what they call the “first large-size HD-compatible wireless PDP TV”.
The SPD-50P7HDT supports (as yet an unspecified) high definition resolution and includes a wireless AV centre, which mysteriously bundles the various signals from all your connected devices (such as DVD, set-top box, etc.) and then transmits them to the screen via a 802.11a WiFi.
Recommended retail is around $5,000 US.
17
Aug
2006
16
Aug
2006
Press Release: Pioneer announces their winning EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) products.
Three of their products received the title as Europe’s best:
