About Electronics

3D Radar: Sony believes that people looking at what console to buy should take into consideration that the PlayStation 3 is ‘futureproofed in terms of 3D.’

Speaking at TechRadar at a John Lewis event, Sony’s Mick Hocking, senior director at SCEE, is keen to get the message out that the PS3 is becoming 3D ready for free, so that anyone with the console and a 3D Ready TV can take advantage.

“The message we are trying to get out there is that if you have a PlayStation 3 you don’t have to do anything it connects and downloads the firmware upgrade and it’s 3D ready,” Hocking told TechRadar.

“If you are going to choose a console then it’s future-proofed in terms of 3D.”

Adoption like HD

Hocking believes that adoption of 3D in the living room will be similar to the steady rise of HD, and believes that manufacturers and content providers will ensure that, this time, the technology will make a major impact.

“I think adoption is going to be like HD,” said Hocking, “But it delivers a lot more than HD and people need to see it to understand it.

“We think it’s going to bring a great deal to gaming and 3D games are here to stay now.

“3D’s been around for 180-odd years and its come and gone a few times, but now we have high-res technology, we have performance in the consoles and we can deliver content.

“Broadcasters, filmmakers, camera makers, camcorder manufacturers – they are all behind it because they see it as a way to sell more hardware.

“Content providers are incentivised to do it because they think ‘we have a new creative media to wow audiences’.”

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Electronista: YouTube has announced that it will allow users to upload 1080p HD video content without limiting playback to a lower resolution.

The web-based interface will provide a choice between the current maximum, 720p, and full 1080p.

The change brings YouTube up to speed with the limited number of video portals, such as SmugMug, that support the higher resolution.

“As resolution of consumer cameras increases, we want to make sure YouTube is the best home on the web to showcase your content,” said YouTube software engineer Billy Biggs on the company’s blog.

Users can submit 1080p videos to be considered for an upcoming spotlight on the YouTube homepage. The expanded service is expected to go live in the next few weeks.

Content that was previously uploaded in 1080p resolution will be automatically re-encoded, eliminating the need to resubmit the videos.

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iPodNN: Harman Kardon has brought out a trio of new AV receivers that, in one case, may hint at future iPod features. The AVR 3600 comes with a new Bridge III universal dock that the company claims can play HD videos directly from an iPhone or iPod.

It’s not clear whether the company expects the Apple devices to handle decoding the videos themselves or if it provides the work itself; officially, current iPhone and iPod touch devices will only play 640×480.

Users have reported the iPhone 3GS capable of playing 1080p at a moderate bitrate and thus have raised the possibility that the feature is simply locked out in software.

A part examination has shown that Apple is using a processor that could decode 720p without depending on extra hardware for help, albeit not at the iPhone’s actual clock speed. It’s likely HD would require a combination of the CPU with the graphics core to achieve the feat.

Besides this feature, the 3600 takes standard definition videos on Apple devices and upscales them to 1080p while also letting users control the iPhone or iPod through the home theater. It acts as the flagship and can take 7.1-channel input at 80W per satellite (including Dolby, DTS and Logic 7 formats), auto-configure the surround through a microphone, and render video with HDMI 1.3a Deep Color support.

The AVR 2600 handles 65W per satellite and drops Deep Color, while the AVR 1600 is Harman Kardon’s starter and drops power output to 50W per channel while also taking the number of total digital and analog inputs to three and four respectively (down from four and five on the 2600 and 3600).

All three receivers arrive this month at prices of $600 (€411) for the AVR 1600, $800 (€548) for the AVR 2600, and $1,200 (€822) for the AVR 3600. The company has been contacted for further answers regarding HD video support for iPods but hasn’t yet had an opportunity to respond.

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Engadget: The “world’s first” claim may be a tad on the dubious side, but AgfaPhoto’s new 10-inch AF5105MS and 13-inch AF5135MS HD photo frames certainly seem to deliver where it counts, with each packing a 1,280 x 800 resolution and all the usual multimedia-related features you’d expect from a high-res frame.

At just 22mm thick, they’re also pretty slim by photo frame standards and, in addition to being available in black or white, they each come with a set of interchangeable frames to suit your decor.

No word on a price just yet, but you’ll likely want to factor in the cost of a memory card, as each come equipped with just 256MB of internal memory.

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Electricpig: Pumping out music videos and reality TV in pin-sharp HD, MTV’s announced it’ll be launching its first ever high definition service this month.

Flooding the airwaves on September 15th, it’ll be available across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Poland.

Wittily dubbed MTVNHD, it’ll also come to the UK before the end of 2008, so don’t fret, you’ll get your fill of HD frivolity in due course.

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NetworkWorld: Over the next 15 days the victories and defeats of athletes at the 2008 Olympic Games will decide much of how the event will be remembered. But going into the competition, there is already one notable first: it is the first Olympics that will be produced entirely in high-definition (HD).

Previous Olympics have been partially produced in HD. At the Torino winter games, around 40% of coverage was high-def, available to broadcasters that wanted the better signal, but the baseline for all coverage was standard definition. This time things are different and the international broadcast feed is HD, with standard-definition broadcasts taking a down-converted feed.

Alongside the HD images is a 5.1-channel surround sound audio stream.

The company sitting at the center of this complexity is Panasonic, which is the official partner to the games in the audio and video equipment category. Some of the cameras use Panasonic’s P2HD system, which records a video stream in DVCPRO HD to flash memory chips.

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The Register: Microsoft is on track to have sold 2m UK Xbox 360s by next week. But the company could be forced to sell Blu-ray models at a loss, if rumours about HD drive development are true.

Figures from market watcher Chart Track have forecast that since the console’s December 2005 UK release, Microsoft will have shifted around 2m units by 13 April. The PlayStation 3 (PS3), which launched here in March 2007, only just hit the 1m sales barrier in February.

Dorian Bloch, director of UK sales at Chart Track, said the Xbox 360 is extremely popular in the UK and that “Sony has a long way to go” before the PS3 overtakes Microsoft’s console.

Recent European price cuts to the entire Xbox 360 range have helped to boost the console’s sales over the past few weeks. But Microsoft is bound to be searching for new ways to maintain the unit’s popularity – and Blu-ray is thought to be the chosen path.

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HiddenWires: Next generation DVD sales skyrocket in 2007 with strong predictions for 2008.

The UK is at the forefront of the high definition (HD) revolution and is leading the way in Europe in next generation disk sales. Based on a rapid uptake of sales in 2007, DEG Europe, a non-profit, pan-industry body to promote awareness of DVD and HD formats across Europe has high expectations for the adoption of next generation technologies throughout 2008.

According to DEG Europe and based on GfK tracking, the volume of next generation DVD’s being sold in Europe[ ] increased 85 fold between 2006 and 2007 and is expected to rise exponentially into 2008. Although consumers are continuing to purchase standard definition DVD’s, the growth curve is falling off with a marginal increase in volume sales of just 4.2%. In terms of who’s buying the most DVD’s, tech savvy Brits are leading the HD revolution with 34% of total next generation DVD sales coming out of the UK.

Yves Caillaud, senior vice president international, Warner Home Video, speaking for and on behalf of DEG Europe, said: “In 2007, we saw over 2.5 million units of high definition DVD’s sold within Europe. To put this in context, when compared to the transfer from VHS to DVD in 1998, only 1,480,000 DVDs were sold in the first year. This clearly demonstrates the rapid consumer adoption of HD technologies.”

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HDTV News: Sky is extending its HD line-up with three new channels – Sky Sports HD 3, Sky Movies Premiere HD and FX HD. The channels will be launched in March and April this year.FX HD will be a bespoke channel, as opposed to an FX simulcast, and around 90 of its programming will be in high definition. It will be broadcast between 7am and 2am. Sky and FX Networks have jointly selected content for the channel.

The new Sky Movies Premiere HD channel will show major new movies, including a Titanic HD screening. Programming on Sky Sports HD 3 will include European Tour golf.

When the new channels are operational, Sky will show over 6,500 hours of HD programming each month. The company plans to continue its investment in HD content for the whole family.

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Slashgear: It’s an HD network multimedia play that is also a PVR and HDTV Tuner. It can playback HD content from its hard drive, USB ports, or from any computer connected to it via the local area network.

You can also record HDTV from OTA sources with this thing. Also, the advanced DVD play back allows you to rip the DVDs into .ISO or .IFO disc images and play them back just like the original DVD with menus and everything.

It has 3xUSB, HDMI, Optical, S-Video, 2xCoax, Ethernet, Component, Stereo RCA, Multi I/O, and AC in ports, some of those are outputs though. Sadly the HDTV tuner is a separate attachment, but it just clips onto the bottom maintaining the trash can form factor if you buy one.

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ETNEWS: Samsung Electronics said on January 24 that it launched the Blu-ray Home Theatre system, which offers the full HD picture quality. The launch will enable the company to fill the lineup for the HD products like the full HD TV, the Blu-ray player, the full HD projector, the HD camcorder and the Blu-ray home theatre.

The newly launched product, HT-BD2, can play Blu-ray disks as well as CD and DVD. Therefore, viewers can enjoy the ultra fine picture quality through their full HD TV. Also, it supports the Dolby True HD and PTS-HD Master Bitstream Audio. It features the sound equalizing effect, enabling viewers to enjoy sound in a concert hall by implementing the sound data measured at the symphony hall, the jazz club, the church and the theatre.

An official of Samsung Electronics said, “By adopting the high quality audio chip, the sound quality is enhanced and becomes clearer. Also, the product supports 1,100W surrounding system, enough to enjoy the live sound at home. Black color body and speakers will serve as a perfect decorative item for interior of house.”

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InformationWeek: Fueled by rapidly declining average selling prices, an exploding supply of content and a vigorous consumer appetite, growth in high-definition television sales continues to accelerate this holiday season. But beyond the robust growth, glitzy new high-end displays and marketing frenzy lurks the dirty little secret of HDTV: An unsettling number of sets are returned to the retail outlets where they are purchased–as many as two in 10 in some areas during the 2006 holiday season, according to one analyst, James L. McQuivey of Forrester Research Inc.

Industry insiders say there are many factors behind this phenomenon, including still-maturing technology and consumer confusion about HD. Many sets were returned last year by people who wanted to buy a large TV but didn’t realize they were buying an HDTV, McQuivey said. They got it home, plugged it into their standard-definition cable service and were dissatisfied.

“This year, returns should be closer to 10 percent as an average because retailers have learned that they have to educate buyers before they leave the store or the unit is just going to come right back to them,” he said.

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