Posts Tagged 720p

DVI to mini DisplayPort converter

Feb 4

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

It’s not uncommon as we upgrade parts of out computers to need adapters and other gear to make things work together. If you have your eyes set on a new display for your computer that uses DisplayPort and your machine lacks the right output Atlona has a new adapter just for you.

The adapter is called the AT-DP400 dual link DVI to Mini DisplayPort Converter. The converter is USB powered and works with Mac or PC systems. The device is specifically designed to work with the 27-inch iMac computer with resolutions up to 2560 x 1440. The screen connected to the adapter can be used as a main display or have the desktop extended to it.

The adapter is HCDP compliant and it also supports the 2560 x 1600 resolution that 30-inch LCDs use. The adapter will also let PS3 and Xbox users connect the consoles to the iMac without additional hardware at a resolution of up to 720p. The adapter is up for pre-order for $199 and is expected to ship on March 10.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

CES starts with SKYPE HD

Jan 7

Posted by admin in News | No Comments

Skype has started and has revealed new video-calling software offering 720p high-definition (HD) calls on PCs and internet-connected widescreen TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 held in Las Vegas.

The new software can deliver up to 720p HD-quality video calling at 1,280×720 pixel resolution and up to 30 frames per second (fps), according to Skype. The company says that consumers will require a high-speed broadband connection, a new HD webcam, a PC with at least a 1.8GHz processor and Skype 4.2 Beta for Windows.

If you’re new to Skype, check out our beginners’ guide to Skype

At CES 2010, FaceVsion and In Store Solutions are introducing new HD webcams that are optimized to work with Skype. In order to make HD video calling available to as many people as possible, the new ‘Skype Certified’ HD webcams handle the video encoding and processing within the camera hardware, removing the need for a high-performance computer to encode the HD video, according to Skype. Pricing for HD webcams is predicted to be from $120 (£75).

Which? is reporting from CES 2010, with all the latest breaking news, product launches, and hands-on videos available at Which.co.uk/CES2010

Skype embedded in internet-connected HD TVs
Skype chose CES 2010 to detail partnerships with both LG and Panasonic to offer Skype-enabled HD TVs. Under the plans, Skype software is set to be embedded into the 2010 range of Panasonic Viera Cast HD TVs and 26 new LCD and plasma TVs from LG that feature NetCast Entertainment Access. Pricing of these new TVs is yet to be confirmed, but they are expected to become available to buy in mid-2010.

LG and Panasonic will also offer HD webcams, optimised for Skype video calls, that can be plugged into the compatible TVs. Skype claims that these HD webcams will ‘include special microphones and optics that can pick up sound and video from a couch-distance’

Tags: , ,

Tiny CiragoTV Media Player with HDMI

Dec 4

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

Media Players that can connect to your TV or PC via HDMI are usually not exactly what most would consider tiny. If you are looking for a media player that is tiny Cirago has launched a new device called the CiragoTV Mini that claims to be the smallest media player to come with both HDMI and HD video capability.

     ciragominitvusb

The little device measures 3″ x 3″ x .7″ can connect to your TV with either HDMI or via a standard AAV outlet. The device supports 720p and 1080i resolutions. A built-in card reader allows any USB, SD, MMC, or Memory Stick to plug directly into the device.

Supported video formats include MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 (including DivX). The media player also supports MP3 and WMA audio formats along with JPEG images. The CiragoTV mini ships with the required power adapter and a remote control. The little gadget is widely available for under $70.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Big Discounts offer for HDTVs from Samsung

Nov 23

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

samsungpn50b400With the holidays upon us, it’s time to start looking for those gifts for people on your shopping list. This is the time of year when many people start looking at big purchases like HDTVs. Part of the reason is that the prices on HDTVS at this time of year tend to be very appealing.

Samsung has announced that it will be offering discounted pricing on some of its most popular HDTVs. The Samsung 46-inch LN46B500 1080p HDTV with a 40,000:1 contrast ratio will be offered for $849.99. The Samsung 40-inch LN40B500 with the same features as the 46-inch version will sell for $599.99.

Those wanting a smaller screen will be able to get the 22-inch Samsung LN22B350 for $249.99 with 720p resolution and PC input. Plasma fans can get a 50-inch Samsung PN50B400 for $699.99 with a 600Hz subfield motion rate and a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The 42-inch PN42B400 with the same specifications as the 50-inch version will sell for $549.99.

Tags: , , , ,

Atlona’s HDAiR wireless HDMI

Nov 20

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

atlonaHDAiR

Atlona Technologies officially releases the new wireless USB to HDMI or VGA adapter, now with Audio.

Atlona Technologies officially releases the new wireless USB to HDMI or VGA adapter, the AT-HDAIR, now with Audio.

Atlona Technologies has been known for their innovative product lines as well as constantly paving the way for new and updated technology in the AV world. With the introduction of the HDAiR, a wireless USB to HDMI or VGA converter, earlier this year, Atlona has caused quite a stir among computer users looking to integrate their computers into their HD audio video systems. After its release, users from around the world responded to Atlona’s customer survey asking what additional features could make the HDAiR even better. The overall consensus was to add audio support. Atlona has responded by releasing the all new HDAiR with the ability to output audio in both 3.5mm analog, as well as embedded on the HDMI output.

Compatible with both XP, Vista, and Windows 7, this one of a kind device will allow users to connect any USB enabled computer or laptop wirelessly, to any HDTV or projector via VGA or HDMI. This unit wirelessly transmits high resolution signal from a small USB adaptor connected to a computer, to a receiver unit placed next to the display, making it perfect for taking the traditionally personal computing experience and making it a communal experience.
Like the older model AT-HDAiR, this newer model with audio still uses chipsets developed by Wisair to transmit USB protocol over Ultra wide band (UWB) frequencies.

The new AT-HDAiR, is capable of extending any computer wirelessly from the display at lengths up to 30ft with HDTV resolutions up to 720p or PC and VESA resolutions at 1440×1050. Both HDMI and VGA output connections are active at the same time, therefore HDAiR receiver could be used to power up 2 displays at the same time with identical content. The latest addition to this wireless adapter is that is now able to output digital audio through the HDMI as well as a 3.5mm stereo jack. With the addition of audio to this new version, the HDAiR is perfect for viewing continuously popular streaming media from HULU or Youtube, as well as computer based leaning programs such as Rosetta Stone or Lynda online training.

With quick and easy installation, the all new HDAiR with Audio opens up a word of possibilities. For home, business, and educational users providing a cost effective and convenient solution to integrate PC’s and laptops into HD audio video systems.

Atlona’s all new AT-HDAiR with audio is officially available just in time for the holidays with an MSRP of $219.00.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Grand HD Cinema Converts USB to HDMI

Nov 16

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

GrandHDCinema

Before the Grand HD Cinema, I honestly didn’t know that a USB to HDMI converter was possible. (Though in truth, it’s still really only half possible.)

The Grand HD Cinema does indeed take USB video (along with audio) and upconvert the stream to a 720p HDMI signal that can drive six different HDMI devices. As a means to get clips from PMPs to TVs it certainly makes a lot of sense.

But what you’d consider an impossibly calculation-intensive process really is. The converter requires an XP or Vista rig with a 2.4GHz (or better) processor. So while the Grand HD Cinema is still a pretty interesting device, it’s by no means some convenient little adapter that will play your iPod on your HDTV.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

HD Scuba Mask for the Attenborough wanabees

Oct 21

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

Scuba diving is a pretty cool hobby that seems like it would be fun as long as there are no sharks in the area or those weird sea worm things that creep me out. The coolest part of scuba diving for many has to be the beauty of the underwater world which can be hard to share with those who don’t scuba drive. Liquid Image has announced a new HD camera mask called the Scuba Series HD320 that will allow you to share your underwater adventures with landlubbers.

liquidimage

The camera/mask records video at 720p 1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames per second with audio. The mask also features a still shot camera mode that can snap stills at 5MP 2560 x 1920 resolution. The camera can withstand pressure at depths of 35 meters and has large lever style buttons for use with diving gloves.

Video is recorded to microSD/SDHC cards up to 32GB. The mask includes a single 2GB card to get you going out of the box. The camera is available now in several online stores for about $250. Recording sound underwater might be bothersome for me; everyone would hear my little girl underwater screams if I saw anything remotely resembling a shark.

Tags: , , , ,

Samsung Instinct HD

Sep 24

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

samsunginstincthd

Samsung and Sprint have finally come clean and officially announced the Instinct HD, which will hit stores in the US from September 27th.  The Instinct HD brings with it a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 touchscreen, EVDO Rev.A, WiFi b/g, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera recording 720p (1280 x 720 30fps) video and, perhaps most interesting, a TV-out connection supporting HD resolutions with an optional HDMI adapter.

samsunginstincthd1

AWARD-WINNING INSTINCT LINEUP EXPANDS
WITH SAMSUNG INSTINCT HD FROM SPRINT
ADDING HIGH DEFINITION CAMERA AND CAMCORDER,
HDTV CAPABILITIES AND OPERA MOBILE WEB BROWSER

Available from Best Buy on Sept. 27 and all Sprint retail channels on Oct. 11, Samsung Instinct HD adds innovative entertainment tools on America’s most dependable 3G network
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. and DALLAS – Sept. 24, 2009 – Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the #1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the upcoming availability of Samsung Instinct® HD, the latest follow-up to the award-winning Samsung Instinct, which made its debut last summer exclusively from Sprint.

Samsung Instinct HD boasts an attractive and intuitive user interface as well as the high-speed connectivity of America’s most dependable 3G network3 (EVDO Rev. A).With Samsung and Sprint’s first high-definition 5-megapixel camera and camcorder and TV-out HD connection, it allows photo and video playback on an HD capable auxiliary device but it does not provide HD playback directly on the handset.2

Samsung Instinct HD further improves on the original with an enhanced Web browsing experience, including a full Opera Mobile 9.7 browser, WiFi capabilities, an Ambient Light Sensor and Accelerometer. It also features a Proximity Sensor with haptic feedback that gives users a gentle vibration as they experience the virtual QWERTY keyboard.
Beginning Sept. 27, customers will be able to purchase Samsung Instinct HD at Best Buy Mobile, Sprint’s exclusive national retail partner. It will then be available Oct. 11 in all Sprint company-owned retail channels, including Web (www.sprint.com) and telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) for $249.99 with a new two-year service agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes and service charges excluded).
“When Instinct was announced last summer it received tremendous praise from our customers and showcased the power of application integration and a world class user-interface,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development for Sprint. “Instinct HD adds to that legacy with the addition of a host of video services that are unmatched in the industry.”

”Samsung Instinct HD ups the ante with the full Opera Mobile 9.7 Web browser, WiFi connectivity and a 5-megapixel camera and camcorder, which allows the user to take high resolution pictures and HD-quality video,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of strategy and product management for Samsung Mobile. “What sets Instinct HD apart even more is the ability to view those pictures and video on your HDTV or other HD-compatible monitor through the device’s HDTV out connection. These improvements raise the Instinct handset portfolio to a whole new level.”

Samsung Instinct HD offers all of the must-have features of its predecessors including:
• Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, which provides easy access to directory information on-the-go, GPS-enabled directions, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access.
• Visual Voicemail, allowing users to listen to messages in their order of preference and manage them with a simple tap of the screen.
• Sprint TV®, with an extensive selection of channels and on-demand programming.
• Advanced stereo Bluetooth® 2.0.
• Support for personal and corporate email (sync with Microsoft® Outlook®).
• SMS voice and text messaging with threaded text.
• Easy access to social networking sites, including Facebook®, Flickr® and Twitter.

“We are excited about adding Instinct HD to our ever-growing assortment of smartphones at Best Buy Mobile,” said Jude Buckley, chief merchant and marketing officer for Best Buy Mobile. “Last year’s launch of the original Instinct was a big win for Sprint and Best Buy and, most important, for the customers we serve together. We expect the same from Instinct HD. Bringing this latest smartphone to our table will offer customers even greater choice and options as they look to upgrade to a smarter phone.”

Customers who purchase the new Instinct HD can also enjoy Sprint’s newly announced Any Mobile, Anytime(SM), which breaks the restrictive calling circle paradigm by providing unlimited calling to any wireless phone regardless of carrier at no additional charge with Everything Data plans from Sprint. Instinct HD requires activation on select pricing plans offering unlimited data, such as an Everything Data plan starting at just $69.99 per month or the Simply EverythingSM plan. Simply Everything provides unlimited calling, unlimited text and unlimited data including e-mail, social networking, Web browsing, GPS navigation, Sprint TV, streaming music, NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile for only $99.99 per month. That’s a savings of $1,200 over two years vs. a comparable AT&T iPhone® plan4 (all price plans exclude Sprint surcharges and taxes).

The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Networks (inclusive of data roaming) have more than twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and more than 20 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles5.

Customers looking to upgrade to Samsung Instinct HD should consider recycling their wireless device. Sprint is the industry leader in the reuse and recycling of wireless devices sold. Sprint has an aggressive industry-first goal of reaching a 90 percent phone collection rate for reuse/recycling compared with annual wireless device sales by 2017. To learn more about wireless recycling visit Sprint’s wireless recycling Web site.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

New Omnia – Samsung’s HD i8910

Aug 24

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

samsungomniahd

A Symbian-injected followup to the so-so Windows Mobile Omnia, the HD i8910 is a specced-out slab of phone from Samsung, with a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, 8MP camera, HD video recording and a definite thing for multimedia.

The Price: TBD, at least as far as subsidized carrier deals go. You can grab it unlocked now for about $650, but 3G may not work on your carrier.

The Verdict: The Omnia HD does everything fine, and a few things extremely well. Video playback is top notch and widely compatible, the camera is among the best I’ve ever seen on a cellphone, and the video recording can actually hang with a lot of pocket cams, like the Flip or Kodak Zi series. On all other counts the phone never falls flat, but it never really shines, either.

The Hardware: Your first impression of the Omnia HD is that it’s big, but that’s not really fair: It’s a tall device, but it’s not meaningfully larger than any of the other popular touchscreen phones on the market today—it’s just proportioned differently. And for all the hardware crammed inside, it’s reasonably thin. Speaking of guts: It’s got HSDPA (on European bands), GPS, 8-16GB of internal storage with microSD expansion, and 8MP, 720p-recording camera sensor, a built-in flash bulb, a forward-facing video camera, USB connector and a 3.5mm jack. The lack of HDMI-out is semi-replaced by DLNA network streaming, though it’s not really an even trade. At any rate, it’s a healthy phone, hardware-wise.

Samsung touts the AMOLED screen over pretty much everything else, and with some good reason. It’s vibrant and sharp, but side by side with an iPod Touch, it isn’t strikingly better. The benefits of the OLED, such as they are, seem to manifest themselves more in the phone’s long-ish battery life than anything else. In terms of touch, it’s a capacitive panel, and it’s extremely responsive. Any lag or difficulties with touch controls or soft keyboard are entirely down to the software.

Cellphone cameras are generally horrible, so the Omnia HD’s camera is a rare treat. Seriously: I even trusted it to shoot a headphone review last week, and it came through impressively well. It’ll match a low-end point-and-shoot in most situations, barring low-light—the sensor can’t really handle darker situations too well, and the flash is pretty wimpy—and fast-motion scenes. Video, on the other hand, is at least pocket-cam quality. In daylight it’s razor-sharp at 720p, while in low light it’s passable. Novel-but-not-terribly-useful slo-mo and high-speed modes are thrown in for good measure. The Omnia HD doesn’t quite match up to the best-of-the-bunch Kodak Zi8, for example, but it’s amazingly close, especially for a phone. A phone, with a decent camera! How did this happen?

The Software: This is where things fall apart a little. Wherever the Omnia HD’s hardware shines—along with the kickass camera, it can handle HD video playback in plenty of codecs—the software is fine. The camera interface and media playback interfaces, music and video, are never distracting and usually do what you expect. Everything else? That’s a different story.

Samsung’s thrown the old Omnia’s TouchWiz widget UI, originally designed for Windows Mobile, onto the Symbian-powered HD. This in itself is fine, since TouchWiz has always been a decent, finger-friendly homescreen, wherever it shows up. Outside of the three main TouchWiz panels, though, is a bizarre UI stew, some from Symbian, some from Samsung, and some from the deepest bowels of design hell. For example: Scrolling! Instead of throwing menus and selecting entries, the selection follows your finger. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a terrible way to have to trudge around a menu-heavy operating system. The onscreen keyboard seems to be a Samsung special too. It’s fine—it’s spacious and rarely lags—but it’s set on a perfect grid, doesn’t come with any autocorrect and generally feels like it was designed in about an hour.

Outside of the core multimedia and homescreen areas, the phone is a fairly raw take on Symbian’s S60 5th Edition shell, which means the UI is inconsistent and difficult to tackle with fingers. Not to mention S60’s needlessly inserted extra steps all over the place. Want to enter a URL? Press a button, type your address, press another button, and press another. It doesn’t make any sense. Samsung’s given Symbian something of a makeover, but most of Matt’s complaints about the N97 software carry over to the HD. Everything—even basic calling, contact management and OS navigation—is overcomplicated and disorganized, beyond the point of a “learning curve.”

Functionally, though, it holds up fine: The browser could be easier to navigate with, but renders with WebKit, supports Flash and generally does its job. Same goes for pretty much everything else: The experience could be smoother, but you’d be hard pressed to find a task that the HD explicitly can’t handle. And if you do find a gap, remember that this is full Symbian, so you can always go app hunting. As dumb as the UI can be, don’t be fooled into thinking this is a dumbphone: It can do pretty much anything an Android or Windows Mobile phone can, and sometimes even more—it’s just that sometimes, it’s painfully awkward.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Western Digital Mini Media Player

Aug 18

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

wdminimediahdWestern Digital have announced their newest compact media player, the WD TV Mini Media Player, which replaces last year’s unit with the same name.  A palm-sized box with 1080i HD resolution support and the ability to play content both from an attached USB hard-drive including RealNetworks’ RealVideo support, the WD TV Mini offers image, audio and video playback complete with a remote control.

 Unlike other media players we’ve seen, however, the WD TV Mini doesn’t offer an HDMI port.  Instead you get a choice of component or composite, together with a single USB 2.0 for your hard-drive and an optical digital output.

Supported file types include AVI (Xvid, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MP4/MOV (MPEG4), RM or RMVB 8/9/10 video, MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, OGG and APE audio, and JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP and PNG images. The WD TV Mini Media Player has an MRSP of $99.99, but is already available to pre-order from Amazon for $79.99.

WD® INTRODUCES NEW WD TV™ MINI MEDIA PLAYER WITH REALVIDEO™ SUPPORT TO PLAY YOUR DIGITAL MEDIA ON THE BIG SCREEN

SINGAPORE – Aug. 17, 2009 – WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced a new version of its popular WD TV media player. The new WD TV Mini Media Player now enables playback of RealNetworks®, Inc.’s RealVideo™ content and provides a more affordable way for consumers to play their stored digital content in up to 1080i HD resolution directly on their HD television.

The WD TV Mini Media Player connects to a user’s TV or home theater and plays digital movies, music and photos stored on USB drives such as the best-selling WD My Passport portable drive. As with other WD TV models, the WD TV Mini Media Player supports playback of digital media on most USB mass storage devices such as digital camcorders and digital cameras. The new compact design is small and portable enough that users can easily take it with them when they travel and play their digital media anywhere on any TV in up to 1080i HD resolution.

According to research firm Parks Associates, the average consumer household currently has approximately 298 GB of digital media, which will reach approximately 898 GB of digital media by 2012.

These large personal digital libraries are all but trapped on users’ computers. In order to play their content on their TV, consumers have struggled with clumsy solutions such as copying onto multiple CDs and DVDs or connecting their PCs to their TVs via wires or complicated home networking solutions. The new WD TV Mini Media Player perfectly suits the needs of those with a large media collection that are looking for an easy and affordable solution to watch their digital media on their TV.

“The popularity of the RealVideo format and its compatibility with the WD TV Mini Media Player makes it an excellent solution for consumers who wish to enjoy their RealVideo content on their TVs,” said Scott Nelson, director of business development for RealNetworks.

“For those who desire an easy, affordable and portable solution to enjoy their digital media on their TV and who have content in RealVideo format, the new WD TV Mini Media Player fits the bill,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s Branded Products Group. “The new WD TV Mini Media Player unlocks the content from their PCs and storage devices and makes it simple for people to enjoy their media on their home theater system, without the need to spend time configuring a complicated device or transcoding files to make them compatible.”

Features of the WD TV Mini Media Player include:
Play video, music and photos on your TV in up to 1080i HD resolution;
Supports widest variety of file formats including RealMedia Variable Bitrate (RMVB);
Rich HD 1080i advanced navigation and user interface;
DVD-like navigation with chapter support, trick modes and subtitles;
Expandable: buy more storage, delete fewer movies;
Photo slideshow with unique transitions and music on your HD TV;
Thumbnail support including photo thumbnails and music album art;
Ability to preview your video during navigation (480 and 720 mode only);
Video, music and photo auto-play for users digital signage solution;
Subtitle support including multi-language subtitle support for video playback;
Picture Transfer Protocol to view or backup content from your digital image device;
Compatible with USB Camcorders and USB mass storage devices;
Component and composite video output;
Digital optical audio output via SPDIF;
Ultra-compact design making it perfectly portable for travel; and,
1-year limited warranty
.

Pricing and Availability
The WD TV Mini Media Player is available now at select retailers. MSRP for WD TV Mini Media Player is $99.99 USD.

Tags: , , , , , ,