Posts Tagged HDMI

SAPPHIRE HD 5670 comes with the latest tech

Feb 22

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

SAPPHIRE Technology is now shipping a new family of graphics cards in the highly successful HD 5000 series. The SAPPHIRE HD 5670 is a new low power model aimed at the mainstream market, whist sharing many of the exciting features of the latest high end series.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5670 is based on the latest graphics architecture from the ATI division of AMD, the second generation of GPU to be built in its 40nm process. It supports the advanced graphical features of Microsoft DirectX 11, and delivers spectacular video clarity, speed and visual effects, whilst consuming very low power levels.

SAPPHIRE will offer several variants of this product. All of them have 400 Stream processors and support Microsoft DirectX 11 as well as ATI Stream. As the core technology is low power, no external power connection is required, making this series ideal for system upgrades or mainstream PCs that do not have high end power supplies.

The two top models of the SAPPHIRE HD 5670 series offer a choice of 1GB or 512MB of DDR5 memory, with clock speeds of 775MHz core and 1000MHz (4GHz effective) for the memory, and a specially designed cooler from Arctic Cooling to keep noise levels to a minimum. The output configuration on the bracket is Dual-Link DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. In addition to a DVI to VGA adapter, an HDMI to DVI adapter is included, allowing two DVI monitors to be supported, and these models will also support three monitors in ATI Eyefinity mode with a suitable DisplayPort monitor or active display adapter. Native CrossFire support allows two or more cards to be used together for additional performance on a suitable CrossFireX compatible mainboard.

Two additional models will again offer a choice of 1GB or 512MB of memory, but will be configured with the popular output configuration of DVI, HDMI and VGA on the bracket, allowing a choice of monitor types without the use of adapters.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5670 series not only boosts performance in current DirectX10.1, DirectX 10 and DirectX 9.0 games and applications, but will support stunning new levels of detail, transparency and lighting effects in newer releases of software using DirectX 11. All of this comes with low active power consumption and Dynamic Power Management delivering super low-power operation in 2D or idle.

This series of cards supports the latest features demanded by Microsoft DirectX 11, including DirectCompute 11 instructions, hardware Tessellation and multi-threaded communications with the system CPU. These combine to provide new capabilities for the interaction between transparent objects, new lighting and accelerated post processing effects as well as physics calculations and accelerated video transcoding. They also support ATI Stream, accelerating supported applications such as video transcoding and rendering tasks by executing instructions on the GPU architecture rather than the system CPU.

Like the previous generation, the SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series has an on board hardware UVD (Unified Video decoder) considerably reducing CPU load and delivering smooth decoding of Blu-ray and HD DVD content for both VC-1 and H.264 codecs, as well as Mpeg files. In the SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series the UVD has been enhanced to be able simultaneously to decode two 1080p HD video streams and to be able to display HD video in high quality with Windows Aero mode enabled. HDMI capability has also been upgraded to HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support.

The SAPPHIRE HD 5000 series is supported by AMD’s DirectX 11 WHQL certified graphics driver which delivers support for all of the key DirectX 11 level features required for new gaming experiences and acceleration of next generation high performance applications.

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ATI Radeon Top-end HD 5830 on the way

Feb 17

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

The recent additions to AMD’s HD 5000 graphics card lineup still haven’t brought the series to a close with talk of the entry top-end HD 5830 still on the way.

We first heard about this model over a month ago, with word that it would arrive in early Feb, but AMD appears to have delayed the release by up to several weeks intentionally and won’t give an exact date of launch.

The Cypress LE core which is used in the HD 5850 models is also used for the HD 5830. However, where the 5830 differs is in the way of fewer shaders (1280 instead of 1440), less texture units (60 vs 72), but surprisingly this model apparently runs a higher core clock speed than the HD 5850 at 750MHz vs 725MHz.

The memory configuration will remain the same; 1GB of GDDR5 memory operating at 1000MHz. Physically it will look very similar as well, most probably sticking with the same PCB and cooler design.

Early online store listings reveal the cards pricing to be around the £190 / 216 Euro / $297 mark, but keep in mind that none of the aforementioned information is official as yet.

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ASUS’s Gamers overclocked Radeon

Feb 12

Posted by andrew in News | No Comments

Details of an upcoming ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) graphics card have emerged, complete with some early photos, and it seems the company have taken an ATI Radeon HD 5870 and overclocked it.  The fettled card cranks the GPU from 850MHz to 900MHz and doubles RAM to 2GB of 4.9Gbps GDDR5 memory.  Meanwhile ASUS are apparently making it straightforward to overclock the ROG card a little more again, with up to 1080MHz possible from the GPU and 5.2Gbps from the memory.

Connectivity is DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI, and the ports share the backplate with a Safe Mode button.  Pressing this reverts the ROG HD 5870 to a stable configuration, just in case your experiments leave everything inoperable.  There are also exposed contacts for multimeter voltage monitoring and a pair of eight-pin PCI Express power connectors.

So that you don’t waste any of your system grunt running an overclocking app in the background, ASUS’ software will save the settings to the ROG card and then shut down.  According to Chinese site Zol the ASUS Republic of Gamers Radeon HD 5870 will be “available immediately”, though there’s no sign of a price tag.

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3D HDMI specification is ready for it’s market

Feb 11

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

What with people flocking in their millions to see James Cameron’s Avatar, 3D films are big on everyone’s agenda.
Avatar is set to smash box office records and cause millions of people to walk off with ‘free’ 3D glasses, so in a hail of trumpets and excitement HDMI Licensing has joined the party.

This week HDMI Licensing, which licenses the HDMI specification and does not specialise in inventive naming conventions, said that it was making the 3D portion of the spec available for public download in a bid to drive adoption and development.

What’s more, it is going to be updated soon. “The document available for download is extracted from version 1.4 of the HDMI Specification”, says the organisation. “The HDMI Consortium intends to release a 1.4a version of the HDMI Specification shortly which will include updates to the 3D portion of the Specification. As soon as the 1.4a version of the Specification is published to Adopters, an update to the 3D portion of the document, available for public download, will also be published.”

In December, when it first announced the 1.4a version, the outfit made it clear that it would strive to ensure the integrity of 3D content. “3D is a nascent market and thus continues to evolve quickly”, said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing. “We have taken input from leading industry associations and this announcement reflects the HDMI Founders’ commitment to continuously and proactively set the foundation for innovations that will deliver the next generation of content. The addition of the new format will secure the application of 3D for broadcasting, in addition to the existing applications for Blu-ray and gaming.”

A number of potential users have not yet signed up to use or adopt the specification, and the body expects that by making it freely available it will foster development across a number of industries.

“The HDMI Consortium recognises the importance of standardised 3D formats for movies, gaming and broadcast content and the need for non-adopter companies and organisations to have access to that portion of the HDMI Specification. As the mainstream adoption of 3D is gaining momentum and content providers define and expand their 3D roadmaps, HDMI is ready to support this major market development.”

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Impressive Spec on Motorola’s DROID Sequel

Feb 10

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

Details about the rumored Motorola phone code-named “Sholes Tablet,” the sequel to the recently released and highly-acclaimed DROID, leaked on a Chinese message board (Google translation). The leaked photos suggest an impressive spec sheet for Motorola’s encore, including a 3.7-inch screen and HDMI output.

Motorola’s DROID, released in October, is by most accounts a solid phone, anchored by its Google Android 2.0 OS and 550MHz processor. However, the DROID, whose codename in development was “Sholes,” may be bested by the Sholes Tablet in as soon as a few months. According to the leak, the Sholes Tablet will feature a capacitive 3.7″ screen at WVGA resolution with multi-touch support and the same speedy processor powering the DROID.

Most impressive, however, is the HDMI port built directly into the phone which will reportedly allow the Sholes Tablet to record and output 720p video. This is made possible by the 8-megapixel camera inlcuded in the new model, a step up from the 5-megapixel camera in the DROID. If these specs are true, your HD video collection may soon go mobile and make your Zune jealous.

One notable downgrade, however, is the removal of the sliding QWERTY keyboard. While Android does have support for an on-screen software keyboard, you may want to stick to the DROID if you find yourself writing long emails or editing your memoirs. Otherwise, the Sholes Tablet will have plenty to keep you entertained. Stay on the lookout for an official announcement.

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Download HDMI 1.4 3D freely online now

Feb 5

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

This means companies and organizations that have not executed the HDMI Adopter Agreement can now have access to the 3D portion of version 1.4 of the HDMI Specification. Prior to this, only parties that have signed the HDMI Adopter Agreement have had access to the information. However, the document available for download is extracted from version 1.4 of the HDMI specification. However, HDMI version 1.4a will be released shortly with updates to the 3D portion of the specification. According to HDMI Licensing, as soon as the 1.4a version is published to adopters, an update to the 3D portion of the document will also be made available for public download. Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, said this public access is to show that the HDMI Consortium recognizes the importance of standardized 3D formats for movies, gaming, and broadcast content and the need for nonadopters to have access to that portion of the HDMI specification. HDMI 1.4 is the latest and most powerful version of the HDMI standard with many new capabilities designed to enrich the HD experience. Examples of these capabilities includes HDMI Ethernet Channel that allows for networking via HDMI cables; support for 3D and 4K video resolution; and a lot more. HDMI Licensing is the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface specification. Late last year, the agent announced the new meaningful labeling conventions for HDMI cables to help consumers find the ones they need.

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Olympus leads in competition, feature packed

Feb 4

Posted by Rachel Green in News | No Comments

To show that it’s still a leader in the rugged compact camera market, Olympus on Tuesday announced two Tough series models. Available in February, the $399.99 Stylus Tough-8010 is shockproof to drops of 6.6 feet and waterproof to depths of 33 feet, while the $299.99 Stylus Tough-6020 is shockproof to drops of 5 feet and waterproof to depths of 16 feet. Also, both cameras are freezeproof to temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Olympus does well with the rugged part of these cameras, but their feature sets were never very interesting. This time out, though, they seem rather well equipped and certainly competitive with models from other manufacturers. Both are 14-megapixel cameras with internal 5x f3.9-5.9 28-140mm-equivalent lens’, sensor-shift image stabilization, 2.7-inch LCDs, 720p movie capture with HDMI outputs, built-in LED lamps, and Olympus’ Tap Control system that uses body taps to change settings and shoot.

Other features include in-camera panorama (press and hold the shutter and it’ll take up to three shots and stitch them together) and the company’s art filters: Pop Art, Pin Hole, Fish-Eye, and Drawing. You also get face detection, face recognition (for easier photo organization), USB charging, SD/SDHC card capability, and a full user manual stored in the cameras’ memory. The Tough-8010 has 2GB of internal memory (1.6GB for shooting) and the Tough-6020 has 1GB of internal memory (632MB for shooting).

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4HD, great sounding hi-fi component

Feb 1

Posted by Rachel Green in Uncategorized | No Comments

I read Geoffrey Morrison’s review of the Olive 4HD music server on the Home Entertainment Web site with great interest, because I recently heard the 4HD at a friend’s house. The review provides a lot of information that I’m not covering here.

It’s a cool looking device, and I really like that it can be used without being hooked up to a computer. It’s more a like a CD player with a built-in two terabyte hard drive.

There’s a Gigabit Ethernet port and Wi-Fi module if you’re into the home network thing, and a free application to let you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as full remote control. Also, you can use the 4HD’s HDMI interface to hook up your HDTV.

The 4HD can store high-resolution audio files, up to 24-bit/192KHz on its hard drive. But what I wanted to know was does the 4HD sound better than a CD player when playing ripped CDs?

I listened to a number of CD/4HD comparisons and came away a believer. The 4HD sounded “less digital,” cleaner, and just better than the original CDs. The difference in clarity was the single most impressive improvement hard drive replay offered.

We even compared SACDs to CDs (of the same title) ripped to the 4HD. Again in this test, the 4HD’s clarity trumped SACD’s. I love the fact that the 4HD, unlike most music servers, doesn’t need to be hooked up to a computer. It’s just a great sounding hi-fi component that can store up to 20,000 tracks at 24-bit resolution.

The 4HD sells for $1,999; however, Olive also has standard definition models starting at $1,499.

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10 million fools subscribe to SKY

Jan 30

Posted by Ivy in News | No Comments

The CEO of SKY “Jeremy Darroch”, said new HD customers more than doubled compared to last year to 482,000 to take its HD subscriber base to 2.1m.

Lorna Tilbian, analyst at Numis, said the increase in new HD subscribers was “outstanding” and outstripped forecasts of about 310,000. Overall, Sky added 172,000 new customers to take its subscriber base to 9700,000

Mr Darroch said: “It has been another good quarter in what remains a tough environment, with more customers joining Sky and strong demand across our entire product range.

“The standout performance came in high definition TV with almost half a million [more] customers choosing Sky+HD”.

He said HDTV has proved so popular that the company will now only sell HD-enabled set-top boxes. Sky said selling the HD box as standard would further encourage take-up of the premium service and make it easier for standard definition customers to upgrade.

HDTV helped the group increase its average revenue per user (ARPU) by 11pc to £492.

However, the company conceded that it spent an extra £70m on marketing the HD service in its first-half.

Mr Darroch said the company is now pushing full steam ahead into the “next frontier” of television, with the launch of a dedicated 3D channel in pubs and clubs in April.

Sky will make TV history on Sunday when it broadcasts Arsenals clash with Manchester United in 3D.

Mr Darroch said the wonders of 3D television will be available at home from this autumn when it will launch a new channel broadcasting 3D sport, movies, documentaries and the arts.

“It’s a risk. It’s the next frontier.” Mr Darroch said. “[But], Avatar [James Cameron's 3D sci-fi epic] has changed everybody’s view of 3D.”

He refused to speculate about how many customers the broadcaster expects to sign up, but said demand for HD TV far outstripped analysts early expectations.

Revenue in the six months to December came in 10pc higher than last year, and at the top end of analysts’ forecasts, at £2.9bn.

Pre-tax profits for the period rose 29pc to £358m, compared to £276m in the same period a year earlier. The interim dividend, payable April 20, rises 5pc to 7.875p. The shares closed down 14 at 540p.

Mr Darroch said the company is considering whether to appeal last week’s ruling by the court of appeal that it must sell down its 17.9pc stake in ITV to below 7.5pc. He said Sky has been approached by several prospective buyers of the stake it bought for £940m in November 2006.

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GefenTV Wireless Keeps All Your HDMI Sources Together

Jan 22

Posted by Ivy in News | No Comments

I am sure you are all tired of wires and cables that ruin your Feng Shui home. You simply cannot have positive energy flow in your living quarters if you keep tripping on cables. This is why we need a wireless transmitter to send HDTV signal where we need it, whether it does it for the movie freaks or the addicted gamers.

Also, the good thing about this GefenTV Wireless transmitter is that it wirelessly sends the signal via a new 60Ghz technology, which we all know it doesn’t interfere with the positive energy flow created by your Feng Shui specialist. It provides full HD 1080p resolution at a distance of 30 feet maximum (that’s 10 meters in Europe).

Just in case you think you are seeing double again, this gadget looks like this because it consists of both a sender and a receiver that need to be paired in order for things to work, d’oh. It is plug and play, so don’t worry. You will not need the manual.

I was saying something about gamers at the beginning of this article and that is because of the DVI compatibility that will surely be appreciated by all those who have a PC monitor. Adding the fact that the transmission is not compressed at the standard 3 Ghz bandwidth, you get a total of pretty graphic compatibility with the more demanding games. Sound quality is provided by the HDMI 1.3 protocol.

As we have seen wireless displays at CES, this HD wireless transmitter from Gefen seems like a good investment. Not only for now, but for the future as well. Only the retros will still have cables in their homes while the rest will be able to enjoy the liberty wireless technology provides.

The GefenTV Wireless HDTV system costs $999.

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