interpolation
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Panasonic PT-AE8000U projector touts brighter, smoother 3D for king-of-the-hill home theaters
Panasonic wasn't one of the quickest out of the gate with a 3D projector, having only unveiled the PT-AE7000 in the middle of last year, but it's making up for lost time with a follow-up. The PT-AE8000 puts most of the focus on that extra dimension through both a 20 percent brighter 3D picture and motion interpolation for the stereoscopic image. Fine-tuning is equally new through picture balance and monitor tools that help perfect the color and parallax effects before any 3D movie gets started. Traditionalists in love with 2D get their fill, too: a new 220W lamp produces deeper reds, a more visible 2,400 lumens of brightness and (with the help of plates and filters) an even higher 500,000:1 contrast ratio. We've confirmed with Panasonic that the AE8000U should cost the same $3,499 as the AE7000 when it reaches stores between late September and early October, which makes the new projector a tempting prospect if you've been holding off until now.
Toshiba announces availability of new Regza lineup
Shortly after dropping prices across the board on its HD DVD player lineup, Toshiba is now announcing the availability of a myriad of Regzas. The 46-, 47-, 52-, and 57-inch Cinema Series sets are all set to hop on the shipping truck and head to consumers momentarily, and they'll be packin' a ClearFrame 120Hz anti-blur system, 1080p capability, PixelPure3G 14-bit digital video processing, DynaLight dynamic backlight, and Tosh's SoundStrip speaker system. Similar to Hitachi's newfangled Reel60 system, Toshiba is incorporating its own Motion Vector Frame Interpolation (MVFI) technology in order to eliminate blur and make images silky smooth. The new sets have expanding Toshiba's Regza lineup to include sizes ranging from 26-inch to 57-inches in size, and if you're interested in picking one up, be sure to visit the read link for the full rundown of prices.
Hitachi's Reel60 processing technology eliminates 'judder'
Expanding a bit on the Reel60 technology first unveiled in a trio of 1080p sets from Hitachi, the company has reportedly developed a system that eliminates the "mismatch between the motion of films seen in a movie theater and the way that same motion appears on television." Dubbed "judders," these jagged edges will reportedly no longer be apparent on select Hitachi sets, as the Reel60 technology perfects the 3:2 pulldown process by "creating interpolated frames based on the original film images." Interestingly, it wasn't mentioned whether Hitachi would be holding on to its newfangled discovery or licensing it out to other manufacturers, but if anyone feels like coughing up the dough to pick up a P50V701, P50X901, or P60X901, be sure to test it out and sound off below.[Via DealerScope]
JVC unveils 120Hz Clear Motion Drive for 1080p LCDs
Not to be outdone by Samsung or LG, JVC has announced its own implementation of 120Hz refresh rate on 1080p LCDs just prior to CES 2007. JVC's 120Hz Clear Motion Drive utilizes frame doubling and motion interpolation in a way that they claim is at least theoretically superior to a traditional 60Hz LCD with a 0ms refresh rate. The company has decided it is time to create a new way to measure the rate of image blurring, in order to show the difference between newer motion drive-equipped HDTVs and traditional panels. Called Motion Picture Response Time, these LCDs will rate 10.5ms, while previous models could not possibly rate higher than 13.3ms. However you count it, it will be interesting to see how much of a difference this new technology makes, and if people who already own conventional 1080p LCDs will consider upgrading for it when they become available in the second half of this year.
Mustek announces DV536 super gadget
How much would you pay for a music- and video-playing gadget that could also take 10 megapixel still photos with a 10x zoom, capture 30fps VGA movies, record your whimsical musings, function as a digital card reader, and even encode footage directly from your TV or DVD player? $1000? How about $750? Surely you'd shell out at least $500 for such an amazing product. Well you'll be shocked to learn that Mustek is practically giving away all this and more for under $200 with its new DV536 Digital Camcorder-PVR. Too good to be true, you say? Well, yes and no; you really do get all of those functions in this new super gadget, but the list of caveats is rather long: the 2.4-inch screen isn't the best for watching flicks, that 10 megapixel resolution is really achieved through interpolation from a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor, and the 10x zoom we mentioned is of the digital variety, as no optical zoom is included. Plus, there's no way to schedule recordings and you're only getting 32MB of internal memory, meaning that you'll need a pretty big SD card if you want to store all those movies, photos, video clips, and songs you'll be loading this up with. Still, $200 isn't too bad for all the features you're getting here, even if none of them hold a candle to dedicated devices performing the same tasks. [Warning: PDF link]
Han Shing cam magically turns 3 megapixels into 12
Like most of you, we ignore the interpolation numbers that digital camera manufacturers continually trot out to make their cameras seem more impressive than they actually are. But Han Shing Technology managed to catch our attention, with a humble 3 megapixel camera that interpolates to not six, not eight, but 12 freakin' megapixels. We don't even want to know what those pics look like after they're put through the wringer, especially ones captured with the 8x digital zoom (what, you were expecting optical?). The rest of the camera's specs are fairly run-of-the-mill, with a 2-inch TFT LCD, 32MB of built-in memory, and an SD slot for expansion. And unless "Logo" is actually the name of this camera, we're guessing this'll probably end up rebadged in any number of incarnations, so be on the lookout.[Via MobileMag]
