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Sigma's DP1s gets official, hitting shelves in November?

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 1:01PM

Sigma's DP1 had a lot going for it -- despite a somewhat steep asking price, plenty of folks were won over by both its sturdy build and image quality. Now, after the world offered up a somewhat muted response to the DP2, the company's announcing an update of the former device. The DP1s features the same sensor and processor as the DP1 but adds some functionality, including the ability to simultaneously shoot separate RAW and JPEG images, and an option to allocate the QS (Quick Set) function to the digital zoom buttons. Also in this build is a 14 megapixel (2,652 x 1,768 x 3 layers) FOVEON X3 direct image sensor, which the company says will improved performance when shooting backlit subjects, a 16.6mm F4 lens, and more. No price or street date yet, but the rumor mill says to look for it sometime in November. PR after the break.

Continue reading Sigma's DP1s gets official, hitting shelves in November?

The Popcorn Hour C-200 media streamer makes its way into the wild

by Steven Kim posted Sep 19th 2009 at 2:47AM

It looks like Popcorn Hour's C-200 media streamer is making its way into end-users' hands, so prepare yourself for a flurry of reviews. Our friend Brent over at GeekTonic should be jumping into the fray soon, and has kicked things off with a preview. Yeah, the C-200 is bigger than its sibling A-100, but it brings so much to the table that we'd say Popcorn Hour has packed in just as much -- if not more -- goodness per cubic inch. With space available for a hard and/or Blu-ray drive, wired and wireless networking, and USB ports to round out the input connectivity, the C-200 then adds a smorgasbord of codec support just to make sure your bits will survive the translation back into entertainment. With the "it plays anything" kind of capability the C-200 is promising, we've got a feeling that a positive review or two might be the only thing standing between us and a $300 dent in our credit cards.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

1080p Android demo'd, set-top boxes prepare for a new master

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 28th 2009 at 4:05PM

It is done. MIPS Technologies has demonstrated its enhanced implementation of Android running in 1080p via extended libraries to support hardware graphics acceleration and decoding on Sigma Designs hardware, a portent of set-top boxes yet to come. Of course, without any video or pictures or video of the blessed event (ISB Corp's previous OMAP based effort is pictured above) it's hard to tell why Android coming to TV is such a great idea, if its cousin widgets are any indication, there's a chance of being high on pre-release hype but low on desirability once it reaches the market. Still, the Open Embedded Software Foundation pledges to continue on shoehorning Android into devices beyond the mobile handset, but if it's shut down by a band of torch wielding villagers demanding the monster be put down, don't say we didn't warn you.

[Via SlashGear & LinuxforDevices]

Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow

by Richard Lawler posted Aug 26th 2009 at 10:27PM

As you may have noticed, the new Popcorn Hour C-200 media box didn't quite make its anticipated July launch, but the company now says that as of 12 a.m. PST August 27, pre-orders will open allowing the willing faithful to put in a request for the first batch, anticipated to ship September 3 or thereabouts. Don't remember the June announcement? The $299 Sigma powered box takes HDD, Blu-ray discs, USB or network inputs of nearly any video or audio codec available and brings them to your living room. Since then, pics and video of the units guts and interface have leaked out on the forums, check after the break or beyond the read link for a better look.

[Via MediaSmartServer.net]

Continue reading Popcorn Hour C-200 launch nearly upon us, preorders start tomorrow

PopcornHour's latest C-200 media box is Blu-ray (& anything else) ready

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 16th 2009 at 3:29PM

The followup to the popular PopcornHour media streamer series has finally been announced, and the list of features makes it look worth the wait. Revealed in a post on the Networked Media Tank forums the C-200 contains an upgraded Sigma SMP8643 667 Mhz processor, HDMI 1.3 out, two SATA slots, a drive bay for mounting your own HDD, DVD or even Blu-ray drive (requires internal HDD or 1GB USB stick) and supports a list of networking standards, codecs and containers far too long to recount here. At first glance, only DivX jumps out as missing from the list, have a look at the forum posting and let us know if you spot. Of course, there's already a video unboxing available, seen after the break (along with the copied list of specs) or check out the full Google translated early hands on impressions from HomeTheater.co.il. The most pressing questions of when will these be available and for how much, will have to be answered at another time.

[Via HomeTheater.co.il & Geek Tonic]

Continue reading PopcornHour's latest C-200 media box is Blu-ray (& anything else) ready

ASUS to introduce O!Play media player at Computex

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2009 at 5:41PM

Wait, what's this? ASUS diving head first into the HD media streamer game? Based on images and details acquired by Hardware, we'd say chances are looking pretty good. Reportedly, the aforementioned outfit will showcase its very own media player at Computex next week in Taiwan, and our expectations are already fairly lofty. The O!Play (codename HDP-R1) is said to be a fair bit quicker than competing models, and the file compatibility list is also worthy of laud. Port wise, this one's packing eSATA, USB, HDMI, stereo audio jacks, optical digital audio, Ethernet and an AC port. If all goes well, we could see this little bugger in European stores by July, with a price tag pegged at €119 ($168). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if that price nets you an internal HDD, but we'll find out for sure soon enough.

[Via The Inquirer]

Sigma DP2 gets reviewed but not respected

by Tim Stevens posted May 19th 2009 at 8:49AM

With the Sigma DP2 now officially on sale it's time for the in-depth reviewers to have their say, and Photo Review is first at bat to weigh in with its opinion of the $699 compact, a shooter that doesn't exactly hit a home run. Sigma's latest is a pocketable camera that can take fantastic shots when properly used, but is frustrating to use, requires plenty of manual tweaking, and sends you wading through a mire of confusing menus to make those tweaks. Beyond that its low-light image quality disappointed, its LCD doesn't compare to those on cheaper compacts, there's no AF assist lamp, and of course there's that significant admission price. Overall, it sounds like the sort of camera many Sigma fans will appreciate -- and the sort that won't do much to extend the brand's appeal.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

14-megapixel Sigma DP2 camera now officially available

by Donald Melanson posted May 14th 2009 at 2:13PM

A few retailers went ahead and put the Sigma DP2 up for pre-order back in March, but it looks like the camera is now finally officially available to own in the UK -- and, judging from some of those aforementioned retailers, at a few places in the US as well. Those in the UK can expect to pay £599.99 for the camera, which updates the DP1 with a new 41mm f/2.8 lens and Sigma's improved TRUE II processing engine, while folks in the US will apparently have to pay $699 retail (although at least some places still seem to be listing the $649 pre-order price). Interestingly, Sigma will also apparently be offering the older DP1 alongside the DP2 for the time being, although it's not clear how long it'll continue to do so.

Adobe Flash platform for HDTVs & connected devices on display at NAB

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 20th 2009 at 9:03AM

The plan is to get Flash from every computer to every television screen, and Adobe's ready to take the next step this week at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. Broadcom, Comcast, STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs join Intel as set-top box makers with chipsets ready to stream widgets and HD video to connected televisions, while content is on the way from Netflix, New York Times, Disney and Atlantic Records. Of course, Yahoo's widgets and Microsoft Silverlight aim to turn up the interactivity and streaming video to TVs and handhelds as well, though Adobe seems content to share with Yahoo! if need be -- Vizio's Connected HDTV demo and Intel's CE 3100 support both -- expect the blades to come out when Flash enabled hardware comes to market in the second half of this year.

[Via Venture Beat]

Sigma Motorworks developing EV based on Ford Mustang

by Darren Murph posted Apr 2nd 2009 at 5:57PM

With Tesla struggling to make ends meet -- let alone become a thriving, profitable automaker during a time when all people want are non-gas-powered vehicles -- we have to say that Sigma Motorworks has its work cut out for it here. According to head of operations Matias Gorfinkiel, the Sigma GTE is "a test bed for a commercial high performance sports model that [it] will bring to market by early 2010." Autoblog reports that most of the vehicle is based on Ford's storied Mustang, with its front and rear differentials coming directly from Ford and the GTE cockpit ripped straight from an older model Pony car. If all goes well (which isn't likely, honestly), it'll provide around 100 miles per charge and could hit upwards of 145 miles per hour; of course, finding the funding to put this thing together is another matter entirely, so don't go placing a pre-order via some Nigerian-based sister site just yet.

[Image courtesy of AutoblogGreen]

Sigma DP2 up for pre-order, retailing for $649

by Paul Miller posted Mar 28th 2009 at 4:02PM

Amazon and B&H have pre-order pages up for the hotly-anticipated Sigma DP2, and both conveniently list the camera at $649 -- well, convenient for your information gathering needs, not necessarily for your wallet. B&H expects a May availability, while Amazon is going with a typically vague "1-2 months." Maybe they both can be right.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

Read - B&H
Read - Amazon

Sigma DP2 finally takes some pictures, doesn't disappoint

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 7th 2009 at 4:13AM

Sigma has been doling out bits and pieces of information about its new DP2 camera since last fall, but it's just now letting folks use it to actually take some pictures and, judging from LetsGoDigital's results, it doesn't look to disappoint. Of course, the camera is still in pre-production form, but LetsGoDigital certainly seems to be plenty impressed with its abilities so far, with the "Super Multi-Layer Coating" on the lens helping to reduce lens flare, while the 41mm f/2.8 lens and 14-megapixel FOVEON X3 image sensor combine to deliver some great depth of field. Hit up the link below for some full-size sample images, plus another hands-on look at the camera itself.

Sigma DP2 gets real with its bad self

by Nilay Patel posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 11:07AM

We saw the Sigma DP2 poking around in preproduction form last month, but the update to the DP1 just had itself a little announcement down PMA way. The new model has a faster f/2.8 lens on top of a 14 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor and 20 percent faster image processor, along with a revised control layout and slightly lighter body. Interestingly, max ISO has been dropped to 1600 from the 3200 we saw in the prepro models -- too bad, night owls. No word on pricing or availability just yet, we'll let you know when we find out.

[Via Akihabara News]

Sigma DP2 shows itself in pre-production form

by Donald Melanson posted Feb 23rd 2009 at 12:28PM

Sigma hasn't had a whole lot to say about its DP1 follow-up, the DP2, since it announced it last fall, but it looks to have pulled out all, or most of the stops for the Focus on Imaging trade show in Birmingham this week, where it has a fully functional pre-production model on hand. As you can see above, the camera doesn't stray very far at all from the straightforwardness of the DP1 in terms of appearance, but the folks at SigmaUser did find quite a few less immediately noticeable differences once they got to check it out up close, including an improved grip and larger thumb rest area, a new startup / shutdown screen, an improved menu system and, ISO settings right up to 3200, among other promised improvements. Hit up the read link below for a closer look.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

Sigma acquires Feveon, maker of the X3 image sensor

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 11th 2008 at 11:57AM

Foveon (developer of the X3 image sensor for digital cameras) has just announced that they have been acquired by Sigma, the Tokyo-based camera and lens company. According to the press release, Foveon -- whose image sensors are already being used in Sigma's entire digital camera line -- will remain in San Jose, continuing to "evolve and improve the X3 sensor technology." Congratulations, you crazy kids! And best of luck to you. We mean it.