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Thomson's mysterious Black Diamond PMP goes public
Think your black iPod nano attracted fingerprints and got scratched too easily? Keeping the same sleek black / blue glow motif showcased on Thomson's PMP2008, the mysterious new Black Diamond PMP (a.k.a. the EH308) should truly wear your touch on its enclosure. While the flashy homepage doesn't give us a completely satisfactory look at the unit itself, we do know that it'll pack 8GB of internal capacity, rock a 1.8-inch OLED screen, and feature "tactile controls." Furthermore, it'll come with a rechargeable Li-ion cell rated for 15 hours, USB 2.0 connectivity, a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, and the ability to display photos as well as play back audio (formats unspecified) and video (WMV / MPEG4). Curiously, Thomson also boasts about its ability to "manage podcast and web audio formats," as well as confirming its compatibility with "secure downloadable music formats" such as WMA-DRM. Expect this dark device to hit store shelves any day now, and at around $300, it's just a tad cheaper than that other Black Diamond floating around out there.
RCA's Lyra X3030 portable media player reviewed
Just a few months back we saw RCA's Lyra X3000 get some well-deserved praise, and now the folks over at CNET are putting its successor through its respective paces. The X3030 sports most of the same specs and attributes as its aging sibling, but touts 30GB of internal storage (up from 20GB) and "adds protected Windows Media Video support and DivX certification." Reviewers found a good bit to love on the PVP, as they extolled its broad range of supported formats and "Apple-esque" scroll wheel, as well as admiring the "healthy set of accessories" that made scheduling recordings a breeze. The main digs came from the "tricky interface," the lack of a widescreen display (like that found on the lower-priced, albeit less accesorized, Archos 604), and the "decent" video quality that fell short of "some competitors." It was also noted that while the 4.5-hours of realized battery life while watching video was commendable, the 8.5-hours achieved while listening solely to audio was indeed lackluster. Nevertheless, the crew found enough niceties to slap a "7 out of 10" rating on the X3030, and closed by dubbing the X3030 "a solid video playback and recording device, despite its poorly designed menu interface."
Thomson's 1GB PMP251 goes horizontal
Alright folks, if some off-the-wall PMP manufacturer can get this whole horizontal, white, touch-sensitive, movie playing, video-out touting thing down pat, then what's taking Apple so long? Regardless of Steve's insistence on rehashing the 5G iPod in its latest refresh, Thomson is going for broke with its 1GB PMP251. Sporting the same ultra-thin design and video-out we saw on the PMP2008, Thomson has shifted the plane by tossing in a horizontal layout, a 320 x 240 LCD, MPEG / JPEG support, PAL / NTSC video output, musical support for MP3, WAV, and WMA files, line-in recording capability, and USB 2.0; it even boasts a few PDA-like functions such as a calendar, address book, and oddly enough, an electronic dictionary. So if you're tired of waiting for a widescreen 6G iPod, and don't mind giving up 29 gigs or so, you can snag the PMP251 for CNY1,380 ($174).[Via DAPReview]
Thomson and Skype to release GE 28300EE2 VoIP phone
You know something's gone mainstream when corporate giants like Thomson and GE get involved, and these two are presumably validating the internet calling craze by teaming up with Skype to release a GE-branded VoIP / conventional landline phone. The GE 28300EE2 isn't too much different than the other computer-free units we've seen, and sports the DECT 6.0 protocol as well as a color LCD screen to view Skype messages and traditional caller ID data. Aside from handling both VoIP and landline duties, the device sports speakerphone, conference calling, a 100-name address book, and 10 hours talk / 120 hours standby time. GE throws in two (conservatively styled) handsets to get you started, but since six units are supported, you can snag a few more to prevent having to move a muscle to communicate with your entire household. You can get your VoIP on with the GE 28300EE2 "sometime this fall" for $149.99.
Thomson's 1GB PMP2008 DAP hits China, lookin' fit
It's pretty hit or miss with these guys, but this new PMP2008 from Thomson looks like one of their hits. We can't imagine the player is too terribly exciting to use, and specs like USB 1.1 don't do much to inspire confidence, but they do seem to have managed to build a skinny flash DAP with at least a modicum of sex appeal. The unit, which is out now in China, sports 1GB of flash memory, a 2-inch screen and a surprising video-out port. However, we're most impressed by the player's 10mm (0.4-inch) thickness, though a sketchy 640 x 240 screen res stat might have that beat if it proves true. Unfortunately, we don't have a word on price, and don't really expect this one to hit our shores, but we can always admire from afar.[Via dapreview]
Thomson's GPS 280 and 420 portable sat-navs
Thomson (or if you're a Yank like us, RCA) has found its way into the handheld GPS market, and is poised to release two new models in the fall. The GPS 420 (pictured), which is designed primarily for in-car use, will drop (in Europe, of course) this September or October, loaded with a 4.2-inch 16:9 touch screen and carrying a €500 price tag. The pedestrian-oriented GPS 280 will boast a 2.8-inch screen that can be oriented horizontally or vertically, and should be available sometime in November for a semi-affordable €400. Other hard specs on these SiRFStarIII-based devices are few and far between, but judging by the picture in the source link we assume video (DMB anyone?) and audio playback will find their way into the mix as well. We'll keep you posted when we get more info, unless we get sidetracked daydreaming about Archos' upcoming antenna-packed GPS powerhouse.
Thomson's film grain for HD DVD: if you can't play it, fake it
With all this crazy money being spent on rolling out new standards like HD DVD and Blu-ray, you'd think at least they'd be able to manage that 1080p res they're soaking you for, right? Well, sort of. HD DVD runs at about 10-15Mbps, compared to SD-res bitrates of around 8-10Mbps. That means a whole lot of compression is going on, and some of that film grain that you're paying for with such high resolutions is getting lost in the process. Now Thomson is stepping in with a solution to reintroduce that grain, by simulating it in the actual player as a visual effect on the image. Sounds pretty cheesy to us, since the whole point of seeing film grain is for the subtle nuance of it, not for the mere effect of distorted picture. It does sound like they have some algorithm in place to pickup the actual patterns of noise during compression, so that the final representation has at least a semblance to the original, but it sounds like true film grain purists are going to have to stick with movie theaters for their fix for now. [Via HD Beat]
Thomson announces three DAPs and a PMP for Europe
RCA-parent Thomson announced three new MP3 players for the European market today, along with a 30GB PMP called the X3030E, which should look quite familiar because it's just a re-badge of the Lyra X3030 that we covered a few months back. First up is the 6GB EH306, also known as the Black Diamond, which is a nano-like device sporting a 1.5-inch color OLED display, MP3, WMA, WMV, and MPEG-4 file support, fifteen hours of battery life, and that old standby, the FM tuner -- all for around $320 when it hits stores in October. Next we have the Lyra EM2600 (pictured), a 512MB or 1GB flash-based model which is basically a color version of the RD2312 we spotted at CES 2005, and which will cost $100 or $126 depending on capacity. Bringing up the rear is arguably the hottest model of all, a little waif of a DAP known as the EM2802. With this one you're getting the same color screen and codecs as the EH306, but in a much smaller package and in capacities of either 1GB or 2GB -- which will go for $165 and $216, respectively, upon their November launch. You've already seen the EM2600; now keep reading to check out all the other upcoming devices...
Thomson's new Film Grain Technology for HD DVD endorsed by SMPTE [Update 2]
Thomson announced last night that their Film Grain Technology for MPEG-4 has (finally) been approved for mandatory inclusion in HD DVD products. We say finally because they've been showing this off since 2004, and it was originally not approved by the DVD Forum for mandatory inclusion back in February 2005. No word on what has changed between then and now, or exactly when the Steering Committee met and approved it, but it's in there now (See below). Currently this technology is only included for use with the h.264 codec, although they indicate it could be added to support other compression solutions, like VC-1 for example.They remove all trace of film grain before the movie is compressed, then the player recreates the effect during playback. Beyond just adding a different visual feel, they claim this will also enhance compression and lower necessary bitrates for high definition content further. This AVS Forum thread provides much useful information on the effect of film grain and Thomson's technology.
RCA releases H100 and H116 HDD-based DAPs
RCA's got a new pair of hard drive-based MP3 players for those folks still grieving over the death of the iPod mini, complete with 4GB and 6GB hard drives, black and white screens, and even a little bit of design flair in the form of chrome accents. The only real difference between the H100 (pictured) and H116 (available at Target as the H106), besides the size of their drives, is the fact that the more capacious H116 ships with a combination car charger/FM transmitter -- oh, and the non-touch-sensitive scroll wheel is black instead of green. Both models feature 1.5-inch displays with white on black text, 16-hour rechargeable batteries, PlaysForSure and Windows Media Player 11 compatibility, and Media Transfer Protocol (MTP support). You're certainly not getting a lot of extras here, but then again, you won't be paying much for these models either; $139 will score you the H106, while two more gigs and the car kit will set you back thirty bucks more.
Microsoft unveils unified communications platform
Microsoft has just announced a series of new products and upgrades to existing software which together will form a platform that promises to deliver unprecedented convergence among disparate communications technologies. Part of the "Office system 2007 wave of products," this combination of hardware and software will allow users to perform such tasks as checking their voicemail directly from Outlook or calling up an Exchange Server to have it email other participants of an impending meeting that they're going to be late. The move also sees Redmond making an even bigger push into Internet telephony in the form of the Office Communications Server 2007 package, which is a SIP-based platform that will allow seamless VoIP calling, videoconferencing, and instant messaging across a broad range of existing applications, services and devices, including the all-in-one Office Communicator 2007 -- available in desktop, web-based, and mobile flavors -- which just so happens to support voice, video, and chat as well. Finally, we'll see remote conferencing get a boost in the form of enhanced A/V capabilities and Office integration for Live Meeting, along with a new tool called RoundTable that employs a 360-degree camera for letting group web-conference participants view the entire remote team simultaneously. On the hardware side of things, Microsoft has partnered with HP and Motorola to provide support for the new platform, with HP delivering systems integration services and unspecified "enhanced products" and Moto throwing down compatible mobile devices and network equipment. While new versions of Exchange Server and Speech Server are on their way by the end of the year, the majority of the platform -- including IP desktop phones from Polycom, LG-Nortel, and Thomson to support the Office Communicator phone experience -- is not scheduled to roll out until sometime during Q2 of next year.[Via The New York Times]
RCA Lyra X3030 media player gets bump to 30GB
It may be only a couple of weeks since we first started seeing reviews of Thomson/RCA's Lyra X3000 portable media player, but that hasn't stopped the company from announcing a successor, the X3030. Like the X3000, the X3030, due out in May, can handle WMA, PlaysforSure, Audible and DivX files, and has a 3.6-inch LCD display. In fact, the main difference between the two models appears to be a bump in hard disk size, from 20 to 30GB (gee, that must be why this is the X3030). RCA has kept the suggested retail price at the same $399 level as the X3000, so if you like the Lyra's specs and 20GB will do it for you, now might be a good time for you to grab an X3000 from a clearance bin.
Microsoft shows off IPTV plans, partners
As the convergence race heats up, Microsoft is not sitting on the sidelines, as last week at the IBC show in Amsterdam they shed more light on their plans for IPTV devices with SBC, Intel, Motorola, Linksys and others. Among the announcements made for NTSC markets were:Previously announced Scientific Atlanta set top boxes including SD and HD receivers and DVRs, as well as IP-over-coax and DVB supportA Thomson/Intel box that is said to be commercially available, supporting Microsoft's IPTV Edition platform. Expandable to include DVR features, it also supports Windows Media 9, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 encoded sources.A system-on-a-chip developed with Sigma Designs specifically intended to support all IPTV edition features and lower cost so that it can be included in set top boxes, TV's, DVD players and gaming consoles. I don't think this nearly answers the question of where the Media Center Edition platform's future lies, but Microsoft is clearly doing everything they can to make sure they have their devices at the heart of your digital entertainment center of the future.
