Qdeo
Latest
Oppo continues its legacy with two new top end Blu-ray players
Regarded as the best of the best when it comes to disc players, Oppo has two new ones that can easily handle any disc you've got. Physical media isn't the only game in town, obviously, so in addition to Netflix, Vudu and local file support like MKV, Oppo has stepped it up even further by adding an HDMI port in front for use as an MHL input. This allows you to leverage the high-end Oppo's processing to do wonders on content stored on your portable or other MHL source. Speaking of video processing, both the new guys use Marvell's Qdeo video processor and are capable of doing both 2D-to-3D conversion as well as up-scaling to 4K. From a control perspective, a back-lit remote is included, but there's also an IR input, RS-232 and mobile phone apps. The BDP-103 will surely satisfy any videophile at $499 this October, but if you happen to be an audiophile too, then you'd probably want to wait until the BDP-105 is released later this year. Not only does it feature two ESS Sabre32 Reference DACs and a Toroidal linear power supply, but there are also dedicated stereo outputs with both RCA and XLR balanced connections and a headphone amplifier -- if you know what all that is, we're sure you really want it.
Hands-on with the Honeywld Power Zest ICS set-top box at Computex 2012 (video)
Looking for an unwieldy product name for your next game of tech Scrabble? How about Honeywld Power Zest? Yes, don't adjust your television, there's no "i" in Honeywld. Speaking of TVs, this err... zesty little item we discovered here at Computex is a set-top box running Ice Cream Sandwich. Feel the power! To be clear, this is not a Google TV device -- it runs Android 4.0 with a heavily skinned, remote control-friendly UI. The box (available in blue, red, yellow and black) is built around a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell SoC featuring Qdeo technology paired with 1GB of RAM. An embedded 2GB microSD card provides flash storage for the OS. In front you'll find a power LED and infrared receiver, while in back there's a power button, 3.5mm AV connector (for analog audio and composite video), optical audio output, HDMI socket, two USB 2.0 ports, an 100BaseT Ethernet jack and a 12V DC power input. There's no wireless support. We took the device for a spin using the supplied IR remote (which includes a mix of standard buttons plus the home, back, menu and search keys required for Android) and the experience was a bit of a mixed bag. It certainly worked as advertised but navigating Android with just a D-pad and four buttons was quite frustrating. Text entry was painful and buggy (an infrared keyboard will be offered as an extra accessory) -- then again, the box we used was still running early firmware. Honeywld plans to make the Power Zest available to Taiwanese retailers late July for somewhere between $95 to $120. Retail pricing will be a a little higher depending on markups. Until then, feast your eyes on the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.%Gallery-157458%
Pioneer adds two new Elite receivers to its 2012 lineup
Pioneer's 2012 AV receiver lineup is growing by two with the new VSX-42, priced at $450, and the $650 VSX-60. Both feature six HDMI inputs on the back, Ethernet, video scaling, optional Bluetooth ($99) with A2DP, AirPlay, DLNA, Pandora and iOS or Android apps. The VSX-60 sets itself apart with 10 more watts per channel, 7.2 instead of 7.1, optional WiFi and a superior video processor. As if that wasn't enough, the VSX-60 also has an HDMI input up front, is SiriusXM ready and adds a number of video and audio enhancement like Stream Smoother, Advanced Video Adjust and a few others worth reading about in the press release after the jump. With a trend placing the AV receiver at the center of your home theater universe, these Pioneer units have just enough useful features to make us ponder upgrading (still-functional) existing gear.
Onkyo debuts new entry level receivers, HTIBs for 2012
For 2012, Onkyo is expanding its lineup with four new entry level receivers and two HTIB all-in-one packages. The receivers all pack the brand new InstaPrevue (PiP preview of each HDMI source with fast switching) and MHL, while the three networked models are the first with access to MP3tunes cloud stored songs, as well as a number of other services including Spotify. The top of the line TX-NR616 ($699, April, pictured above) packs the most power and rocks a THX Select2 Plus stamp of quality and, along with the step down TX-NR515 ($599, March) has Qdeo video processing that scale video up to 4K res and output audio on 7.2 channels. On the HTIBs, the 7.1 HT-S5500 ($649, March) and 5.1 HT-S3500 bring all the usual features wrapped around a new "Wide Range Amplifier Technology" that it claims reduces signal noise while still pumping up the power through discrete output-stage components. The full list of specs, prices and shipping windows are in the press releases after the break, hit the source links for a few more pictures.
Google TV officially switching to ARM, Marvell Armada 1500 CPU to lead the charge
After all the rumors including word that Intel was backing away from its Atom CE4100 CPU it's finally official: Google TV is moving from x86 to ARM, and Marvell is letting everyone know its Foresight platform has been selected to power the next generation of Google TV hardware. The Armada 1500 dual-core CPU at its heart promises PC-like performance with cellphone-like power management and support for Blu-ray 3D, video encoding / decoding and upscaling. enabling fanless smart TV products built on the package like this demo box seen above. Marvell Co-founder Weili Dai considers this as an opportunity to fundamentally change the relationship between content producers and consumers, a lofty goal for the second round of products after a lackluster market response to the initial effort. Of course, there are some early signs that this hardware switch could be just what the doctor ordered, like the fact that similar hardware powers the OnLive Microconsole, and likely lurked in the heart of the Vizio Google TVs we observed with inbuilt OnLive capabilities last year. Beyond the lower heat and power requirements this chip may be able to do it all for less money -- something we're sure $99 Revue buyers can appreciate. Check out the press release after the break for a few more details, we'll wait to find out more about the new partners and hardware before jumping on the Google TV 2.0 hype train along with Eric Schmidt.
Qdeo Blu-ray test disc promises more nits to pick and adjustments to obsess over
Pristine transfers and favorite demo material aside, if you're an obsessive-compulsive videophile like us, one of the first discs you reach for after unboxing that new TV is a calibration disc. You know, the ones with the exciting test patterns and narration that empty a room really fast. Make space in your arsenal for one more of those riveting discs, because Marvell is bringing out its Qdeo Blu-ray disc to help you evaluate your setup, and with a focus on noise reduction, format conversion and image enhancement, this disc could be a good fit for modern systems that have the ability to stack tweak upon tweak at the player, receiver and TV. We'll admit that we're always a little leery of electronics manufacturers that issue their own test discs, but as long as no foul play is uncovered, it certainly can't hurt to have another choice on the market; some test patterns just work better for some people.
Meridian's $185,000 810 Reference Video System unveiled
Anyone even remotely familiar with Meridian will understand that it caters to the affluent sect. Anyone even considering disputing that fact need look no further than the recently unveiled 810 Reference Video System. This monstrous projector boasts ten full megapixels of resolution, a native 4,096 x 2,400 resolution, 3-chip D-ILA module, PKI Xenon light, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 4,000 lumens and a video processing box created by Marvell. Slated to ship in Q3, the PJ comes packaged with a long, short or medium-throw lens as well as a "motorized 2.35:1 anamorphic lens assembly for fixed height ultra-wide screen installations." Each unit also comes bundled with the 810 Reference Video Scaler "which connects to the projector with four parallel DVI-D cables, each carrying one quadrant of the image." Early reports suggest that even with all the fancy hardware, the $185,000 asking price may still be a bit high, so make sure you give this one a serious look before committing.[Via BigPictureBigSound]
