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HP not offering CableCARD on PCs due to configuration issues?
We were admittedly joyful when HP decided to unveil its media-centric m8010y and d4890y desktops soon after the stylish DEC lineup headed to an early grave, but apparently, things aren't going so well with the sophisticated machines. According to a user report, HP informed the owner of a malfunctioning m8010y that the company was "no longer selling Digital Cable Tuners due to problems with the current configuration." Sadly, we've no idea how that conversation continued nor why HP would be having so much trouble integrating CableCARD tuners into its machines, but there's certainly no shortage of vendors willing to take its place in the meantime. So, dear readers, have any of you ran into issues ordering a CableCARD-equipped HP of late?
HP ships bevy of 720 / 1080p LCDs, MediaSmart TV to follow suit
We know January is but a distant memory in most minds, and if you can't recall HP's fairly stacked 2007 lineup of LCD HDTVs introduced during that time, you'll be getting a refresher course soon enough. Reportedly, the firm is now shipping a plethora of 720p sets including the 32-inch LC3272N ($899) and 37-inch LC3772N ($1,199) LCD HDTVs, which are launching alongside the 42-inch PL4272N ($1,399) and 50-inch PL5072N ($2,099) plasmas. More notable, however, is the shipment of HP's first 1080p displays, which consist of the 42-inch LC4276N ($1,899) and 47-inch LC4776N ($2,499). These sets will also include a trio of HDMI ports, PC inputs, concealed speakers, and "RS232C with WSD bridging capabilities for custom integrators." Furthermore, HP also announced that it hasn't forgotten about the forthcoming MediaSmart TV either, as those will be following suit "sometime this summer."[Via Hidefster]
HP's m8010y and d4890y desktops to sport HD combo drives, digital tuners
Just because HP has buried the Digital Entertainment Center doesn't mean that it's forgetting about the media-centric crowd, as the company's forthcoming m8010y and d4890y will offer up some fairly swank high-definition niceties. Aside from offering customers the option for an Intel Q6600 Core 2 Quad processor and NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card, this duo will also include a mysterious dual-format combo drive to handle both BD and HD DVD responsibilities. While we can only assume that the GGW-H10N will be the drive of choice, both PCs will boast HD DVD / Blu-ray playback with burning abilities including on the latter, and as if that wasn't enough HD goodness crammed into a PC, moneyed consumers can also opt to have ATI's TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner pre-installed as well. There's no word just yet surrounding pricing, exact configurations, or a launch timeframe, but word on the street suggests that the combo drive should be made available to the adoring public within "four to six weeks."
HP's HDX Pavilion 20-inch gaming notebook from more angles
Remember that 20-inch HP HDX Pavilion laptop from yesterday? Well, more shots of the massive gaming laptop have turned up from different angles to give us a better idea of how this top-end laptop looks. This new angle puts the HDX closer in style to the traditional laptop form factor than its main "inspiration," the Dell XPS M2010. Still, the sheer size of the screen coupled with the remote means that this is a laptop with one helluva identity crisis: is it best to think of it as a portable home entertainment system, or a maxed out machine for those with very wide laps? A capable gaming machine it may be, but we have a feeling this won't be the only area where it draws interest. Hopefully, as the unveiling of Santa Rosa nears, HP will grace us with an official press release and we'll be able to get a better idea of the HDX's currently unconfirmed specs.
Do people even want PCs in their living room?
One of the least expensive ways to get HD is to take a computer and add an inexpensive ATSC tuner, but how many people actually want to do this? The concept of a HTPC isn't very new and while it is very popular in certain circles, can it ever go mainstream? Some people would certainly argue yes, but recent news from HP indicates something different; HP has announced that they will no longer have a HTPC line. HP isn't the only one either, Dell has never had one and Apple opted for an iTunes extender (Apple TV). While we certainly appreciate the benefits of a HTPC, are they worth the cost, size, noise and hassles? Even many MCE 2005 fans prefer to use an Xbox 360 to connect to the TV. When it comes right down to it, most people want their home theater experiences to be drop dead simple, after all, isn't trying to relax the whole point of a home theater?
HP to beat Dell with Linux-loaded PCs?
Funny how HP and Dell keep getting in each other's faces -- you'd almost think they used to be boyfriend / girlfriend or something. Dell's recently taken Linux-loving customers' opinions into consideration and now it looks as if HP might elbow in on the action too. A few of its notebooks are certified to work with Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 operating system and also with Red Hat. HP did actually offer Linux-loaded PCs a few years back, but quickly discontinued sales due to poor results. It has since been involved in "a number of massive deals for Linux desktops" and they're even in a "massive deal right now for... multi-thousands of units of a desktop opportunity for Linux," claims Doug Small, worldwide director of open source and Linux marketing at HP. He didn't disclose any "massive" details on their increasing custom Linux-based PC orders, but assures us that HP sees this activity as "an indicator." We know HP and Dell could be ready to pounce at any moment, but it doesn't mean other tighter-lipped companies might be in on the race as well. In any case, for our own entertainment's sake, we're hoping for a real showdown. Lock and preload![Via Slashdot]
HP's 2007 Plasma lineup
If you were starting to think that HP was going to leave the Plasma market like they did DLP, stop now. While some manufactures are choosing sides, HP continues to produce both, but not with the MediaSmart setup. HP is offering Plasmas in everyone favorites sizes 42" and 50" and like most Plasmas they offer great contrast at 10,000:1. The 42" is everyone's favorite 1024x768 with square pixels. If you don't believe a 1024x768 TV is really HD you may want to opt for the 50" with it's undisputed 1365x768. Like the rest of the HP lineup they include ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners, but no CableCARD and our favorite finish; Piano Black.[Warning: PDF link]
HP's 2007 LCD lineup
The latest MediaSmart TVs aren't the only new TVs in HP lineup, they have also announced 5 new LCD TVs, 2 1080p and 3 720p. Both 1080p models are sportin 1200:1 contrast and with similar specs to the MediaSmart TVs without the network features. The 720p models range in contrast from 1,000:1 to 1500:1 are are technically 1366x768. Like all the larger TVs these days they all include an integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, but once again no CableCARD which seems to be a trend this year, unless you a Media Center PC.
HP MediaSmart HDTV with Vista Media Center Extender
HP may have discontinued their DLPs, but they have certainly not abandoned HDTV. The new HP MediaSmart HDTVs, including a 42" and 47" 1080p LCD. The most interesting feature of course is the Vista Media Center extender and even without Media Center it can connect to HP Media Portal for access to services including Snapfish, Real Rhapsody and Live365 Radio. Not only that, but it supports many formats including DivX. It has a 1200:1 Contrast Ratio, 8 ms response time for the 42" and the 47" is 6 ms. Since you will no doubt want to connect this to your network it includes integrated Ethernet and 802.11 a/b/g/n. Like many other new sets this year it has 3 HDMI ports and of course an integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, but no CableCARD. [Warning: PDF link]
HP leaves DLP out of 2007 CES lineup
HP has revealed some of its display plans for this year's CES, and the biggest surprise isn't what the company is showing, but what it's not. Crave has a list of TVs to be displayed, and it conspicuously lacks HP's award winning wobulating DLP HDTVs, which were being shown as recently as last year. According to the posting, HP is no longer manufacturing the sets, and what is on store shelves now is the last of them. While DLP might no longer have a future with HP, there's still a full slate of flat panel TVs planned for next week's event, highlighted by two 1080p MediaSmart LCDs (the 42-inch SL4278N and 47-inch SL4778N) with WiFi-enabled Windows Media Connect for streaming media directly to the HDTV. For those not into any newfangled wireless streaming, the LC4276N and LC4776N bring the 1080p sans MediaSmart, along with three new 720p (they still make those?) models in 32-, 37- and 42-inch sizes. Two plasma TVs of unspecified resolution and parentage (42-inch HP PL4272N and 50-inch HP PL5072N) will also make an appearance.
Hewlett-Packard making video games? No Printer Tycoon, please...
"Sitting in front of a TV is boring. Gaming is the new high-definition experience." These words of utter genius brought to you by the vice-president of Hewlett-Packard, Philip McKinney. Yeah, that's right. HP. They want to make games now. Since Burger King is making those crappy games, it's not too far of a stretch in comparison, really. Anyone buy those 360 games with their Burger King? Let us know. We'd like to arch our brows at you incredulously. It's not all about actual games to HP, but they want to dip their feet in the video gaming market with their recent acquisition of Voodoo PC. There's a bunch of hypothetical mumbo-jumbo about their visions of the future and whatnot, but really, they're just looking to find their "in" to the market. What do you guys think? Would we welcome Hewlett-Packard the same way we welcomed Microsoft? Or is having 4 console makers about two too many?
HP rolls out HD (DVD) for the holidays
We all know the story, HP went from being a "strong" Blu-ray supporter (like Samsung and LG) to pushing for changes in the Blu-ray spec, hinting at pulling out of the Blu-ray Disc Association altogether, to deciding to remain neutral in the next generation disc format wars by supporting both Blu-ray and HD DVD in their products. While the managed copy feature central to those debates is still completely absent from both formats, HP is rolling out several HD DVD-based products for the 2006 holiday season. Pictured above is the hd100 external HD DVD drive, connecting via USB 2.0, it's a 2x HD DVD reader plus DVD and CD playback. Cyberlink's PowerDVD HD DVD Edition software is included for HD DVD playback, as long as you meet the hefty system recommendations. If you're looking to buy a whole new system -- which you'll probably need -- the HP Pavilion m7600n Series PC includes Windows XP Media Center Edition, Intel Viiv technology, HD DVD drive, built-in NTSC tuner and 7.1 surround sound capabilities. For HD on the go, there's always the Pavilion dv9000t laptop with an optional HD DVD and DVD burning drive, 17-inch 1440x900 LCD, HDMI out, 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GPU. No mention of Blu-ray products yet, but one must wonder why HP's HD DVD drive says "BD" under the access light on the lower left corner. All should be available "soon", prices for the PCs depend on the configuration, no price yet for the hd100 drive, but we know another USB 2.0 HD DVD drive that recently got a pricetag.[Via Engadget]
HP dons white hat to hack customers' servers
Usually the term "hacking" has some rather negative connotations, so it almost seems counterintuitive to pay someone good money for breaking into your system, but that's exactly what HP is offering to do for its corporate customers with a new service called HP Active Countermeasures, or HPAC. As you'd imagine, HP's hackers won't do anything malicious once they break into a client's server -- propagating a worm, for instance, would seem to be bad for business -- but they will use a combination of buffer, heap, and stack overflows to exploit a system in much the same way that black hatters cause Internet terror on a daily basis. Specifically, the company will employ one of its own servers to launch attacks using eight to ten scanning clients for every 250,000 devices that are part of the program, and offer customers a temporary patch until they're able to hire a dedicated security firm for shoring up any vulnerabilities. Pricing is promised to be "aggressive," with firms using less than 20,000 IP addresses expected to pay only a few dollars per user per year for the privilege of learning how shoddy their security really is.[Via The Inquirer]
Model jet plane tech will help cool HP servers
Not content with just making its servers bulletproof, HP also wanted to pack more of them into a given space than anyone else on the market, but to do that, the company had to find a way to dissipate the massive amounts of heat generated by super-dense server clusters. With traditional fan cooling not up to the task, HP found a rather unusual solution to the problem courtesy of one of its executive's pursuits outside of work: VP Rob Noblett's model jet airplane hobby. With the help of engineer Wade Vinson, Noblett realized that the electric-ducted fans he and fellow hobbyists had been using to achieve high speeds more safely could probably be modified to provide the air movement HP was seeking to cool the high-powered servers on its drawing board. After re-engineering the fans to optimize them for cooling instead of thrust, engineers were able build a model called the Active Cool Fan that is both smaller and more energy efficient than traditional fans, even though it's said to force out air as fast as a leaf blower. These powerful new fans are scheduled for inclusion in HP's next generation of BladeSystem servers, which will be sure to attract more than a few large companies sick of the maintenance required on servers that frequently overheat and shutdown.
HP iPaq hw6915 PocketPC phone reviewed
We've been on the fence about HP's hw6000 line of Swiss Army phones ever since we first spotted the GPS-equipped iPaq hw6515 -- these models include everything but the kitchen sink, but they also force you to use that non-standard 240 x 240 screen. Still, MobileTechReview's in-depth look at the latest member of the family, the hw6915, makes us think we could overlook the square screen and lack of 3G data options because, well, the rest of this Windows Mobile 5.0-powered smartphone sounds like exactly what us convergence-geeks are seeking. According to MTR, the quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE handset impresses on many fronts, including its solid keyboard, powerful internal antenna, GPS performance, and best-in-class benchmark numbers. HP also throws in some nice extras, like helpful Today screen plug-ins, a full-featured wireless radio manager, the ability to location-stamp photos, and even A2DP in the Bluetooth stack, which isn't normally included in WM5 AKU2 devices out of the box. Besides the fact that this screen resolution may not support all third-party apps, the only real knock to this model concerns the camera's startup/shutter lags -- and if that's the worst thing to be said about a device that seemingly does it all, then we're totally sold.
Iowa State's C6 VR room upgrading to 100 million pixels
Iowa State University has just announced a $4 million overhaul of its so-called "C6" virtual reality room that will enable a total of 100,000,000 pixels to be displayed on all six 10-foot by 10-foot surfaces in the room, and supposedly make it the most realistic environment of its kind in the world. In use since June of 2000, C6 has served a role in projects for fields as diverse as urban planning, cell biology, and mechanical engineering, and is currently being funded by military grant money to develop a VR room which would enable a single operator to remotely view and control a squadron of unmanned planes. To give the refurbished room an impressive sixteen times the resolution of its current iteration, researchers at the school's Virtual Reality Applications Center are hooking 24 Sony digital projectors up to an HP server stuffed with 96 graphics processors, as well as adding eight channel surround sound and motion tracking software. Iowa State students looking to break into the room at night for some absolutely sick FPS action can do so this fall.[Via ZDNet]
