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SiBEAM's WirelessHD chipsets enter into mass production
Given that SiBEAM was on hand at CES showcasing a number of WirelessHD-enabled products, we can't say this tidbit is surprising in the least. Still, it is great to hear that its WirelessHD chipsets have entered into mass production, and better still, it's now prepared to "broadly expand partners' product development activity." It's hoping to broaden the technology's reach from wireless video area networks (WVANs) and AV transmission to consumer electronics applications (wireless iPods, anyone?) as well as PC virtual docking applications. We know it's still early to say, but we just might have our final two contestants in the forever long wireless high-def war: duke it out SiBEAM / AMIMON, and may the best transmitter win.
Hands-on with Panasonic's new Blu-ray decks
We've heard about Panasonic's new Blu-ray players a couple of times now, but we put our mitts on them today. The DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80 on the low and high side of the line, respectively, are solid players and also add in the VIERA Cast capability we heard about, but we'll be honest -- we really came to see the DMP-BD70V. This omnivorous deck will gobble up your old VHS tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs and upscale them to 1080p glory.%Gallery-41543%
SIM2 announces Entertainment Experience System with HDGiants
SIM2 already linked up with Entertainment Experience back at CEDIA, and now the cute couple is hooking up once more in order to deliver a complete display + content solution. The aptly named Entertainment Experience System consists of the Grand Cinema C3X 1080 or HT5000E 3-chip DLP projector along with an Entertainment Experience Media Center that manages Blu-ray and DVD, PlayStation and Xbox Games, HDTV, HD video, PC and HDGiants digital movies. Finally, the bundle includes digital flicks from HDGiants, though it's unclear how many will be included and at what cost. Judging by how pricey the whole Niveus + HDGiants hookup was, though, we're thinking these won't come at a bargain.
NIN crowd sources concert film with 400GB of raw HD footage
When NIN was forced to abandon its film plans for Lights in the Sky, we thought the already-filmed parts were headed for the wrong can, but Trent Reznor has decided to break from the "take my ball and go home" attitude by putting the footage up online. Opening up a public domain wellspring for fans to create some great content, the 400GB of unedited HD data from three shows (Victoria, Portland and Sacramento) is available as a torrent. Don't fire up that download just yet -- Reznor warns that beyond the drive-crushing size of the content, this is totaly unproduced and not really the sort of thing for casual viewers seeking a finished product. For those of you with serious editing rigs and a yen for film production, clear off some space on the RAID and hit the link for torrent details.
Pioneer's DV-420V upscaling DVD player somehow makes MP3s sound better
Pioneer already blew out its good stuff this morning, but it saved this gem for a little afternoon delight. The DV-420V 1080p upconverting DVD player not only makes your existing DVD collection look its best, but it's the first deck to feature "an exclusive MP3 encoding capability for supreme music portability." Oddly enough, those are pretty much the only details we're given on the subject, but the front-panel USB port enables playback of DivX files and JPEG shots if you find that of interest. We're thinking not, so you can feel free to save your $90 when it ships this summer.
Next3D makes completely far-reaching claim of bringing 3D to the home
So look, we fully understand that Hollywood and just about everyone who follows the industry is gravitating towards 3D, but the red flags here are just too bright to ignore. Next3D has just pumped out a completely unbelievable press release claiming that it's oh-so-close to establishing the first in-home 3D distribution service. For starters, it claims to integrate nicely with the Xbox 360, which sounds more than a little suspicious. Next, we're told that "like YouTube, Next3D will offer user-created content channels for stereo enthusiasts to post and share 3D video and still images." Right, because so many consumers have handheld 3D cameras to capture this stuff. Sorry, but the vaporware stamp has officially been slammed.
JVC spins out LCD TV-DVD combos
Looking across JVC's CES 2009 product line, it's apparent that Blu-ray isn't for everybody just yet. For folks with plenty of DVDs left to watch, the 19-inch LT-19D200 or 32-inch LT-32D200 LCD TV-DVD combos might be great for a second set in the home. Don't be turned off by the lack of 1080p resolution on these models -- at these sizes, you won't notice the difference at reasonable viewing distances. Still, we've got to wonder about the choice of marketing a product with the "inferior" 720p spec number to a casual audience; but there's also no pricing info on these new models. Hopefully the planned March release gives JVC some time to firm the marketing details up.
Amazon Video On Demand content comes to Panasonic TVs
Hooking up with digital content distributors is definitely the thing to do here at CES, and you ought to know that Panasonic isn't leaving Vegas without a partner of its own. In between announcing snazzy new HDTVs and a litany of camcorders, the company has proudly announced a partnership with Amazon that will bring Amazon Video on Demand material to VIERA Cast TVs. The service is expected to launch early this year, and quite honestly, we're hoping that this isn't the only release of this kind. For Panasonic's sake.
Yahoo! recaps a day of setting the Internet-on-TV movement on fire with Widgets
Okay Yahoo!, we're sorry we teased, we give up, you win. After what certainly seemed on this end to be an endless run of HDTV manufacturers announcing support for the Widget Engine today -- and serving up a hefty slap in the face to Microsoft and others who've been moving the Internet to TV movement for some time now -- all we can do is look over the carnage. Signed up on the app side of platform formerly known as Konfabulator are content providers like eBay, MySpace, CBS, Blockbuster OnDemand (in its first off-2Wire MediaPoint appearance), Netflix, Showtime, USA Today and Twitter, while the Widget Development Kit has opened up to developers interested in putting their apps on the screens of millions. Hardware should street starting this spring from the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio leaving the biggest question mark as how the competition and their clumsy external boxes can possibly respond.
Panasonic intros a pair of new DVD theater in a box solutions
Even though Panasonic likes to rave about HD, it knows that DVD home theater in a box (HTIB) systems are very popular still, and has introduced the SC-PT770 and SC-PT670 to address the market desire. Sticking true to the company's goals of integration and ease of use, iPod integration is baked in, and the SC-PT770 ups the ante by bundling in the SH-FX70 Wireless Kit for Rear Speakers. On the eco-friendly front, the front and center channel drivers are fashioned out of bamboo, which will offset the 1,000-Watt amplification at least a little bit on your karmic scale.
Sony brings two DVDirect Handycam-to-DVD writers to the US
While it's certainly not the most invigorating release from Sony today, those stuck with too much video on their Handycams will be head over heels. The firm is expanding its DVDirect line by two, and while one of 'em (the VRD-MC10) has been released in Japan previously, this marks the first time it'll ship to American consumers. Said unit incorporates HDMI, component and composite inputs, and features the ability to transfer AVCHD-quality video to DVD; it also includes an i.LINK (FireWire 400) port as well as a USB socket for use with a wider range of devices. Moreover, the MC10 touts a 5-in-1 multicard reader for taking flash-based media straight to DVD, and the 2.7-inch LCD is just fine for previewing things beforehand. The DVDirect Express VRD-P1 DVD writer is tailor made to work quickly and easily with some of Sony's newly announced camcorders, and the lack of advanced functionality means it'll only run $150 (compared to the $300 stick on the MC10) when it ships in March.%Gallery-40949%
Samsung's DVD-H1080 looks like a large pebble, plays DVDs
While Samsung's design may be changing in the Blu-ray player department, its latest DVD player pays homage to last year's DVD-F1080. The all new, very pebble-like DVD-H1080 touts the company's Touch of Color design, weighs just over two pounds and is only marginally bigger than the DVDs it will one day play. As expected, the deck features 1080p upscaling to go along with the USB host function which adds support for DivX, MP3 and JPEG files. There's nary a word on price, but it should be landing at your favorite (and least favorite, for the record) retailer in the first half of 2009.%Gallery-40652%
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone demoed on video, coming in Q1
No surprises here, but Sling Media has created a new SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone portal on its website in order to accomplish two important tasks. 1) To announce that it will indeed be submitted to Apple for certification this quarter and 2) to show off a new video of the software in action. If you just can't wait, head to the read link and mash play.
DTS looks to expand its reach with Neural Audio acquisition
DTS, the company responsible for all those DTS-HD Master Audio tracks that you adore, has just announced that it's picking up Neural Audio in order to expand its reach. The company that it's acquiring is described as an "audio technology business that licenses branded intellectual property solutions for the creation, distribution and playback of music, movies, broadcast programs and video games," and DTS is hoping to use this to get branded technology offerings into satellite radio, automotive and gaming markets. The deal cost DTS a stiff $7.5 million for "certain assets and liabilities," and it may end up forking out up to $7.5 million more over the next five years if "certain conditions" are met. Way to look ahead, DTS -- now, we're totally expecting 7.1-channel Blu-ray surround systems in our 2010 model year vehicles. Cool?
Sigma intros Blu-ray-optimized media processor, pledges support for Adobe Flash Lite
Not, you're not having some awful case of déjà vu, Sigma Designs is indeed outing a new Blu-ray-optimized chip here at CES. The new SMP8642 media processor was designed from the ground-up for "mainstream Blu-ray players," and coupled with the firm's Profile 2.0 software suite, it supposedly provides a high performance interactive experience. Not quite sure if that translates to "quicker than usual," but we'll take whatever improvements we can get. In related news, it also announced today that it will integrate Adobe Flash Lite software into its SoC solutions for next-gen televisions and web services. So, what's it mean? It could mean that future set-top-boxes with this mojo within could have all new access to online content, which is obviously a huge theme (along with 3D) at this year's show. For all the details, well, you know where to head. Read - SMP8642 media processor Read - Adobe Flash Lite Read - Other CES announcements from Sigma
Pioneer's TAD shows off a new Blu-ray audio format at CES
Technical Audio Devices (TAD), a subsidiary of Pioneer, has a little something to show audiophiles that may lure them away from their CD transports yet -- a new 2-channel audio format for Blu-ray discs that it unapologetically claims "rivals 2-channel analog sound." We're not sure if that means reel-to-reel or vinyl is in the crosshairs, but the company is putting its apparently-unnamed format up for demo at CES. The demos are being hosted by none other than audiophile classic Sheffield Labs recording engineers Bill Schnee and Doug Sax, who have picked out some choice cuts to be played on pro-level TAD Compact Reference monitors and associated electronics; no word on if whiskey is part of the demo.
Toshiba talks about its XDE future
Not everyone has been won over by Toshiba's XDE upscaling, but the company has no plans of abandoning its in-house developed tech; at least that's what key folks behind XDE said in an interview with Home Cinema Choice mag. Not surprisingly, there's a lack of specific sales figures or technical detail on how the adaptive processing works -- there's nothing wrong with holding on to the secret sauce, after all -- but the interview definitely shows that Toshiba is feeling pressure from falling Blu-ray player prices. We've got to wonder how the company is going to deliver a model cheaper than the $150 XD-E500, though -- the gap between standard DVD spinners and cheap Blu-ray players is getting awfully thin, even for pixie dust.
Dolby throws its hat into the home 3D arena
Not satisfied with battling RealD for theater 3D dominance, Dolby Labs is pushing forward its 3D solution for home viewers. Timely, since this will should be the year SMPTE picks a direction and everyone gets behind it (or not,) and Dolby apparently already made its case back in September. We'll be able to judge their offering vs. Panasonic, TDVision and all others this week and hopefully come away knowing if 3D really is ready to be the next big thing or just a useless gimmick.
Hisense selects AMIMON for its wireless HDTV, WHDI makes friends with HDCP
We've got three important tidbits to share this morning from the labs of AMIMON, so we can't afford to waste any time bantering about how far the wireless HD industry as a whole has to go before it becomes even marginally important to the average consumer. First off, LG Electronics has decided to tag along in the WHDI SIG, joining the likes of Motorola, Samsung, Sharp and Sony. Obviously, LG's hoping to push the wireless standard as a protocol that'll be accepted industry wide, and given the amount of splintering that exists currently, we can't say we're too against the collaboration. Moving on, we're told that the aforesaid WHDI standard will enable HDCP revision 2.0 as its content protection technology, and leading Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense has announced its intentions to integrate AMIMON's solution into its sets. All the details are just past the break.
Fraunhofer IIS to push MPEG Surround as next big downloadable audio format
Watch out, MP3 -- you've got a formidable opponent creeping up on you. All kidding aside (yes, we were kidding), Fraunhofer IIS is hoping that at least four people will turn from their MP3 / AAC addictions and embrace yet another one of its audio formats at CES, which is simply christened MPEG Surround. Harald Popp, head of the Multimedia Realtime Systems department at the company, has asserted that the firm believes that "MPEG Surround will become a major online distribution format when downloading music, movie and TV content," noting that it offers "the music industry a way to sell iPod-compatible surround content through the existing stereo download infrastructure." We suppose the multi-channel aspect is at least somewhat noteworthy, but we still see a hard road ahead for it to gain "global acceptance" in 2009.
