picture-in-picture
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Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body
Ion Audio, who seem to enjoy doing unconventional work in the electronic peripherals space, are back with a two-way pocket camcorder that records both sides of a conversation, literally. Strapped with pairs of microphones and cameras, it is capable of doing picture-in-picture or split-screen recording, and can selectively switch between the audio streams depending on which side you want to hear at which time. Just skip along past the break and all will be elucidated -- price is not yet specified, but the Twin Video cam should be arriving at some point in the first half of this year.
Samsung SyncMaster P2770HD has built-in TV tuner, sex appeal
Remember the Samsung P2370HD monitor? Well, this is it at 27 inches. How's that for concision? Oh, you want more -- well, Samsung must've expected you to, because it's also added a TV tuner and a HDMI input to its latest Full HD display, to go along with a 5ms response time and a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. There's also a pair of 3 watt stereo speakers that can simulate 5.1 channel sound -- good for emergencies or if you just can't stand speakers cluttering up your desktop. Filling out the goodie bag are Picture In Picture and Picture By Picture modes, which should make good use of the extra real estate on the screen by combining, for example, your desktop with a TV source. The price is set at 549,000 Won (or about $473) for Korea, though global availability looks imminent so don't rush to import it just yet.
LG W63 enters gaming monitor arena, claims to be the best
You can't exactly accuse LG of lacking audacity -- the company that today unveiled the eccentric Color Pop displays has also updated its consumer monitor line with a gamer-centric Full HD entry that has everything but humility. The 23-inch W63 touts a new Thru Mode, which sacrifices image processing to deliver "zero-delay" visuals, a 1,000:1 (real) contrast ratio, 2ms response time, 300 nits of brightness, two HDMI inputs and picture-in-picture functionality. There's even a Tru Light equalizer-like thingy at the bottom of the screen that pulsates in time with the sound of your glorious battle triumphs and Skype message pings. Only question left is, can anyone actually tell the difference between two milliseconds of delay and none at all? Read - LG press release Read - W63 product page
300: The Complete Experience double dips on Blu-ray July 21
It appears Warner has finally gotten around to this double dip, with the (re)release of 300: The Complete Experience. For fans (who will probably be in stores at launch July 21 picking up Zack Snyder's Watchmen: Director's Cut) there should be plenty to make up for the extras left out last time around. Besides the formerly HD DVD-only blue screen picture-in-picture video track, there's three new Blu-ray exclusive PiP features: Creating a Legend, Bringing the legend to Life and The History Behind the Myth. No word on price, but the three disc set will include a digital copy DVD, BD-Live My Community Screening and My WB Commentary support, all the old extras included with previous releases, a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack and 50 page collectible booklet. That enough to get you to buy again?
Sin City Recut, Extended and Unrated Blu-ray special features previewed
A highly stylized flick like Sin City is sure to look great in high definition, so you're probably already planning to grab when it the Recut, Extended and Unrated version hits Blu-ray this week. For those who can't wait or are on the fence, MovieWeb has this quick snippet (embedded after the break) of Cine-Explore Bonus View special footage from the home version that shows off how the special effects were done while the movie plays on in the background. Other than that, the disc packs a couple commentary tracks, a 5.1 audio track including audience reaction (apparently so you can pretend you're at one of those movie theaters you no longer go to) and an interactive comic book.
Big Buck Bunny Blu-ray disc busts out 3 PiP streams, BD-Live
After giving HD DVD a proper send-off with Terminator 2: Ultimate HD-Edition, the Imagion AG team has thrown itself fully into the b's like Paul Pierce, preparing the Blu-ray release of Big Buck Bunny, another open source creative commons-licensed movie from the creators of Elephants Dream. How do you top being the first to do PiP on Blu-ray? With three separate picture-in-picture tracks give us a look at the original storyboards, 3D renders or the original rough renders from the production team's Blender software. The dynamicHD-live portion should be familiar to fans of the T2 release, using BD-Live access to TuneHD.net for constantly updated news, Big Buck Bunny-related websites and calibration settings. The disc packs in both BBB and Elephants Dream and should be shipping soon.
Poll: Do you utilize picture-in-picture functionality?
A recent article over at Entertainment Weekly got our gears turning, and we began to wonder if anyone actually takes advantage of picture-in-picture anymore? On one hand, it's still a (minor) selling point on even the fanciest of sets, and viewers sure seem to love those multi-screen broadcasts put out by DISH Network and DirecTV. Consequently, we can't even remember the last time we utilized PiP for more than a moment or two in order to keep track of two sporting events simultaneously. Who knows, maybe it's the ability to record one show while watching another that's curbing our usage of picture-in-picture, but we're curious just how dusty your own PiP button is / isn't. Tell all below!
U-control picture-in-picture makes a comeback on The Mummy Returns Blu-ray disc
When Universal releases The Mummy Returns July 22 on Blu-ray, expect a return of the studio's U-control features with exclusive content not seen on the previous HD DVD release. Accompanying all the previously seen extras, Blu-ray viewers get a special picture-in-picture track with behind the scenes footage and filmmaker interviews.The 50GB disc will also have a DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio track, whether or not any of this makes it a better movie this go-round remains to be seen.
Panasonic unveils DMP-BD30 "next-gen" Blu-ray player
Panasonic's new DMP-BD30 Blu-ray player serves up those HD discs extra fancy, being the first player to meet the requirements for BD-Video Final Standard Profile 1.1. That means a secondary video decoder for picture in picture (such as director's commentary), and an extra audio decoder for working in sound from that second source or from interactive features. Other features of the $500 player include Deep Color Compatibility, HDMI 1.3B, 1080 / 24p playback, and an SD card slot that can play back 1080p AVCHD video from SD cards. We're not exactly sure when the DMP-BD30 is hitting the streets, but it seems poised to steal the delayed Samsung BD-UP5000's thunder.
Samsung's SCH-B710 with picture-in-picture DMB
Picture-in-picture functionality on a phone is certainly not without precedent -- on Korean handsets, anyway -- but that doesn't mean we have to understand it. Watching even a single show on screen the size of a thumb remains a tough sell in many parts of the world, let alone two shows side by side. Alas, this game plan must be working out alright for LG and Samsung since they keep pumping out handsets that rock the feature. Latest is the SCH-B710 from Samsung, a rather portly-looking pivot phone with a pair of DMB tuners and the aforementioned picture-in-picture functionality for individuals afflicted with particularly brutal forms of ADD. Thanks to Anycall branding, we know this one'll stay well within Korean borders, but we wouldn't be surprised to see the form factor head elsewhere by a different model number.
Elgato releases new EyeTV Diversity DTT tuner
Looks like Miglia isn't the only kid on the block with a picture-in-picture TV tuner for the Mac anymore, as Elgato has released the EyeTV Diversity, offering powerful DTT reception, picture-in-picture viewing and the ability to record one channel while you watch another. DTT, for those who might be scratching their heads, stands for Digital Terrestrial Television, a new digital broadcasting standard adopted mostly by European and Asian countries, allowing for more better channels and content to be served over traditional broadcasting systems (i.e. - from what little I know about DTT from the Wikipedia entry and Elgato's product page, this product doesn't really have North Americans in its demographic, for now). Nevertheless, judging from its size and feature list, the EyeTV Diversity is packing quite a punch, and it's available now from Elgato for 149,95 Euros.Thanks Todd
Samsung's SCH-B470: DMB with picture-in-picture
Chillin' out, watching TV on your sub-three-inch phone display is all well and good, but it seems awfully inefficient, doesn't it? Here you could be snapping pics, choosing ringtones, adding contacts, or browsing the web if it weren't for that gosh durn DMB taking up the entirety of your screen. Samsung's looking to cater to those ADHD-inflicted DMB users out there, bringing their SCH-B470 to market with picture-in-picture capability. Technically, the term might be a bit misleading since we don't think you can watch two DMB channels simultaneously, but the functionality allows you to watch tee-vee on one side of the screen while going about your regular phone business on the other. The B470 rounds out the package with a 2-megapixel cam and the obligatory music player -- both of which you can utilize while enjoying that Korean sitcom.
CableLabs approves Motorola's multi-stream CableCARD
It's not really clear why the old CableCARD hasn't taken off as expected -- consumers blame their cable providers, who blame the card manufacturers, who blame device makers -- but nonetheless, the technology is far from dead, and now it looks like those long-awaited multi-stream CARDS could be available before the end of the year. CableLabs recently announced that Motorola's "M-Card" has joined Scientific Atlanta's offering in finally earning the organization's coveted "qualified" status, paving the way for such great functionality as picture-in-picture on compatible TVs and multi-channel recording for properly-equipped DVRs. Although the M-Card does improve upon current-gen CableCARDs by delivering access to more than one channel at a time, it is still classified as a version 1.0 device, and therefore won't allow the bi-directional communication necessary for on-demand or pay-per-view goodness. Still, this development is good news for consumers, as it should lead to increased demand for the cards, which will hopefully serve as a kick in the pants for the weak link in the CableCARD chain, whoever it is.[Via HDBeat]
12-hour Oblivion marathon starts on Monday
It looks like GameSpot's taking a page from Joystiq's gaming book by trying a 12-hour marathon with a retail copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the 360 this Monday.There will even be a live video feed of executive editor Greg Kasavin "driving" the game, but that will only be available to GameSpot subscribers. (Booo!) The event's currently scheduled for Monday, March 20, 6:00 PM-Tuesday, March 21, 6:00 AM PT.Greg'll be "offering commentary about the experience as it transpires" via the picture-in-picture feed, but he won't be taking part in the concurrent subscriber chat room planned so as "to avoid any outside influences on his time spent evaluating the game." Well, good luck, Greg, and make sure to stay hydrated... 'cuz it's gonna be a long night.See also: Oblivion release imminent -- March 20 (it's official) 48-hour Xbox 360 marathon begins… now! Super-frustrating boss fight in Kameo Joystiq's massive Xbox 360 launch weekend blowout: the aftermath
