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Panasonic unveils two new DVRs with DVD, VHS, and SD
We all know Panasonic likes to mix it up by giving us a dash of something fresh with a pinch of something retro -- at least that's definitely happening in its new convergence recording devices. The two newest productions in the DMR lineup have everybody from HD junkies to their mother's grandma covered, as they give three alternatives on which to record your standard and Hi-Vision (1080i in Japan) television broadcasts. Of course, the obligatory hard drive is here, but you also get a DVD burner and VHS deck, you know, so you have choices when recording two anime episodes simultaneously via the dual ISDB-T digital tuners. While both units make use of the included SD reader by playing back previously stored video files on your TV, the high-end model (DMR-XW40V) rocks a 400GB hard drive and includes an "SD Music" function that makes ripping CDs, acquiring ID3 tags, and transferring them to SD a painless procedure; the DMR-XP20V sports a 250GB HDD and forgoes the extra functionality on its SD slot. While we aren't sure what these new DVRs will run you when they drop in October, it's always nice to see a blast from the past, and hey, the death of VHS gets put on hold just a bit longer if nothing else, eh?[Via Impress]
Exemode DV308 pocket SD camcorder / MP3 player
If you've been eyeing all these glitzy SD camcorders, but can't conjure up the coin to afford such niceties, Japan's Exemode has released the DV308 for pocket-sized recording on the cheap. While Panasonic's latest effort may sport 3CCDs, and Sanyo touts 720p, that's not the DV308's game -- with a plain 'ole 3.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, the inability to play nice with SD cards over 2GB, and the not-so-legendary Japanese ODM build quality, this device provides a no frills, inexpensive way to record to SD. The biggest boon is its ability to utilize XviD compression rather than the more typical MPEG-4 / 2, which reportedly allows up to 1.5 hours of recording on a single 2GB card. An apparent last ditch effort to boost the feature set sees an MP3 player thrown into the mix, but this isn't likely to become your DAP of choice anytime soon. While you won't find stunning attributes nor remarkable storage capabilities on this SD camcorder, your wallet will greatly thank you after dropping just ¥19,800 ($171) on the DV308 in late August.[Via Impress]
Cima Lab's new DVD player rocks DivX, card slots, and USB
We remember when $70 wouldn't even buy you a decent VCR, but oh, how times have changed. With upscaling DVD players -- not to mention next-gen optical formats Blu-ray and HD DVD -- currently all the rage, now that same $70 will buy you a device that not only plays DVDs but features memory card slots and a USB port as well. Coming in September for about 7,980 yen ($68 -- why, that's even less than 70 bucks!), the CDP-200UCR from Cima Laboratory will happily spin all of your plain jane DVDs and CDs, but ups the ante by including DivX, MP3, and WMA support as well. You're also getting 5.1 analog audio, an integrated card reader with SD / MMC, MemoryStick, and yes, even SmartMedia slots (do they even sell that format anymore?) plus a front-panel USB jack for piping in content from compatible devices. Sure this player may never make it Stateside, but its nice to know that our friends in Japan have all their bases covered.
Xbox's 'Dead Rising' seems to require an HDTV
One of the Xbox's greatest features of allowing players to view the games in ether high-def or standard-def seems to have been forgot by Capcom in Dead Rising. Internet forums are flaming away on how the in-game's text are un-readable on normal SDTVs and users are claiming that the game must have been test only on high-def sets. This 'bug' effects nearly every portion of the game as the player cannot read anything in any conversation or receive the games instructions when viewed on a normal TV. So far there hasn't been any fix released, but Capcom is aware of the issue. We are sorry that we don't have a fix for you but just a warning to the owners of standard-def sets, don't buy this game - yet. NOTE: We could not find any screenshots of the issue indicated above so if any of you are experiencing the same issue, feel free to send over a pic of it and we would gladly post it. ThanksRead: Capcom forum postRead: Xbox.com forum post
Panasonic's latest 3CCD DVD camcorder gets 20x optical zoom
How do you improve upon a DVD-based camcorder that's already near the top of its class? If you're Panasonic, you jack up the optical zoom on the Leica lens from 10x to an impressive 20x, but hold on to the 3CCD setup that got your previous offering such rave reviews. Besides the longer zoom, the company's new VDR-D400 is almost exactly the same as its well-received VDR-D300, as both devices feature optical image stabilization, capture 3.1 megapixel stills to SD (and now SDHC) cards, and sport 2.7-inch LCD screens. The new model will initially be released in Japan on September 1st for about the same 120,000 yen ($1,050) that the D300 went for upon its debut.[Via Fareastgizmos]
Voigtlaender Virtus D8 digital camera
If you're wondering who the heck Voigtlaender is, rest assured you aren't missing out on much. The German-based company's Virtus D8 digicam is about as forgettable as they come, sporting no standout features and a long list of mediocre specs. The only thing mildy impressive about the 8.1 megapixel camera is its compact size -- and of course its outlandish name. Essentially like every other average compact, you'll get a 2.5-inch display screen, 3x optical zoom, meager ISO settings, a 640 x 480 video mode, and an SD slot that only accepts cards up to 1GB. More realistically, we presume this is just another digicam with too many megapixels for its own good, and priced at around $430, we don't envision many enthusiasts rushing out to grab such an underwhelming offering. [Via über gizmo]
Buffalo's "28-in-1" card reader
It looks like Buffalo hasn't met a memory card it didn't like, finding room for just about every format under the sun in it's new MCR-C12H/U2 series card reader, although they sure know how to stretch the definition of individual card types. Still, marketing hype aside, the so-called "28-in-1" reader packs support for most everything you could ask for, including seemingly every variation of SD, mini/microSD, xD, CompactFlash, and Memory Stick -- and, with the aid of a fresh firmware update, SDHC cards up to 4GB as well (making it a 29-in-1 reader if you follow Buffalo's logic). Our friends in Japan should be able to pick the reader up now, in their choice of four pretty tame colors, for ¥2,960 (about 25 bucks).[Via Akihabara News]
SanDisk joins the SDHC club
With Toshiba and Panasonic having already unveiled their respective 4GB SDHC cards, you didn't really think that industry powerhouse SanDisk would be too far behind, did you? For the uninitiated, SDHC (or SD 2.0, as it's also known) is a new FAT32-compliant format designed for capacities up to 32GB, with cards that look exactly like regular SD models, but that won't work in any but the newest of digital devices. SanDisk's offering -- available sometime before the end of the month -- is rated as a Class 2 card, meaning that it guarantees a minimum transfer rate of 2MB per second. The $200 pricetag also gets you a "free" MicroMate card reader, which is not only handy but vital to making the most out of your new card, as the SD readers you currently own won't have any idea what to do with this thing.
Genus' SLM radio does DAB and MP3
UK DAB enthusiasts now have yet another way to listen to those sweet digital broadcasts on-the-go thanks to a new portable radio from Genus; and as if that alone weren't exciting enough, the so-called SLM also includes an FM tuner and SD slot for rocking out to MP3s. Actually, there's really nothing here that we haven't seen before from manufacturers like Pure Digital and MPeye, but it can never hurt to have another product on the market driving down prices, right? One feature you're not getting with this unit -- besides the inability to record OTA programming -- is DRM support, so if you want to load up your PlaysForSure- or FairPlay-protected tracks, you'll need to strip out the copy protection with one of those handy pieces of software first (not that we'd ever encourage that sort of behavior, of course). It looks like you can pick up the OLED-equipped SLM right away from either Curry's or directly through Genus, and at $182, it's pretty reasonably priced -- though you'll have to shell out more loot if you're in need of a blank SD card for storing tunes.[Via Shiny Shiny]
Toshiba's 4GB SDHC card announced
Toshiba has been quietly undercutting the US, SD card market for years hawking their wares under the brands of PNY and Dane-Elec among others. Now, they've stepped out from behind the curtain with their new, self-branded, 4GB SDHC (SD 2.0) cards which will initially feature a minimum write speed of 4MB/s (class 4) with the promise of 32GB cards in the coming years. Said to begin shipping globally in September for an undisclosed price, Tosh's foray into these next-gen, SD-incompatible cards for FAT32-enabled hosts will join Panny's roughly $265, 4 gigger to help keep the price down on yet another memory card format nobody wants.[Via DigitalCameraInfo]
ADTec's AD-SDH SD cards: waterproof and fast
Yeah, we've seen waterproof SD cards before. In fact, as things rapidly commodify, waterproofing seems to have become the new pink-standard of the witless, marketeer. Still, these super happy, go fast, AD-SDH SD cards from ADTec Japan are quick with a high-speed transfer rate of 20MB/sec -- ideal for smooth video capture or support for rapid stills shot under the soggiest of conditions. On sale any day now in Japan starting at ¥2,980 (about $26) for the 512MB stick on up to ¥8,980 (or $77) for the 2GB jobbie.
Reggie talks flaps, WiiConnect24, and micro transactions
It's been awhile since we've heard from Reggie following his big promotion and in his latest chat with Game Informer, he confirms that the mystery flap on the front of the Wii will house the SD Card slot. In stating this, Reggie says that the SD Card is the only "announced" memory medium, so it's quite possible that Nintendo has another system up their sleeves.As for WiiConnect24 and micro transactions, Reggie sees this as digital delivery for smaller content for games, such as exclusive items or news headlines. In the interview, he says that this will be available to third parties, but is not something that will be forced upon them.
Wii's mystery flap exposed. Not so mysterious.
Sorry to disappoint, but it doesn't look like the Nintendo Wii is harboring any holographic projection or other such outlandish features speculated by the fanboy community to reside in the Wii's front flap. Nope, according to Reggie Fils-Aime there's an SD card slot there. He did reveal that there would be other memory mediums, but that's about all he's spilling so far. With the top of the console dominated by GameCube connectivity, and the back as boring as ever, rumor mongers were banking on that front flap for some hot functionality to put those Sony and Microsoft types in their place once and for all. They're now running out of surface space on the minuscule console to place their "mystery feature," or "biggest secret" as it is known to some, but we're sure they'll think of something. Meanwhile, the less interested among us will know soon enough what surprises Nintendo has planned for the Wii -- if any.[Via Joystiq]
BOSS crams USB, SD and Bluetooth into a car stereo
We've seen all of these fancy add-ons like USB, SD and Bluetooth show up in all sorts of separate car stereos, but BOSS is the first we've seen to get up the chutzpah to throw them all into one stereo for the ultimate in nerdy in-dash entertainment. Thanks to our complete inability to read Korean, we're not really sure what these stereos, the 638B and P255B, do beyond the obvious, but the pretty pictures tell us that you can plug your USB phone in for charging and possibly other functionality, and that there is iPod functionality of some sort. Sounds good to us, now all we need is a car and we're set.
Panasonic 4GB SDHC card
It's not everyday that a flash media card makes news here at HD Beat. This normal looking SD card though is something special to us and is hopefully going to help along the HDTV revolution. It is a Class 2 SD card that has the speed and capacity needed for high-def recordings. This little SD card has a transfer rate of 2MBs/16Mbps and a 4GB storage capacity. That Sayno HD pocket cam was the first flash based high-def recorder but it definitely was not the last. Panasonic themselves has a new camcorder, while it isn't HD, utilizes this new type of media. The speed of flash media has always been a stumbling block for portable HD devices but not anymore. Unfortunately, this card is not backwards compatible with older SD devices. It will be available in Japan on July 15 for a price of $265.
Panasonic's 4GB SDHC card set to drop July 25
We kind of hoped they'd just go away, but after Maxell announced their SDHC card reader yesterday, well, those SDHC memory cards were bound to get real soon enough. Now right on cue, Panasonic just went public with a July 26 global release date for their new 4GB SDHC (SD 2.0) cards. The cards feature a 5MB/s maximum transfer rate and are expected to pull about ¥30,000 (or around $265) once on the shelves. No doubt, Panny will drop a few devices soon enough that take advantage of the cards (besides the DMC-L1) since they'll only work in SDHC-compliant slots.[Via Impress]
Maxell announces SDHC-compliant card reader
Accessory manufacturers like Hitachi-owned Maxell must love new memory card formats almost as much as we hate them, because each tiny new card that hits the market requires a corresponding round of high-profit-margin peripherals to support it. We already knew that the new high-capacity SD version 2.0 (or SDHC) cards would not work in readers that don't support the FAT32 file format, so Maxell has leveraged this incompatibility to come up with a new 5-in-1 reader that will support the 4+GB cards when they hit the market, along with MMC, MemoryStick/MS Pro, and our old favorite, xD. Better known as the UA20-SDMSXD, the new reader will be available sometime this summer -- about the same time we're expecting the first SDHC cards from Panasonic.
Kingston announces K-PEX media player
Perhaps a bit jealous of fellow memory manufacturer SanDisk's successes in the portable audio space, Kingston is breaking in with their own portable media device. Titled the K-PEX (Kingston Portable Entertainment eXperience), the unit sports a 2-inch LCD, SD card slot, and about all the video and audio codec support you could ask for. Weighing 2.3-ounces, the device manages a lot for its size: a built-in mic and speakers are included, and you can hook up your camera via USB to pull off pictures on the go. You wouldn't be wrong to think this thing looks like a certain portable gaming device; Kingston is packing in two games with the device, and while third party support is never a given, we're guessing there should be a few more options down the road. We're not sure on date or price just yet, but the K-PEX should be coming to the US "soon" in 1GB and 2GB capacities.
Three from HP: dv2000 and v3000 laptops, tc4400 tablet
You could say that we're a bit "lappy happy" today (ugh, that was terrible), as we have two more notebooks -- and one convertible tablet -- from HP to show you, to join the Toshiba Qosmio, Sony VAIOs, and pair of Alienwares we brought you earlier. Both 14.1-inch laptops are replacements for previous HP models -- the redesigned dv2000 (pictured, left) replaces the dv1000 in the Digital Entertainment Center line and the Compaq Presario v3000 (pictured, right) puts the v2000 out to pasture -- with the main upgrades coming under the hood, where each model now offers you a choice of Centrino Duo or Core Duo processors from Intel or the Mobile Sempron or Turion 64 X2 from AMD. Also rocking Core Duo (in three flavors: 1.83GHz, 2.0GHz, or 2.16GHz) is the Compaq tc4400 tablet, which sports a 12.1-inch XGA display with digitizer, integrated graphics, 512MB to two gigs of RAM, 60GB, 80GB, or 100GB hard drive, WiFi, PC Type I/II and SD card slots, and the usual assortment of inputs and outputs. The tablet, which you can peep after the jump, will be available on May 22nd for an undisclosed sum of money (but it's safe to assume that it'll be more than the $1,550 Pentium M-sporting tc4200), while the Intel-based notebooks will ship this month -- with the AMD models following shortly after -- all starting at around $1,049 after rebates and junk.Read- dv2000 and v3000Read- tc4400
Cheaper PS3 loses HDMI, slots, Wi-Fi, 40GB
As you can see above, there are a few things different between the two PS3 SKUs planned. (Hint: the obvious alterations concern high-def output and wireless connectivity -- though Bluetooth controllers should work just fine with both, with or without any chrome case highlighting.)So what's HDMI, built-in multimedia card-reader slots, wireless internet connectivity, and an extra 40 gigabytes' hard disk space worth to you? $100? Now that Sony's gone with the 2-SKU approach with its next-gen hardware (a la the Xbox 360's premium and "Core" systems), we can expect some tough consumer choices after six months -- with console shortages possibly for another six months after that -- as $100 separates the base $499 and premium $599 versions of Sony's "Clear Black" hope.HDMI is important to those who want to take full advantage of Blu-ray high def and have the new screens to use it; MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots would be nice for the PS3 memory-card users and those will run multimedia on the system; Wi-Fi's the only way to avoid stringing ethernet cables for online access; and 360 owners might appreciate the full 60GB available to potential buyers of the premium PS3 model. Neither model comes with a second HDMI port; thankfully, one should hopefully be all most users need. The details are laid out in a feature-comparison table at the end of Sony's official PS3 hardware press release, available in both Adobe Reader and Microsoft Word formats. Determine what's most important to your PS3 ambitions there.[Image pieced together from the PlayStation.com forums; thanks, Guru]
