VGA
Latest
New Star Wars game debuting during Spike Video Game Awards
Well, crap. Now we have a reason to watch the Spike Video Game Awards. See, while we can live without the WORLD EXCLUSIVE trailers for next year's big releases, we don't think we can skip out on the unveiling of a new Star Wars game in good conscience. According to the latest teaser, viewers of the 2009 Spike VGAs will be able to find out "what's next" for the Star Wars gaming franchise. We've got our fingers triple-crossed for a new Jedi Outcast entry, but have also prepared our hearts for the icy embrace of Super Bombad Racing 2.
Sewell's DisplayLink-enabled USB-to-DVI / VGA / HDMI adapter does 2,048 x 1,152
It's been a hot minute since we've seen a totally useful display adapter from Sewell, but the outfit's latest is certainly worth a gander if you've been yearning to push high-def signals through USB. The Minideck USB-to-DVI / VGA / HDMI (video only) adapter utilizes the DisplayLink DL-195 chip, which provides support for resolutions as high 2,048 x 1,152, so 1080p and 1,920 x 1,200 LCD monitors are well taken care of. Best of all, this thing doesn't require a Core i7 rig to operate, so your 5 year old corporate laptop should be plenty to handle the rigors of powering a 24-inch LCD via a dusty old USB socket. It's all yours right now for $99.95.
Atlona's HDAiR wireless USB-to-VGA / HDMI adapter gains audio, usefulness
Remember that HDAiR adapter we reviewed with exceptionally high hopes earlier this year? Yeah, it wasn't exactly the dream device we wanted, but it seems as if Atlona may have just remedied the primary gripe we had against it. The all-new HDAiR wireless USB-to-VGA / HDMI adapter is essentially the same one as before, but this time audio is involved. In response to widespread demand for the feature, the outfit has added the ability to output audio in both 3.5mm analog, as well as embedded on the HDMI output. This one's also compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, and it's still using the tried-and-true UWB protocol to sling content. If you managed to hold off on the first guy, this one's available to order now for $219.
VGA 2009 nominees revealed, Uncharted 2 head of the pack
The 2009 crop of nominees in Spike's Video Game Awards is out, and we've got a big announcement to make. We're not going to make fun of them. For starters, most of the categories seem pretty on point, with eight noms for Uncharted 2, seven for Batman: Arkham Asylum, and six for both Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2, which all seem pretty deserving. Furthermore, we don't want to rob you commenters of the fun of individually savaging the few embarrassing sections of the list, which honestly, make their own comedy gravy. Stymied? Okay, we'll get you started, but just this one, cool? Borderlands is up for Best RPG, huh? That's the best pick since Serious Sam won for "Best Dating/Train Conducting Sim." We're assuming you can take it from there.
TUAW Review: Kanex HDMI + audio adapter works fine but costs extra
When we first heard about the Kanex HDMI + digital audio converter a few weeks ago, I was eager to give it a trial run and see if it managed to deliver on the promise of integrated audio with HDMI video. I've been playing with the $70 unit for a few days now, and the answer is a qualified yes: it does the job, but depending on your home theater setup you may be able to get by with a less expensive option. The digital-audio Kanex unit ships without a manual and is largely self-explanatory (although the company has now posted a basic user guide and FAQ) -- a female HDMI port on one side of the roughly iPod-sized unit, and three male cables coming out the other side. The cables connect to the mini DisplayPort, optical audio out, and USB port of your Mac; while Kanex does sell a $60 unit that handles audio over USB, this version only uses that connection to power the adapter and does not provide a USB audio interface. If you're running short of open powered USB ports you might opt to plug it into a USB power adapter instead. In operation, there's not much to worry about: I plugged in all three ports to a unibody MacBook Pro and connected an HDMI display, then went to the normal Mac OS X Displays preference pane, where I found a full assortment of resolutions for my enjoyment. The top few 'television' options may vary with your connected gear; on my test set (a Vizio 42" 720p display) I was able to choose 720p and, oddly enough, 1080i and 1080p. Below that you have resolutions ranging from 640x480 up into the 1600x1000 range.
PSP to HDMI, all with one giant converter box
Props to Lenkeng for dressing up their otherwise anonymous VGA-to-HDMI converter box with a PSP-related angle -- the LKV8000 comes with the necessary cables to take your PSP-2000 or above's 480p video output and push out a 720p HDMI signal complete with stereo audio. Not a bad idea -- except that we can't think of an HDTV that lacks either component or VGA jacks and that doesn't have a built-in scaler to do the same job. Maybe you're just out of ports? In any event, this guy needs a Stateside distributor before we can tell you pricing or availability, so you're stuck swapping cables for a while, Sparky. [Via Oh Gizmo!]
Tachyon XC 3D helmet cam hands-on
If you're the sort who does interesting things whilst wearing a helmet, things that you might like to capture on video for friends, family, or strangers to watch, it's an awfully good time to be a gadget lover. There have never been more helmet camera options than there are today, and one of the most interesting we've yet had the opportunity to affix to our lid is the Tachyon XC 3D. It's a pair of generally pedestrian cameras that, when joined at the hip, combine Voltron-like to do something rather more interesting: capture 3D renderings of your extreme endeavors. But, is an extra dimension worth the $380 price of admission? Read on to find out, and to experience the depth for yourself. %Gallery-74426%
Video: Tachyon XC helmet cam, and its Siamese 3D sibling, now shipping to headgear worldwide
The world is an ever more extreme place -- and ever more safety conscious too. That means more helmets per capita and thusly more helmet cams. The Tachyon XC is the latest, shipping in not one but two flavors. First up is the standalone model for $180, which packs a couple of batteries and an SDHC card into a lightweight, durable, fully waterproof case. Rather more interesting is the $380 XC 3D, a pair of the cams joined at the hip that record simultaneously and ship with software to join the fruits of their sensors into one mind blowing segment. 3D footage can be displayed in a variety of formats, including the red/blue standard style that rocked the '60s or cross-eyed mode, like those magical posters that look like fields of dots but explode into shapely images of naked ladies when you focus right. Sure, gluing two separate cameras together is perhaps a bit of a crude way to enter the third dimension, and strictly VGA recording is decidedly disappointing, but check out the video results below in cross-eyed mode before you write this off as an over-priced novelty.
Hands on: Connecting my mini to a TV
We bought our Olevia 47" on Black Friday, 2007. It wasn't a particularly well rated TV. But it was a Black Friday deal that we could afford and it gave us far more screen space than we'd thought we'd be able to purchase. It has served us well through the years, hosting any number of gadgets with its generous ports. The thing supports HDMI, composite and component, with multiple attachments for each. The back of the TV looks like a sea of cables and connectors. Its VGA connector has not seen much use over the years and I've been dying to give it a go. A lack of spare computers was our problem. When my Mac mini died this past winter, I replaced it with a fresh new current-generation mini, which we all love. The dead mini languished until I realized that I needed a Snow Leopard machine for testing during the SL beta. I ended up doing some home brew fix-it with an absolutely minimal 80GB disk bought from Newegg and a few tweaks. And for the last few months, Rome (as in the baking apple) has been my primary 10.6 beta desktop system. That all changed on Friday. Snow Leopard debuted. And I was finally free to re-purpose this system. Read on to see how.
In Las Vegas? Bring your own video to The Mirage
We just stayed at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas for a week, and found that the guest rooms are more than Mac friendly. In each room, built right into the wall, is a system from Teledapt that allows you to plug in just about anything and have it show up on the in-room 42" plasma screen. As long as you have the right cable that plugs into your Mac and sports a VGA connector on the other side like the mini DVI to VGA cable, or the Mini Display Port to VGA cable, depending on the age of your Mac, you've got video. Add a simple male to male headphone cable to push sound and you're in business. Don't have a Mac? A video capable iPod or iPhone will do just as well, at least it will if you're cool with the less than perfect video quality on the 42" screen. For that, you need an iPod/iPhone 30 pin dock connector to 3 wire RCA cable. Either way, choose the right input on the video system and once again, you're in.But wait! There's more. If you forgot your charger, you can plug in a standard USB to iPod/iPhone cable right into the system and as long as your device is new enough, meaning that it uses 5 volts and not 12 volts for charging (as all USB-capable iPod devices do), plug it in and it'll juice right up. There is a bit of fine print. If you forgot the right cable, the Mirage gift store will be happy to sell it to you at a price that will make you gag. And if you decide you would like Internet, in-room wireless will set you back $14.95 for a 24-hour period while Motel 6 gives it to you for free. But hey -- this is Vegas baby!!The Volcano isn't too shabby either.
AOC's 2436Vw does 24-inches of power sipping LCD on the cheap
It's nothing too astonishing in the specs department (300 nits, 60,000:1 contrast, 5ms response time), and the DVI and VGA plugs are rather lonesome without an HDMI or DisplayPort plug to tag along, but we can't fault AOC for the 2436Vw's $220 pricetag. The 49W of power draw in a 24-inch 1080p display doesn't hurt either, and we're sort of digging the clean design. The 2436Vw is out now. [Via Electronista]
TG Sambo announces trifecta of Full HD 16:9 monitors
TG Sambo is all set to refresh its display line with four new models, three of them proudly pimping full 1080p panels and making your 4:3 display look all the more tired and washed up. The 24-inch TGL 2400A, 23-inch 2300A and 21.6-inch 2250A all have an integrated digital TV tuner, 2ms response time, 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (which probably means real contrast is around 500:1), HDMI, DVI, VGA, and menu presets for internet, movie and gaming use. There's also a similarly outfitted 2000A version, which alas loses the 1920 x 1080 resolution. Only the price for the biggest 'un is known at present: 449,000 KRW ($336), but the PR indicates "the second half of the market strategy is to attack," so we'll go ahead and assume availability is coming shortly.[Via AVING]
Benq updates E-series monitors with auto-calibration sensor, fresh styling
Having recently refreshed its G-series of monitors, BenQ is back for more with an update to its pricier E-branded panels. The pair of new models come with the SensEye 3 auto-calibration sensor, which corrects contrast, color and clarity according to the mode you choose. Set for worldwide availability this month, the 21.5-inch E2220HD and 24-inch E2420HD both come with 1920 x 1080 resolution on 16:9 displays, 300 nits of brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and a "class-leading" 11 ports that include four USB, two HDMI, a DVI and a VGA input. The external redesign is highlighted by a side-mounted power button, sure to appeal to -- well, just about anyone. Click through for higher resolution shots, including a close-up of that Vaio TT-inspired button.
Veho's Muvi adventure-oriented camcorder claims to be world's smallest, probably isn't
It's outrageous claim time again, with Veho is saying its new Muvi micro DV camcorder is "officially the smallest high resolution DV camcorder in the world." We'd have to say it looks a little bit bigger than that Wrigley's-sized model we spotted a few years back, and 640 x 480 is hardly high resolution, but let's move on. The Muvi is designed as something of an actiony cam in the vein of a Twenty20 or a ContourHD, able to clip to your jersey or stick to your helmet and record video plus two megapixel stills onto a microSD card. Voice activation means you should be able to activate it without pressing any buttons, and hopefully you can teach it to start filming whenever someone says "Hold my beer and watch this." The cam appears to be shipping to European adventure-types for a good bit less than its £79.99 ($132) MSRP, but there's no word on when thrill-seekers elsewhere can clip one on.Update: Well, it definitely isn't the smallest; as many of you pointed out this is just a re-brand of the AEE Mini DV cam that's exactly the same size... and shape... and is already widely available for under $100.[Via Crave]
Kopin crafts world's smallest VGA microdisplay, 2k x 2k postage stamps up next
Think your cellphone display packs a lot of pixels into a small space? Pssh. Kopin Corporation has just announced the smallest VGA color-filter liquid crystal display, checking in with a 600 x 480 resolution and a 0.27-inch (diagonal) size. The feat was accomplished by shrinking the color dots to 2.9 x 8.7 µm from 3.75 x 11.25 µm, and according to the company, it's a huge step in reaching its goal of creating a "2,048 x 2,048-resolution display in a size smaller than a typical postage stamp." Already, the firm has stated that it can concoct SVGA (800 x 600) displays at 0.34-inches, XGA (1,024 x 768) displays at 0.44-inches and and SXGA (1,280 x 1,024) displays at 0.56-inch using the same color dot size, which will apparently be used in digicams, camcorders and possibly even handsets. And you thought that D90 panel was something to ooh and ahh over...
Onkyo's new Sotec DC204A3 netbook has 32GB SSD, no love for VGA or wired Ethernet
We like a good netbook that's so small it doesn't have room for any pesky, legacy inputs keeping you tethered to the wall (and thus The Man) -- but we're not sure we'd consign VGA and Ethernet to the Closet of Obsoletion just yet. Onkyo seems to be opening the door, moving the two ports to a USB break-out box on its latest Sotec, the DC204A3. That wouldn't really be a problem if the adapter didn't look to be about a third as big as the netbook itself (see for yourself after the break). Otherwise we have a slender but standard Atom N270 netbook, with 945GSE graphics, 1GB of ram, and a 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display. Notable is the 32GB SSD, which sounds quite nice, but with a ¥49,800 ($529) asking price, you're certainly paying for it. Available to forward-looking Japanese starting at the end of the month.[Via Akihabara News]
Castrade's Game Box lets your game consoles talk VGA, sweet nothings to your computer monitor
If you have HDMI out on your game consoles and HDMI in on your computer monitor you can pretty much stop reading. If, however, you're still stuck in the analog realm, check out Castrade's upcoming CG-USC01HD-PLUS Game Box. It sports composite, S-video, and component inputs, porting everything over to VGA at resolutions ranging from 800 × 600 at 75Hz all the way up to 1920 x 1200 at 60Hz. But, with maximum input resolutions of 1080i or 720p, true 1080p to your display is right out. DVI output would also have been nice, but there are adapters for that, and since the box sports a VGA pass-through you can use that same monitor for PC gaming, too -- you know, in case you start to miss patches and pesky DRM and such. The Box ships in Japan on May 27 for ¥10,000, which equates to about $100 here. Just like that white PS3 in the background, though, there's no word of an official US release.[Via AV Watch]
Source announces Warpia wireless USB-to-HDMI adapter
We've been waiting for an inexpensive wireless USB-to-HDMI solution for what seems like forever now, and it sounds like we'll finally have some options soon: Source R&D has just announced that it's going to be shipping the Warpia Wireless USB Adapter set at the end of May for an estimated $129-$149. Just like the Atlona AT-HDAiR, the Warpia kit is just a rebranded OEM unit from Wisair, so most of the same caveats apply: max resolution is 1400 x 1050, range is about 30 feet, and HDMI and VGA are the only output options. Still, we can't really think of a better way to do some quick'n'dirty Hulu watching, so we'll be on the hunt for one of these soon -- keep an eye out.P.S.- Yes, we hope image quality is better than this totally bunk press pic on the Warpia site.
Video: YBox2 DIY widget box grows a VGA port
It's been far, far too long since we've heard anything on the YBox front, so it's with great pleasure we pass along the first major YBox2 mod that we've come across. The modders over at adafruit industries have discovered that adding a VGA output to the DIY set-top-box (not to mention adding stereo audio support) is relatively simple, and there's even a video to prove it. If you've been itching to get your hands dirty with an Altoids box, you owe it to yourself to hop on past the break and mash play. [Via MAKE]
Ever Win's EWP1000 is another pico projector
Every week we consistently get another couple new pico projectors to tell you about, and since the market for these things can't possibly be big enough to support all these releases the only possible explanation is that people are continually losing the things. Assuming that's the case, Ever Win's EWP1000 could be your next misplaced projector. As such it has fairly forgettable specs, including 10 lumens of brightness, VGA (640 x 480) resolution, projection sizes of between 5- and 50-inches, and about 80 minutes of battery life on a charge. About the only thing distancing this from the competition is its Ferengi-inspired styling, giving it a more notable look than most others and possibly making it perfect for your next Tongo party. But, with no price or availability, we won't blame you if you don't remember this tomorrow either.
