Widescreen
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Strong Bad freezing? Take your Wii out of widescreen display mode
We haven't heard much in the way of problems with Telltale's newest episodic game, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. One of our incredibly handsome commenters had some other kind of issue, but it's nothing like what ThatVideoGameBlog is reporting.Apparently, at the same spot in the episode, the whole game would freeze, locking up the console. Others over at the Telltale forums were reporting the same issue, yet they found a fix: take the console out of widescreen display mode and set it to standard (also suggested is turning off 480p and setting the system to 480i). This seems to correct the issue, yet means gamers will have to put up with some black bars on outside of the screen and none of that delicious progressive scan all the kids are crazy about. Until Telltale can patch the game, it looks like this is the only fix for those suffering from freezing. [Via ThatVideoGameBlog]%Gallery-29377% Strong Bad's Game for Attractive People isn't the only notable WiiWare title. Capcom's upcoming Mega Man 9 has managed to turn a few heads (and might have even gotten other companies to think about retro revivals). There's also the upcoming Tetris Party and Alien Crush Returns, both from Hudson. Oh, and let's not forget Space Invaders Get Even!
Could we see ultra widescreen HDTVs in the future?
C'mon, who hasn't had an inexperienced movie goer over that politely asks why black bars still show up on a widescreen HDTV? Have you ever wondered if a set would be produced to harmonize with those films shot and presented in 2.35:1? Sound & Vision sat down with a number of industry experts and asked them that very question, and while many believe that the same technology that has become commonplace in custom projector installs is feasible for TVs, it's not apt to happen anytime soon. Essentially, there's just not a large enough market for ultra widescreen displays; the hardcore among us that would spring for one are in the minority. Richard F. Doherty, research director of The Envisioneering Group on Long Island, was one fellow who seemed to have more faith than anyone else, even going so far as to suggest that we may see at least a prototype of one such set at CES 2009. Mark our words, we'll be keeping an eye out -- after all, it shouldn't be too hard to spot in the sea of 16:9 units.
Xbox 360 Fall '08 Dashboard update adds 16x10 widescreen, expanded resolutions
Those eagerly awaiting extra resolution and widescreen support from their Xbox 360 are getting a treat in the packed fall update. Not mentioned during the conference, but noted in a letter to Xbox Live Members from Marc Whitten, is word about upcoming 16x10 widescreen support, as well as 1440x900 or 1680x1050 output resolutions. This should make things a bit easier for people who like to hook their console up to LCD monitors and avoid extra scaling and bars when hooked up via VGA or HDMI. Now if only we can get some HD Netflix streams...
Widescreen LCDs going widescreen by 2010
The term "widescreen" is one of the most notoriously confusing monikers (this side of Full HD) used to describe a display's specifications. Widescreen generally translates to a 16:10 aspect ratio when discussing computer LCDs (monitors or laptop displays) or 16:9 if you're talking about the living room TV. Of course, it can also refer to the 2.35:1 ratio often used for films or something entirely different if you're Apple touting the wonders of your new widescreen iPhone. Fortunately, we're trending towards at least some convergence around the 16:9 aspect. DisplaySearch predicts that by 2010, 16:9 panels will make up 90% of new laptop displays and 67% of new monitors. Acer has been at the forefront of this transition with products like its Gemstone Blue laptops and the Acer P224W monitor pictured above. The move is being driven by panel manufacturers' desire to maximize production efficiency -- something they should have realized before the glass sizes diverged in the first place. Regardless, the end result should be more pennies saved by you, Joe Consumer, and that's a good thing.
BlackBerry touchscreen phone to be dubbed 'Thunder'
The industrious Boy Genius has apparently unearthed more juicy tidbits about that rumored BlackBerry touchscreen device. Word from BG is that the new iPhone-ish handset is now internally dubbed the "Thunder," and will come to Verizon and Vodafone as an exclusive device. The phone will reportedly have four physical keys (send, end, menu, and back), sport a hybrid CDMA EV-DO Rev. C / GSM HSPA radio, and could come equipped with a 4G LTE component. Outside Waterloo's labs, the device could be known as the BlackBerry 9500 -- though it's possible that designation could change. BGR has included a self-made mockup (above) of what the device may look like, but as of now, no one has laid eyes on this mythical creature.
Philips' new 'Xenium 800' touchscreen phone leaks out
If you had a creeping suspicion that the iPhone-esque phone market wasn't crowded enough yet -- you're right. Apparently, Philips is about to throw its hat in the ring with a device called the Xenium X800. The familiar looking unit will sport WiFi, a WQVGA "e2e" (or "edge to edge") touchscreen, and appears to be running a proprietary OS which looks considerably better than most phones in this class. Sure, it's heavily knocking off Sony's XMB and that new BlackBerry OS 4.6, but there are worse offenses that could be made. No word on more detailed specs, but you'll know more when we do. In the meantime, take a look at a few more pics after the break.[Via Unwired View]
Lenovo axes the 4:3 ThinkPad T61 -- are widescreens better?
Lenovo's the latest laptop vendor to go to a mostly-widescreen lineup today, as it retires the 4:3 14.1-inch ThinkPad T61. All that's left in the standard ratio are the 12.1-inch X-series laptops, and even those are something of a novelty in today's 13.3-inch dominated market. It's not a formal move and there's no announcement, but it's clearly a growing trend -- Apple, Sony, and HP don't offer any 4:3 laptops either -- and it's got us wondering what people prefer. Just amongst Engadget editors there's no clear agreement: some of us prize vertical real estate, while others say tiling windows horizontally provides maximum multitasking power, and one ed rocks both 16:9 and 4:3 displays side-by-side -- but that's probably crazy. What's your aspect ratio of choice? Hit us up in comments!
Okami Wii shines with new widescreen, progressive scan support
Contrary to what has previously been stated, the Nintendo Wii port of Okami will have some extra frills. A listing on Capcom's website reveals that Clover Studio's masterpiece will now support widescreen (16:9) and 480p progressive scan support. That should give you more than enough reason to finally splurge on some Wii component cables. Developer Ready at Dawn, who is responsible for the port, had previously said the game would be an "exact port" with only Wii remote support added during brush stroke moments. While this isn't new content, the technical improvement is a welcome addition to this visually stunning title. Okam-Wii (not an official title) is due out March 25.
Hands-on with Dell's XPS 630i desktop and 16-inch concept laptop
Once we heard that Dell was showing off the XPS 630i "compact" desktop and 16-inch, 16:9 XPS laptop concept at its booth / lounge, we headed right over the moment that the show floor opened. Unfortunately the notebook was locked behind a glass case, precluding any real face time with the prototype widescreen system, but luckily we were able to get right up in the grille of the 630i to check out all the angles. Of course, you'd rather peep some pictures then hear us drone on about our impressions, so check out the gallery below for the full package.%Gallery-12914%
Dell 3008WFP 30-inch monitor review roundup
The 3008WFP widescreen LCD, everyone's favorite, 30-inch, DisplayPort-rocking Dell monitor is up for review, and we've got a roundup to prove it. If you'll recall, the behemoth is the first Dell monitor to sport the emerging DisplayPort technology, and it also offers a fairly impressive set of other connectivity options, including dual DVI ports, HDMI, VGA, S-Video, component, and composite. The folks at Hot Hardware weren't totally stoked on the setup process, but loved the screen's performance and flexibility. The cats at Computer Shopper seemed pleased as well, though not head-over-heels in love, particularly with the high price tag and color / grayscale "weakness." CNET Australia had similarly high marks, praising the number of inputs, super-high resolution, and sheer size, though they took issue with the screen's reflectiveness, the need for a high-end graphics card, and gradient handling. Still, none of the minuses stopped them (and Hot Hardware) from bestowing their "Editor's Choice" award on the monitor. Don't take our word for it, though -- hit the links and see for yourself.Read - Hot Hardware (Editor's Choice)Read - Computer Shopper (8.0 out of 10)Read - CNET Australia (8.9 out of 10)
Is this a full-screen, touch-sensitive Creative PMP? Update: probably not.
As is our way sometimes, we happened to stumble upon a pair of photos (read: a source sent us some pictures) claiming to be an unannounced, widescreen PMP from Creative. Kinda like a Zen or Vision W, but without the asymmetrical controls on the side. And yep, the full-screen player looks to be touch-sensitive, and may or may not sport WiFi, which has been a winning combo for several other devices that we know and love. Check out the other shot after the break.Update: Certainly does look a lot like a Cowon Q5 all photoshopped up, innit? Thanks Connor.
LCD manufacturer set to introduce 18.4-inch displays
Look, the LCD monitor market is hot. How hot, you ask? Well let's just say that panel manufacturer Chunghwa Picture Tubes (or CPT) has decided to circumvent the battle for ultimate supremacy in the 19-inch market by creating a totally new size of monitor: an 18.4-inch widescreen display. The new size will feature a 16:9 aspect ratio, 1366 x 768 resolution, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and a response time of 5ms. The benefit of the slightly smaller size is that the cost to consumers will be lower than its 19-inch brethren, thereby giving CPT a cleaner shot a some market share. The first company to bite on the new size is Acer, which will be using the new panels in a Quanta-made laptop set to hit Europe in the second half of 2008.
Dojo update: Talking display preferences
Today's dojo update focuses on the display options for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The game will support both standard, 4:3 display and widescreen, 16:9 display. And, should you not be all up to snuff on your knowledge of widescreen vs. normal display options, the game will let you know which display option is best for you based on the TV your Wii is playing the game on. Oh, and there's also a nice musical track you can give a listen to.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Widescreen Plugin for Leopard Mail brings 2-line preview
A while back we posted about Letterbox, a plugin for Tiger's Mail.app that brought a widescreen format to Mail by moving the preview pane to the right of the subject listing. Letterbox isn't working in Leopard (though the author says he is working on it), but a new plugin for Leopard has been released that not only brings a widescreen 3-pane format to Leopard Mail.app, but also introduces a very useful two-row subject preview similar to Entourage.WidescreenMailPlugin is a free download from daneharnett.com (though donations are requested).[via Hawk Wings]
2K addresses BioShock widescreen issue
You might have read yesterday about complaints regarding BioShock's method of generating widescreen, which seemed tantamount to cutting the top and bottom off the fullscreen image without actually adding to the field of view at all. An article on The Cult of Rapture website, entitled "The Truth About Widescreen", has addressed the issue in lieu of "fixing" it. It states that the optimal mode for playing the game is in widescreen, the mode that 90% of 2K's development stations employed. Team members chose a widescreen field of view "that best reflected their intentions with respect to the way the world is perceived" and instead of cropping it for 4:3 displays, they "slightly extended the vertical FOV for standard def mode: we never wanted to have black bars on people's displays." In other words, the original widescreen mode lost nothing while the 4:3 mode was extended.While that sounds like a "same difference" situation, 2K feels they made the right decision. If, however, you're still not pleased, the developer is looking into ways of allowing users to manually adjust the field of view. Alternatively, you can have your memory erased and play the game blissfully unaware of issues you wouldn't have noticed had someone not pointed them out to you.
BioShock widescreen issue causing complaints
On this, a day that many of you have been looking forward to for so long, we hate to squelch any of your BioShock joy, but we figured that this was something you'd want to know about. Some fans on the game's forums have been upset by the way the game handles widescreen. Or rather, how it doesn't. Apparently, the widescreen image is generated by just lopping off the top and bottom of the fullscreen image. Typically, a widescreen image is created by giving the player a larger horizontal field of view. You can see the part of the screen that widescreen gamers are missing out on in the red boxes above in a picture we took on our home setup.There was extra frustration from fans as Chris Kline, Lead Programmer on BioShock, had previously said in the forums, "You will see more in widescreen. We use a different projection matrix; there is no squashing or stretching of the image involved." A 2K staffer has said that they are looking into the issue and we hope to hear more soon.[Thanks, Scott]
Thomson touts A1 media player as "world's smallest"
Tired of bulky media players? Hate having to lug around your iPod Nano? Well, welcome to the Thomson A1, a tiny PMP that the company claims is the "world's smallest," (which of course we recommend you take with multiple grains of salt). Truth be told, it is rather petite, clocking in at just 3-inches and weighing only 87 grams. Somehow, they managed to slap on a 16:9 display and cram 4GB or 8GB capacity into the little guy, and of course it plays all your favorites, like MP3, WMA, WAV, and AVI, plus it rocks an FM tuner. The only real question is this; what are those colored "nubs" in the photo, and what exactly are they doing? The A1 will hit China first, going for around $106 for the 4GB and $120 for the 8GB, but no word on when or if we'll see this Stateside.[Via Tech Digest]
Envision's G218a1 22-inch widescreen: Best Buy only
Major chain kingpin Best Buy has teamed up with Envision, makers of illustrious, cheapo displays, to bring you the next step in frugal monitor technology -- the 22-inch G218a1. The widescreen LCD sports a 700:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time, resolutions up to 1680 x 1050, VGA, D-sub and DVI-D inputs, and a set of built-in stereo speakers. Best Buy is selling the monitor exclusively for the "bargain-basement" price of $279.99, which will undoubtedly have you scratching your head, since you can get monitors of comparable quality for considerably less.
Asus Santa Rosa-based F8S coming soon
Asus appears to be adding a new laptop called the F8S to its fairly crowded lineup (although we're almost certain this one isn't gigantic and made of wood). The new model is a Santa Rosa-based, 14.1-inch widescreen offering, built around an Intel PM965 chipset, with a Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and either an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600, or NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics chipset. Word on the street is that the F8S will additionally sport 802.11a/g/n, a TV tuner, built-in webcam, fingerprint reader, and will hit for around €2000. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.
Samsung announces 245BW and 226CW widescreen monitors
It wouldn't really be a Samsung release party without some monitors, now would it? -- and true to form, Sammy included a pair of 22- and 24-inch widescreen models in today's slew of announcements. The 245BW (pictured above) offers up a pretty standard 1920 x 1200 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio (3000:1 dynamic contrast), and 400 cd/m² of brightness, while the 226CW (pictured after the break) also features the expected specs, including 1680 x 1050 res, 300 cd/m² brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and rather snappy gray-to-gray 2-millisecond response time. Sammy is also playing up this latter unit's Wild Color Gamut CCFL backlighting technology, along with each model's suite of Magic-branded fine-tuning options that we're all so familiar with. Both monitors are shipping immediately, with the 24-incher retailing for $550 and the 22-incher asking $380.
