Sony KDL-40ZX1 9.9mm thin HDTV revealed

Topic: Home Entertainment

Sony unveiled the world's thinnest LCD TV with the 40 inch KDL-40ZX1 today.
The Sony KDL-40ZX1 only measures 9.9mm in depth. Because the 40ZX1 is so skinny it is also the world's lightest 40 inch LCD TV with 12.2kg.
In addition the Sony ZX1 series LCD TV features wireless video reception dubbed Bravia 1080 Wireless.

Other features of the Sony ZX1 include 3000:1 contrast ratio, full HD 1080p resolution, Motion flow of 120 Hz, 3 HDMI ports, digital and analog tuner, LAN, and USB. Read more

Posted on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:08:03 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Projectiondesign Launches High-end Home Theater Projectors

Topic: Home Entertainment

Projectordesign announced its new avielo series premium home theater projectors at the CEDIA EXPO. The projectors were all designed to be high-end for home theater aficionados. The series uses Philips UHP VIDI lamp technology and projectordesign's exclusive RealColor color management suite.

The line also uses 10-bit processing and features HDMI 1.3 interconnectivity. Each of the projectors has hand-selected optics and calibrated at the factory. The spectra has a 1920 x 1080 native resolution and is suitable for screen sizes up to 120-inch. The optix has the same full 1080p resolution and can be used on screen sizes up to 180-inch. Pricing for the projectors is unknown. Read more

Posted on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Largest Looney Tunes Collection Ever Released by Warner

Topic: Home Entertainment

Warner Home video has released the sixth volume of its Looney Toon golden collection, which is the largest compilation released so far. The collection has over 60 of the classic, fully remastered cartoon shorts in the original unedited format.

The DVD collection will retail for $64.92 and a spotlight collection will retail for $26.99. Both of the DVD collections will be released on October 21st. The main collection has four discs with a different theme on each disc. Read more

Posted on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:35:21 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

LG N4B1 Blu-ray NAS premiers at IFA 2008

Topic: Home Entertainment

LG will unveil the N4B1 Blu-ray NAS (Network Attached Storage) at the IFA 2008 later this week.
LG claims that the LG N4B1 is the world's first NAS with integrated Blu-ray drive. Owners of a N4B1 can automatically archive old and unused data to Blu-ray disc. The LG N4B1 has a web interface and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. Read more

Posted on Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:05:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Bose SoundDock Series II for iPod and iPhone Announced

Topic: Home Entertainment

When the new iPhone 3G launched many buyers were upset that it did not work with many original iPhone accessories. One of the original iPhone accessories that specifically did not work with the iPhone 3G was the original Bose SoundDock.

Today, Bose announced its new SoundDock Series II Digital music System for iPod and iPhone. The new system is specifically certified to work with the iPhone 3G and is the first SoundDock from Bose certified for Works with iPhone. Read more

Posted on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:52:45 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sony XROSS FADE DJ-Style Music System Announced

Topic: Home Entertainment

Sony announced a new music system today called the XROSS FADE that allows the user to be a DJ for a day. The system has 450W of total power and has DJ-style features like a cross-fader with monitor cue and a built-in two-channel mixer. That feature allows an upcoming track to be listened to through headphones to be sure the song is cued correctly before it is played.

The feature also allows users to mix two songs or fade into another song. The interface uses two scroll wheels for easy navigation and docks dual iPods. Another interesting feature is the USB recording function that saves mix sessions directly to a USB device in MP3 format without needing a PC. Read more

Posted on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:32:51 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Sony Launches Wireless Multi-room Audio System for iPod

Topic: Home Entertainment

Today Sony announced a new wireless multi-room Audio system specifically designed for iPods called the S-AIRPLAY system. The system delivers audio wirelessly to included speakers without causing interference with other household devices.

The system includes one docking station and two wireless speakers and can transmit to up to 10 speakers at the same time. Features include an AM/ FM tuner that can be listened to in one room while a user in another room listens to the iPod simultaneously. Read more

Posted on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:31:27 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Dish Network Announces Affordable DTV Converters

Topic: Home Entertainment

Dish Network has announced more solutions for the pending digital transition early next year. One of the products is the TR-40 CRA entry level digital to analog converter that is now available nationwide. The convertor is qualified for the converter box coupon program and for a limited time it is priced at $40, making it free when the government coupon is applied.

The converter features an analog pass-through, set up wizard, electronic program guide along with auto tune timers for recording programs to connect a VCR. A remote control is included and the converter supports closed captions. Read more

Posted on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:14:00 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Microsoft Live Labs Introduces Photosynth

Topic: Home Entertainment

Microsoft has announced a new service from its Live Labs called Photosynth that it claims will change the way you view, experience, and share photos. The application can transform digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree experience allowing anyone viewing your Photosynth to be in your shoes as you explore the location in the photos.

Photosynth allows the viewer to look up and down as well as the pan from left to right. Viewers can also zoom in and out to reveal a full sense of the location in the photos. The application provides close-up detail of a place and is a collaboration between National Geographic and Microsoft. Read more

Posted on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:12:03 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Intel and Yahoo Team up to Bring Internet Content to TV

Topic: Home Entertainment

Intel and Yahoo have given a preview of plans for a Widget Channel, which is an application framework for optimized TV and related consumer electronic devices using Intel Architecture. The Widget Channel is intended to allow consumers to enjoy Internet applications designed for the TV while watching their favorite TV programs.

The channel will be powered by the Yahoo Widget Engine, which Yahoo says is a fifth-generation applications platform that allows small Internet applications to be displayed on TVs while watching traditional TV content. Widgets for the channel can be designed by developers using JavaScript, XML, HTML, and Adobe Flash. Read more

Posted on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:10:19 CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Toshiba XD-E500 DVD Player with XDE unveiled

Topic: Home Entertainment

Toshiba as you know lost the HD DVD format war and had to bury their HD-DVD format and leave the field to Sony's Blu-ray.
Today Toshiba announced a new DVD player technology dubbed XDE. XDE takes according to Toshiba the DVD picture quality to a whole new level. In addition to providing upconversion from 480i/p up to 1080p, XDE offers user selectable picture enhancement modes that allow for greater detail, more vivid colors and stronger contrast that bring standard DVD quality closer to the HD experience.
This is a nice try by Toshiba to reduce the value of Blu-ray by improving the DVD picture quality. Read more

Posted on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:29:14 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr