Mar/100
Netgear’s HD streamering AV adapters
Another month, another blockbuster trade show. CeBIT’s show floor doesn’t open up until tomorrow (and yeah, we’ll be storming it like no other), but Netgear’s wasting precisely no time in unveiling its latest wares. The two pieces that are nearest and dearest to our hearts are the WNHDB3004 and WNHDB3004, the former of which is an 802.11n HD Home Theater Kit and the latter of which is a universal WiFi adapter that adds wireless support to any AV product with an Ethernet jack. Users interested in streaming “multiple, simultaneous, jitter-free 1080p HD video streams wirelessly throughout the home” should certainly give the first a look, as it enables instant wireless streaming from your existing router to any component with an Ethernet port; think of this as the beautiful alternative to running a 50 foot patch cable through your living room and simultaneously eroding your relationship with Mr. / Mrs. Significant Other. The outfit also doled out a few SMB-centric ReadyNAS devices and a couple of HomePlug AV boxes with AC outlet passthroughs, all of which are detailed there in the source links.
Feb/100
ATI’s six-screen Eyefinity reviewed
Along with its introduction of the HD 5830, ATI announced the HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 card yesterday, which predictably comes with six DisplayPort outputs and enables that hallowed six-screen gaming overload that the Eyefinity branding has been about since the beginning. Some lucky scribes over at PC Pro have been treated to a live demonstration of what gaming at 5,760 x 2,160 feels like, and their understated response was to describe it as “far more immersive.” No kidding. They did raise the spectral figure of those monitor bezels, however, pointing out that bezel correction — where the image “behind the bezel” is rendered but hidden making the overall display look like a window unto the game world — habitually obscured text and game HUD elements. In their view, the sweet spot remains a triple-screen setup, and we’re inclined to agree (particularly if they look like this). For those interested in getting their multi-monitor gaming up and running, we’ve linked an invaluable guide from HardOCP below, which breaks down how much you can expect from ATI’s current HD 5000 series of cards, and also provides a video guide to setting your rig up.
Jan/100
CableLabs starts testing 3D
The cable industry’s research and development arm has proudly announced that 3D testing is on. This will allow TV manufactures and cable companies to begin having their equipment tested for 3D interoperability. Along the way CableLabs has also confirmed that many of the existing set-top boxes will work with “frame-compatible” 3D formats — like side by side pictured above. This is exactly what DirecTV announced it would use and is the very same standards that HDMI added to the spec. Basically it allows providers to dedicate the same amount of bandwidth to 3D as it was to 2D. Of course this means that the resolution is cut in half (horizontally in the case of side by side) but we’re told that sharpness isn’t as perceivable in 3D as it is in 2D and after seeing the DirecTV 3D demo at CES, we believe it. Unlike the adoption of HD, it doesn’t look like the cable industry is going to let the satellite companies run away with the new technology unchallenged like last time.
Jan/100
Digital Cube works WiFi, HD playback
It’s pretty obvious what it takes to play in the current generation of PMPs: enough juice to process HD videos, and an HDMI port to get it off the player and onto the big screen. Unfortunately, the new i-Station T9 from Digital Cube sort of stops there. It has great codec support, and even WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity (to be enjoyed by what OS is unclear), but unlike its big brother S3’s WVGA display, the mere 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 screen on the T9 will have us looking for an HDMI port a bit early. No word on price or availability.
Dec/090
HDBaseT tech carries HD video, audio and internet over Ethernet
Valens’ HDBaseTTM extends current digital connectivity technologies with first ever full HD multimedia content and Ethernet via a single 100m/328ft LAN cable
Valens Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company, announced today that it will demonstrate the first ever convergence and high quality transmission of uncompressed high-definition (HD) video, audio and Internet via a single LAN cable, creating a seamless end-to-end entertainment and networking experience in the home environment.
At the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), taking place January 8 – 11 in Las Vegas, Valens will introduce its HDBaseT™ technology in South Hall 2, Booth 27006. Valens is working towards creating HDBaseT as the new digital connectivity standard for HD multimedia distribution by overcoming the limitations of current wired and wireless technologies, while ensuring content rights for Hollywood studios and other content providers.
Valens’ VS100SK (receiver) and VS100SR (transmitter) ICs, the first to implement HDBaseT, will be commercially available during the second half of 2009. A source side implementation, VS100SR is designed for use inside Blu-ray DVD players, set-top boxes (STBs) and other HD source equipment. A sink side implementation, VS100SK is designed for use inside HDTVs, projectors and other display equipment.
With the growth of the HD market, consumers are looking for a way to connect TVs and other display equipment with entertainment devices, such as a Blu-ray DVD player, for in-home converged distribution of HD multimedia content. This demand to access and easily distribute HD content to any device at any time has caused consumer electronics manufacturers and content providers to push the limits of existing wired connectivity technologies, such as HDMI, MOCA and HomePlug, and emerging wireless technologies, including 802.11n, WHDI and WirelessHD.
While some existing technologies are limited in terms of bandwidth and cannot support uncompressed video, others are limited in terms of distance, reliability, flexibility, overall system cost and cost of installation – all pressure points for the end user. The demand for in-home converged distribution of HD multimedia content and the lack of adequate existing technologies are driving the industry towards a HD digital connectivity standard that increases distance of data transfer, expands distribution, extends the range, simplifies installations and lowers overall system cost.
Valens’ HDBaseT technology is optimized for video application and can connect all the entertainment devices at home by providing the 5PlayTM convergence of 8Gbps of uncompressed full HD digital video, audio, 100BaseT Ethernet, power over cable and various control signals. HDBaseT overcomes the limitations of HDMI and other current technologies as the first technology to enable long-reach wired connectivity of uncompressed HD multimedia content via up to 100m/328ft low-cost single standard Cat-5e/6 cable. This enables both point-to-point connectivity and full multimedia distribution with higher reliability, longer distance and lower cost cable, while supporting all existing and future content protection schemes.
“The market for HD content continues to grow and evolve as the end user increases content consumption. But today, connectivity and distribution of video, audio and Internet in the home entertainment environment are inconsistent,” said Dror Jerushalmi, CEO, Valens Semiconductor. “HDBaseT is revolutionizing the multimedia distribution of uncompressed HD multimedia content via a single LAN cable. There is no technology on the market today that is better positioned to be the future HD digital connectivity standard than HDBaseT.”
In addition, Valens’ HDBaseT technology offers a combination of media distribution and content protection that provides studios and CE manufacturers with a high level of content security and high quality transmission of uncompressed HD video, audio and data in a home environment.
Dec/090
Is this what wireless HD has been waiting for?
WHDI RELEASES 1.0 Specification
WHDI is the Only Full 1080p/60Hz HD Wireless Solution for All CE, PC and Mobile Devices across the Home
Quality, Robustness and No Latency
WHDI LLC today announced the completion and availability of the WHDI™ (Wireless Home Digital Interface™) specification.
The WHDI standard enables full 1080p/60Hz HD with Deep Color at a distance of 100 feet and through walls. No other wireless standard combines this level of quality and robustness with the ease of multi-room wireless. By doing so, WHDI enables consumers to build a wireless HD network in the home to take advantage of the latest content and interactive services.
WHDI is the leading standard for the wireless, multi-room distribution of HD video, enabling manufacturers to deliver higher value added devices that can connect the increasing number of HD sources (CE, PC and mobile devices) and to TVs around the home. The WHDI standard ensures that by purchasing products with the WHDI logo, consumers will be able to bring home devices from different manufacturers that will simply and directly connect to one another and deliver HD content and services without the need for complicated and expensive wiring.
“WHDI is the only solution that meets consumers’ expectation and demand for a high-quality, multi-room HD wireless solution” said Leslie Chard, president of WHDI LLC. Adding that: “WHDI further enables two of the strongest trends in the A/V universe: the proliferation of HD content sources (now including the PC and mobile devices) and the increasing number of inexpensive, high quality displays placed throughout the home.”
“WHDI fills an important need to provide connectivity in the home, offering flexibility, convenience and additional features. Robust wireless connectivity and switching means that more devices and more high quality content can reach the consumer’s HD displays in a user friendly manner.”" said Dr. Paul Moroney, a Motorola Fellow.
“Consumers want access to all of their HD content, whether coming on their laptop, mobile phone, STB or other device. WHDI enables manufacturers to create devices that easily deliver this value. No other wireless technology can provide this connectivity with the quality and robustness of WHDI” said Dr. Yoav Nissan-Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Amimon, Inc.
WHDI – Enabling the HD Wireless Connected Home
WHDI will enable manufacturers to bring HD connectivity, from PC’s and laptops, and mobile computing devices, to wireless TV’s. With WHDI consumers can easily bring HD content from the STB in the living room to other HDTVs in the home – consumers will be able to easily add a TV to their bedroom, kitchen, playroom, etc. without having to worry about wiring.
WHDI – Brief Technical Overview
WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) sets a new standard for wireless high-definition video connectivity. It provides a high-quality, uncompressed wireless link that supports the delivery of equivalent video data rates of up to 3Gbps (including 1080p/60Hz) in a 40MHz channel in the 5GHz unlicensed band, conforming to worldwide 5GHz spectrum regulations. Range is beyond 100 feet, through walls, and latency is less than one millisecond. Additionally, WHDI relies on HDCP revision 2.0 to provide superior Hollywood-approved security and digital content protection.
Nov/090
Have u heard of Hi-Definition?
Surveys are really like a bad reality show or a train wreak, we just can’t help but read them and this latest one from Frank N. Magid Associates is really something. Beyond the usual suspects, like only 63 percent of HD owners believing they are watching HD, is the fact that 13 percent of the respondents said they’d never heard of Hi-Def. We’d just love to hear how this question was phrased, because even the most introvert technophobes that we know have heard of HD. In fact we just can’t think of a scenario where someone who lives on the grid wouldn’t know what HD is.
Nov/090
World’s First 4K Compatible HTPS TFT Liquid Crystal Panel
Seiko Epson Corporation (”Epson”, TSE:6724) today announced that it has developed the world’s first* 4K-compatible high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS) TFT liquid crystal panel for 3LCD projectors. Measuring 1.64 inches diagonally, the new panel supports displays with resolutions up to 4096 × 2160 pixels.
Projector applications continue to expand. In addition to being used for business presentations, projectors are gaining wider use in the classroom, in auditoriums and at big events. Meanwhile, demand for high-performance products is expected to grow as more and more households enjoy full HD content via digital broadcasts and high definition video players.
With a resolution of nearly 8.85 megapixels, 4K panels offer four times the resolution of full HD (1920 × 1080), making them ideal for the high resolutions required by special applications such as industrial design, architectural design and simulations, as well as for presentations and projecting four full HD images at the same time.
Figure . Comparison of 4K and Full HD Resolutions
To meet this market demand, Epson employed the latest process and C2 Fine technologies in the new panels and developed a new, original driving method optimized for 4K resolution to achieve high-resolution projected images with outstanding brightness and contrast.
Epson is committed to supporting the growing range of projector applications by combining its original technologies to expand and enhance its HTPS lineup with panels that further raise the performance of 3LCD projectors.
Panel features
- High-resolution 4K-compatible
- 1.64″: 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) – the world’s first 4K HTPS panel*
- Includes Epson’s original LCD driver optimized for 4K resolution
- Benefits of using C2 Fine:
- High contrast
- Smooth images
- Jet-black color reproduction
* C2Fine: An original Epson technology for achieving high-quality, vivid images with high contrast by combining an inorganic liquid crystal alignment layer with vertical alignment technology
Oct/090
Microsoft temporarily suspends Sky Player for Xbox 360
Microsoft Statement on Sky Player for Xbox 360
The Sky Player on Xbox 360 service did successfully launch early this morning, it has subsequently been suspended due to an unforeseen technical issue. With so much excitement and interest in the service, we’d much prefer to ensure that our customers enjoy the highest possible quality of service. We would like to take this opportunity to apologise to our customers who have attempted to access the service today. Sky Player engineers are hard at work to resolve the problem – we expect to have the full service available tomorrow.
Oct/090
JVC joins the Blu-ray player game
Sub-$200 Blu-ray players certainly aren’t new — heck, some guys have been doing it since the year 2008 — but you’ll never catch us kvetching about a little more competition. JVC has today introduced (in the briefest way possible, might we add) its newest Blu-ray player just ten months after deciding to play the BD game here in the States. The ultrathin (and “now available”) XV-BP11 should slide into just about any AV rack, bringing Blu-ray / DVD playback, AVCHD support, HDMI 1.3, a USB socket and compatibility with a slew of audio formats. Curiously enough, the outfit doesn’t bother to mention if this thing is Profile 2.0, but we’re guessing (read: hoping) that it wouldn’t do something as ludicrous as charge two bills for a Profile 1.1 deck in late 2009.
