All Products Filed in Digital Media

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Whether it's in the home or at work, storage is an important consideration for anyone that requires a certain level of performance and functionality out of their computer network.

Western Digital's (WD) new My Book Thunderbolt Duo line of products is the well-known company's latest line of storage solutions and these new drives incorporate the new data transfer technology that is currently being popularized by Apple: Thunderbolt. The drives are available in 4TB and 6TB versions, and they offer a choice of RAID 0, RAID 1 or JBOD hot-swapping backup options.

In the home the drives can be used to store music, movies, home videos, photos and important personal documents. In the office the drives can be used to store 3D renderings, complex video projects, advanced music files that includes Avid's Pro Tools and Apple Logic files, and other documents and photos. Western Digital says that the My Book Thunderbolt Duo can also be set up in a daisy chain configuration to provide high levels of storage, and the products work with Apple and Microsoft operating systems.

In addition, users can create a second copy of their important files when the drives are set up in a RAID 1 configuration as a way of further safeguarding files that are deemed important. Western Digital backs the drives with a three-year warranty and they are also Apple Time Machine compatible straight from the box.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Panasonic is one of the largest consumer electronics companies in the entire world, and in the world of home video, it is also one of the most aggressive companies.

Showing its leadership in the home video category and more specifically the television category, the company recently announced some of its 2012 new products. Augmenting its ST50, UT50 and XT50 plasma television lines, as well as its E50, ET5, E5 and X5 LED television series, the company says the LED models will feature two new screen sizes: 47 inches and 55 inches, and both the plasma and LED products will feature enhancements to Panasonic's Connect1 Internet platform. Highlighting some of the improvements its made to its plasma products, Panasonic says its Viera HDTVs will feature improved black levels, faster image processing response times, more 3D options and more intuitive Internet apps.

The new LED products will incorporate Panasonic's IPS LED panel technology, wider viewing angles, improved image processing, including a focus on reduced crosstalk and higher contrast ratios. All of the TVs offer a choice of connections and screen sizes to accommodate a variety of home spaces and budget considerations.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Just prior to Apple's introduction of its latest iPad line of products many computer industry studies have found that Apple is now the largest computer manufacturer. Computer industry analysts attribute Apple's sudden growth in the computing market to the massive popularity of the iPad and now with the company's newest iPad on store shelves its standing in the computer industry should maintain if not grow to even larger proportions.

The new iPad enters the market at the same price points as the previous generation iPad2, which is now discounted at fairly significant levels. Apple incorporates its Retina display in the new iPads to provide users with a resolution that's four times the iPad2's capabilities, and it also incorporates a A5X processing chip with quad-core graphics to bolster the line's computing speed.

In addition, the new iPad also offers optional 4G LTE wireless network connectivity through AT&T or Verizon for faster network performance, and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with backlit illumination that enables users to take pictures and shoot video in low-light conditions. The new iPad is also bolstered by the new Apple iOS 5.1 operating system release, and the support of many new apps and other features, including Photo Stream and improved iCloud compatibility.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

As flat-panel TVs have become more affordable, the public has become more intoxicated with larger screen sizes. simultaneously while all this was happening the manufacturing community increased the performance of its products to provide consumers with an array of high-value product choices.

Sharp's newly announced 6-Series of LED televisions is a good example of the great screen size/value proposition that currently exists in the market as it provides consumers with a choice of three screen sizes and convenient entertainment options. The line includes the 52-inch LC-52LE640U, the 60-inch LC-60LE640U, and the 70-inch LC-70LE640U television. Internally the televisions incorporate Sharp's high-performance AQUOS LCD panel, edge lit LED backlighting, the company's 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced image processing and its new narrow bezel industrial design.

In addition, the televisions also offer, multiple HDMI inputs, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and access to the company's SmartCentral user interface, which includes some of Sharp's most popular apps.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Today there are a number of ways to communicate with someone that is in a different location. There are traditional telephones and cell phones; there's Apple's FaceTime technology, as well as Skype and advanced video conferencing solutions.

The Texas-based company Biscotti is adding to the communication choices that consumers have through the introduction of its Biscotti TV product. This new device is engineered to be a simple solution for video calling that includes a 720p video camera, microphone and six-button remote control. Biscotti says the unit hooks up in minutes via a Wi-Fi connection and HDMI connection to a television, and once it's connected the company says homeowners can receive calls while they are watching TV.

According to Biscotti, the product is affordale, and that it works with Google technologies such as Google Talk to enable users to call all over the world for free.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Not too long ago 3D was the hot consumer electronics technology, and now it appears that cloud computing has taken over as the new hot technology in 2012. Driven by Apple, as well as other computer and IT companies, consumers are quickly learning about the benefits of cloud computing and how these technologies can help them with their work and playtime activities.

The California-based manufacturer Akitio recently introduced its MyCloud Mini personal cloud server into the market and the product is designed to provide homeowners with an UPnP compatible solution that enables them to remotely access their digital music, video and photos. Akitio says the product incorporates a web-based browser to allow users to manage their digital content at home or on the road, and it can be controlled via its iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app. The company also says that data can be uploaded to the unit and shared from multiple workstations via SMB or FTP connections.

In addition, the unit includes HDD storage expansion capabilities via ESATA, and it sets up in less than a minute.

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

At one time during the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a segment of the audio enthusiast community that believed the best way to extract the best performance from the CD format was to use a "transport" with a separate, outboard digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

That trend had faded away for the most part by the end of the 1990s, but DAC components were still available and as the download market began to develop manufacturers such as SimAudio began to adapt to the changes in the market by outfitting their latest generation products with technologies that facilitated the playback of today's digital audio formats. The Quebec, Canada-based company's latest DAC product incorporates a full array of upgrade options, as well as an impressive set of standard amenities. The new Moon 380D DAC from SimAudio employs the company's M-AJiC32 asynchronous jitter elimination circuitry to ensure digital signal integrity, as well as a full array of ESS SABRE32 Ultra digital-to-analog conversion chips set up with eight chips per channel to run in a true 32-bit mode.

SimAudio says the unit offers AES/EBU XLR, S/PDIF RCA, S/PDIF BNC, optical and USB digital inputs that accept bitstreams up to 24-bit/192kHz, and options such a full digital monitor loop to accommodate room EQ devices, and a S/PDIF output. Additionally, the 380D offers balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) outputs, and upgrade options like its Moon MiND music streaming module that acts as a ninth digital input for Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

With the wireless connectivity market gaining popularity and maturing all at the same time products like the newly announced Gefen Wireless for HD 1080p Extender are quickly becoming problem solving devices for electronics professionals.

The California-based company's latest wireless signal transmission product is engineered to transmit 1080p video and audio from HDMI-based sources like Blu-ray players, cable and satellite boxes and gaming systems distances as far as 75 feet. Gefen says the solution installs easily through the use of a dongle at the source end and a receiver that's connected to the display. The unit is capable of transmitting A/V signals through walls and with its RCA analog audio outputs it provides additional audio connectivity support.

Gefen says the Wireless for HD 1080p Extender can be used in residential environments and in commercial environments for digital signage, bar and restaurant applications.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

The British loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy has an extensive history of developing products for the professional audio market and the high-performance consumer market, and recently the company announced that it has taken its engineering power and designed a compact speaker solution for the home theater market.

Tannoy's new Technical FXcellence (TFX) line of compact speaker products are designed to resolve the detail of today's lossless surround sound formats, as well as high-resolution digital audio files. To accomplish the task of reproducing the detail of today's consumer audio formats the company employs its WideBand technology that allows the speakers' tweeters to extend beyond 70kHz. The TFX subwoofer augments the line's low end capabilities through the use of an 8-inch woofer and 100-watt Class A/B amplifier.

Aesthetically, the TFX line utilizes new streamlined enclosures that are designed to complement the industrial designs of today's sleek flat-panel televisions, and Tannoy also offers optional speaker stands to enable electronics professionals the ability to use the speakers for a variety of system installations.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Meridian has traditionally set the performance bar in the world of residential audio/video and a good example of its ability to benchmark the market is its HD621 HDMI Audio Processor. When this product was originally released a couple of years ago it was one of the few products that was specifically engineered to upgrade the sound quality of the HDMI format without diluting the quality of a digital video signal.

The HD621 HDMI Audio Processor can handle signals from as many as six HDMI source components and it performs up and down sampling of HDMI audio signals after they've been separated from video. Meridan says the product employs the company's proprietary buffering technologies that remove jitter and other distortions from the audio signal that negatively affect the sound quality of the HDMI format.

Recently the company announced that it has augmented the capabilities of the HD621 through the release of a firmware update that supports the product's ability to work with 3D video content. The U.K.-based manufacturer says the new firmware update helps the unit maintain its state-of-the-art A/V signal processing capabilities, and that the firmware update can be executed by authorized Meridian dealers in the field to ensure that existing HD621 owners keep up with the market's continuing advancements.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Since the advent of HDMI and the electronic industry's growing adoption of the format baluns have become an important part of many A/V installations.

The New York-based manufacturer Key Digital is one of the industry's leading providers of connectivity and A/V processing products and its new KD-CATHDX Cat-5e/6 balun is engineered to enable electronics professionals to send and receive control signals, as well as audio and video signals long distances. Key says the balun supports the HDMI and DVI formats, which includes video resolutions as high as 4,096x2160/24Hz, and 3D video content. The product also includes bi-directional IR and the ability to support uni-directional RS-232. In addition, it supports the lossless audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and 12-bit Deep Color at resolutions of 1080i, 720p and 480p.

Key says the KD-CATHDX is capable of transmitting 1080p/60Hz signals as far as 150 feet and 1080p/24Hz signals more than 300 feet. The product is HDCP compliant and it is powered by a 5-volt power supply.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Most electronics professionals know the name DVDO through its years of manufacturing video processing devices.

The Sunnyvale, California-based company's latest product ventures outside of the video processor category to provide existing homeowners a means to efficiently connect their HD source devices to an HDTV without the need for custom installers to pull long cabling runs. The company's new Air WirelessHD is a wireless transmission system that offers electronics professionals a solution that is capable of sending 1080p video, 7.1 surround sound and HDMI's Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) protocol distances up to 30 meters.

DVDO says the solution is compatible with 3D content and that it is engineered to coexist in environments that already include wireless home networks, cordless telephones and microwave ovens. The Air WirelessHD Video transmission system ships with a transmitter, receiver and mounting hardware that enables electronics professionals to place the receiver on top of a HDTV or hide it behind a TV as a wall mounted device.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

For decades NAD has been lauded by audiophiles for its high performing and affordable product line. Over the past few years the company has put a considerable amount of effort into updating its product line through new industrial designs, proprietary technologies and other innovations that are ahead of the market's technology curve.

One of the company's latest product releases is the Masters Series M51 Direct Digital DAC. This new digital-to-analog converter (DAC) employs the same digital processing circuitry as its M2 Direct Digital Amplifier and it is engineered to provide electronics professionals with a solution that enables them to bridge their clients' existing A/V systems into the world of digital audio. NAD says the product is designed to perform with low noise levels, low levels of distortion, low levels of digital jitter; overall signal linearity and a wide dynamic range.

NAD says the product accepts PCM data rates up to 24-bit/192kHz, and it includes a choice of inputs such as USB, HDMI and optical, as well as balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) outputs.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Meridian has earned a reputation within audiophile circles for producing some of the consumer audio industry's finest digital components.

At the recently completed Consumer Electronics Show (CEA) the British A/V company announced its new 818 Reference Audio Core preamplifier that it says will enable its dealers to easily combine its flagship 800 series components with its Sooloos line of digital audio components. The preamplifier incorporates the latest in standard consumer electronics technologies such as XLR (balanced) and RCA (unbalanced) connections, as well as proprietary technologies that include advanced digital signal processing (DSP) and the company's SpeakerLink outputs to facilitate connections to its active DSP line of loudspeakers.

With the 818 Reference Audio Core preamplifier and a choice of Sooloos series components Meridian says that electronics professionals can create a customizable, state-of-the-art audio system for their clients, or they can use the component with standard A/V components to create a system that utilizes the best traditional and digital electronics.