All Products Filed in Video

Monday, April 09, 2012

Depending on the quality of this summer's annual Hollywood blockbusters 3D will either continue to be an important entertainment option for consumers or it could be relegated to niche status.

No matter what happens with 3D this summer products like Optoma's HD33 HD 3D projector can provide homeowners with an affordable solution that drives their 2D and 3D home theater activities. The competitively priced projector is rated to deliver a brightness rating as high as 1800 ANSI lumens, and through the inclusion of the company's PureMotion3D and PureDepth technologies, consumers can view smooth 3D images and clear images that maximize the projector's brightness capabilities.

Optoma also incorporates its new 3D RF active 3D communications technologies to ensure a higher level of reliability that doesn't require line of sight connectivity. The company says the projector works with side-by-side 3D video and top-and-bottom 3D video, and it includes two HDMI 1.4a ports to support the connections of cable and satellite boxes, Blu-ray disc players, gaming consoles and streaming media players. In addition, it also supports VGA, component, composite, RS-232 communication and 12-volt trigger connections.

Friday, April 06, 2012

Unless it's a week or two in Cabo heat and warmth isn't necessarily a good thing. In the case of electronics heat is normally a bad thing that can negatively affect the performance and life of a component or system.

Fairfield, N.J.-based Middle Atlantic understands the negative effects that heat can have on electronic components and with its latest new product releases it is providing electronics professionals with a choice of solutions to combat the problem of heat. The first of the two new products is the 50 CFM Cabinet Cooler, and according to Middle Atlantic, the product is one of the first blower-style solutions to offer a free-air rating as high as 50 CFM. The product incorporates the company's intelligent proportional speed control technologies that activate the blower at times when cooling is needed.

The second of the two new product releases is the 50 CFM Component Cooler. Middle Atlantic says this product is designed to pull hot air out of a component and direct it to a desired location. The 50 CFM Component Cooler can be used on an open shelf or in a rack, and the product is available in a choice of stand along model to directly cool a single component or as a platform model that is capable of cooling multiple components.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Today's A/V receivers now, more than ever serve as the hub of a modern home entertainment system because of all the features they offer. The newly announced TX-NR717 and TX-NR818 A/V receivers from Onkyo incorporate the latest audio surround sound formats, as well as provisions for video processing, networked entertainment, Apple compatibility and whole-house A/V options.

The TX-NR818 incorporates features such as Audyssey's MultEQ XT32 audio calibration technologies, as well as Onkyo's Dual Core Video Engine that runs a combination of an HQV Vida 1900 video processor with Marvel's Qdeo processor to upscale low resolution content and HD content to higher quality levels. Both receivers are THX Select 2 certified and both incorporate Onkyo's WRAT amplification technologies that are designed to minimize distortion.

Onkyo adds that both setup through an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a quick setup menu that overlays the GUI, and with multiple HDMI inputs and networking provisions, homeowners can pull media from their home network or stream Internet radio stations such as Spotify and AUPEO.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

As an industry there aren't many products the public ranks lower cable services. For an idea of how lowly the cable industry's standing is in the public eye, it's value arguably rivals the service from the airline industry, which is at a near historically terrible level.

Custom installers can't help the airlines win back the public, but it can ease some of the service issues associated with cable TV service through the use of TiVo's recently revamped product line. TiVo's newly announced TiVo Premiere DVR is the company's latest product and it offers homeowners an affordable solution that records 65 percent more HD content than the company's previous generation model.

TiVo says the product is capable of recording 75 hours of HD content and it incorporates the company's respected user interface. In addition to the new Premiere DVR, TiVo has also announced a new subscription rate of $14.99 per month, and the company has also introduced a new multi-service discount rate of $12.99 per month.

Monday, March 26, 2012

A couple of years ago when the 3D video format was making its reemergence into the world of consumer video the products that supported the format were expensive.

Since that time the buzz for the format has leveled off and like most things in consumer electronics, it's growth has pushed 3D gear price points down to levels that allow more consumers to buy into the world of 3D video. ATEN's new VS482 Dual View HDMI switch provides electronics professionals with a device that can handle as many as four 3D sources and it can distribute these sources to multiple 3D displays which is now a more affordable scenario for installers to propose to clients.

The VS482 works with the latest HDMI format protocols such as 3D, Deep Color and the Audio Return Channel, as well as high resolution display formats like WUXGA (1920x1200) to provide installers with a component that can handle a variety of tasks. ATEN says the unit is designed to setup easily through the use of its onscreen display (OSD) and with its choice of convenience features that include a front panel display that allows for source selection, as well as RS-232 control options to enable its integration into a third-party control system, it can be placed in an equipment rack or it can be used as a standard A/V device within a home theater system.

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.

Monday, February 27, 2012

There are many cases that installers run into that require more than just a simple "hang and bang" flat-panel TV mounting job.

Sanus' newly released VMA401on-wall component shelf is a simple solution that provides homeowners an elegant way to save space by housing their A/V components, which include Blu-ray players, cable and satellite boxes, gaming systems and Apple TVs without creating an eye sore. Sanus says it engineered the product to mount directly below a mounted flat-panel television to create a seamless aesthetic that is versatile and ergonomically friendly in a variety of home environments.

The company says the shelf holds up to 15 pounds and the VMA401 features a thick-tempered glass that adds style, while providing functionality. In addition, it incorporates a cable management system the enables electronics professionals to hide cabling runs to provide their clients with a totally self-contained A/V system that resides independently within a room. Installers can also use multiple shelves in the event that a client has multiple components within their system and once it's installed, its height can be adjusted to the exact specifications of a homeowner.