My Personal Speaker Phone – sorta review

My computer is fast becoming my voice communication tool of choice……it actually gives me better calls than my mobile, better clarity, less call drop and best of all it free….(I live in India and international calls are STILL expensive)….and I can do video too!

BUT…..

My laptop microphone and speakers are to close together and echo and feedback is an issue until both ClearOne and Polycom game me a personal speaker phone to trial…..

We are still trying out both units and will post our detailed comments shortly….but they are certainly making out lives easier…and our phone bills less!

Ploycom provided the C100 personal communicator and they describe it as…..

A portable and affordable personal speakerphone that enables a hands-free experience with leading soft phones and desktop video applications. The device includes Polycom HD Voice™ technology delivering four times the clarity of a normal call along with natural, two-way conversations without echoes or feedback. Originally launched with support for Skype, the Polycom Communicator now also supports the CounterPath eyeBeam™ and X-Lite IP soft phones and the Polycom PVX™ PC-based desktop video conferencing application, with support for BroadSoft’s BroadWorks® Communicator IP soft phone anticipated by this summer.

While ClearOne provide me with a Chat 50 Personal Speakerphone. ClearOne discribe it as…..

The Chat™ 50 personal speaker phone is a mobile audio peripheral that connects to a wide variety of devices and provides crystal-clear, hands-free audio communications.

It provides unmatched full-duplex capability, which allows users to simultaneously speak and listen without audio cutting in and out. It also provides high-quality audio playback for music, gaming and other sound files.

The Chat 50 can be used in a variety of ways, and connects to the following devices:

Our preliminary thoughts…

Both units are great, easy to install and operate straight out of the box…..this is good for me as I loose interest in things that require to much setup.

Both have excellent echo cancellation and resolved my feedback issues too….

Try them and see for yourself……our detailed comments will follow shortly.

More Info:

ClearOne Chat50

http://www.clearone.com/products/product.php?cat=9∏=94

Polycom C100

http://www.polycom.com/products_services/1,,pw-34-14992-17327,FF.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kramer introduces the VP23RC….the Presentation Switcher that has it all….!

One of my favourite work horses for basic room signal switching is back in a new form…..the Kramer VP23 Presentation Switcher has been turned into the VP23-RC…….

The VP-23RC offers a single-box solution that incorporates a Presentation Switcher section and Media/Room Controller section, with the option of integrated or independent operation of each section.

This combination unit further expands the Kramer Electronics RC series of media/room controllers introduced earlier this year for training rooms, classrooms, boardrooms and presentation environments.

“The VP-23RC is a unique single-box solution for any classroom, training center or conference room because it offers both switching of multiple sources and room control,” said Chris Kopin, vice president of Product Development for Kramer Electronics USA. “No where else in the industry can you currently find as comprehensive a single-box system switcher with this number of audio and video inputs, a microphone input and best of all, Ethernet control capability. This unit can actually address and control up to 5 products with unique IP addresses via its Ethernet port.”

……and it has rampable volume control too….way to go….this is going to be back on my specifications list….!

Check it out at:

http://www.kramerelectronics.com/indexes/item.asp?name=VP-23RC

Gefen Makes System Integration Easy with Two New Video Scalers

Stretch It, Switch It, Split It, Gefen’s got It……..Gefen’s byline is correct, check out their two new video scalers and then their site for their complete range of specialised products to take away the interconnection blues…..

For anyone wanting to connect different video formats to their digital display, two new video scalers from Gefen offer plug and play operability.

A Home Theater Scaler Plus provides the ability to connect two HDMI sources with separate digital audio, a component video source with analog audio, and either a composite or s-video source with analog audio to a single HDMI display. This makes a total of four audio and video inputs, two in digital format and two in analog format.

This scaler performs several key functions: it converts analog signals to digital formats, it outputs high definition video for each source, it scales the video in all resolutions ranging from 480i to 1080p, and it switches between sources at command. HD video is output in HDMI format with embedded audio supplemented by two additional audio outs in digital (S/PDIF and TOSlink) formats.

A VGA to DVI Scaler Plus offers bonus features in addition to its ability to connect analog sources to digital displays, outputting scalable high definition video up to 1080p or 1920×1200. These include new aspect ration, color correction and noise reduction that enable the finest imagery possible. Access to the Scalers advanced features is controlled by IR remote, offering a point-and-click method for added convenience.

More Info http://www.gefen.com

Crestron’s New DVPHD-Pro 8 Window Digital Video Processor

 

The DVPHD-PRO is an advanced multi-window digital video processor and touchpanel interface. Ideal for videoconference rooms, lecture halls and training labs, command centers, operating rooms, ground and air traffic control, security and surveillance, public information, houses of worship, home theater, sports bars, and all kinds of entertainment venues, the DVPHD-PRO combines a unique set of features to deliver a dramatic and versatile presentation solution. Out-of-the-box functionality means the DVPHD-PRO can be used standalone or as part of a complete Crestron control system.

Multi-Window Video Processor
The DVPHD-PRO displays up to 8 simultaneous video windows on a single high-resolution monitor, projector, or flat panel display. Its 4 multi-format video inputs and 4 high-res DVI-I inputs each route to a dedicated video window¹ onscreen. These video windows can be displayed together in any combination over a fully-customizable graphic background. Each window is fully-scalable and independently controllable, allowing for display at any position, size, or aspect ratio.

 The unit offer:

• Multi-Format Support
• Pure Digital HD Video
• 100% HDCP Compliance
• Advanced Image Processing
• Touchpanel Interface
• Annotation
• High-Speed Connectivity
• Front Panel Control
• Built-in Web Server

For more information see:

http://www.crestron.com/products/show_products.asp?type=commercial&cat=1026&subcat=1168&id=1529

 

“Pod”…….Inspired again by Apple

In this blog we are not just wanting to look at new technologies but also at how technology is being used ……. I am researching new technologies and how these can be applied to the hospitality industry and I came across this new Hotel in New York and how they are using technology to assist the guests and also market their property.

The Pod Hotel in NYC takes it’s lead from what is becoming an a cultural icon of the 2000’s……The iPod…check out The Pod Hotel and wait for the copy cats……this is inspiration……

read more | digg story

3 LCD Projectors that require no cool down time

Epson is playing the 3LCD card yet again in the EMP-X5 and XMP-822 projectors, but rather than hashing out specs we’re all too familiar with, the firm stepped it up by including a “one touch off” feature that eliminates the need for a time consuming cool down process before wrapping things up. Both units maintain a small stature and weigh in at around six-pounds, sport VGA resolutions, and share 400:1 contrast ratios. The EMP-X5 musters 2,200 ANSI lumens, touts a “sliding lens cap,” and automatic keystone distortion adjusting, while the EMP-822 (pictured after the break) jumps to 2,600 ANSI lumens, includes a few more inputs, rocks a built-in speaker, and offers up a “direct shutdown” feature to make grab ‘n go presentations a breeze. These little fellows aren’t exactly aimed at the budget-minded set, mind you, as the time-saving shutdown features will run you INR 1,02,800.00 ($1,670) on the EMP-822, while the lesser-spec’d sibling is still waiting for a price to call its own.

[via engadget]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/26/epsons-emp-x5-emp-822-3lcd-projectors-disregard-cool-down-time/

NAC-HD1 by SONY, the HDD Digtial Music Server

This is the NAC-HD1 250GB HDD digital music server, Sony‘s new sound system component. The included CD player will rip your albums onto its hard drive, with space for up to 125,000 tunes. The system can also stream content to other hardware compatible with the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard. You’ll be interested to know it’s the Giga Juke’s brother, who got bigger and more capable after a short vacation at Godzilla’s beach home.

The NAC-HD1 also boasts a AM/FM tuner and lets you to schedule the recording of radio programs. There’s a 4.3-inch color LCD display and USB port on the unit’s front. Unfortunately, the NAC-HD1 needs a Wi-Fi adapter to get into your wireless network. There are plans to release this in Europe around late Spring or early Summer.

• Hard Drive Micro System with CD and DAB/AM Tuner
  S-Master Amplifier (85W x 2 (RMS))
  HDD 250GB (Stores up to 125,000 songs)
  Up to 16x High Speed CD Ripping to HDD
  4.3 inch color LCD Display
  Wireless LAN Adapter / Dongle Ready
  Recording Formats: Linear PCM / ATRAC / MP3
  Auto Title Labelling by pre-installed and CDDB via Internet
  Measures 430 × 290 × 110 mm
  Weighs 7.2 kg

Good Bye DRM……..

Hollywood’s piracy fears holding up Samsung’s wireless HD displays

The release of Samsung’s 50- and 58-inch wireless high-definition plasma displays may be held back by Hollywood, according to a report by Gizmodo which is confirmed. Samsung Senior Marketing Manager Bill Dickey said that the two sets are on track in the US for September of this year, but could be ready sooner if not for the concerns of the movie companies.

HD is here to stay …… and wireless is definitely on the way for domestic and commercial use……

read more | digg story

MIT researcher tout “practical” holographic video

A team of researchers at MIT seem to think they’ve finally come up with a way to make holographic video a bit more practical for everyday use, touting the new system they’ve developed as a possible display for PCs and video game consoles, Technology Review reports. According to the researchers, the display will be small enough to fit in an entertainment center when finished, boast a resolution as good as a standard analog television, and only cost a “couple of hundred dollars.” Much of that increased practicality comes from the fact that this latest version, dubbed the Mark III, simply relies on a standard graphics processor instead of specialized hardware. The researchers also managed to streamline some of the other optical hardware, which they say made the previous incarnations as big as a dining-room table. It apparently still has a few drawbacks, however, with it currently only able to display monochromatic holograms in a space about the size of a Rubik’s Cube. They insist that’s only a temporary problem though, and promise that the next model will be comparable in size to a desktop monitor and boast a full range of color. No word if there’ll also be a port of everybody’s favorite quasi-holographic arcade game, Time Traveler, to go along with it, but we can hope.

read more | digg story

The revolutionary new Linksys iPhone

iPhone and a New Age of Communications – Not that iPhone the other one!

The iPhone product family represents a new age of communications, an age that has voice applications at its core. The iPhone age is about more than just dialing the phone and waiting to see if someone on the other end answers. Devices in this new age do more than simply connect you to friends and loved ones.

read more | digg story