Samsung Announces World’s First LCD With DisplayPort

Samsung has announced another world’s first with a 30-inch LCD panel using a single DisplayPort, which will replace DVI, LVDS and VGA in upcoming Samsung LCDs. The next-gen interface outputs all your pretty pictures at 10.8Gbps, which allows for a 2560×1600 resolution or 1.07 billion colors without any visible lag. The DisplayPort panel utilizes a four-lane, 2.7Gbps/lane interface chip, while you’d normally need at least three DVI or four LVDS interface chips to achieve the same results. Samsung’s proprietary Super Patterned Vertical Alignment liquid crystal technology allows for a 180 degree viewing angle as well as 300nits brightness. Production is set for Q2 of 2008.

via [crunchgear]

Motorola signs on with Microvision’s PicoP laser projection

After months of eyelash batting and heavy petting, Microvision and Motorola have officially exchanged vows. In a deal inked yesterday, Motorola has agreed to help Microvision bring their PicoP laser projection technology to market. Not a surprise really what with Microvision’s penchant for using Moto handsets in their marketing collateral. Unfortunately, the agreement looks to amount to the production of a functional prototype only for the time being. While the prospect of an 854 x 480 resolution projection is certainly titillating, we doubt our gadget vanity can withstand the extra chub and battery drain the tech would introduce on our slim, sexy handsets. Then again, the geek cred gained could offset the lack of swank. No worries, we’ve got several months (if not a couple of years) to grow up before product is ready for consumers.

via [engadget]

Hitachi’s P42-HV01, L37-XR01 HDTVs sport removable iVDR-S

Cramming DVR functionality into an HDTV is nothing new, but Hitachi is blessing two of its newest sets with a removable iVDR-S drive (shown after the jump) in case you feel like plugging your theoretical DVR HDD into other compatible devices. Up first is the 42-inch plasma, which offers up a 1,024 x 1,080 resolution, three HDMI ports, digital audio output, a headphone jack, Ethernet, dual ten-watt speakers, an SD slot, and a silver stand in case you’re not keen on hoisting this up on your wall. The 37-inch LCD TV boasts a 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution, 500cd/m2 brightness, 7,000:1 contrast ratio, built-in speakers, and the same port assortment as the P42-HV01. As expected, neither of these sets will come sans a stiff premium, so look for the iVDR-S-equipped PDP to land in “late October” for ¥390,000 ($3,232), while the L37-XR01 LCD arrives a month earlier at ¥350,000 ($2,901)

via [akahibara]

Alesis unveils the iMultiMix 9R rack mixer with iPod dock

Take a look behind the sound board at most small-to-medium size concert venues lately and you’ll probably find the sound guy is playing the pre- and post-show tunes from an iPod jacked into the mixer — a trend Alesis is hoping to capitalize on with its new iMultiMix 9R rack mixer with built-in iPod dock. While we’ve seen a lot of mixer / iPod dock combinations in the past, this is the first we’ve seen targeted at the pro market, and it shows in the lack of chintzy features — in fact, apart from the iPod dock, you’re looking at a pretty standard seven-channel rack mixer: five mic preamps with phantom power, two line inputs (one switchable from the iPod dock to the external input), three band EQ with bandpass controls, and an effects loop. Interestingly, the unit also features a composite video output, which presumably will allow videos to be played right from connected video iPods. Expect these to start shipping later this year for around $299.

 

via [iLounge]

Denon launches programmable RC-7000CI remote

Right on cue, Denon has gone and launched the oh-so-snazzy RC-7000CI remote, which we had the pleasure of seeing a tad early thanks to the FCC. The fully programmable, ZigBee-based remote allows for universal command and control of all Denon remote controlled products “as well as products from other manufacturers,” and those with internet access (that’d be you, hot shot) can simply connect the remote to a PC via USB and “program the functionality of all the products in their system” care of the online IR database. Paired up with one or two RC-7001RCI RF/IR Remote Bases, the duo creates a multi-room remote control system that allows for “both two-way communication and IR functionality.” As with everything labeled Denon, don’t expect either of these August-bound niceties to come sans a premium, as you’ll be asked to cough up $299.99 for the remote itself, while each base station adds another $199.99.

via [engadget]

Infocomm 2007 – Extron Premieres New ENERGY STAR® Qualified, Professional Grade Audio Power Amplifiers

Extron Electronics announced the HPA 502 and HPA 1001-70V Half Rack Width Power Amplifiers. These professional grade, highly efficient 100 watt amplifiers feature ENERGY STAR qualified designs to help meet green building requirements. They feature a highly efficient Class D design with patented CDRS™ – Class D Ripple Suppression technology from Extron that nearly eliminates EMI emissions and interference with wireless A/V equipment. The HPA 502 and HPA 1001-70V also deliver exceptional performance with more than 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio, unweighted and THD + noise of less than 0.05%. With a compact enclosure, these amplifiers are ideal for installation in racks and lecterns with very limited ventilation, and are convection cooled without the need for fans. The HPA 502 is a two-channel model, which delivers 50 watts rms per channel into 4 or 8 ohms. The HPA 1001-70V is a mono amplifier with 100 watts rms output for 70 volt distributed speaker systems. Both amplifiers are ideal for classrooms, meeting rooms, boardrooms, and commercial environments.

 

 

“Our new HPA Series are the first rack-mountable, ENERGY STAR qualified audio power amplifiers,” says Lee Dodson, Vice President of Marketing for Extron. “Audio amplifiers are one of the largest power consumers in an A/V system and we are excited to lead the way with products designed for ‘Green’ A/V systems.”The HPA 502 and HPA 1001-70V consume just 8 watts when idle and less than one watt in standby mode. The HPA 502 and HPA 1001-70V enter into standby after one hour of inactivity, or when the standby port is triggered, and turn on instantly whenever an input signal is sensed. Additionally, both amplifiers are plenum-rated, allowing for a concealed installation above a drop ceiling to prevent theft while providing convenient placement of A/V equipment.

via [press release]

The New Sennheiser Bluetooth Office Headset

Sennheiser Electronic Corp., the U.S. wholly-owned subsidiary of the German company accepted worldwide as a leader in headphones and microphones for professionals and consumers alike, has announced the delivery of its’ new and versatile wireless headset based upon the Bluetooth technology standard. The Sennheiser BW900 features proprietary Adaptive Intelligence™ technology to deliver sound quality that is dramatically superior for both the wearer and the connected party, in addition to an advanced ergonomic design, and hot-swap battery changing.

“The Bluetooth wireless standard has fast become universally accepted across multiple product categories,” says Bill Whearty, Sennheiser Electronics’ vice president of sales, “With the BW900, Sennheiser brings Bluetooth’s audio performance to an entirely new level, while maximizing the convenience, comfort, and ease of use inherent to this excitingly useful new technology.”
The Sennheiser BW900 is a very lightweight, ultra-compact headset designed for use with Bluetooth-capable mobile phones, office telephone systems, portable computers, personal digital assistants, and the full range of Bluetooth-ready audio-based electronics. Its compact, discreet spiral form and ultra-light microphone “boomlet” make for an extremely flexible fit with total freedom of movement. Its user-friendly controls make selecting and switching Bluetooth signals, and adjusting talk and listen volume levels effortless.

Sennheiser’s Adaptive Intelligence™ technology automatically adjusts dynamic volume and mic sensitivity to compensate for ambient noise in the user’s environment. What’s more, the BW900 is able to learn the user’s preferred audio settings, remembers them, and applies them to subsequent sessions.
The Sennheiser BW900 thus ensures that both the headset user and the connected party will always enjoy optimum speech clarity, regardless of conditions and without demanding additional user input.
Sennheiser’s use of Bluetooth technology allows the BW 900 to be connected to several components simultaneously: mobile phones, landline phones, or other telecommunications sources such as PC’s and VoIP. Since the BW 900 is compatible with all speech-based Bluetooth devices, users will never need to miss a single call, due to juggling multiple handsets or headsets: The BW 900’s simple, user-friendly interface lets the wearer toggle seamlessly between conventional and/or Bluetooth-enabled hosts at the push of a button.

Equally important, Sennheiser designed the BW900 for both long range and long sessions. The headset can maintain clear wireless communications over distances up to 300 feet (100 meters), depending on the host device. And its “hot-swap” battery capability means the user can change out the battery without dropping the connection, for effectively unlimited, uninterrupted operation.The Sennheiser BW900 Bluetooth wireless headset is shipping now, at a suggested retail price of $389.95.

via [press release]

Going Green in the AV Industry

In this two-part series podcast, Will Parry, senior vice president of SPL Integrated Solutions, and Steve Rypka, a green living consultant for GreenDream Enterprises, talk about the new SPL initiative called “Green AV” click here

Home Entertainment: Honeywell HDMI Extender Keeps Your Signal Strong for Over 100 feet

HDMI is the way you’re gonna want to hook up your fancy HD home theatre setup. But if you’re running cables at lengths of over 30 feet, you’re going to need to spend tons of money on overpriced cables in order to keep the signal integrity up to snuff. Right? Well, not necessarily.

The Honeywell HDMI restorer goes between long lengths of HDMI cable and makes sure the signal stays strong and the quality is as good as possible, even at distances of over 100 feet. It’s a much cheaper choice than Monster Cables, and if you’re running cables in your walls it’s a no brainer. At least we assume so, as pricing and availability is unknown. But hey, if it’s less than like $2,000 it’s cheaper than 100 feet of Monster Cable.

via [Honeywell]

Logitech takes it to Gyration with its new Air Mouse

Logitech took the covers off its MX Air Mouse this morning. We’ve seen this thing twice now during preview visits, and we’ve been impressed both times. If you’re familiar with the Nintendo Wii controller or Gyration’s mice, you’ll get the idea behind the new Logitech mouse, although the underlying technology isn’t quite the same. With the Gyration mouse, you need to point the device directly at your computer. Logitech’s MX Air Mouse simply interprets how you move the mouse, regardless of where you point it. You can aim it at the ground and the cursor will move properly on your screen, which means you can be a little more casual when you use your home theater PC. It also works as a standard table-top wireless mouse.

Logitech’s new MX Air Mouse

(Credit: Logitech)

In addition to letting your arm be lazier, Logitech has incorporated a few gesture controls. Flick it from side to side and you’ll bring the volume up and down, for example. It also replaced the scroll wheel with a touch-sensitive strip between the two buttons. The strip felt normal enough when we got to play with an early version of it, and it worked much better than the touch-sensitive cursor pad and volume control on Logitech’s diNovo Edge keyboard. There’s also a few media control buttons on the new mouse, although we have a feeling they’ll take some getting used to before they feel as natural as they might on a standard remote control.

The $150 cost of entry for the MX Air Mouse puts this device firmly in luxury territory, so we expect those boutique home theater PC vendors who love pricey add-ons will scoop this up right away. It hits retail shelves in August, although we don’t expect that this will be the last of this kind of product. The technology behind this motion-sensing capability, called MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical-systems), is the same underlying tech that keeps the Segway properly balanced. We expect to see more devices that use MEMS, as the price has finally become affordable to the mass market.

via [cnet]