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Half price Sky+ HD Box and seven new channels

Sky HD was promised to be something special, and yes it is but there was one small problem and that was the lack of channels on offer. Well Sky is about to launch seven new HD channels and Sky has got a bit excited about this. Read more

Westinghouse SK-32H240S 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV

Why not bring your home to life with the Westinghouse SK-32H240S, this 32-inch LCD HDTV offers you a cheap option to watching movies and television programs in a high quality.

The TV has a sleek look, not as nice as some of the Samsung’s and LG’s. The Westinghouse SK-32H240S offers supports for a range of formats like 1080i, 720p, 480i.

The LCD TV has a range of inputs as well as the preferred HDMI, which offers superb image quality performance. This allows for connections for things like a Blu-ray player as well as a Sony PS3.

Features include:

• 1200:1 contrast ratio
• 176° Horizontal/Vertical viewing angle
• 2 HDMI, 2 component and 2 S-video inputs
• 32-inch diagonal LCD with 1366×768 native resolution
• 50,000 hour lamp life
• 8ms response time
• Color Capability: 16.7 Million colors
• Integrated ATSC (Digital HD), NTSC (analog) and Clear QAM tuners
• SPDIF Optical audio out with stereo RCA audio out

Woot are offering the Westinghouse SK-32H240S 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV for just $399.99.

Canon Vixia HF11, HG20 and HG21 high-definition camcorders

Its been a year since the Vixia HF10 camcorder was launched and today we hear that Canon has added another three high-definition camcorders to the Vixia line, the Canon Vixia HF11, HG20 and HG21.

All of the above models use Advanced Video Codec High Definition format when recording to memory cards, hard drives and flash drives.

The Canon HF11 HD camcorder features a 32GB flash drive (that’s 16GB more than the HF10), and a SDHC card slot for expanding the camcorder with another 32GB of storage. You will need a Class 4 SDHC card if you wish to record full high-definition video, and this will give you 12 hours of footage on the lowest-quality setting and 3 hours on the highest setting.

The Vixia HF11 can shoot still images at 3-megapixels, and write video at a 24Mbps bit rate (this is the maximum an AVCHD codec can record at). The HF11 will cost around $1300.

The two other new HD camcorders are the $1300 Vixia HG21 with a 120GB hard drive that records 11 hours of footage at the highest setting, and the $950 Vixia HG20 with a 60GB hard drive and records 5.5 hours of video at the best setting. Both of these camcorders record to SDHC cards as well.

While we do not have an exact release date it’s rumoured they will be available in September this year.

Read more Canon news or camcorder news.

Philips 9600 New Ambilight 100Hz LCD TV

Phillips has introduced the 9600 Ambilight FlatTV series in the UK, with the series containing the most powerful TV processing seen yet and setting the standard for sharpness, colour, contrast and motion.

The models which ship in the following sizes, 32”, 37”, 42” and 47”, all will feature the latest version of their award winning Perfect Pixel HD technology. Phillips has stated that this new version of Perfect Pixel HD will take picture technology to new heights with a reported processing power to 500 million pixels per second.

Here is a breakdown of some of the other main features in the 9600 series:

- Fastest LCD panels available, due to 100Hz Clear LCD technology and a 2ms response time, which will eliminate all traces of motion blur.

- 12 bit colour input, 17 bit colour processing offers a palate of 2.250 trillion colours while maintaining perfect skin tones.

- Perfect Contrast System

- Boosts light output by 10% to improve white reproduction

- Perfect Natural Motion system

- Improved performance of TV results in better handling of fast moving objects, better handling of colour with motion and faster catch-in time when fast motion occurs instantly.

- Ambilight Spectra provides a totally immersive experience and also adjusts the timing of the systems’ LEDs, enhancing the motion of onscreen images.

- Invisible speaker system for stylish effect.

- Integrated digital tuners, four HDMI 1.3a+EasyLink inputs for the clearest digital signal.

Check out the main Phillips website for more information on these TV’s.

Source: Read

Phillips

Panasonic HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100, full-HD camcorders with 3MOS

Panasonic has now increased their High Definition range of products, there are now two new full-HD camcorders, both of which features a 3MOS system this gives you superb video image quality. The two-models are the HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100; these are thought to be the first camcorders to use AVCHD and 3MOS.

The HDC-SD100 records movies onto an SD Memory Card; the standard cad is an 8GB. However; it is the HDC-HS100 which is the better of the two, this can record on both an SD Memory Card as well as its 60 GB hard drive, making this a hybrid camcorder. Both models have manual functions, this allows the user to feel more in control when filming, so you can control your focus, iris, shutter speed, white balance and zoom. Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) mode which has been used on a number of their digital camera, has now found its way on to these camcorder. This new technology automatically activates, so it makes the whole shooting a movie process a lot easier.

Zoe Susice, Group Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, she has said “The camcorder market is moving swiftly to High Definition and superior image quality is now a must-have feature. Moreover, many consumers are also demanding higher-level features, and the ability to be more creative.” She also added “For these users, we introduce two new full-HD 3MOS models – the HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 – with manual functions that give users the power to create dramatic, artistic images. At the same time, we also have our Intelligent Auto mode, which activates several technologies automatically, so the user doesn’t need to make any adjustments, and shooting video is an easy and enjoyable experience.”

Source – Press Release

Sony S4000 series flagship TV: will it beat of LG

Sony has announced the launch of a new line of TV’s, the S4000 series will become their flagship model with four sizes in the range. The model sizes are 26-, 32-, 37- and 40-inch screens, the 40 inch model is a 1080p Full HD TV and comes with the Read more

Lite-On DX-401S: Blu-ray ROM Drive helps boast movie enjoyment

We all know that HD DVD is dead so now companies are coming out with all kinds of Blu-ray players, some are producing some nice players for the PC one such device is the Lite-On’s DX-401S and just looks so classy. The great thing about using an external Blu-ray ROM Drive which connect through a USB 2.0 connection is that it adds so much more functionality. Ok we know that you will pay a little more for this kind of device, it is worth it as you are able to take the device anywhere you decide to go.

Tweaktown has done superb hands on with the Lite-On DX-401S, check out what their final thoughts of the Blu-ray ROM Drive were. Lite-On’s DX-401S is just all class from the word go, and if you’re interested in getting on the Blu-ray bandwagon, this could be the perfect accessory for you. The good thing about the external ROM is it adds so much more functionality. While you pay a small premium for it, the ability to take that drive anywhere you go makes up for the added cost. The initial word on pricing is far from scary with it being around the $150 - $200 USD mark, making it a much more affordable option when compared to the PS3 or other stand alone Blu-ray players.

It’s the kind of product you could be seen showing off pretty easily. We can just imagine your mate gets himself a new 1080P LCD for the lounge room, he hasn’t thought about taking the plunge to Blu-ray because he’s not too sure about the improvements. With a HDMI or DVI enabled laptop with HDCP in hand and your Lite-On DX-401S, you could be watching High-Def explosions in full 1080P within a few minutes of walking in that door.
If you find yourself being one of those people who are quite picky on noise levels, you’re going to be pleased to find that the drive is practically silent. At one point we found ourselves putting our ear up to it to make sure it was actually spinning away. You don’t have to worry about that horrible whining noise that you can quite often get from ROM drives.

On a whole the drive has so much going for it; with excellent build quality and a very cool look, it’s going to match most décor without any dramas. You throw in the fact that you can take it anywhere and we’ve got a real winner in our hands here. You really end up with Blu-ray on the go.

The only real gripe one could find with the BD-ROM drive from Lite-On is that it’s not a DVD burner. This isn’t really a bad thing though, as it does help keep the overall cost down. And really, if you’re buying a BD-ROM for your HTPC or adding Blu-ray playback capabilities to your notebook, what are the chances that you’re going to need a DVD burner? For the most part, you’ve probably already got one installed anyway.

The Lite-On DX-401S is going to make a great addition to your HTPC and will boost the enjoyment you get out of movies with that beautiful High-Definition playback. If you’re just looking at getting into some clearer movies while having the mobility functionality an external drive offers, or you want to become a mobile Blu-ray salesmen, the DX-401S is probably going to be the drive for you.

Source

Sony Blu-ray sales increasing thanks to blockbuster movies

It looks like the sales of Sony Blu-ray discs are increasing and this is in part thanks to more blockbuster movies being released, but lets face it who would want to buy expensive old movies just because they are in Blu-ray. HMR Research has new data which shows 3 million Blu-rays have been sold in the first 11 weeks of 2008 compared to 9 million movies for all of 2007, this means we could be looking at 15 million Blu-ray movies sold in 2008.

Recent blockbusters like “No Country for Old Men” sold 68,000 Blu-ray copies in one week and “Juno” is coming to Blu-ray on April 15th and could be massive as well. With HD-DVD dead it looks like it’s all up from here.

Source: Read

Xbox Live high definition movie downloads

According to Virgin Media and Microsoft today Xbox Live high definition movie downloads should take between 15 minutes and half an hour to download by the end of the year on some broadband services.

A spokesman for Virgin Media has informed us that the company’s 50MB broadband service will be made available to over nine millions homes by the end of 2008 which is over 70 per cent of Virgin Media’s entire network.

Xbox Live subscribers can download five top blockbuster movies from 100 MS points, which equates to around 85p.

Most of the movies currently available on Xbox Live can be viewed in both standard and high-definition formats.

source

VT800: another new projector from NEC

NEC have launched another new projector, the VT800 will cost you $899 and it white in colour. The native resolution of the VT800 is 1024 x 768; there is also a built-in closed caption decoder. The projector has a contrast ration of 500:1 and has 2,700 lumens.

The lamp will last 3,000 hours, and you are able to adjust the image horizontally, diagonally and vertically. There are a number of different connections, like HDMI input, Ethernet and USB.

As I said the NEC VT800 will cost $899 and will be available in April.

Source - Business Wire

What do Playstation owners want from Sony PS3 firmware update 2.11?

With the last Sony Playstation 3 firmware update (2.10) featuring support for Divx and VC-1 (WMV) amongst other things, we now look to the next update, what we could expect and need from it.

The next Sony PS3 firmware update (2.11) could include many extra features (HOME) but some are already being asked for, some gamers have asked for NTFS support instead of the current FAT, because they want to be able to play high definition files over 4GB Read more

Format War continues as Toshiba expected to pull plug on its HD DVD soon

Oh it seems the life support machine connected to HD DVD format is coming to a dead end, the latest news is that Toshiba are expected to pull the plug on its HD DVD soon, this should happen over the Read more