Join Sony Bravia VE5 has many energy-saving features
I showed up for Sony’s Press Conference the day before CES, and it basically consisted of a high-level Sony-exec saying: “We are awesome, yes we are! Our new products are just going to prove our level of awesomeness!”
Still, they had some terrific products to show, including the VAIO P Series netbooks, they also had several televisions on display, including the Sony Bravia VE5 Series. These televisions are an upgrade of the V-Series models, and they have Full HD 1080p resolution and Motion flow 120Hz technology.
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Apricorn DVR Xpander scores big on storage
Apricorn is name that you should know if you deal with personal storage, and the company has just released what they dub to be the highest capacity DVR external hard drive on the market, upping the ante with its 1.5TB DVR Xpander. Let us save you the headache of calculating just how many more backlog of shows you are able to run out before even that amount of space becomes insufficient for your needs – 1.5TB is able to add up to 843 hours of standard programming or 187.5 hours of high definition programming to your DVR. Just in case those numbers have yet to sink in, bear in mind that’s roughly the equivalent of sitting in front of your TV for 7.81 days straight without getting up or doing anything else except to enjoy high definition programming. Sounds like overkill? We definitely think so.
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SoundBulb makes a speaker out of a lightbulb
In the technological world, designers are always striving to make devices that can do two or more things at the same time. For example, it’s not enough to have just a cellular phone, but it’s got to have an MP3 Player and a camera.
Now there is a new multi-functional device on the tech block with the SoundBulb, a lightbulb that has an 8 ohm speaker inside. These Soundbulbs also have a Bluetooth receiver that allows for wireless streaming of audio from a computer or cellular phone. There is an on/off switch on the outside that helps to ping to a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi device.
Inside the SoundBulb is an LED light bulb, and the outer edge functions as a volume control. Hopefully you won’t burn yourself on the hot glass when you are turning your music up or down. As for power, it runs off of whatever is powering the bulb, be it a battery or AC cord.
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Philips new Cinema 21:9 HDTV
I remember reading the back of one of my DVDs to see a disclaimer: “The film is presented in ‘widescreen format’ The black bars on the top and bottom of the screen are normal”. All I could think when I read that was “duh”. I mean, if you hadn’t figured that out by now, than you shouldn’t own a DVD player.
Of course, most people are fully used to the black bars when watching their movies in 16:9 format, and HDTVs are built for this. However, Philips has recently unveiled a way that viewers can see their movies in 21:9 format with the Cinema 21:9 HDTV.
You see, some movies are shot in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which require the black bars on the screen to be seen at home. Any movie that is shot in an 1.85:1 aspect ratio can easily be converted to 16:9 format without the black bars. The Cinema 21:9 HDTV will finally allow users to see a 2.35:1 movie that will take over their entire screen, and the company states that the 21:9 can somehow adjust for 16:9 DVDs.
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Unify4Life uses BlackBerry to control home theaters and garage doors
For years, I have been wondering why I can do almost anything with my mobile phone, but when it comes to my television or garage door, I have to resort to another remote control entirely. Why can’t I control everything with a mobile like my BlackBerry? This is the question that Unify4Life is answering with two new devices: the AV|Shadow and the Garage|Shadow.
The AV|Shadow allows for switching channels, selecting chapters for a DVD, and even allows for adjusting the volume on the user’s audio receiver. It uses Bluetooth Technology, so the user doesn’t have to point at the screen or any other video device.
The user can customize their own settings, and the interface is set up in a circular pattern, perfect for the BlackBerry Trackball. The AV|Shadow is set up for TV, Satellite, Cable, Apple TV, TiVo, DVD, DVR/PVR, VCR, Blu-Ray, iPod, Mircosoft Media Center, even gaming consoles like the PS3.
The AV|Shadow is enough inspiration for any company, but Unify4Life also has another useful application called the Garage|Shadow. This device turns a BlackBerry into a garage door opener. It is easy to install and use, and now the user doesn’t have to worry about losing their RF remotes any more.
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Westinghouse Digital has new TVs on display at CES
You’ll be hearing me talk a lot about CES for the rest of this week, at least. I guess I just visited too many booths while I was in Vegas. One of them was Westinghouse Digital, whose booth was so fine it was in another location entirely. Yeah, they had to have a car come pick me up, and the Stirling Club was the ideal place to view of TX and SK series of televisions.
The TX Series are a series of 1080p LCD HDTVs with a 120Hz refresh rate. For those who don’t know what a 120Hz refresh rate is, it is a way of showing fluid motion not seen on 60Hz. Westinghouse Digital had a side-by-side demonstration, and now that I’ve seen motion of the 120Hz, I don’t want to go back. The TX Series include the 37 inch TX-37F510Z, the 42 inch TX-42F970Z, and the 55 inch TX-55F350Z.
As for the SK-Series, it appears the Westinghouse Digital intends these 720p models to create a “comfort zone” with many HDMI inputs and DayBright panel technology for daytime or nighttime viewing. These models include the 26 inch SK-26H630S and SK-26H735S, the 32 inch SK-32H635S and 32-32H820S, and the 37 inch SK-37H730S.
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CES – Day 3: Thin is in
As America has been gearing up towards the digital TV handover on February 19 (which may now be delayed if Obama gets his way), the obsession at CES over the past few years has been bigger is better in HDTVs. Panasonic is currently the king of the kill with a mammoth 150 inch LCD screen (so huge, it needs it’s own cargo plane and a team of technicians to ship and install). But along with the Ballmer era at Microsoft, 2009 represents a new change as “thin” is now in for HDTV design. It’s been coming since last year as OLED technology has matured. But now, it’s out in the open and proud of it. Thin is in and everyone is vying for the thinnest, lightest HDTV. And who’s topping the profile mountain at the moment? Panasonic again with a plasma TV that’s 1/3 of an inch thick.
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Brando’s Wireless Illuminated Super Tiny Keyboard
There is nothing that gives a gadget blogger more pleasure than to report on gadgets from the Far East like Thanko and Brando. You might remember the MP4 Camera watch I reported on a few days ago from Thanko, and today’s interesting Asian product is the Wireless Illuminated Super Tiny Keyboard (actual name) from Brando.
This keyboard has three obvious features in its name. The first is the wireless capacity, and it uses 2.4GHz rather than Bluetooth. The second is the backlit feature that makes it glow in the dark, which requires two AAA batteries to stay in operation. The third is its size. I’m not certain why you would want a tiny keyboard, but considering how these netbooks are getting increasingly smaller, there might be a demand for smaller keyboards for a desktop.
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