March 26th, 2008

It looks like it’s not only those in Japan that’ll be able to get their hands on what’s purported to be the “industry’s smallest and lightest XGA projector,” with Sanyo now also announcing that its diminutive PLC-XW60 LCD projector will soon be available ’round these parts as well. Most importantly, the price has also received a rather steep cut from the direct Yen to dollar conversion, with it now boasting an MSRP of just $795. That’ll still get you the very same 3.6-pound projector, however, which packs a respectable 2,000 lumens of brightness, a 400:1 contrast ratio, component, composite and VGA inputs, and, last but not least, a built-in 1 watt mono speaker. Look for it to hit all the usual sources sometime next month.

Source engadget

March 25th, 2008

We all want a TV that is large enough to give home theater quality but is there such a thing as too big when it comes to buying a new television?

The answer is it depends! Factors that determine the optimal size TV include the size of your room and how far you will be sitting from the screen as well as whether your TV is 4:3 or wide screen format.

While your natural impulse is to buy the biggest TV your budget allows, if you are sitting too close to a large screen television, the picture quality is likely to seem grainy and poor, which could make you less than satisfied with your investment.

On the other hand, if your home theater or other room in which you watch TV is large and you buy a unit that is too small, you could find yourself squinting to watch the nightly news or your favorite sports events and movies.

So, we’ve put together some facts and information to help you determine the best size TV for your living room or home theater room.

Normal Television Viewing Distance

Research shows that you will feel most comfortable when viewing “normal” 4:3 television shows from a distance that is from three to six times the width of your television screen. Any closer and you will feel crowded; much further and you will have trouble seeing fine details and enjoying the experience.

Refer to the following charts to determine the optimal size for your new TV based on the layout of your room and how far away from the screen you will typically be seated.

If you are buying a 4:3 “regular” format television:

4:3 Diagonal Screen	Minimum Distance	Maximum Distance
13 inches	2.6 feet	5.2 feet
19 inches	3.8 feet	7.6 feet
20 inches	4 feet	8 feet
24 inches	4.8 feet	9.6 feet
27 inches	5.4 feet	10.8 feet
32 inches	6.4 feet	12.8 feet
36 inches	7.2 feet	14.8 feet
40 inches	8 feet	16 feet

Wide screen, high resolution DVD and HDTV picture quality changes the viewing distances considerably since the picture quality is higher and you want the experience to be more like being in a theater.

In this case, the optimal viewing distance may be as little as 1.5 times the diagonal width of your wide screen TV:

16:9 Diagonal Screen	Minimum Distance	Maximum Distance
26 inches	3.3 feet	6.5 feet
30 inches	3.8 feet	7.6 feet
34 inches	4.3 feet	8.5 feet
42 inches	5.3 feet	10.5 feet
47 inches	5.9 feet	11.8 feet
50 inches	6.3 feet	12.5 feet
55 inches	6.9 feet	12.8 feet
60 inches	7.5 feet	15 feet
65 inches	8.1 feet	16.2 feet

TV and Room Size

The optimal size of a TV is relative to the size of your room. A TV with a screen size under 30 inches is great for the bedroom, but probably won’t be adequate in a larger room intended to seat more than two people comfortably.

You also want to consider placement of your television; optimally the center of the screen should be aligned to eye level both horizontally and vertically.

Remember also that tube and rear projection units are deeper than flat panel models; this needs to be considered in terms of how the TV will be mounted or sit in your entertainment center or other cabinetry; you don’t want the screen protruding into the room.

Most TV models have matching stands and/or mounting hardware available optionally if you don’t have an existing entertainment center.

March 25th, 2008

If you are in the market for a new TV in 2008, you may be surprised how much you’ll get for your hard earned dollar these days!

With the cost of Plasma and LCD flat panel TVs coming down rapidly, the old CRT tube models are slowly going away, even towards the low end range of the market.

You’ll find literally hundreds of television models reviewed on our web site, all categorized by size, brand, price range and special features to make it easy for you to compare models!

To help you match your TV budget to the typical price range, the tvsreview.com staff has put together this easy to use guide.

The prices listed here reflect the “street prices” not the manufacturers’ suggested retail prices, which are over inflated and should never be paid unless you are buying the latest, top of the line model and just have to be the first kid on your block to own it. Screen sizes listed are measured diagonally.

The guide offers you practical advice on what to look for within seven distinct price brackets:

• Less than $300
• $300 to $500
• $500 to $750
• $750 to $1,000
• $1,000 to $1,500
• $1,500 to $3,000
• Over $3,000

TVs Costing Less Than $300

At the low end of the market, CRT tubes are still common, with 25 to 27 inch units that once cost well over $500 now available in the sub $300 range.

If you are in the market for an LCD flat screen unit, you can now shop around and find a deal on models that feature screen sizes of 21 inches and smaller. Don’t expect a lot of features such as picture-in-picture or tons of inputs in this lowest budget class however.

Best brands to look for under $300 include Toshiba, Samsung and Sharp, among others.

TVs in the $300 to $500 Price Range

If your budget is in this range, you can find both flat panel LCD and CRT tube models with up to a 32 inch screen size.

Televisions costing between $500 and $750

Expect to find CRT tube models up to 36 inches and LCD flat panel models up to 37 inches if your budget is between $500 and $750, with the CRT models generally offering more features such as multiple video and audio inputs.

TVs in the $750 to $1,000 Budget Range

Stepping your budget up towards $1,000 will buy a flat panel unit up to a 42 inch flat panel LCD screen or you can choose from lower end Plasma models up to 42 inches. You will also find DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection models up to 62 inches under $1,000 if you shop around a little.

TVs in the Price Range of $1,000 to $1,500

If you have a budget between one-thousand and fifteen-hundred dollars you can find flat panel LCD models up to about 47 inches and Plasma units up to 50 inches. DLP, LCD, LCoS rear-projection models up to 62 inches in this price range will generally have more features than the discounted models under $1,000.

TVs Priced from $1,500 to $3,000

If you are looking for a larger TV and can pay between fifteen-hundred and two-thousand dollars for your new television, then expect to find an LCD flat panel model up to 52 inches, a Plasma unit up to 60 inches or a DLP or LCoS rear-projection model with up to 73 inch screen.

TVs over $3,000

If you budget more than three-thousand dollars, you can find a flat panel LCD TV model up to 70 inches, a Plasma model up to 103 inches, DLP or LCoS rear-projection TVs up to 73 inches.

Features abound in this budget class, with all the latest bells and whistles you want to make your home theater state-of-the-art.

Brands to look for at the high end of the market include Sony, which no longer markets Plasma models, betting instead on its LCD models to take the lead soon, having launched their full HD 1080p W series Bravia models last year.

Panasonic and Samsung continue to bet on Plasma as the long term leading technology in large screen TVs, announcing its new record 150 inch screen at CES.

Also hitting the market soon is the Mitsubishi 65 inch Laser TV, introduced in Japan in early 2008 and scheduled to hit the North American market later in the year.

If budget is not your primary concern and you want to splurge, you certainly have plenty of great options in this $3,000 plus price range!

March 23rd, 2008

Sharp’s 19″ LC19DV22U LCD-TV provides a convenient built-in DVD television solution with a distinctive design. The LC19DV22U features a side-loading progressive scan DVD player, a high-performance LCD panel for high brightness, a high contrast ratio, low-reflection glare protection and wide viewing angles, as well as Sharp’s Emmy® Award-winning LCD technology. The LC19DV22U Features true 16:10 Aspect Ratio (1440 x 900) LCD Panel displays 16:9 widescreen programs in their native aspect ratio, and has built-in ATSC / QAM / NTSC Tuners for DTV and analog TV viewing. Viewing Angles are so wide you can view Sharp Liquid Crystal Televisions from anywhere in the room! The set even comes with a PC Input that easily turns your TV into a PC monitor.

 

Features

• 19″ LCD-TV with Built-in DVD
• 800:1 Native Contrast Ratio
• 16:10 Aspect Ratio
• PC Input
• Component Input

Technical Details

• Model: LC19DV22U
• Display Size: 19 inches
• Display Technology: TFT active matrix
• is_hdtv_compatible: Y Unknown modifier
• Image Aspect Ratio: 16:10
• speakers_included_description: 2 speakers Unknown modifier
• Height: 13.9 inches
• Width: 3.9 inches
• Weight: 14.5 pounds

  Price : $429.99 at amazon

March 18th, 2008

Mitsubishi Electric just released two New Blu-Ray recorders, the DVR-BZ200 with 500GB of internal HDD and the DVR-BZ100 with 250GB of internal HDD. Both support, obviously, AVC codec, but also AVCREC which allows you to record AVC to DVD (cheaper than Blu-Ray discs). We also have digital and analog TV tuners as well as HDMI and Tivo Like (automatically removes commercials) support …
The most interesting thing by far is touch-screen color LCD remote conrtol… SWEET !

Source akihabaranews

March 18th, 2008

The Sharp Aquos LC-32GP3U-R is an HDTV rarity in that its 32-inch screen provides full 1080p resolution—twice the number of pixels of other same-size LCD HDTVs. This set also incorporates performance and features that console gamers will appreciate, and the whole thing is wrapped up in an attractive frame that’s available in some cool colors. Of course, at $1,499.99 direct, the LC-32GP3U-R isn’t the least-expensive 32-inch HDTV going, but it’s unique in that it delivers superb high-definition detail.

Sharp tapped renowned product designer Toshiyuki Kita to design the TV’s exterior, and the result is a seriously stylish set. The “-R” at the end of the model name stands for its deep red bezel, which makes it a little cooler than your average TV, though it’s also available in black or white. A removable four-legged table stand provides 40 degrees of swivel motion (20 degrees left and right), and a finely perforated tube-shaped strip along the TV’s bottom edge conceals its integrated stereo speakers (2 x 10W). On-display controls are within easy reach and sit atop the right edge of the set. Along the right-hand side is an array of standard and high-definition video inputs. With its stand attached, the set measures 23.9 by 30.9 by 11.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 39.7 pounds. Removing the stand shrinks the TV’s height and depth to 21.0 and 3.6 inches respectively, and the weight drops to 33.1 pounds.

More info at pcmag.com

March 15th, 2008

If you have a nerve of a geek. This new 5.1 channel DVD receiver is the right thing for you. Jamo’s new product- sleek black AV unit DMR 70 is all set to blow the market. It measuers 55mm high along with a Class D amplification system that allows component sizes to be reduced making it sleek and sexy. It offers 5 x 65W power, plus Dolby Digital, DTS 5.1, and Dolby Pro-Logic II decoding, upscaling of DVDs to either 720p or 1080i HD resolution via its HDMI output, plus support for DivX, WMA, SVCD, MP3 and JPEG formats, it’s no pushover.When paired with Jamo’s 200W speakers, they surely keep you thumping.

The entry-level system comes with the DVD player plus A102HCS5 speakers, for just $1112 Stepping up, the midrange, premium and flagship packages offer Jamo’s A 400 series speakers with a powered 200W subwoofer, with prices ranging from $1419 to $1820. Speakers are available in black, silver, or white. The overall individual price of the DVD player is $910.

Source luxurylaunches.

March 14th, 2008

There was (still is) the Sony DVP-NS53P, now ladies and gentlemen, welcome the DVP-NS700H, which offers a couple new “tweaks” such as an HDMI output and an upscaling function and…that’s pretty much all.
With a price that has almost doubled (10.000JPY = 100€ more or less), it is not quite what we would consider the best offer Sony has ever made…

Source akihabaranews.

March 13th, 2008

For those of us that have HTPC’s and home theater setups, playing our music through the 5.1 speakers is a breeze. Unfortunately for those that don’t have a HTPC there are little options other than to build one or use something similar to the Logitech Wireless Music DJ. It appears that powered-speaker supplier Audioengine has decided to get in on the mix of things and offer their own CD-quality wireless system.

The W1 Premium Wireless Adapter package connects to your PC via a bus-powered dongle and transmits the your sound in 48kHz/16-bit uncompressed aural bliss. Audioengine claims that the signal can be transmitted up to 100 feet away, meaning that you can probably send your music to just about anywhere in your house and maybe even your garage. Operating on the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum, the company says that it has gone through a lot of trouble to prevent interference from devices such as cordless phones that operate on the same frequency. At a price of $150, this might not only be a great alternative to a HTPC, but a great addition as well.

 

Source everythingusb

March 11th, 2008

Today Sanyo announced a new ultraportable projector model, so small that you can carry it easily with one hand. (Even the model they hired to bring it out could do it.) The projector is planned to be sold worldwide, but the only date we have so far is the date for release in Japan — April 21. It will sell for around 200,000 yen (USD$1999, according to current exchange rates…).
At the announcement the presenters said that these types of ultraportable projectors are seeing massive growth right now, up to a 32% average increase. With this in mind, Sanyo sees an opportunity for growth by making projectors smaller and lighter.

More info at akihabaranews