The future of Sony’s UMD-format for movies on the PSP is in doubt following a double-blow this week when Universal and Paramount announced they will no longer produce UMD versions of their movies. The UMD format has always been contentious, not least because it forced customers to buy yet another version of their favourite movies. The other problem is that you can’t connect the PSP to TV for movie playback.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, several high-level execs from the two movie studios have confirmed that sales have been poor and are falling fast. US retail giant Wal-Mart is also rumoured to be backing off, clearing out its inventory and drastically reducing the shelf-space available to UMD movies. If Wal-Mart drops UMD then the rest will follow seems to be the general consensus. Despite a strong start, figures show that UMD sales are tailing off and new releases from studios are on the decline. It will be interesting to see if the failure of another Sony-driven proprietary format damages the uptake of the forthcoming Blu-Ray format. More. 

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Posted by Martin Lynch on March 31, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (2)

Not one, or two but four home cinema speaker kits from Panasonic have been unveiled. Aimed at people that want to take the pain out of home cinema, these kits comprise a 5.1 speaker set-up, possibly a digital amplifier/subwoofer and some form of DVD player or recorder. The main difference is usually in the size and power of the speakers and, of course, the price.At the top is the SC-HT990, which boasts a 360 degree sound processing engine that’s meant to “enhance your appreciation of motion and space in a surround soundstage”. There’s also a Surround Enhancer to make the sound more enveloping and H.Bass for reproducing very low frequency bass sounds to add overall grunt to the movie experience. Next up is the SC-HT855, which comes with a digital amplifier, H.Bass and HDAVI support – a technology for hooking up numerous Panasonic devices via HDMI and controlling them with a single remote control.

The midrange SC-HT540 comprises thin speakers for that discreet, stylish look. Finally, there’s the SC-HT545W which is classed as a wireless home cinema system but is really more of semi-wireless offering. It uses RF technology to transmit audio wirelessly to the rear surround speakers only. All models come with a port for hooking up digital music players. No prices yet but all four systems are due to ship between April and June.

movies Music home entertainment home cinema audio Panasonic

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 30, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hitachi has launched a projector designed to make itself hard to steal and useless if it is. Projectors are valuable pieces of kit and unlike TVs, quite easy to pocket and therefore quite high on the modern burglar’s shopping list. The bright orange of the new ED-X10 LCD projector might do little for your décor but it has been designed to deter would-be thieves. A steel security bar allows the unit to be bolted down to any surface and even if that is overcome a transition detector makes the projector useless if moved, requiring a PIN number to get it back up and running. This might not suit every user but for anyone that needs a projector at home as well as in the office or classroom, this is certainly designed with safety in mind. On the specs front, it offers 2,000 ANSI Lumens brightness, a low contrast of 500:1 and the XGA resolution of 1024x768 means it can't handle high definition (HD). Still, what do you expect for £700? Via Engadget

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Posted by Martin Lynch on March 29, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC vendor Evesham is continuing its drive into the living room by offering its latest flat screen TV, the 32in V23EMRO-ZE3. Priced at a penny under £750, this makes it one of the cheapest, high-definition TVs (HDTV) on the market. The TV, which doesn’t look bargain basement, carries the HD Ready label and comes with an all-important HDMI input which will allow you a single cable hook-up to the latest generation of HD-capable set-top TV boxes and DVD players. It boasts a wide viewing angle of 176 degrees and can display both 720p and 1080i high definition video. It has a respectable 8ms response time and the integrated stereo speakers are backed up by BBE digital audio enhancing technology and SRS WOW support. Evesham is obviously confident with this offering as it comes with a 3-year, swap-out warranty. Again, as with all LCD TVs, test it first with material you know well or failing that, find some reputable reviews before parting with your cash.

HDTV TV LCD home entertainment

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 28, 2006 in Active Home, Television | Permalink | Comments (72)

To hop aboard Sky’s high-definition TV (HDTV) wagon you will need to start saving now. The company has announced that it is on track for a May launch of HD broadcasts and that rollout of the necessary receivers will get underway very shortly. HD broadcasts offer four times the quality of current TV and twice the quality of DVD. Sky will introduce seven HD channels to start, including Sky Sports HD, Sky Movies HD and Sky Box Office HD, Sky One, Artsworld, Discovery HD and National Geographic HD. Subscribers will need to pay £300 for the HD box as well £10 per month after that. However, subscribers will also have be subscribers to Sky Digital, where packages run from £15-£42.50 per month. That means that the minimum outlay for high-def telly for a year will be £600. At least installation is free. 

HDTV TV sky digital broadcast

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 26, 2006 in Television | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sharp joins the ranks of high definition TV (HDTV) vendors rushing to get new TVs on the market in time for the World Cup. The P70 series comprises three models~: the 26in, 32in and 37in Aquos LC-26P70E, LC-32P70E and LC-37P70E. All TVs come with a built-in Freeview Digital Terrestrial Tuner (DVB-T) and are high-definition (HD) compatible, meaning they can display 1080i and 720p HD signals. They have an HDMI input which will allow for HD video and high quality audio to be transmitted to the LCDs by a single cable. Other connectivity options include 2 Scarts, AV/S-Video In, Audio Out, CI Slot (Top Up TV) and PC In. The TVs boast a wide viewing angle of 170 degrees while picture brightness is adjusted automatically depending on the amount of ambient light in the room. Due next month, prices will range from £690 to £1,300.

TV HDTV Lcd Sharp home entertainment

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 24, 2006 in Active Home, Film, Television | Permalink | Comments (12)

LCD TVs sporting internal hard disk drives are still fairly rare and usually very expensive. Humax is planning to change that with the introduction of a 40in high definition TV (HDTV) with 40GB hard disk drive for around £1,500. That’s a very competitive price for a 40in HDTV, regardless of internal drive. My advice, as for all LCD TVs, would be to make sure you test it well before parting with your cash. So what do you get? The Humax LGB40TPVR is HD Ready with an integrated digital TV tuner which will let you receive free-to-air digital broadcasts from the likes of Freeview. Sadly there is no HDMI input, but there is a DVI-D input, USB port, three Scarts and component video support. However, the sooner TV manufacturers start adding HDMI as standard, the easier it will be for consumers to get their head around high-def TV. Response time is a respectable 8ms and don’t forget that internal hard drive which will make recording and playing back your fave TV shows a doddle. Via Gizmodo

TV HDTV home entertainment LCD

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 23, 2006 in Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

Spam is a real problem, accounting for most of the emails we receive everyday. Most solutions are software-based and run on your PC, requiring a yearly subscription licence. Now meet the first Spam gadget, the Spam Cube. This device can hook up to four PCs to protect against Spam, working with all major operating systems and supporting most email providers. It is just 4in tall and weighs in at 8oz. It has its own built-in anti-spam technology and unlike software solutions, or Web-based solutions, there’s no subscription. That said, it will cost you around £80, which is a lot more than many of software spam filters out there.

technology spam email Internet

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 22, 2006 in Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (2)

Meet the Kameleon remote control, which adds a unique new twist to universal remotes. This one comes with an LCD screen that changes depending on the home cinema device you are using. Choose DVD and you will get the control layout for that device but swap it to the TV and the screen changes to show you a whole different set of buttons. What’s really good is that the choice is yours as you program the buttons you want and how you want them to appear. Unlike its little siblings which let you control four or six devices, the Kameleon URC-9960 will let you operate up to eight devices which is more than enough to cover your TV, movie and music devices. It will also let you adjust surround speakers individually without having to touch your AV amp or receiver. It runs off 4 AAA batteries and, to conserve power, the screen goes off shortly after being put down on a flat surface. At about £60, this is a cheap and very cool device for eliminating remote control clutter. See a comprehensive review of it here.

movies home cinema Home Entertainment remote

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 21, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those of you hoping to kick-back and watch the World Cup in stunning high definition (HD) could be in for a nasty shock. According to the latest report from market watcher, Screen Digest, there could be a shortage of HD Ready set-top boxes as European broadcasters have only just started to ship them. With only 12 weeks to kick-off, this is cutting it too close. According to Screen Digest the BBC, among others (Sky) will be broadcasting games in HD format but without the adequate set-top boxes you will not be watching them in HD on your brand new HD Ready skinny TV. Still, it’s not all bad news as HD is on the way in force this year.

Vincent Létang, Screen Digest senior analyst explains: “The June World Cup in Germany was supposed to be the perfect kick-start for HD in Europe and its full thrust will be partly missed, but this does not jeopardise the introduction of HDTV. The strongest driver for HDTV is the fantastic success of flat panel television sets in Europe at the moment and the fact that a growing proportion of those are featuring HD resolution screens, which are standardised by the 'HD Ready' Europe-wide label introduced in 2005.”

HDTV TV world cup Football

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 20, 2006 in Television | Permalink | Comments (2)

Home cinema is all about immersing yourself in a movie but some companies make products that take that experience to the extreme. The Fortuny Deluxe Chair from Cineak is one such product, not only allowing you see and hear the movie but also to feel it. Equipped with Crowson’s Tactile Effect System (TES), we get a chair that is hooked up to the amplifier and responds to the bass sounds on movies to vibrate the chair. From gunshots to jet take-off the results are different and the chair can also respond to music in the same way.Technology aside, the chair sits comfortably in luxury class, with various grades of leather and upholstery, a huge colour palette, automated reclining, headrest and everything controllable from arm-rest controls, like all the best movie villains. You may actually need to sit down now because prices for the shaking chair start at £2,150.

movies home cinema Home Entertainment furniture

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 17, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pinnacle has announced the availability of two network music players that allow you to stream music around the home. The SoundBridge accesses your PC based music files via WiFi and then steams them to whatever HiFi or speakers you hook the SoundBridge up to. A remote control means you can control what is played from the PC, via the LCD on the SoundBridge. You can listen to WMA, AAC (except protected AAC files), MP3, WAV and AIFF files as well download services using Windows Media DRM 10 (“Janus”) and the PlaysForSure standard.

It has built-in support for iTunes, Rhapsody, Windows Media Connect and Windows Media Player 10, as well as any UPnP server such as Musicmatch, TwonkyVision and more. The other new launch, the SoundBridge Radio, has all the features of SoundBridge but includes its own speakers and subwoofer as well as the ability to access thousands of Internet radio stations whether the PC is on or not. The SoundBridge and SoundBridge Radio cost £150 and £299, respectively.

  

audio Music mp3 Streaming

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 16, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you want to know how to put a bigger hard disk into your Sky+ box, so that you can record more TV programmes, our sister site Personal Computer World has just posted a workshop showing you how.

It upgrades a Pace 40GB PVR, replacing the disk with a 160GB drive that lets you record somewhere between 80 and 100 hours of TV.

The workshop is pretty easy to follow, but remember it invalidates your warranty and we can't be held responsible for any problems you encounter. But hopefully, by following the workshop, it will be a smooth (and quick) upgrade.

Posted by Rob Jones on March 15, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (2)

With the World Cup coming and broadcasters planning to use it to launch their first high-definition (HD) broadcasts, Panasonic has filled out its high definition TV (HDTV) offerings with two new models: the 26in TX26LXD60 and 32in TX32LXD60. Both TVs come with integrated analogue and digital TV tuners capable of receiving free-to-air broadcasts like Freeview. Display resolution is 1366 x 768 making them both HD Ready, contras art is 1200:1 and response time is quoted at a fast 8ms using Panasonic’s Overdrive system. This suppresses afterimages and colour shifts, making fast-action sports and movies appear clear. Each TV has two HDMI inputs. The new TVs also support the company’s HDAVI Control capability which, when used with certain other Panasonic home cinema products, allows users to activate and operate all devices with a single remote control. The TX26LXD60 and TX32LXD60 are shipping now for £999 and £1299 respectively., A 23in version is due to launch in May.

HDTV TV home entertainment home cinema Panasonic

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 15, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sony is going for broke on the LCD TV front by launching three new ranges of Bravia TVs. After months of watching the ad filled with bouncing coloured balls taking over the streets of San Francisco, the TVs in question have arrived. The three ranges are the Bravia S, V and X, all of which are high definition ready (HD Ready) and sport integrated digital TV tuners for receiving free-to-air digital TV, like Freeview.  At the heart of all TVs is the Bravia Engine, which acts like a digital studio to perform numerous tasks on the fly to boost image quality. This includes reducing signal noise, enhancing low contrast images to make them sharper and processing blues, greens and reds within each frame displayed.

The Bravia S series, comprising 26in, 40in and 46in models, is capable of displaying 1080i and 720p HD images and all models come with a HDMI input. Next up is the Bravia V range, with 32in, 40in and 46in screens, boasting a range of colour reproduction technologies. These include a redesigned backlight that extends the red and green spectrum to priduce more lifelike colours. Top of the range is the X series, capable of displaying all HD formats including the highest, 1080p at 1920 x 1080 pixels. All X models come with two HDMI inputs and in-built Dolby Digital II sound. No prices yet. 

TV LCD Sony HDTV bravia

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 14, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (1)

Speaker manufacturer Tannoy has launched two new sets of home cinema speakers designed for those looking for quality at a decent price. Around £400 will be enough for the entry-level HTS100, a sub-sat system comprised of five neat, little speakers and a 100W subwoofer. The satellites use a 3in mid-bass driver alongside Tannoy's 3/4in WideBand extended bandwidth high frequency unit with a sonic range of 100Hz to 40KHz. At £550, there's the midrange HTS200 home cinema package designed for larger rooms. Up front with the centre speaker are two slim, floor standing speakers. The rear speakers are satellites from the HTS 100 range and the whole package is beefed up with a down-firing subwoofer. To make life that little bit easier, both packages come with wall mount brackets for the satellite speakers, a centre speaker stand, cable and installation accessories. There are also optional floor stands for the satellites that cost £69 a pair.

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Posted by Martin Lynch on March 13, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's all style this week at the Cebit 2006 show in Hannover with Toshiba firmly targeting the consumer projector space with the very stylish ET20. This sleekly designed DLP model in the black piano-style finish is more than good-looking with a host of admirable features. Toshiba claims that this is the first Super Close Projector and when you look at the specs you can see what it means. The ET20 is designed not just to operate as a normal, big screen projector but to also offer big screen thrills in smaller rooms. At just over 2ft from the screen, or wall, it will produce an image over 50ins, and at 3ft can knock out a whopping 6ft wide image. In addition, it’s high-definition ready with a HDMI port and the ability to display images up to 1080p resolution. It also has an in-built DVD player and Dolly Digital 5.1 surround sound. Due in April it will cost just over £1,000.

projector DLP home cinema home entertainment toshiba

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 10, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

AverMedia, a company better known for its wide range of TV tuners for PCs, has announced the world’s smallest digital TV. The AverTV Porto 3, launched at this week’s Cebit 2006, is a tiny device sporting a 7in LCD screen and looking like many portable DVD players. It’s about the size of a typical novel and features one of AverMedia’s Hybrid dual analogue and digital TV tuners. Even better, you can connect the Porto 3 to a standard analogue TV, turning it into a digital TV without the need for a separate set-top box. The Porto 3 can be used to hook up to consoles and portable DVD players when travelling and has a battery life of 2.5 hours. In-built features include Favourite Programme Editing, EPG, and Parental Lock. No price or availability yet.

TV HDTV digital-tv portable

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 9, 2006 in | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you ever want to see a grown man sweat, ask him to demonstrate new, unproven technology to a packed auditorium of about 1,000 people. And just to tighten the screw a little further, allow him to make bold claims, just before it fails.

Intel pushed it home entertainment Viiv platform to delegates at the Intel Devloper Forum yesterday, explaining how it will fit in with the rest of our home technology, and why we should believe Viiv is the future.

During the event Don Macdonald, who runs the home entertainment group within Intel, boasted that the company had developed the first buttonless remote control for use with Media Center PCs. It's voice activated, and Macdonald stood on stage asking it to show him what time Family Guy started.

The first three attempts failed miserably, as the Media Center stayed quiet, but as the nerves rose, the fourth attempt worked, to applause from the audience.

To give him credit, when he asked it to record the show, it worked first time, but it still didn't let him escape from the fundamental point - that you look like a madman when you speak to your remote control, and it's a pointless piece of technology.

We can't see this catching on any time soon, especially as the remote works best when you press the buttons.

Posted by Rob Jones on March 8, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (5)

JVC has updated its high definition TV range with two new widescreen models that boast dual HDMI inputs and dual TV tuners. The LT-32DX7 and LT-26DX7 DynaPix HD models feature WXGA resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and the next generation of the company’s D.I.S.T. picture-enhancement technology. High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a high speed interface that can carry full, uncompressed HD video and audio through a single cable. Two HDMI slots will allow the TV to be connected to both a HDMI-equipped DVD player and set-top box. Each TV has both integrated digital and analogue TV tuners while the newest version of D.I.S.T. eliminates image ghosting common to fast moving images on LCD TVs. On the audio front, JVC has beefed up the sound to 20W with improved bass response thanks to MaxxBass technology and a parametric equalizer. Shipping now the LT-32DX7 and LT-26DX7 cost around £1,100 and £850 on the street.

TV HDTV JVC home entertainment

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 8, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

 BenQ has used this week’s Cebit 2006 event to unveil what it claims is the world’s smallest wireless, portable projector. The CP120, which uses DLP technology, certainly looks small, measuring just 21.8 x 17.2 x 6cm and weighing in at 1.3Kg. At little more than a bag of sugar, the CP120 is just the job for bringing round to friend’s houses or even swapping it between the office and home when you want those big screen thrills. Despite the size, it packs a visual punch with a native resolution of 1024x768 resolution, making it capable of displaying high definition (HD) movies and TV as they arrive over the coming months. What’s best is that it has in-built wireless so you can do away with cables for certain applications. It supports the three main wireless implementations of WiFi, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g. Brightness is quoted at a reasonable 1500 ANSI Lumens with contrast a healthy 2000:1. Shipping soon in the UK, you can expect to pay around £1,100.

projectors DLP movies BenQ Cebit home cinema

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 7, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

Canon has launched a dual-purpose projector designed to deliver in both the home and the conference room. Canon is not really a player in the home theatre market but thinks its XEED SX60, which is capable of displaying high definition content, can bridge both worlds. The projector is based on LCOS technology, unlike most others that are based on either DLP or LCD technology. In brightness terms the SS60 is very bright at 2500 ANSI Lumens, with a native resolution of 1400 x 1050 having a contrast ratio of up to 2000:1 in Home Cinema Mode. Other features include automatic setup and control, auto vertical keystone correction, auto focus, auto screen colour correction, auto frame lock and auto input selection. The Auto Focus system measures the throw distance, projection angle and ambient temperature and sets the focus to the best position. There’s also a powered 1.7x zoom lens that can be adjusted via remote control. It will ship in May but no prices yet.

Home theatre Projector Projectors canon

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 6, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pioneer has announced that its first Blu-Ray drive for PCs will be out at the end of this month with a hefty price tag of under £400. The Pioneer BDR-101A supports the Blu-ray BD-R, BD-RE, and BD-ROM disc formats and will allow you to fit up to 25Gb on a single-sided blank rewriteable disc that will set you back a tenner each. That makes the new discs capable of storing more than five times that of current, single-sided DVDs. It offers the following write speeds: BD-R/RE (2X), DVD-R/+R (8X) and DVD-RW/+RW (4X). The weird thing is that this first generation player does not support CDs, but this will be sorted out in second generation devices along with support for DVD-RAM, according to Pioneer.

blu-ray PC Pioneer

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 3, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

With high-definition about to be unleashed on our DVDs and TVs, projection specialist InFocus has released two new HD-capable models for the entry-level and high-end space. Boasting the curvy new look from the luxury Screenplay 777, the IN76 (pictured) is a high-end model powered by the DarkChip2 720p 16:9 DMD panel from Texas Instruments. It has a true 1280 x 720 HD resolution, 3000:1 contrast ratio and 1000 ANSI lumen brightness. What’s quite handy is the inclusion of two HDMI inputs, allowing you to hook up to Sky’s HD broadcasts and a DVI/HDMI-equipped DVD player. It will cost £1,699 but if that’s just too harsh on your wallet, there’s the IN72, the entry-level model in this ‘Play Big’ range. It boasts the DarkChip2 480p 16:9 DMD panel, which can also handle standard and HD material up to 1080p. The six-segment colour wheel and new optics rests in a contrast ratio of 2000:1 and true HD resolution of 1280 x 720. The IN72 will cost around £900. 

projector HD Home Theater

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 2, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (0)

JVC has pushed the digital video envelope again this week by announcing the Everio Share Station DVD burner for burning DVDs directly from its Everio G camcorders. The Everio G range are the first camcorders to come with internal hard disk drives and JVC is continuing its drive to take the PC out of creating home movies. The new burner has been designed to work with the newly launched Everio G models, the 20Gb and 30Gb Everio GZ-MG27, GZ-MG37 and GZ-MG77. The new camcorders convert the .mod files into DVD format which the Share Station burns onto blank DVD-R/-RW discs. A 4GB disc will hold around one hour of video and takes 45 minutes to burn. The burner comes with Power 2 Go data writing software from Cyberlink for PC. Everio camcorders come with Cyberlink’s PowerDirector Express NE for PC editing, PowerProducer 3 NE for PC authoring and PowerDVD 5 NE for PC playback. The Share Station will ship in April and will cost around £110. More here.

Camcorder Video JVC

Posted by Martin Lynch on March 1, 2006 in Active Home | Permalink | Comments (7)